BARRHEAD author Chris Brookmyre has been toasting success after winning the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award.
Chris earned the prestigious prize for his book Black Widow, which features one of his most popular characters – investigative journalist Jack Parlabane.
And it was a case of fourth time lucky for the talented writer, having been pipped at the post in previous bids to win the award.
“I’m really quite taken aback,” said Chris. “I’ve been shortlisted three times for this award – always the bridesmaid. Today, I get to walk up the aisle.”
The Barrhead man saw off competition from top crime writers such as Val McDermid, Eva Dolan, Sabine Durrant, Mick Herron and Susie Steiner to win the 2017 award.
THERE’S been something of a changing of the guard in the talented and successful world of Scottish crime fiction.
With Ian Rankin having threatened to retire his legendary detective John Rebus, there’s a looming vacancy at the top of the Scottish crime writers’ list.
It may just have been filled by Christopher Brookmyre, who last week won Crime Novel of the Year at the Theakston Old Peculiar Crime Writing Festival for Black Widow.
The same novel last year scooped the McIlvanney Prize last year at Scotland’s own festival of crime writing, Bloody Scotland.
What’s more, Brookmyre has been nominated for this year’s McIlvanney Prize with his latest novel, Want You Gone.
The prize is named after the late and much-missed William McIlvanney, who is credited with inventing Tartan Noir with his Laidlaw trilogy, though the man who coined the phrase was American crime writer James Ellroy – a great compliment from one of the kings of the crime genre.
Scottish author Chris Brookmyre has been named as the winner of a major crime-writing prize, beating renowned crime novelist Val McDermid to the accolade.
Brookmyre’s cyber-abuse effort Black Widow – which features his long-time character investigative detective Jack Parlabane – scooped the Theakston Old Peculier crime novel of the year award at the annual ceremony.
He was up against fellow Scottish writer McDermid for her 2016 novel Out Of Bounds, part of her Inspector Karen Pirie series, who previously won the title in 2006 and who last year won the ceremony’s top prize, the outstanding contribution to crime fiction award.
