Scottish Thrillers

DI Barney Mains blames himself for the grotesque murder of a top banker in France. He's obsessed with the belief that he allowed a near-mythical assassin to escape certain death to kill again. And when a duplicate murder is reported 1000 miles away in Barney's home town in Scotland, the guilt drives him ever closer to the edge. How many more must pay the ultimate price for his failure? But then death comes closer to home. He is left with no choice but to face his demons, before a shocking confrontation which will change everything...

From the dramatic Highlands to bustling cities, the unique landscapes and locales of Scotland have enthralled and shaped generations of mystery writers. This new collection presents 17 classic stories, spanning a period from the 1880s to the 1970s, by a host of Scottish authors alongside writers from south of the border inspired by the history and majesty of the storied country.

Autumn Carlisle loves her job as cabin crew supervisor for Lomond Airlines. At least she did. For months, she has experienced a deepening sense of dread whenever she steps onto an aeroplane. Her dreams are filled with horrific scenes of injury and destruction. Autumn fears she may not be able to continue in the career she adores. It feels as if Death itself is chasing her down… DCI Dani Bevan is asked by an old friend to probe into the suicide of an air stewardess down in London. There is more to the case than it first appears. Bevan becomes embroiled in a multiple murder investigation ...

Something is up with Lorcan. And I’m fairly sure I’m not just imagining things—he’s been distracted, working later than usual, appears exhausted, and was that vanilla perfume I smelled on him? Regardless of what’s going on with the undead nuisance, I’ve got my own problems to deal with. Namely, I’ve been pinpointed as the main suspect in a murder! I know—as if I have the time or the interest to kill someone. Ridiculous. Anyway, before this situation gets any worse, I need to prove my innocence, stat. Just how am I going to do that? Stick around and find out…

A lawyer is found dead at sunrise on a lonely clifftop at Dunnet Head on the northernmost tip of Scotland. It was supposed to be his honeymoon, but now his wife will never see him again. The case is linked to several mysterious deaths, including the murder of the lawyer’s last client—Scotland’s most notorious criminal...who had just walked free. DS Max Craigie knows this can only mean one thing: they have a vigilante serial killer on their hands.

“Sean Miller - a rogue of the first water; a former Army sniper, he seems unable to stay out of a fight.” Sean Miller’s on his way back to fight in Spain when he’s diverted to Devon. To undertake a mission for renegade members of the German Secret Service, trying to stop the Nazis plunging the world into war. A secret agent lies dead in a moorland river and the one man who can keep the peace is an assassin’s target. As the hunter becomes the hunted in an epic chase, Miller encounters his greatest enemy in a dangerous game of death across the lonely hills of Dartmoor. A fast-paced ...

“… Jack Dancer is a slightly less violent (but wackier) Tarantino, and while it is possible Jack may be batshit crazy himself, he is quickly becoming one of my favorite contemporary authors. Reading his work makes me smile.” 5-Stars, Gaius Konstantine for Readers’ Favorite. What’s it all about? In the secluded McKinnon County of North Carolina, Tucker Blue's simple family visit entangles him in a struggle against a billionaire seeking global power through the county's quartz mines, the backbone of the semiconductor industry. Amidst emerging love, whistleblower revelations, and a ...

A mythical man known as Nightmare haunted young children for years. Until he became real. DCI Harry McNeil knows the legend all too well. Growing up in the Highlands, Nightmare was on his and every other child's mind as they went to sleep. Then, Nightmare claimed his first victim. A young girl, found dead in an abandoned cemetery with the words, I am Nightmare, carved into her chest. Two more victims, the same words carved into them. Then Nightmare disappears. Now, years later, there have been reports of graffiti being sprayed around Inverness and on graves in old cemeteries.

A simple case of a missing sister. Or is it? When Ian Skair is invited to an ancient castle perched on a rocky promontory of the Angus coast, he expects to find a routine missing person case. Little does he know, the Laird of Drumlychtoun and his family have more secrets and black sheep than Ian could have ever anticipated. As Ian uncovers secrets and intrigues, thefts and legends, he finds himself and the family in a dangerous situation. Can he reunite the laird with his sister and discover the truth behind her disappearance? Or will the family's secrets be too much for them to handle?

