Bloody Scotland

Scotland is a land soaked in stories. For this superb contemporary collection, editor Crawford (publisher, Historic Environment Scotland) challenged 12 of Scotland's finest crime writers to pen a short story inspired by some of the country's iconic buildings. Val McDermid, Denise Mina, Ann Cleeves, among others certainly rose to the challenge, and the locations include Kinnaird Head Lighthouse, the Forth Bridge, and Edinburgh Castle. As the title suggests, murder and mayhem ensue. But there is so much more, including revenge, retribution, redemption, horror, and humor. The tales feature a Viking cold case, a modern-day siege, the inescapable brutalities of World War II, and insidious terror of domestic violence. Throughout, the landscape and buildings bear witness to the extremes of human folly. Sometimes they are even complicit in the crimes.