The final four in the running for top Scottish crime fiction prize 'the McIlvanney' are announced – winner to be revealed at crime writing festival Bloody Scotland in Stirling next Thursday
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In Bloody Scotland’s 10th anniversary year, the four finalists for The McIlvanney Prize 2022 have been revealed by the judges:
Liam McIlvanney – The Heretic (HarperCollins)
Alan Parks – May God Forgive (Canongate)
Ambrose Parry – A Corruption of Blood (Canongate)
Louise Welsh – The Second Cut (Canongate)
Three of the writers are published by Scottish independent publisher Canongate.
The McIlvanney Prize judges – Ayo Onatade, winner of the CWA Red Herring Award and freelance crime fiction critic, Ewan Wilson, crime fiction buyer from Waterstones Glasgow and Jacky Collins, otherwise known as the podcaster, Dr Noir and programmer of Newcastle Noir – were unanimous in their praise for all four finalists.
Liam McIlvanney – The Heretic (HarperCollins)
The masterful rendering of a richly layered plot makes you want to read this novel again as soon as you've finished it. It's a warts and all tale with memorable characters and a great setting.
Alan Parks – May God Forgive (Canongate)
This expertly handled and morally ambiguous novel paints a dark and mesmerising portrait of 1970s Glasgow. The skillfully written and complex plot builds to a thrilling and highly unconventional denouement.
Ambrose Parry – A Corruption of Blood (Canongate)
A real slow burner of a novel which is a marvellous tale of murder and deception in Victorian Edinburgh. It handles some difficult subject matter with sensitivity and care and has a real feeling of authenticity.
Louise Welsh – The Second Cut (Canongate)
The raw, tight prose of this novel delivers an edgy glimpse into the underbelly of 21st century Glasgow. The novel features the welcome return of Rilke from Louise's classic debut The Cutting Room in a witty and sometimes sordid tale of a rank outsider.
The winner will be revealed in Stirling next Thursday (September 15) at the Bloody Scotland crime writing event.
All of the shortlisted authors will be invited to a VIP reception at the Church of the Holy Rude at 7pm and to lead the torchlit procession from Stirling Castle to The Albert Halls where the winner of the McIlvanney Prize and also the Bloody Scotland Debut Prize, will be revealed at approximately 8.30pm.
They will then be interviewed on stage by BBC Radio Scotland’s Janice Forsyth.
The full longlist for the McIlvanney Prize 2022 was:
Black Isle-based writer Neil Lancaster was one of those chosen for the longlist with his second Max Craigie novel The Blood Tide.
Full longlist here:
A Matter of Time, Claire Askew (Hodder)
The Sound of Sirens, Ewan Gault (Leamington Books)
The Blood Tide, Neil Lancaster (Harpercollins)
From the Ashes, Deborah Masson (Transworld)
The Heretic, Liam McIlvanney (Harpercollins)
Rizzio, Denise Mina (Polygon)
May God Forgive, Alan Parks (Canongate)
A Corruption of Blood, Ambrose Parry (Canongate)
A Rattle of Bones, Douglas Skelton (Polygon)
The Second Cut, Louise Welsh (Canongate).
Find out more about bloody Scotland and book tickets, here: bloodyscotland.com/events
