In Copenhagen the maverick journalist Jensen has no home, no job and no clear plan for the future. But she has a teenage apprentice Gustav. Together they are hired to find a stolen necklace of an old lady brutally murdered in her own flat. That assignment leads to some clashes with DI Henrik Jungersen investigating killings of three older people.

When ninety-year-old Irene Valborg was found brutally murdered in an affluent suburb of Copenhagen, her diamond necklace missing, it looked like a messed-up burglary. Before any investigation properly started, her daughter Regitse hired former Dagbladet reporter Jensen and her teenage apprentice Gustav to find the jewellery. She was impatient to claim her inheritance but not very concerned with the murder.

Soon two more elderly victims were attacked, and the police determined simply that a general rise in violence against the elderly was the cause. However, at all scenes of crime: in the private house, at the allotment and in the care home, DI Henrik Jungersen found a single photo of a young girl. Questioning own sanity as his wife had enough of his behaviour and trying to fix his marriage, Henrik realises that he works best when bouncing off Jensen. He is in an impossible position: desperate to avoid and attract her. Because Jensen, the bright maverick journalist in her thirties and the woman with no (first) name, seems to be a contradiction of nuances. She initially appeared in Heidi Amsinck’s novel My Name is Jensen. After fifteen years working in London, she has returned to her native Denmark and true to her unique style of writing and investigating issues on her own.

Amsinck has already introduced us to a quartet of unique and unforgettable characters: Jensen, Henrik, Gustav, and Copenhagen. One city that embraces them. Three people who don’t really work alongside and together. Not admitting as such they grew to depend on one another to go through everyday life. Jensen is fiercely independent, and super insightful when it comes to pursuing a query or idea that got her hooked. Henrik is miserable, rude and disrespectful as hell, a classic example of bad cop with messed up family life. Though these two are not in relationship of any kind, they’re attracted to each other on more existential level. And Gustav, an intense and angry teenager offloaded on Jensen by his aunt, and her ex-boss Margrethe, the powerful newspaper giant. The invisible intricate strings pull them together to uncover secrets of several victims and to establish what had happened before the seemingly unrelated murders take place. Of course, we know that nothing like that is unconnected and following the trio in their quest to put puzzle pieces into a clear picture is both interesting and cringy.

Jensen opens a bit about own upbringing which I think is a nod to the hippy commune lifestyle and freedom of Freetown Christiania, and also makes a painful discovery of the events that had led to Gustav being kicked out from school. This in turn shines a light on changes in the modern society which include social media’s role. The background stories add richness to this urban thriller’s overall mood. Amsinck’s book is also an ode to the charming and atmospheric city, its past and present, as the main protagonists navigate its streets and conventions, and learn about greed and shame. Complex layered plot, with intensity of narration and nuance and fantastic characterisation makes The Girl in the Photo, a gripping read. Both books are published by Muswell Press.

A different type of post today…

Say what you want about squeezy cheese in a tube but you can’t beat it when it comes to teaching the alphabet. Recently I have been using it to write letters on sandwiches, and having cheesy conversations:

What’s your name?

You know my name.

Can you tell me again?

Tom.

OK, Tom. What’s the first letter in your name?

(Here comes a zigzag in the air)…

So here you are: T on dark bread.

Tom is excited.

Others follow.

I’m Mat! Can I have M?

And so we write and eat and afterwards there’s no evidence (and we know what happens when someone finds evidence)…

I can also make a paper boat, and am very good at building LEGO houses with gardens. But I am no expert in details in regard to human-powered vehicles and our own bodies, hence I suggest that you turn to people who are interested in and know about these things. I was lucky to receive two books (thank you FMcM Associates!) from the ground-breaking new series for children aged 6-9, which sees leading experts introduce curious young minds to hot topics. From money and human-powered vehicles, to how the human body works, Little Experts is set to take young readers on unforgettable adventures and inspire them to discover more about the incredible world they live in.

First is Amazing Bodies by the award-winning trans non-binary emergency doctor and TV presenter Dr Ronx who takes readers on a tour around the human body. Ashton Attzs, a UK-based artist illustrated this book. His paintings and digital illustrations are a vehicle to empower and celebrate the everyday person, and fit perfectly with the text which give introduction to human anatomy, and shares some fun facts. Did you know that ‘in your lifetime you could lose up to 35 kilograms of skin cells – that’s about the weight of eight cats!’? Or that ‘the smallest muscle is in your ear, called the stapedius and is less than 2 millimetres long’? Also, ‘the largest muscle is the gluteus maximus. It makes up the bum muscle!’ I had no idea. Dr Ronx said “I was inspired to become a doctor after seeing a TV programme set in a hospital. The doctors were kind, caring, and were of all ages, abilities, races and renders, Now want to inspire children to become experts on the human body and wow their friends, family, and teachers with fascinating facts.”

