Bloody Scotland Sneak Peek

 Bloody Scotland 2024 Programme Sneaky Peak

Authors released as part of the festival’s inaugural ‘sneaky peek’ include:

Richard Armitage – Headlining the opening night on Friday 13th September, one of the UK’s most popular actors will be at The Albert Halls in Stirling to talk about his debut thriller, Geneva. His string of acting credits include The Hobbit, North and South, Into the Storm and Spooks.

Ann Cleeves – The creator of three outstanding crime series, two much-loved television dramas in Vera and Shetland and 26 novels translated into over 20 languages will be in conversation with one of the co-founders of Bloody Scotland, Lin Anderson. Her event will be on the afternoon of Saturday 14th.

Peter May – Launching the much-anticipated fourth book in the Lewis series, one of Scotland’s favourite crime writers will be back on the Stirling stage for the first time since 2014 in conversation with one of the founding directors of the festival, local author, Craig Robertson. He will be at the Albert Halls on Saturday evening.

Louise Minchin –  The BBC Breakfast TV presenter will be in Stirling at noon on Sunday 15th September to talk about her debut novel, Isolation Island. The book draws heavily on her TV experience.

Ruth Ware – The international bestselling crime writer – hot from being the guest programmer at Harrogate - will be in conversation with Louise discussing her new blockbuster, One Perfect Couple, chaired by TV and radio presenter, Bryan Burnett.

Tickets for all of these events are now on sale! See here.

Richard Armitage on Writing Geneva

Hi everyone, 

Richard Armitage here introducing you to my Shots magazine guest post and my debut novel ‘Geneva’. Some of you might know me through my work as an actor on TV, Film and Stage, but also from the many recordings I have made for Audible which is how ‘Geneva’ came about. Audible asked me if I would be interested in writing a crime thriller; one of the genres which I was particularly enthusiastic about as one of their readers and I didn’t have to be asked twice; I jumped at the chance. There have been various doors which brought me to my work as an actor, but my love of literature was the driving force. Many of the roles I have played have been adaptations of novel; Tolkien's ‘The Hobbit’, ‘North and South’ by Elizabeth Gaskell, Harlan Coben's ‘The Stranger’ ‘Stay Close’ and Josephine Harts ‘Damage’ and many more. These authors have inspired me, and I’ve always loved working on drama that begins life as a book. Literature has played a crucial role in how I prepare a character; I always have a pile of research books for each person that I am examining.

Over the years I have acquired an obsession for the structure of storytelling. What makes us lean in? What makes the hairs on the backs of our necks stand up? What makes us rush home to watch the next episode or read the next chapter? I set out to find out the answers to these questions when I began work on ‘Geneva’.

I’ve always be curious about science and science fiction which is has its toes on the line of ‘science fact’. I had friends who's loved ones had been touched by dementia, and I was dreaming of this story at the end of the Covid pandemic, which gave me the seeds of an idea for a story. I had followed the work of Sarah Gilbert who was the virologist who headed up the Oxford Astra Zeneca vaccine program, so she became my foundation. Inspired by the films of Hitchcock and Orson Wells, and story tellers such as Agatha Christie and Ian Fleming, I set out to write a modern crime thriller with a central female character, Sarah Collier, who finds herself at the centre of a sabotage story and an unfathomable crime. At the heart of the tale is a once impassioned marriage which is now broken, a happy family decaying from the inside, but a dazzling opportunity presents itself which Daniel Collier, Sarah’s husband, believes will fix all of their woes. However, the course of events which unfold in Geneva are not quite what Sarah had anticipated. 

This was a debut novel for me so as I imagine most first attempts are, a big, exciting experiment of themes and ideas. I have worked closely in the past with screenwriters and producers on TV and Film scripts but have never fully held the reins of the story myself until now. It was a huge learning curve and one which I hope will serve me well for future stories. I started writing the story of ‘Geneva’ in a Winnebago up in Manchester on the set of ‘Stay Close’. My next stop was a hotel room just outside Seville on the set of ‘The Man from Rome’, another hotel in Madrid, and a third in Rome (what a life!!!), I wrote on the long-haul flight from New York to London as I came home for Christmas 2021. Another Winnebago on the set of the Netflix show, ‘Obsession’, as I did the final edits and then I decided to put the finishing touches to the novel from the city of Geneva itself. I toured the city and its environs, finding all the places in the novel that you might notice if ever you get to visit, I rented a car and travelled to the mountains of Chateaux D’Oex and Gsaadt, trying to make sure my geography was as accurate as possible. I found a potential site for The Schiller Institute and the place where Daniels car tumbles off the edge of a cliff (spoiler alert!). One might say I was on an early location scout for the TV adaptation… well all I can say is ‘watch this space’.

