Novelist Sir Ian Rankin has been announced as the first ever guest programmer for an “epic” crime writing festival.
Sir Ian is working with the Bloody Scotland International Crime Writing Festival programming team as they prepare the line-up for the event, which returns to Stirling in September.
The festival was set up by a group of Scottish crime writers in 2012, with Lin Anderson and Alex Gray at the helm, and has featured acclaimed authors from across the UK and the world over the years.
Organisers said Sir Ian, creator of the detective John Rebus, is working closely with festival director Bob McDevitt to share his personal passions and put his unique spin on the event.
Sir Ian said: “Bloody Scotland manages to remain the world’s friendliest and most inclusive crime fiction festival while also attracting the biggest and brightest names in the business to the city of Stirling. It’s epic.”
The author has been involved in Bloody Scotland since its inception, has captained the Scotland crime writers’ football team and has led the event’s torchlight procession through the streets of Stirling.
He is working alongside the programming team – which includes fellow authors Abir Mukherjee, Lin Anderson, Craig Robertson and Gordon J Brown – to prepare for the festival, which this year runs from September 12 to 14.
Mr McDevitt said: “Ian has been one of the foremost supporters of Bloody Scotland since the beginning and he has brought imagination and enthusiasm to the programming process.
“He is a much-loved and respected writer around the world and has friends and contacts in all sorts of places which have delivered some unique events for us this year.”
The festival programme will be launched in June.
