Bloody Scotland, which runs between today and Sunday, has presented hundreds of established and new crime writers to enthusiastic audiences during the past decade. Headliners this year include Sir Ian Rankin, Ann Cleeves, Anthony Horowitz, Deon Koontz, Sara Paretsky, Denise Mina, Jeffrey Archer and John Connolly, among others.

This year, the Faculty of Advocates is sponsoring the Dangerous Times event, featuring Anna Mazzola, DV Bishop and Douglas Skelton, who will discuss their respective historical thrillers.

One of the many ways the festival supports up and coming crime writers is through its Crime in the Spotlight initiative. Inspired by the concept of support acts at music festivals, this pairs rising stars in crime fiction with established crime writers. This year Faculty member Ross Macfarlane KC has been paired with bestselling authors S J Parris & Laura Shepherd-Robinson.

Mr Macfarlane’s articles and short fiction have featured in several national newspapers and his short story Charles Dickens and the Tale of Ebenezer…Scroggie was chosen as the featured work of the Dickens Fellowship in 2017. His first full-length novel, Edward Kane and the Parlour Maid Murderer, was published in November 2020.

Bloody Scotland events will take place in Stirling at the Albert Halls, the Tolbooth and the Golden Lion Hotel.

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