James May’s Marvelous Vehicles are about human-powered vehicles which the writer and broadcaster, best known for co-presenting The Grand Tour and Top Gear, finds fascinating: ‘Believe it or not, the first working submarine was human-powered. That’s because it was built in 1620, when the only means of powering boats were sails or oars. As sails won’t work underwater, it had to have oars.’ ‘This ‘diving boat’ (the word ‘submarine’ hadn’t been invented yet) was built from a wooden frame covered with waterproofed leather. It travelled about four metres below the River Thames, in London.’ May’s favourite mode of transport is bicycle, and definitely not a unicycle which ‘is less than half a bike, and the pedals are attached directly to the wheel. There are also no brakes. I tried a unicycle once but faceplanted.’ Illustrations are by Emans, an Italian-Brazilian illustrator who studied graphics in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and currently lives and works in Italy.

I read both books and learnt interesting new facts. I might use this knowledge while I write in cheese. The books found a new home already, with eight-year-old twins Florence and Jackson.

Credit for the text below and all photos goes to the festival’s communication team.

The historic city of Stirling was packed with crime fans and media at the weekend. New venue, Trinity Church hall, was host to BBC Radio 4, Loose Ends who got the weekend off to a great start with Janey Godley and Danny Wallace chatting to crime writers Chris Brookmyre, Val McDermid and Abir Mukherjee. In the afternoon BBC Radio Scotland’s Afternoon Show broadcast live from a buzzing Golden Lion bar interviewing no fewer than eleven Bloody Scotland authors plus the judges for the Bloody Scotland Debut Prize during their two-hour show.

The finalists for both the Bloody Scotland Debut Prize and the McIlvanney Prize went from the opening reception at the Church of the Holy Rude to Stirling Castle to take their places at the front of the torchlit procession. The fabulous Stirling and District Schools Pipe Band led the 400 strong procession through the cobbled streets to the Albert Halls where the winners of the McIlvanney Prize (debut author Callum McSorley with Squeaky Clean) and the Bloody Scotland Debut Prize (Kate Foster with The Maiden) were presented with their awards by Kenny Tweeddale from sponsors, The Glencairn Glass and interviewed live on stage by Janice Forsyth from BBC Radio Scotland.

However, there was far more to day one than media interviews and the awards presentation. For the first time ever there were eight events prior to the torchlit procession, one during and six afterwards with the final events (CrimeMaster at the Albert Halls and The Darkest Web at The Golden Lion) concluding at 11.30pm with the bonus of a final drink at the always packed Crime at the Coo which finished at midnight. Highlights of the festival always include the fringe activities. The sun shone for the Bloody Scotland England v Scotland crime writers football match at King’s Park which was won emphatically by Scotland 12-3 and at night the Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers returned to the Bloody Scotland stage ‘murdering songs for fun’.

In terms of sales the most popular event was Rob Rinder and Nadine Matheson closely followed by Val McDermid and Abir Mukherjee and the festival closed on a complete high with an outstanding Pitch Perfect panel which was won by Shane McGinley who had travelled all the way from Dubai to pitch his book. Craig Russell and Liam McIlvanney headlined the final event in the Albert Halls and a rammed panel celebrating Scottish crime writers took place in The Golden Lion ballroom with J D Kirk, Marion Todd and Colin Macintyre. Their event finished at 2pm and the signing queue was still going an hour later.

Bob McDevitt, Festival Director said: ‘I’m a tired but very happy man at the end of another action-packed Bloody Scotland weekend. The rain didn’t dampen the spirits of the Torchlit parade – in fact, some people said it only made it more atmospheric! It really was such a pleasure to see the streets of Stirling once again taken over by the Bloody Scotland army of authors and readers united in the goal of a rip-roaring and riotous good time.’

Pitch Perfect winner and first time attendee, Shane McGinley said: ‘When Mark Billingham was in Dubai I went to his signing and I asked him for advice on getting an agent. He recommended applying for Pitch Perfect so I Googled it and applied this year. When I arrived in Stirling the staff of Bloody Scotland were so helpful with introductions to authors, press and industry people. I also spent a good amount of time in the Golden Lion bar and met some lovely crime authors and bloggers. Winning was a total surprise and proves making the 5000 or more mile trip was well worth it.’

Bestselling author, Fun Lovin’ Crime Writer and former England football captain, Mark Billingham said: ‘Bloody Scotland remains one of the pre-eminent crime festivals in the world. Brilliantly organised with an amazing line-up of authors and thoughtfully curated events. It’s an unmissable weekend.’

Stirling Council Leader, Cllr Chris Kane said: ‘Readers turned out in great numbers at our venues, including Stirling’s Albert Halls, to hear and interact with their favourite authors at a wide range of events, before moving on to our hotels, bars and restaurants to continue discussions of murder, mayhem, suspense and intrigue. On the evidence of this year’s festival, no cryptic clues are needed to prove that Stirling is a superb setting for major events. A huge thanks to everyone involved in organising such a world-class festival and congratulations to all the prize winners.’

Bloody Scotland provides a showcase for the best crime writing from Scotland and the world, unique in that it was set up by a group of Scottish crime writers in 2012. If you were not able to attend the festival in person the curated digital programme is available to watch until the end of September, at www.bloodyscotland.com/watch (enter press402 as the access code).

