Granite Noir

Submitted: 25th January 2017

It’s Burns Night tonight so what better time to mention the wonderful new crime festival that is only ONE MONTH AWAY – Granite Noir might be the new kid on the block in the world of crime fiction but it’s a newcomer with a very specific goal – to shine the light on some of the darkest crime fiction out there. Scottish and Scandinavian writers plus many more are coming to the Granite City for some Tartan Noir with a twist…

A few highlights:

GRANITE NOIR

Local legend – Stuart MacBride

Stuart MacBride’s novels are firmly on the literary map – He IS Literary Aberdeen – his books more than evoke the city in all of its dark granite glory. He has more than put this northern city on the Noir Map . At the festival, he’s chatting to Gordon J Brown, one of the founders of Bloody Scotland, about his bestselling Sergeant Logan McRae novels

Noir at the Bar

Always a highlight at these festivals – can’t think why 😉 – Russel D McLean (who also created Glasgow’s Noir at the Bar) hosts this pub based event with a night of readings and hijinks. The Nordic King of Crime, Gunnar Staalesen, will also be there so raise a glass to some of the finest crime writers and crime stories you’re ever likely to come across. Later on a separate event – there’s going to be an exclusive UK screening of Cold Hearts.Plus a Q&A with Staalesen himself. Crime-tastic.

A personal favourite: Location!

Why is choosing the right location for a novel as important as identifying the killer? Doug Johnstone’s new novel Crash Land is set in Orkney – the sense of the claustrophobia an island can give and that moment when you just need to get off – escape….Wait till you see what the Tomb Of Eagles is all about….

Sarah Ward’s A Deadly Thaw takes place in the Peak District and Whitby – (Blog Tour starts here Monday!) Wait until you visit Bampton….it might be fictional but it’s definitely on the literary map – again an area of remoteness, chilling fog and deadly secrets.

From locations to customs…

Gordon J Brown and Quentin Bates are going to be discussing how and why the American and Scandi landscapes and lifestyles have affected novels and the nuances within. American crime fiction is very different to the often more graphic, gritty and dark chilling notes of Scandi crime. But if you’re up for some insights from those who know. it’s Gordon and Quentin.

The Scandi invasion…

GRANITE NOIR There’s a lot of Scandi writers at the festival –

Representing Norway/Oslo is Thomas Enger who evokes Oslo’s dark underbelly and the fast-moving world of 24-hour news with his Henning Juul novels

Representing Denmark is Thomas Rydahl whose debut, The Hermit is the thriller to watch

Representing Sweden – Kristina Ohlsson has written The Chosen and Hostage, which feature investigative analysts Fredrik Bergman and Alex Recht. This lady is a personal favourite of mine. Not an ice queen despite the chillers she writes!

There’s more of course – lots more at Granite Noir but I wanted to highlight a few favourites on Burns Night. So, when you’re eating your haggis neeps and tatties today, raise a glass to Granite Noir and head over to the site and buy a few tickets. You won’t regret it and you’ll get to have a few chilling literary adventures of your own. Take Stuart MacBrides’ novel Cold Granite and feel the thrill of reading on location, about a location and its dark side….