Bute Noir

Life is still lifeing and time is very much not my own at the moment, so some of this week's posts are running a bit behind. But it's going to be a festival heavy week (or maybe week and a half) as I'll be talking about three different crime writing festivals - one which has just been, but dates for next year have already been announced, and two which are coming up in the next couple of months.

The weekend before last, I headed over for the beautiful Isle of Bute, one of my favourite places, somewhere I relax and breathe easy. My main reason for going was Bute Noir, held in The Glenburn Hotel in Rothesay - which has the most amazing views over the water - but as life has been so full on lately, I combined it with time away with my partner, who did his own thing whilst I was at my events.

 

View from outside The Glenburn Hotel

Bute is easy to reach from Glasgow, where I stay. There are trains that take you to the ferry terminal or it's just over an hour's drive to Wemyss Bay and a 40 minute ferry crossing to Rothesay. We couldn't get booked at the Glenburn so stayed just down the road at the Summer's Bay Hotel. Their deluxe room had a huge balcony and a gorgeous view & the hotel had a wee bar. We were made very welcome & loved our stay. I chose five sessions to go to at the festival, although there were plenty of others on offer - definitely something for everyone. Unfortunately, I missed out on tickets for the Fun Lovin' Crime Writers who sold out quickly. Fortunately, I have seen them before (they're brilliant). The session with Chris Brookmyre and Denise Mina, and the interview with Val McDermid also sold out.

View from our hotel balcony, showing the ferry leaving

After an afternoon in the sunshine and, of course, a stop at the fabulous Bute bookshop, Print Point for a quick look around and to pick up my event tickets, it was time for dinner at the Glenburn Hotel (good service) followed by my first event. The Killing Kind, featured Tariq Ashkanani, RD McLean (who I am particularly pleased is back with a new book after an eight year break) and Heidi Amsinck, ably chaired by Douglas Skelton. The Midnight King, The Friday Girl and Out of the Dark all deal with serial killers of one sort or another. I was familiar with Tariq's book, which is pretty dark and twisted, and also Russell's (RD), which also features misogyny and corruption in the Dundee police of the late 70s (still bought them both because they're brilliant), so it was good to hear about Heidi's.

 

Douglas Skelton

RD McLean, Tariq Ashkanani, Heidi Amsinck, Douglas Skelton

A slow, easy morning on Saturday meant I missed the annual putting competition for the Brookmyre Cup (which is actually a mug) & I still don't know who was triumphant this year! My first session was After Dark featuring Michael J Malone, Stuart Neville and Olivia Isaac-Henry, chaired by Alexandra Sokoloff, who started off by asking the each of panel what their particular 'weird' was. Yes, these authors all feature otherness, perhaps horror in their crime novels. I've read Stuart's Blood Like Mine, and am excited for The Howling from Michael, having read the two previous Annie Jackson stories. Olivia is a new name to me but her book Hallows Hill sounds well worth checking out. Possibly my favourite session of the weekend was the next one. Shanghai Noir featured Cai Jun and Na Duo interviewed by Craig Robertson. Neither author spoke good English so the interview was conducted via an interpreter, whose name I didn't catch, but she was brilliant. It was really interesting to hear authors from a country so different from ours, and hear their thoughts on the publishing industry in China. Both authors are prolific with many books each under their belts, but, so far, only Cai Jun, has a book published in English. The Child's Past Life sounds really interesting and I'm looking forward to reading it. From Shanghai we headed to Australia and New Zealand for my last session on Saturday. Deadly Down Under with Tom Baragwanath and Chris Hammer was chaired by Craig Sisterson. I've seen Tom before at Bloody Scotland but I'm not familiar with either author's work so it was good to learn more about them.

Alexandra Sokoloff, Olivia Isaac-Henry, Stuart Neville, Michael J Malone

 

Cai Jun, interpreter (didn't get her name), Na Duo, Craig Robertson

Tom Baragwanath, Chris Hammer, Craig Sisterton 

On Saturday evening we headed into town for food and drink. Loved the decor in The Galatea, (which also has a nice outdoor terrace for sunny days) then headed along to Bute Yard, a fairly new (maybe a couple of years), but very welcome, venue in Rothesay. Comprising a bar, kitchen, courtyard and kind of warehouse space which can be used for events, or just for tables and chairs, as it was when we were there. There was live music, people dancing and enjoying themselves, and a Jamaican team in the kitchen (it changes frequently with local businesses taking a turn in the space). My jerk chicken, rice and beans was delicious, and the place has a really nice vibe.