The McIlvanney Prize recognises excellence in Scottish crime writing, includes a prize of £1000 and nationwide promotion in Waterstones. Winners are Callum McSorley with Squeaky Clean in 2023, Alan Parks with May God Forgive in 2022, Craig Russell with Hyde in 2021, Francine Toon with Pine in 2020, Manda Scott with A Treachery of Spies in 2019 (who chose to share her prize with all the finalists), Liam McIlvanney with The Quaker in 2018, Denise Mina with The Long Drop in 2017, Chris Brookmyre with Black Widow in 2016, Craig Russell with The Ghosts of Altona (my review on Euro Crime) in 2015, Peter May with Entry Island in 2014, Malcolm Mackay with How A Gunman Says Goodbye in 2013, and Charles Cumming with A Foreign Country in 2012.

The Bloody Scotland Debut Prize was introduced in 2019 and won by Claire Askew; Deborah Masson won in 2020, Robbie Morrison in 2021, Tariq Ashkanani in 2022 and Kate Foster in 2023. This year Bloody Scotland have partnered with HQ, The Times and Sunday Times Scotland and 42 Management to launch The Scottish Crime Writing Prize for Unagented Authors to be awarded for the first time in Spring 2024.

The Bloody Scotland board is made up of crime writers Lin Anderson, Craig Robertson, Gordon Brown and Abir Mukherjee, James Crawford (chair), Muriel Robertson (finance) and Catriona Reynolds (governance). The festival  receives vital funding from Creative Scotland (the public body that supports the arts, screen and creative industries across all parts of Scotland distributing funding provided by the Scottish Government and The National Lottery), Stirling Council and Culture and Business Fund Scotland. The organisers are also grateful to many sponsors and supporters including The Glencairn Glass, H W Fisher, Stirling Castle, Waterstones, The Open University in Scotland and Go Forth Stirling along with a wide range of publishers.

Bloody Scotland International Crime Writing Festival will return to Stirling, with easy access from Glasgow and Edinburgh, from Friday 13^th to Sunday 15^th September 2024. Don’t miss it!

Sally Diamond cannot understand why what she did was so strange. She was only doing what her father told her to do, to put him out with the rubbish when he died.
Now she is the centre of attention, not only from the hungry media and police detectives, but also a sinister voice from a past she cannot remember. As she begins to discover the horrors of her childhood, Sally steps into the world for the first time, making new friends and big decisions, and learning that people don’t always mean what they say.
But who is the man observing Sally from the other side of the world? And why does her neighbour seem to be obsessed with her? Sally’s trust issues are about to be severely challenged.

Well, how can I review this nuanced psychological thriller that left me an emotional speechless wreck? In the most positive way… I must also say that I have met the Irish author Liz Nugent in Reykjavik in 2018 during Iceland Noir. Her debut Unravelling Oliver has just been translated into Icelandic. Liz Nugent looked delicate and delightful. And she most certainly is. And then the words appeared and straight away it was clear that she is a formidable literary powerhouse of strong original ideas, and an incredible talent to tell stories that worm their way into your soul and stay for ever. And lead you into a complex world of vulnerability and strength, passion and courage, love and hate. Strange Sally Diamond is just that, a new novel so intense and so heart-wrenching I cannot stop thinking about it. Thousands of readers feel the same.

We meet Sally – ‘socially deficient’ and ‘quite normal but a little bit odd’ – Diamond when she’s forty-two, pretending to be deaf to avoid interaction with people in her village, and leading a very simple structured sheltered life. Burning her dead dad’s body in the incinerator at the back of the garden throws her uneventful existence into turmoil, into the unknown universe of attention from outsiders, police and locals who are both curious and outraged by her behaviour. Though she did exactly what her parent had said, she slowly realises that not everything must be taken literally and at face value. But how else could she have dealt with the outside world? She spent all her life with a caring but domineering psychiatrist father who had overruled advice and many reasonable suggestions from her late mother, and ‘hid’ her in safe but unsettling isolation. His intention was to keep her safe from trauma of horrific childhood.

That’s a huge shock and a beginning of a slow complicated process to learn about human relationships, and about own past which also is not exactly what Sally thought it was. She has no memories of her early childhood and limited comprehension of family dynamics; however, as she reluctantly embarks on a journey of self-discovery, yes, really!, with help of a therapist and ordinary sensible new friends, she must learn some basic things that most people take for granted, for example that it is OK to taste different food, talk on the phone, shake hands, change daily routine, or allow yourself to be touched and hugged. Getting immersed in this process allows reader to consider, and maybe even change, perception of a person with autistic traits.

Intricate plotting and complex links between various characters, plus two timelines establish a disturbing picture of intertwined lives in Ireland and in New Zealand. In this context the author brings a whole raft of small and big details that create a sense of dread and sensitivity. The social settings complement each other and show similarities and differences between attitudes in parenting. Dual plot lines focus on current day’s strange Sally and dysfunctional upbringing of strange Peter, and analyse roles of a father and a mother.

’His car was old. I could see he was wearing jeans with a shirt and tie. I couldn’t see his shoes. But you can’t  judge a book by its cover, or a kidnapping rapist by the smile on his face.

No thank you. I don’t take lifts from strangers’

I deliberately do not want to write more about the plot as the unfolding horrendous past, glimpsed from letters left by Sally’s adoptive father, and then from conversations with distant family members, is the key to the understanding her personality and deep layers of hidden emotions within. Grief, trauma, longing, anger and love. Vulnerability that can explode in rage. All these – and no sense of security, no feeling of safe belonging. This devastating story has moments of true connection, optimism and laughter, moments of awkward encounters and childlike purity and naivety. The culmination of realising the truth did not appear to bring closure, and Sally’s story concludes with another hurdle showing difficulty of finding inner peace and some contentment. Although Liz Nugent explores evil and aspects of seriously damaged humans, she does it with compassion and empathy. She takes her heroine to the hell and back and hopes for some salvation for her.

