Tartan Noir

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Yellow Fang

Legendary Member
Location
Reading
There seems to be a lot of it around. I suppose Ian Rankin started it, or at least gave it a good shove forwards. I heard on the radio there's a detective based on the Shetland Islands, wtf! Like a good cyclist, I went on a cycling holiday, this time around the Outer Hebrides, and I find there's a writer based in the Outer Hebrides: Peter May, I got one of his books. Not bad so far, although I'm only a few chapters in. I am hoping the verasimilitude is going to be a bit more verasimilitudinous than a couple of recent crime thrillers I've read recently (I'm looking at you Stuart MacBride). How can the Outer Hebrides be a crime hot spot? There's only about 20,000 of them and half of them must be in Stornaway. The notice at the Castlebay hostel said there's no point locking up your bicycles. I think we were pushing the boundaries of acceptable convention by cycling on the Sabbath.
 

Slick

Guru
Yeah, nearly as bad as mid-summer. :whistle:
 

Fab Foodie

hanging-on in quiet desperation ...
Location
Kirton, Devon.
There seems to be a lot of it around. I suppose Ian Rankin started it, or at least gave it a good shove forwards. I heard on the radio there's a detective based on the Shetland Islands, wtf! Like a good cyclist, I went on a cycling holiday, this time around the Outer Hebrides, and I find there's a writer based in the Outer Hebrides: Peter May, I got one of his books. Not bad so far, although I'm only a few chapters in. I am hoping the verasimilitude is going to be a bit more verasimilitudinous than a couple of recent crime thrillers I've read recently (I'm looking at you Stuart MacBride). How can the Outer Hebrides be a crime hot spot? There's only about 20,000 of them and half of them must be in Stornaway. The notice at the Castlebay hostel said there's no point locking up your bicycles. I think we were pushing the boundaries of acceptable convention by cycling on the Sabbath.
I have ‘The Black House’ to read. My literary guide @Hill Wimp reckons it’s OK but nothing special.
‘Shetland was just too slow and wooden’

Outer Hebs are fabulous though :-)
 

Slick

Guru
Denzel Meyrick writes some good stuff.
An old friend. I worked with him years back.
 

slow scot

Veteran
Location
Aberdeen
Just noticed this interesting thread. The "Father" of tartan noir is generally reckoned to be William McIlvaney. He heavily influenced some of the better writers mentioned above. I suggest, if you wish to investigate his work, to start with "Docherty", published in 1975, and continue on from there. You will not be disappointed; if you are I will take you for a ride round the empty roads of Aberdeenshire and buy you a seeded bacon bagel in Banchory.
His brother was Hugh McIlvaney the celebrated sports writer.
 
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