I really hope that you enjoy Geneva.

Geneva by Richard Armitage (Faber & Faber) Out Now 

Nobel Prize-winning scientist Sarah Collier has started to show the same tell-tale signs of the Alzheimer's disease as her father: memory loss, even blackouts. So she is reluctant to accept the invitation to be the guest of honour at a prestigious biotech conference - until her husband Daniel, also a neuroscientist, persuades her that the publicity storm will be worth it. The technology being unveiled at this conference could revolutionise medicine forever. More than that, it could save Sarah's life. In Geneva, the couple are feted as stars - at least, Sarah is. But behind the five-star luxury, investors are circling, controversial blogger Terri Landau is all over the story, and Sarah's symptoms are getting worse. As events begin to spiral out of control, Sarah can't be sure who to trust - including herself.

More information about his novel Geneva can be found on the website. You can find Richard Armitage on X @RCArmitage and on Instagram @richardcarmitage

Photograph - ©Kaitlyn Mikayla

Two from Audible this February

I’ve enjoyed two new releases from Audible this February, that are well worth your time; two books enriched by professional narration with high production values that help one escape from the reality that surrounds us.

The power of the narrator is key in enhancing the experience of listening to a thriller, and that’s what makes audiobooks so engrossing, and useful to fill up gaps in our time, as we can listen while “on the go”, from our phones.

We reviewed THE SUSPECT, the third novel from Fiona Barton, a story that is as prescient as it is disturbing

When two eighteen-year-old girls go missing on their gap year in Thailand, their families are thrust into the international spotlight: desperate, bereft and frantic with worry. 

Journalist Kate Waters always does everything she can to be first to the story, first with the exclusive, first to discover the truth – and this time is no exception. But she can’t help but think of her own son, who she hasn’t seen in two years since he left home to go traveling. This time it’s personal.

And as the case of the missing girls unfolds, they will all find that even this far away, danger can lie closer to home than you might think.

Fiona Barton’s debut novel, The Widow, was an instant bestseller and its successor The Child was the must-read 2018 pick of the Richard and Judy book club. Now comes her third novel, The Suspect, which is surely heading in the same direction.

It’s the third case for Kate Waters, journalist – the author’s own former career – and DI Bob Sparkes is also once again on the case. But this is a case with a difference. This time Kate has a personal interest in it as well as professional.

Read the full review from Shots Here

The production from Audible studios is performed by Clare Corbett, Mark Meadows, Sian Thomas and Ria Zmitrowicz, who bring this dark tale to life and here’s the cast discussing the adaptation –

Richard Armitage has become prolific as a vocal actor working on many dramas as well as poetry on Audible. His work with Joy Ellis’ thriller novels is extraordinary, and the new work THE GUILTY ONES is no exception.

The Guilty Ones is fourth novel to feature DI Jackman and DS Evans – their most disturbing investigation -

Jackman’s sister-in-law Sarah disappears to London and throws herself into the river. What drove her to this? She was a woman with a seemingly happy home life and two beloved sons.

DI Jackman and DI Evans dig into Sarah’s life. And Jackman realises he knew almost nothing about his sister-in-law’s past.

Then, they discover a woman in a neighbouring village died in similar circumstances.

What is the connection to a convicted murderer whose family are convinced he is innocent? Who is really pulling the strings?

DI Jackman and DS Evans of the Fenland police face a battle against their most dangerous and deadly adversary. And in a case so close to home can Jackman keep his feelings under control?

Full of twists and turns, this is a crime mystery that will keep you turning the pages until the thrilling ending. Set in the atmospheric Lincolnshire Fens, whose isolated villages hide many dark secrets. 

Joy Ellis was one of Audibles breakthrough authors of 2018, she started work in the 1960s as an apprentice florist in Covent Garden before opening her own flower shop in Lincolnshire. Later in life, she began to consider a career change towards crime writing and attended a workshop in Greece led by Sue Townsend, author of Adrian Mole. Ellis has now left the flowers behind and dedicates her life to writing gritty crime thrillers set in the Fens, where she lives with her police officer partner. 

Both these two standouts are available from www.audible.co.uk and part of Audible’s £7.99 / Month membership which entitles members to one audiobook download per month.

And remember Audible’s commitment to the Crime Thriller Genre and a thriller that we wrote about earlier, Simon Booker’s Animal Instinct HERE

About Audible

Audible, an Amazon.com, Inc. subsidiary (NASDAQ:AMZN), is the leading provider of premium digital spoken audio information and entertainment, offering customers a new way to enhance and enrich their lives every day. Audible was created to unleash the emotive music in language and the habituating power and utility of verbal expression. Audible content includes more than 250,000 audio programs from leading audiobook publishers, broadcasters, entertainers, magazine and newspaper publishers, and business information providers.