Liz Nugent will appear at Bloody Scotland – International Crime Writing Festival on 16^th September. If you are lucky to be in Stirling at the that time, you must please join her in conversation with Lisa Jewell. Tickets are here: Bloody Scotland – live event. Or get your ticket to catch up with the event online Bloody Scotland – online. It’s going to be an unforgettable experience. Thank you Bloody Scotland for the invitation to join the festival blog tour.

Outstanding crime fiction from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland shortlisted for the 2023 Petrona Award.

Seven impressive crime novels from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland have been shortlisted for the 2023 Petrona Award for the Best Scandinavian Crime Novel of the Year. The shortlist is announced today, Thursday 7 September and is as follows:

Pascal Engman – FEMICIDE tr. Michael Gallagher (Sweden, Legend Press)

Anne Mette Hancock – THE CORPSE FLOWER tr. Tara F Chace (Denmark, Swift Press)

Håkan  Nesser – THE AXE WOMAN tr. Sarah Death (Sweden, Mantle)

Petra Rautiainen – LAND OF SNOW AND ASHES tr. David Hackston (Finland, Pushkin Press)

Joachim B Schmidt – KALMANN tr. Jamie Lee Searle (Switzerland, Bitter Lemon Press)

Lilja Sigurðardóttir – RED AS BLOOD tr. Quentin Bates (Iceland, Orenda Books)

Gunnar Staalesen – BITTER FLOWERS tr. Don Bartlett (Norway, Orenda Books)

The winning title will be announced on 5 October 2023.
The Petrona Award is open to crime fiction in translation, either written by a Scandinavian author or set in Scandinavia, and published in the UK in the previous calendar year. The Petrona team would like to thank our sponsor, David Hicks, for his continued generous support of the Award.

 The judges’ comments on the shortlist:

There were 43 entries for the 2023 Petrona Award from six countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland). There were twenty-one female, nineteen male, two female/male pairs and one male/male pair of authors. The novels were translated by 22 translators and submitted by 22 publishers / imprints. This year’s Petrona Award shortlist sees Sweden represented with two novels and Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Switzerland with one novel each. The judges selected the shortlist from a particularly strong pool of candidates with the shortlisted titles ranging from police procedural and private investigator to historical.

As ever, we are extremely grateful to the seven translators whose expertise and skill have allowed readers to access these outstanding examples of Scandinavian crime fiction, and to the publishers who continue to champion and support translated fiction.

The judges’ comments on each of the shortlisted titles:

Pascal Engman – FEMICIDE tr. Michael Gallagher (Sweden, Legend Press)

FEMICIDE is a page turning, absorbing, thriller featuring Detective Vanessa Frank. A young woman is found murdered in her apartment in the same week her violent ex-boyfriend is released from prison. Meanwhile, we hear the story of Jasmina, a survivor of a recent severe sexual assault. Engman dives into the world of incels through Tom, a very believable character who is part of a weaponised gender war.

As expected this is not a comfortable read, addressing the whole incel phenomenon which is of growing concern. The well written characters and increasingly tense plot strands keep the reader absorbed as the story comes to a pinnacle as the attacks against women escalate.

Anne Mette Hancock – THE CORPSE FLOWER tr. Tara F Chace (Denmark, Swift Press)

Journalist Heloise Kaldan is trapped in a nightmare. One of her sources has been caught lying. Then she receives a cryptic letter from Anna Kiel, wanted for murder, but not seen by anyone in three years. When the reporter who first wrote about the case is found murdered, detective Erik Schafer comes up with the first lead. Has Kiel struck again? As Kaldan starts digging deeper she realises that to tell Kiel’s story she will have to revisit her own dark past.

A dark and compelling story with echoes of Stieg Larsson’s THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, this is an exceptionally strong start to the series, with a balanced blend of journalistic detection, psychological thriller and police procedural.

Håkan Nesser – THE AXE WOMAN tr. Sarah Death (Sweden, Mantle)

The fifth and final Inspector Gunnar Barbarotti novel from Håkan Nesser, sees Barbarotti returning to work after a personal tragedy and tasked with the investigation of a cold case, based on the unexplained disappearance of Arnold Morinder five years previously. Morinder’s former partner Ellen Bjarnebo, who had been previously convicted of the brutal murder of her first husband, is sought by Barbarotti for more information, but she too has disappeared.

Håkan Nesser’s credentials as a superior storyteller are once more in evidence in THE AXE WOMAN, with its impressive narrative arc and peerless characterisation, coupled with a perceptive translation by Sarah Death.

Petra Rautiainen – LAND OF SNOW AND ASHES tr. David Hackston (Finland, Pushkin Press)

LAND OF SNOW AND ASHES is set at a prison camp in Finnish Lapland in 1944 during the occupation by Nazi Germany, and in 1947 when journalist Inkeri arrives in remote Enontekiö on an assignment to chart the area’s social development. She gets to know the small community, discovers disturbing silenced crimes, and tries to find out what happened to her missing husband. Rautiainen weaves in the elements of Finland’s recent hidden history in the European context, and gives voice to the Sámi people, while Inkeri’s personal investigation shows the painful truths of human brutality and the cost of survival in extreme conditions.

