McDermid & Rankin longlisted for crime award

Val McDermid and Ian Rankin are in the running for the McIlvanney Prize 2017 which will be unveiled at the Bloody Scotland Festival later this year.

And the longlist of a dozen also includes fellow Fifer, Craig Russell.

The trio will find out in September who is the winner.

Val McDermid was nominated for Out of Bounds, her 30th novel, and one set heavily in Kinross with its roots also in Fife.

It brings back Karen Pirie, her cold cases expert, in a story which throws up a DNA link from a joyriding tragedy to a 20-year old investigation.

It topped the bet-seller charts, and won great reviews across the board

Ian Rankin’s Rather Be The Devil was his 21st novel featuring Rebus, his famous cop now heading into retirement but still very much on the beat.

The book, which took its title from a John Martyn song, saw Rebus dig into another case from the past which resonates with events happening in current time ... and it also raises the spectre of his nemesis ‘Big Ger’ Cafferty once more.

Fellow Fifer, Craig Russell, is longlisted for his book, The Quiet death Of Thomas Quaid.

It features his character, PI Lennox, and taps into the dark side of life in Glasgow in the 1950s.

Billed as a Scottish Raymond Chandler, Russell’s book tells of the death of Quaid, who is flung to his death from the roof of a factory in front of the investigator’s eyes.

His shocking death sheds light into his previously quiet life, and the secret he knew is the catalyst for clues to his murder.

Also nominated are: Lin Anderson – None But the Dead;Chris Brookmyre – Want You Gone; Ann Cleeves – Cold Earth; Helen Fields – Perfect Remains;Val McDermid – Out of Bounds ;Claire MacLeary – Cross Purpose; Denise Mina – The Long Drop; Owen Mullen – Games People Play; Ian Rankin – Rather Be the Devil; Craig Robertson – Murderabilia;Craig Russell – The Quiet Death of Thomas Quaid; Jay Stringer – How to Kill Friends & Implicate People.

The judges will be chaired by Lee Randall, director of Granite Noir, Susan Calman,comedian and crime fiction fan, and journalist, Craig Sisterson.

The the winner will be announced at the opening gala of Bloody Scotland on September 8.