Celebrated for his incisive interviews, an acclaimed critic of crime writing delivers a fascinating study of Scotland's Tartan Noir movement

Fascinating, scholarly, yet highly accessible, this study of the Tartan Noir literary movement examines a number of high profile best-selling crime writers, including William McIlvaney, Stuart McBride, Caro Rasmay, Ian Rankin, Val McDermid, Quintin Jardine, Louise Welsh, and many others. Based on the author’s own research and in-depth interviews with many of the writers covered, it delves deeply into what characterizes and defines the Scottish police procedural and psycho killer novel at the heart of Tartan Noir, while also looking at the traditions and influences from wider Scottish literature. This perceptive study is a fascinating companion for crime lovers and students of literature alike.