A harsh yet beautiful landscape adds to the mystery and allows for reflection and thought in this striking historical but contemporary novel.

Joachim B Schmidt – KALMANN tr. Jamie Lee Searle (Switzerland, Bitter Lemon Press)

A local hotel owner and entrepreneur has gone missing, then Kalmann Odinsson discovers a pool of blood in the snow in the quiet village of Raufarhofn. Kalmann is an engaging, highly observant, neurodiverse character who sees the world his own way and who can easily become overwhelmed. He hunts and makes fermented shark and his usually quiet life in the small community falls into turmoil as the police arrive to investigate formally.

This quirky Icelandic story quickly draws the reader in, and information is revealed slowly as the mystery is solved. KALMANN is a beautifully written, absorbing, character-driven tale set in a rich Icelandic landscape.

Lilja Sigurðardóttir – RED AS BLOOD tr. Quentin Bates (Iceland, Orenda Books)

Following the events in COLD AS HELL, the UK-based financial investigator Áróra Jónsdóttir still searches for her sister Ísafold in Iceland, now convinced she will only find her sister’s body. Teaming again with Daníel, an old family friend and a detective, she becomes involved in the murky, violent, criminal underworld when the entrepreneur Flosi’s wife gets kidnapped.

The chilling scenery and tight plotting with unexpected twists propel the novel into the uncommon sphere of financial crime mixed with a strong sense of unease and danger. The writing is sharp, intelligent and witty, and the characters authentic. Sigurðardóttir surprises at every step with her exciting style, faultlessly brought into English by Quentin Bates.

Gunnar Staalesen – BITTER FLOWERS tr. Don Bartlett (Norway, Orenda Books)

BITTER FLOWERS is set in Norway in the 1980s during the heated atmosphere of toxic waste environmental protests. Private investigator Varg Veum is just out of rehab for his alcoholism. The story starts with a body found under suspicious circumstances in a swimming pool. The lifestyle of the rich, their power and the privilege their money affords them comes into question.

Staalesen is an expert at making his characters just complex enough that the reader can empathise with the human condition in the majority of them. BITTER FLOWERS is finely crafted and translated giving the reader a clear sense of location and an array of vivid characters to spend their time with.

The judges

Jackie Farrant – creator of RAVEN CRIME READS and a bookseller/ Area Commercial Support for a major book chain in the UK. Miriam Owen – founder of the NORDIC NOIR blog, passionate about the arts, she moderates author panels and provides support at crime fiction festivals. Ewa Sherman – translator and writer, and blogger at NORDIC LIGHTHOUSE.

Award administrator
Karen Meek – owner of the EURO CRIME blog and website.
Further information can be found on the Petrona Award website: http://www.petronaaward.co.uk

Bloody Scotland International Crime Writing Festival today reveals the finalists for the McIlvanney Prize 2023.  Judges for the McIlvanney Prize 2023 – BBC Scotland presenter, Bryan Burnett; former editor of The Sunday Times Scotland, Jason Allardyce and Category Manager for Waterstones, Angie Crawford – are unanimous in their praise for all four books:
Callum McSorley – Squeaky Clean (Pushkin) – ‘A wonderfully rich and funny new voice in Scottish crime. McSorley has created characters you invest in and plot that keeps you hooked right from the start.’ 
Denise Mina – The Second Murderer (Vintage) – ‘Seriously stylish and oozing with attitude, this Philip Marlowe mystery is an exquisite read.’
Robbie Morrison – Cast A Cold Eye (Macmillan) – ‘A story inhabited by brilliantly drawn characters. Not just a crime novel but a vivid and immersive account of life in Glasgow in the 1930s.’  
Craig Russell – The Devil’s Playground (Little, Brown) – ‘Mesmerising from the start. Devilishly dark and dripping with menace. A breathtaking masterclass in twisty crime writing.’

The list features two previous winners (Craig Russell and Denise Mina), a previous winner of the Bloody Scotland Debut Prize (Robbie Morrison) and debut author (Callum McSorley). The finalists, along with the authors shortlisted for the Bloody Scotland Debut Prize, will lead a torchlit procession from Stirling Castle to the Albert Halls on Friday 15 September where the winners of both prizes will be revealed and interviewed on stage by BBC Radio Scotland’s Janice Forsyth.

Both prizes are again sponsored by The Glencairn Glass, Kirsty Nicholson, Design and Marketing Manager at Glencairn Crystal, said: Now in our third year of sponsoring these prestigious awards with the Glencairn Glass, we’re very proud to be a part of this amazing Scottish annual event in the world of crime fiction. We continue to be impressed and enthralled by the talented authors who enter and we wish everyone the very best of luck. 

Personally, I am very excited to be going to Bloody Scotland again next week, and joining the criminally good company of writers and readers.

