Shortlist Revealed For The Bloody Scotland Debut Prize 2023 & Longlist For The 2023 Mcilvanney Prize

 

sponsored by The Glencairn Glass

Winner to be presented on Friday 15 September 2023

The Bloody Scotland Debut Prize was launched in 2019 and has gone from strength to strength. Three of the five shortlisted debut authors also make the longlist for this year’s McIlvanney Prize.

The 2023 Bloody Scotland Debut Prize will be judged by BBC Scotland’s Arts correspondent, Pauline McLean, New Product Development Manager from sponsors Glencairn Crystal, Kenny Tweedale and Journalist and Editor, Arusa Qureshi.

 The full shortlist for the 2023 Bloody Scotland Debut Prize is:

Heather Critchlow with Unsolved (Canelo) – a cold case mystery about two women who disappeared 35 years ago which was inspired by a true crime podcast. Heather Critchlow grew up in rural Aberdeenshire. She lives in St Albans.

Heather Darwent with The Things We Do To Our Friends (Penguin) - a suspense debut about a toxic friendship in 1^st year at Edinburgh University. Originally fromYorkshire, Heather Darwent, now lives outside Edinburgh.

Kate Foster with The Maiden (Mantle) – set in the 17^th Century is a reimagining of true historical events in which Lady Christian Nimmo is charged with the murder of her lover James Forrester. Kate Foster won Pitch Perfect at Bloody Scotland in 2020 with her outline for the book. She lives in Edinburgh.

Callum McSorley with Squeaky Clean (Pushkin) featuring DI Ally McCoist the least popular detective in the Glasgow police. A thriller filled with pitch-black humour. Callum McSorley graduated from the University of Strathclyde in 2013 and since then his stories have appeared in Gutter magazine and New Writing Scotland.
 

Fulton Ross with The Unforgiven Dead (Inkshares) about a Highland Constable who is reluctant to embrace his gift of second sight. Inspired by Gaelic folk tales it is a fresh take on gothic crime noir. Fulton Ross is from the Highlands, went to Glasgow University and now lives in Northern Ireland.

All of the shortlisted authors have been invited to attend the programme launches in London and / or Stirling and to appear on a Debut Prize panel on the opening day of the festival.

The McIlvanney Prize shortlist will be revealed at the end of August. Today the longlist is revealed to be:

D V Bishop – Ritual of Fire (Macmillan)
Heather Darwent – The Things We Do To Our Friends * (Penguin)
Kate Foster – The Maiden * (Mantle)
Mark Leggatt – Penitent (Fledgling Press)
S G Maclean – The Bookseller of Inverness (Quercus)
Callum McSorley – Squeaky Clean * (Pushkin)
Val McDermid – 1989 (Little,Brown)
Denise Mina – The Second Murderer (Vintage)
Robbie Morrison – Cast A Cold Eye (Macmillan)
Ian Rankin – A Heart Full of Headstones (Orion)
Craig Russell – The Devil’s Playground (Little,Brown)
Douglas Skelton – An Honourable Thief (Canelo)
 
Alongside two of the biggest names in Scottish crime fiction (Val and Ian) the list features two previous winners (Craig and Denise), a previous winner of the Bloody Scotland Debut Prize (Robbie Morrison) and three debut* authors.

This year the McIlvanney Prize will be judged by BBC Scotland presenter, Bryan Burnett; former editor of The Sunday Times Scotland, Jason Allardyce and Category Manager for Waterstones, Angie Crawford.
The McIlvanney longlist and the Bloody Scotland shortlist will be promoted in bookshops throughout Scotland in the period between the announcement and the presentation on Friday 15 September. The presentation of both prizes will take place after the torchlight procession through Stirling in order that all shortlisted authors can take their place at the front.  The procession will conclude with a formal event at The Albert Halls where the two winners will be revealed and interviewed live on stage.