Artwork in The Galatea bar

Jamaican jerk chicken, rice & beans

Singing & dancing at Bute Yard

Sunday morning saw us back at Bute Yard for its monthly craft and food market. So many talented makers! I came away with a gorgeous crocheted pixie hat for me (yes, really!) and a couple of Christmas presents for folks. Well worth a visit if you're there at the right time.

 

Monthly craft & food market at Bute Yard

Then back up to The Glenburn Hotel for my final session of the weekend, although there were three more events After this one before the festival closed. Pushing Boundaries featured Doug Johnstone, Adam Oyebanji and Nina Allan, interviewed by Colin Sinclair. All three authors have included science-fiction in their novels. I don't know Nina's work so will need to look out for that. I read an early copy of Esperance, and enjoyed it, found it very interesting. So much so, I'm looking forward to a re-read! And I'm really excited for The Transcendent Tide, the third book in Doug's Enceladons Trilogy. The book wasn't out in time for the festival but I'll be picking up a copy at Bloody Scotland, if not before. In the meantime, I'm just about to start an e-copy of the book in readiness for the forthcoming blog tour.

 

Doug Johnstone, Adam Oyebanji, Nina Allan, Colin Sinclair

And just like that it was the end of our weekend away as we headed for the ferry terminal. I normally book three nights away and head home on the Monday but this time I had just booked the two nights. Which turned out to be quite fortuitous as Monday's ferries were cancelled because of Storm Floris - a hazard of island life. I want to say a huge thank you to Karen, Craig, Anne and all the organising team for all the work they fabulous weekend, and to the wonderful volunteers who help ensure things run smoothly. Next year's festival will be back at The Glenburn Hotel on 7-9th August 2026 and I'm already looking forward to it. I urge you to think about attending if you possibly can, you'll receive a really warm welcome.

My blue hued festival haul, all provided by Print Point

The Silent House of Sleep by Allan Gaw

Today I am delighted to be taking part in the tour for The Silent House of Sleep by Allan Gaw, organised by Kelly Lacey at Love Books Tours, on behalf of Bloody Scotland, as Allan will be taking part in this year's festival - more on that below. I was gifted an Scooby the publisher but read from my own purchased paper copy.

 

The Blurb

Winner of the Bloody Scotland Debut Prize

Death is a lonely business . . .

No one who meets Dr Jack Cuthbert forgets him. Tall, urbane, brilliant but damaged, this Scottish pathologist who works with Scotland Yard is the best the new DCI has seen. But Cuthbert is a man who lives with secrets, and he still battles demons brought back from the trenches.

When not one but two corpses are discovered in a London park in 1929, Cuthbert must use every tool at his disposal to solve the mystery of their deaths. In the end, the horrifying truth is more shocking than even he could have imagined.

My Review

The Silent House of Sleep introduces us to policing and pathology in the late 1920s. Dr Jack Cuthbert has a reputation for being careful and thorough, and he's the pathologist you want on the case. And especially this one, with the discovery of two bodies, found in the strangest pose....

I first read this last year when it was nominated for the Bloody Scotland Debut Prize 2024. It went on to win, from a field of really strong entries, and I could see why. And it stood up really well for a cheeky wee re-read. It's a brilliant book and Allan's experience and knowledge shine through. He has clearly researched the history of pathology, and the flashbacks to the war feel very authentic. And haunting.

I really liked Jack. He's polite and well mannered, calm and determined, and not afraid to say what he needs to, even when it receives a less than warm welcome from the police. He is careful and precise in his work, and will not be hurried. Even the few who don't like him feel a grudging respect for him. Mostly, anyway. But he is a complex man act and struggles, privately, not only with the horror of whether saw in the war, but also with his own feelings and emotions. 

The case is satisfyingly complex, with some twists and turns along the way, and some pretty gruesome moments. This isn't a story of high drama, there is no big denouement. There is a conclusion, of course, one that involves a lot of sadness, but this is a quiet crime novel, a study of people and processes, a celebration of diligent hard work. Don't misunderstand me, it's not gentle, nor does it shy away from the horrible stuff, but it's slower, more considered. It's different from the more action based stuff that I normally read, and I welcome that change. I thoroughly enjoyed The Silent House of Sleep, and am looking forward to seeing what Dr Jack Cuthbert gets up to next.


The Author

Allan Gaw is a Scot who lives and works near Glasgow. He studied medicine and is a pathologist by training but a writer by inclination. Having worked in the NHS and universities in Scotland, England, Northern Ireland and the US, he now devotes his time to writing.

Most of his published work to date is non-fiction. These include textbooks and regular magazine articles on topics as diverse as the thalidomide story, the medical challenges of space travel and the medico-legal consequences of the Hillsborough disaster.