The premise of The Final Party is so very alluring even with the prospect of unease and potential confrontation between friends culminating in witnessing a dead body. But the fabulous Italian scenery! The strong bonds of friendship! Fun in the sun! Cannot be that bad… Accidents happen. Plus, people die of natural causes. However, as it’s A. A. Chaudhuri who is creating this atmospheric setting ripe for painful honestly and conflict, you need to prepare yourself for the emotional rollercoaster of doubts and half-truths.

Six friends meet in a luxury villa set high on the hills above the sophisticated and glamorous Sorrento, in the stunning scenery of southern Italy. The landscapes, the sea views, the nature and the cultural aspects of the place are irresistible. The location is gloriously perfect for a relaxing holiday, a celebration of trust, loyalty and caring for each other, with excellent food, drink and some trappings of luxury. The group cannot believe their lucky stars to be there to celebrate Vanessa’s 40th birthday. Vanessa, or Ness, is a tough high-flying lawyer and the stay at the villa was a gesture of appreciation from one of her corporate clients. Her devoted adoring husband Marcus, stay-at home dad, has planned special perfect touches to make the birthday occasion glorious and unforgettable. Her best friend since childhood, banker Johnny, arrives with wife Lana, and the third couple to join the exclusive trip are Padma, Johnny’s ex-girlfriend, and Nick. They all have known one another since four of them had studied at Oxford, and kept in touch over the years. They had also kept secrets about a dark event nearly two decades ago which caused Padma to lose memory for a week, and subsequent trauma, and which might be connected to the disappearance of a new student Carys at the same time. So, the summer holiday is not just a lovely reunion, but an occasion to come clean about dramatic events that shattered Padma’s confidence and destroyed an opportunity to lead the life she has envisaged. 

Ness, weighted with shame and guilt, made a decision to confront the past and to talk about this with others. Johnny doesn’t want to relieve terrible aftermath of a hideous ‘female fresher hunt’ organised by the exclusive male drinking society and designed to catch the prettiest girls at university. But he starts to receive messages from someone who apparently knows everything and threatens to expose him. Lana is full of loathing and regret, and Nick seems to focus completely on his wife’s happiness. 

The intense story unravels both slowly and fast (is that even possible?) as told by all six characters who reflect on every tiny emotion and change of mood in the villa, and reactions shown by others, while still clearly affected by the past. They travel back in time to their university days to explain, analyse and understand what had happened. This is an extraordinary process which leads to exposing their deep-seated anxieties and insecurities, and questioning if they could have done anything different. With a firm hand and a repertoire of stylistic writing tools, A.A Chaudhuri leads the reader through the meanders of moral dilemmas which rose from childhood, upbringing, social standing. She paints a searing picture of the British class system and questions privilege at the famous eminent university. The Final Party’s dual timeline gives a terrific insight into the past. In a way every person has a chance to look back and atone for their involvement in a crime that was never officially acknowledged. However, you can also feel that these might be unreliable narrators when their memories come to the fore. 

Exquisite plotting, attention to the smallest details and the incredible characterisation of people whose lives intertwined over eighteen years in the dark twisty web of lies. Shattering secrets that have been waiting under the surface of well-established relationships and trust, or what have appeared like that to some of them. The Final Party (Bookshop.org) / The Final Party (amazon) is perfect in its finality of deception. And here is a link to The Doctor Will See You Now series as Dr Noir chats with A.A. Chaudhuri.

The Girl with the dragon tattoo returns as a grownup woman, independent, running own business and living own life as she wants, in The Girl in the Eagle’s Talons / Havsörnens Skrik. Ferocious, brave and uncompromising as always, this time Lisbeth Salander is thrown into tricky familial situation when asked to look after her thirteen-year-old niece Svala Hirak. Following recent death of the girl’s grandmother and a disappearance of her mother, she travels to the small town of Gasskas in the north of Sweden, and reluctantly takes on a role of her legal guardian. Initially Lisbeth and Svala are like the opposite poles of two magnets: distrustful, sceptical and cynical until they begin to connect, which of course is a very slow gradual process with many dangerous hammers thrown in the works. The gifted teenager, ‘a loner who fights when she has to’, was often ‘used’ by the local gangsters to crack open safes, and threatened to pay for her mother’s debts, whatever they might be.

Mikael Blomkvist heads off to the same place to visit his daughter Pernille soon to be married to a local politician Henry Salo. He’s reflecting on his forthcomings as a father and contemplating own professional future as the Millennium magazine ceased to exist in print and now will be a podcast. The new medium does not appeal to Mikael at all. However, his journalistic instincts awake as soon as he smells an investigation search forming in his head after getting to know his soon-to-be son-in-law. It’s clear the head of council has his fingers in many dubious enterprises and hides shameful past.

Hovering over these two semi-personal plots is the modern problem of the climate change and the fight for control of the natural resources in that part of the country, with the criminal underworld leading the conquest. Several main parties are interested in investing and developing a huge wind turbine project, apparently for the community’s benefit. It seems though that the ambitious venture will bring profits for the international and home-grown baddies only. The main abominable villain wheelchair-bound Marcus Branco kills and rapes for pleasure, while his team kidnaps and terrorizes anyone who might stand in the way. Children are not immune.

