Bloody Scotland

Scotland’s iconic architectural sites and buildings of heritage have been entwined with crime stories by Scotland’s eminent crime writers to give the readers engrossing anthology of short crime stories.Out of twelve writers, the ones who kept me hooked in their stories were Stuart MacBride, Chris Brookmyre, Sara Sheridan, Val McDermid, Denise Mina and Ann Cleeves.I was fully intrigued in the story of Sanctuary by Sara Sheridan set in Kinneil House. It’s about a girl named Linda seemed to talking to spirit of Lady Alice and what follow is unsettling.My next favourite was the story of Nemo Me Impune Lacessit by Denise Mina set in Edinburgh Castle. It’s a psychological thriller involving eleven year old boy with quirky behaviour. The story fascinated me and gave me a chill as I read through the end.The stories in the novel includes plot on murder, revenge, deception, enmity and psychological thriller.What was GoodImpressive account of the country’s sites and structures creating an urge in the readers to visit the place.Even less chilling stories doesn’t bore and does give contentment in reading.The writing style of the Scottish writers is exemplary.What wasn’t GoodI didn’t find few stories as much gripping as the blurb of the book assured to. I felt there was mere formation of the story only to describe the architectural significance of the buildings in the Scotland thereby compromising in giving out the true crime thriller.Why to read this bookThis book is captivating for the readers who love reading crime stories. Along with such crime thrill, the reader will get to know the magnificence of the built heritage of Scotland.Even stories which are less gripping will not disappoint you in terms of a quite a read and will give you an insight into country’s-built heritage.

Bloody Scotland is a collection of 12 short stories that revolve around 12 famous Scottish monuments and has a murder element in it.While I loved a few stories, the other fell flat to my taste. It’s difficult when an author is constrained and isn’t allowed to think out of the box. That is what I believe happened to this collection.Orkahaugr by Lin Anderson: The first story is about the curiosity of a man for the monument called Maeshowe. It talks about Norse Mythology and death.Ancient and Modern by Val McDermid: A revenge planned around The Hermit’s Castle.Kissing the Shuttle by E S Thomson: A plot revolving around sexual abuse in the Stanley Mills.Painting the Forth Bridge by Doug Johnstone: A fathers love for his daughter and to be with her, no matter the costs. Set in The Forth Bridge.The Last Siege of Bothwell Castle by Chris Brookmyre: A tale involving a siege of Bothwell Castle, staged by some local Mafia.Sanctuary by Sara Sheridan: Involves the Kinneil House and is a horror story. Revolves around ancient paintings and murals.Stevenson’s Candle by Stuart MacBride: A psychological thriller, well written and gripping. Set in the Kinnaird Head LighthouseHistory Lesson by Gordon Brown: Talks about a father-son relationship and involves the Crookston CastleCome Friendly Bombs by Louise Welsh: Talks about war-ridden Scotland and the solace provided by Crossraguel AbbeyThe Two Corbies of Cardross by Craig Robertson: Two thieves, the ultimate goal is survival. Their favorite spot being St. Peter’s Seminary, Cardross.Nemo Me Impune Lacessit by Denise Mina: Mental illness and consequences. Set in the famous Edinburgh Castle.The Return by Ann Cleeves: Deception and murder in the Mousa Broch.My most favorites are Nemo Me Impune Lacessit, Stevenson’s Candle and The Return. These were exceptionally written with an impressive plot and well-written characters. The thriller in most of the stories was great, but a few felt forced, especially when drawing a connection with the monuments. A few weren’t related at all.A short description of each monument has been provided at the end, along with the author introduction.What overpowers everything is the fact that each monument has been described beautifully. Their grandeur and history have all been told along with the story.This collection can be thought of as an insight into the writing style of some great Scottish authors and I have chosen a few whose work I would like to read further.

Bloody Scotland , as the name suggest is a collection of 12 short crime stories by some fine writers of Scotland.I am a die hard crime fiction lover and I absolutely loved this book. Every story begins somewhere in Scotland and with a pictorial representation which makes the story all the more interesting. I , as a reader could fairly well imagine how the whole story was taking place.To avoid the review to be very long , I’m extensively reviewing only one of my favorite from the twelve which was hands down Nemo Me Inpune Lacessit by Denise Mina.--> Nemo Me Inpune Lacessit by Denise MinaNemo Me Inpune Lacessit translates to “Cross me and Suffer”. The story revolves around the life of Jake , an eleven year old mysterious boy and his family. Jake is not normal and his family feels he is possessed or mentally ill. The CCTV cameras in the house often show him standing next to the bed of his parents in the middle of the night , staring them for hours. Once they found a hammer near the bed and on checking the recordings they found him practice-swing it at his mother Audrey’s head and laugh to himself. “I’m finished too , Mum.”The family – Jake , his mother Audrey , father Pete , six year old brother Simon and seven year old Hannah are on a visit to the Edinburgh Castle. Jake , who always acts in a weird and strange manner is rather calm and excited to visit the castle. His parents are amused at his behavior but are happy than suspicious. They enter the castle and stroll through the dungeons and suddenly Jake goes missing. His parents are on a lookout and in the blink of an eye , Simon and Hannah disappear. Where did the kids go?The story leaves you in a fit. It gives a paranormal effect and I loved it.Recommended for all the crime and short story lovers out there.

This collection of short stories feature some of the best Scottish crime writers around (of which there are many to choose from) are all set around real, historic sites in Scotland. In fact, one of the best things about this collection, is that you can visit the places mentioned in these stories – although whether you may want to after reading this creepy collection is another matter!Authors include Val McDermid, Chris Brookmyre, Louise Welsh, Craig Robertson, Denise Mina and others. Some of these authors I had read before, others I had not, but there was not a bad story contained within the collection. I was actually drawn to read this after hearing a snippet of Denise Mina’s story in the podcast, “Open Book,” and I was not disappointed by reading the entire story, which is definitely my favourite in the entire collection. Her story of a family visit to Edinburgh Castle, accompanied by their dysfunctional young son was truly outstanding.Another highlight for me was, “The Last Siege of Bothwell Castle,” by Chris Brookmyre, with an unusual take on terrorists targeting a tourist site, and Ann Cleeves offering, “The Return”. However, this is an excellent collection of stories, with wonderful settings – murder and mayhem amongst the very beautiful surroundings of Scotland.

Brilliant collection of short stories from some of Scotland’s best crime writers. Each one takes the reader on a journey to some of the countries best, and yet little known landmarks. Evocative and at times atmospheric, this is a little gem that you can keep dipping into as time permits.

Good effort. Needs refining. Stories weak, factual information interesting.

Remember, short stories are not the same as full length novels.

All good but Anne Cleeves stands out.