More recently, he has been writing short stories, novels and poetry. He has won the UK Classical Association Creative Writing Competition, the International Alpine Fellowship Writing Prize, the International Globe Soup 7-day Writing Challenge and was runner-up in the Glencairn Glass/Bloody Scotland Short Crime Fiction Competition. He has also had prose published in the literary journal, From Glasgow to Saturn and anthologies from the Edinburgh Literary Salon and Clan Destine Press in Australia. His poetry has been published by Dreich, Soor Ploom Press and Black Bough Poetry. His debut poetry collection, Love & Other Diseases, was published in 2023 by Seahorse Publications.

The Silent House of Sleep is his debut novel and is the first in the Dr Jack Cuthbert Mystery series.

You can read more about him and his work at his website: https://researchet.wordpress.com/ .


Bloody Scotland Panel

Allan will be appearing at Bloody Scotland this year. You can book your tickets at BloodyScotland.com

Setting the (Crime) Scene: Lin Anderson, Simon Toyne, Allan Gaw

Friday 12th September - 12:30, The Albert Halls

We make a deep incision into the world of crime fiction and science fact as we talk forensics with three authors whose books deliver thrills, chills and blood-spattered spills.

A gangland slaying and a missing movie star are at the heart of Whispers of the Dead, the sensational new Rhona MacLeod thriller from Lin Anderson. Forensic criminologist Laughton Rees faces a race against time to stop a killer in Simon Toyne’s exhilarating new novel Dead Water. Allan Gaw’s pathologist Dr Jack Cuthbert runs the gauntlet between fascists and razor gangs in 1930s Glasgow in To the Shades Descend.

This event will be chaired by Professor James Grieve.

An Evil Mind by Chris Carter #blogathon

Those of you who follow me on social media may have seen me mention some tough times. Things have been difficult in my wee world for the last while, and will likely continue to be for some time going forward. As a result my reading (amongst other things) has suffered and this poor wee blog has been severely neglected. I have tried, and occasionally failed, to keep the few commitments I had made, but didn't have the bandwidth to post anything extra. And, honestly, I still don't know if I have the capacity to do more but I'm really gonna try because this is something I love, and is a positive thing for me. So it might be a bit up and down but I'm gonna try to run with it and be more present on here. Hope you come along with me.

Right, now all of that is out of the way, welcome to today's post, which is part of our epic Chris Carter blogathon. We're up to book six, An Evil Mind. My thanks to Tracy Fenton at Compulsive Readers for the invitation. I read and reviewed from my own bought copy.

 

The Blurb

A freak accident in rural Wyoming leads the Sheriff's Department to arrest a man for a possible double homicide, but further investigations suggest a much more horrifying discovery – a serial killer who has been kidnapping, torturing and mutilating victims all over the United States for at least twenty-five years.

The suspect claims he is a pawn in a huge labyrinth of lies and deception – and he will now only speak to Detective Robert Hunter . . .

My Review


In An Evil Mind, Hunter, who was about to head off on holiday, is seconded by the FBI, and meets an old friend. But this is no warm, fuzzy reunion. Far from it. And Hunter is pushed to the limit...


Those off you who have been following my reviews of this series, or anyone who has read Carter's books will know by now that the deaths in these books are dark, twisted, horrifying and very creative. The crimes described in this book are no different. Here, though, some have taken place in the more distant past, and I found these easier to read than some of the crimes in previous books which have more immediacy about them. Is that bonkers? I don't know. Because they are no less horrific. But for whatever reason, this was a less difficult read for me than some of the earlier books in the series.


What I loved about this book was that we get loads of psychological stuff and discussions about criminal behaviour. The author's experience and knowledge clearly shine through but it's never preachy or dull - I found it all fascinating. And we learn a lot more about Robert Hunter's past, stuff that hadn't been shared previously, so that was really interesting.


Carter is a master at building tension and threat, and every denouement of his I have read has made my heart beat faster and louder. And here we were again. It's dark, scary and messy - I don't think I took a breath the entire time I was reading it!


an Evil Mind is another great entry in the series, although it works well as a standalone too. As we move on to book seven, I'm keen to see if Carlos comes back. I missed him in this one, so hoping he'll be back next time. We'll see...


The Author

Born in Brazil of Italian origin, Chris Carter studied psychology and criminal behaviour in the USA. As a member of the District Attorney's Criminal Psychology team, and working together with the Police Department in numerous cases, he interviewed and studied many criminals, including serial and multiple homicide offenders with life imprisonment convictions. He now lives in London, UK.