Characters from previous Millennium novels make an appearance in the form of references or as actual players. Brutal Ronald Niedermann, Lisbeth’s half-brother and Svala’s father, remains in the memories and in the lingering questions about his murder, and as donor of the genetic gift passed to his daughter, also impervious to pain. Luckily she is also incredibly intelligent and kind. Erika Berger, Millennium’s editor-in-chief and Mikael’s on-and-off lover, is on the outskirts of thoughts. Others are not welcome in the lives of Lisbeth, Svala and Mikael yet have no intention to disappear as they mark new grounds. Svavelsjö MC, or ‘Sea of sulphur’ motorcycle gang that spreads its nasty tentacles into the Northern Sweden, gets involved in shady ‘protection’ business, and follows anyone that throws money and scraps of power in their direction.

With the nods to the previous iconic books by the legendary Stieg Larsson, published posthumously after his sudden death in 2004, and then by his continuator David Lagercrantz (The Girl in the Spider’s Web), and the solid background, Karin Smirnoff maintains the tradition of the Millennium series devised to consist of ten books. She builds on ‘Larsson’s core themes, such as violence, abuse of power, and contemporary political currents.’ Her strong vivid style carries the story of greed, conspiracy and betrayal in the cold snowy wilderness with the old enemies and the new fears. The thriller’s focus on environmental exploitation and underlaying social problems is told from different perspectives, from the invisible ‘cleaner’ to the people in power, both in the official capacity to make laws and from those on the illegal side of the fence. It is not a comfortable read but engaging and intense, nevertheless. Lisbeth and Mikael are recognisable and well portrayed in the new circumstances, though the investigative journalist has lost some of his daring spark. More reflection takes place in their minds, and getting close into their families’ issues makes them uneasy but I feel that the old ‘chemistry’ is still there, behind the screen. Svala comes to the fore with her reasoning, logic and vulnerability and I would hope that her future is lighter than that of her antisocial hacker aunt’s.

Special kudos to Sarah Death who translated The Girl in the Eagle’s Talons making this book the first, in series of seven, with two female creators. Excellent smooth translation of the work that is difficult and full of brutality yet flowing and engaging at the same time. The wild sea eagles, although not directly involved in making of human drama, suffer consequences, left a long-lasting memory for me.

Michael Mace, head of security at a top-secret research facility, working on weirdly named Beautification research Project, opens his eyes in a makeshift morgue twenty-four hours following an event in which fifty four people perished – including him and his best friend, Shelby Shrewsberry.

Having awakened with an extraordinary ability unlike anything he – or anyone else – has ever imagined, Michael is capable of being as elusive as a ghost. He sets out to honor his late friend by helping Nina Dozier and her son, John, whom Shelby greatly admired. Although what Michael does for Nina is life changing, his actions also evoke the wrath of John’s father, a member of one of the most violent street gangs in Los Angeles.

But an even greater threat is descending: the Internal Security Agency’s most vicious assassin, Durand Calaphas who will stop at nothing to get his man. If Michael dies twice, he will not live a third time.From the tarnished glamour of Beverly Hills to the streets of South Central to a walled estate in Rancho Santa Fe, only Michael can protect Nina and John – and ensure that light survives in a rapidly darkening world.

A modern-day Lazarus is humanity’s last hope in a breathtaking novel about the absolute powers of good and evil by Dean Koontz, the #1 New York Times bestselling master of suspense.

Slick style, quick pace. Very enjoyable and scary adventure into the world of political and social corruption, propelled by high octane writing. Gangster talk versus thoughtful musings about the state of the world. After Death is about technology and it’s impact on absolutely everything and the humanity; it’s full of complicated yet exciting terminology which made me stop and consider what might come next to us as the science constantly evolves.

The story is told mostly from four points of view, with each person using different language to emphasise their take on the situations they’re in. A couple of them are very uncomfortable to read which is not a surprise as both the ICA agent Durand ‘the manageable sociopath’ Calaphas and the bigtown gangster Aleem ‘life is war’ Sutter are as nasty as they come. ‘Cruelty, brutality, and murder are essential to these men’s business model,’ Aleem’s views are revolting, especially his hatred of women. Calaphas has no capacity for decent human emotions. Although both men are terrifying and frankly unpleasant to endgame with, I could appreciate how Koontz skilfully changed and adapted language and specific tone of conversations. He developed dialogues to suit these characters and to keep increasing tension when they were voicing their opinions, making plans and dealing with own overgrown egos. Except that they didn’t consider themselves self-centred. In stark contrast to the unsettling mood presented by these two, working separately, people on the good side of the spectrum were more reflective, reasonable and yes, good, kind, hopeful. It brought the real war between evil and good to the fore. Nina, shaped by her youthful experiences, and regretting ever getting involved with Sutter, is determined to protect teenager John and keep him on the right path. She succeeds at huge emotional cost, especially in the face of terror of his father wanting to snatch and turn him into one of his ‘homeys’. That would be the end of any goodness. Michael ‘Jean Valjean’ Mace, constantly surprised by coming from the dead, being alive again and his new abilities to find, evaluate, process and adapt huge amounts of data, fights to save mother and son, and focus on the right way to use his new extraordinary powers: ‘He insists he is no messiah, no anointed redeemer, nothing more than a guy who was in the wrong place at the wrong time when, in the midst of catastrophe, one thing went right. He recognizes the corrupting nature of power and the need for humility to avoid becoming one more monster aligned with those who would consign most of humanity to bondage.’ All in the memory of Shelby, expert immunologist and great human being, and ultimately in the name of love. ‘The long-anticipated Singularity’ in the form of Michael Mace is a complicated concept to understand but a fantastic hero nevertheless.

Intense events of one night ‘a journey from one darkness to another’ test everyone who is involved in the chase, everyone including the reader. But it’s so worth the mix of adrenaline and occasional moments quiet reflection.

Thank you to FMcM for the invitation to join the blog tour for Dean Koontz’s After Death which is out now, published by Thomas and Mercer. 

Most of Tove Jansson / Tove Jansson’s exquisite paintings and drawing are so familiar, well-known and easily recognisable yet seeing the originals displayed on the walls made it quite a magical experience. Tove, the first solo exhibition of the artist’s work in Norway, highlights other aspects of her work rather than the Moomin illustrations that became hugely popular around the world. 

Photographs are mine. 

However, text below is taken from the press release issued by Tegnerforbundet / The Norwegian Drawing Center which presents the first solo exhibition with Tove Marika Jansson (Finland-Swedish, 1914- 2001) in Norway. The exhibition, curated by Lene Fjørtoft and Hilde Lunde, and opened until 3^rd September, is a collaboration with Moomin Characters Ltd Oy with support by the Norwegian-Finnish Cultural Foundation, and shows a selection of drawings and paintings, with a focus on Jansson’s self-portraits. 

‘The artist Tove Jansson

Tove Marika Jansson had an impressive career as a writer and artist. She was active for over 70 years, and also worked as a cartoonist, illustrator and caricaturist. She is best known for having created the Moomin characters, but the exhibition Tove shows that her creativity extended far beyond this universe. She was a versatile and productive artist who constantly experimented and sought new forms of expression. Tegnerforbundet aims to give the public an insight into Jansson’s diverse artistic production. The drawings and paintings depict various themes, including family members, travels abroad, illustrations, commissions and imaginative doodles, all in her distinctly personal style. The self-portraits are a central part of the exhibition, and they show an artist who not only experimented with form and expression, but also took control of her own narrative.

Family and upbringing

Tove Jansson grew up in an artist’s studio in Helsinki, where both her parents worked. Viktor Bernhard ”Faffan” Jansson (1886-1958) was an important and admired sculptor. Signe ”Ham” Hammarsten-Jansson (1882-1970) was an artist and illustrator. The two met in 1910 in Paris, where they were both studying. In 1913 they married, and the following year Tove was born. Tove had two younger brothers, Per Olov Jansson (1920-2019) and Lars Jansson (1926-2000). All three became artists; Per Olov was a photographer and Lars a writer and cartoonist in the Moomin universe.
Faffan and Ham created a home where art was an integral part of family life, and Tove Jansson’s childhood experiences and family background undoubtedly influenced her artistic career. The family home was a studio and a workplace, with no distinction between work and leisure. Tove describes her childhood and adolescence in a community with freedom, responsibility, loyalty to family and harmony. The exhibition at Tegnerforbundet displays a bronze sculpture made by Faffan of a young Tove, as well as several works by Ham depicting Tove in her early childhood. These works represent the Jansson family’s close relationships, as well as how the family influenced and shaped each other as members of a creative community. The works in the exhibition also reflect how Jansson interprets and uses members of her family as models.

Tove and Ham

Both parents, Ham and Faffan, played a significant role in Tove’s choice of career and development as an artist. Ham in particular had an impact on her in this regard. As an artist, woman and mother, Ham was an inspiring role model for Tove. Her importance for Tove’s career and development as an artist should not be underestimated, and it is important to recognize the example Ham modeled for Tove. Ham took drawing assignments for the banknote print shop at the Bank of Finland and made illustrations for various magazines and book publishers. Ham provided the family with a steady income, which was unusual at the time.
It was Ham who taught Jansson to draw and who shared her contacts in the business with her daughter so that she got work. Jansson organized her early career around her mother and from the early 1940s she worked as an illustrator for the satirical magazine Garm. This was work that was passed down directly from mother to daughter. Jansson worked actively for Garm for 15 years, a magazine that published over 600 of her drawings.

Self portraits

A recurring theme in Janssons oeuvre is self-portraits; drawings in pencil and charcoal, small sketches in diaries and letters, as well as large portraits in oil. Jansson never wrote an autobiography. The closest equivalent is the novel The Sculptor’s Daughter / Billedhuggerens datter (1969), which contains biographical content. It is the self-portraits that make up the artist’s own visual narrative. Several self-portraits are displayed in the exhibition. The earliest is from 1937 when she was 23 years old. In this early phase of her career, the self-portrait was a means of exploring and staging an artistic identity. The last self-portrait from 1975 is one of Jansson’s last works in oil.
The self-portrait was a means of experimenting with different styles and techniques. How Jansson portrayed herself was not a random process; it was an artistic assessment. The self-portraits reveal an artist who was both self-deprecating and serious, and they reflect the complexity of her personality. Through her self-portraits, she explored different identities, told personal stories and claimed her place in the art world.’

‘…As a woman, she was brave if you think about how she presented herself in the late self-portraits, which became more raw and vulnerable and unfiltered. She dared to show that you get older.’

Hilde Lunde