MAVERICK: I might have been a crappy excuse for a big brother in the past, but now I’m making up for lost time… And time isn’t the only thing that’s lost. So is my sister, Astrid. So, I do what any good brother would do—I go after her. Concealing my true identity, I attend Blood Rose Academy as a professor of potions. And along for the ride is my new wife, Taliyah. Not only am I hoping we can find Astrid, but I’m really hoping we find her alive. ASTRID: Even though I definitely have a thing for vampires, that doesn’t mean I wanted to become one… And it definitely didn’t ...

In Scotland, the Gandiegow quilters are in an uproar when their favorite fictional quilters - the Buttermilk Guild - are killed off by a best-selling mystery author. Diana McKellen is called in by the publisher to fix this PR nightmare. It's said, there's no such thing as bad publicity, but Diana questions this long-standing notion when an editor is murdered at a book signing.

A new family moves in over the road. The new family is acting strange. This new family has some secrets. From the author of Audible's Thriller of the Year, Silent Child, comes another psychological thriller to keep you guessing until the very end. Performed by Sophie McShera, (Daisy Mason, Downton Abbey), enter the world of a family broken by lies, a woman traumatised by a dark past, and a child caught in the crossfire.

1889: Kitty Gray dreams of attending university and becoming a doctor, but when she is married off to Charles Maclean, one of Glasgow's richest and most eligible bachelors, her aspiration suddenly slips far from reach. Exiled to her new remote home in the Scottish Highlands, with its gargoyles, gothic arches and turrets, Kitty seeks solace in creating a restorative herb garden. Combining her medical knowledge and new-found fascination with herbalism, Kitty spends her days absorbed in a world of herbs and their healing properties until a devastating tragedy strikes...

Being possessed is no walk in the park. Especially when the roommate in your head happens to be a witch that a lot of people want dead—as in the ‘doornail’ sort of dead. Indigo Hallewell, the witch within me, is the exact reason I very nearly met my fate once already. I was able to narrowly escape that debacle owing to my very sexy guardian, Angelo, who also happens to be an incubus. And in case you aren’t sure what an incubus is—it’s a sex demon. Right. I’m literally shacked up with a sex demon. Only this one seems to have a conscience—maybe that’s the reason he hasn’t ...

When a small bone at the centre of a famous sculpture is revealed to be human, three people become intimately connected by the secrets and lies that put it there. Set on a Scottish tidal island connected to the mainland for just a few hours each day, and home to only one inhabitant, The Blue Hour asks questions of ambition, power, art and perception.

Jennifer MacKenzie being hit by a car was a tragic accident. Or so it seemed. Until Connor is summoned to a meeting with his girlfriend's dad, Duncan McKenzie. MacKenzie claims that Jen's accident was actually a message intended for him - and a way to force him to kill his trusted Lieutenant Paulie King, who has now mysteriously disappeared. His request to Connor is simple. Find Paulie and the men who hurt his daughter. Do whatever it takes.

I’ve just moved to the legendary Haven Hollow to start the next chapter of my life… My name is Sydney Blackstone, better known as The Sandman. After losing my wife two years ago and getting lost in grief ever since, I decided I needed to start over. So, I find myself in Haven Hollow, where I plan to open my own mattress store, Sandman Syd’s. Almost as soon as I move to Haven Hollow, though, I realize my work is cut out for me—someone is having not only bad dreams but dangerous ones. As the Sandman, it’s my responsibility to relieve this sleeper of whatever night terror is after ...

On New Year’s Day, Shetland lies buried beneath a deep layer of snow. Trudging home, Fran Hunter's eye is drawn to a vivid splash of colour on the white ground, ravens circling above. It is the strangled body of her teenage neighbour. As Fran opens her mouth to scream, the ravens continue their deadly dance. The body is found close to the home of a lonely outcast and local suspicion falls firmly on him. But when Inspector Jimmy Perez insists on broadening the search for suspects, a veil of distrust and fear is thrown over the entire community.

This town is going to be the death of me… For a small town, you’d think being the Chief of Police would be a fairly easy gig, right? Not on your life. Haven Hollow is proving to be the hardest job I’ve ever had. If I’m not dealing with bitchy faeries trying to usurp a court I have no interest in ruling, I’m dealing with a curse that’s got the whole town unable to sleep. Right—Nyquil on Aisle 9 and stat. If only it could be that easy. Instead, I’m going on little to no sleep, myself, while the town is basically falling apart. I’ve got to figure out who’s responsible for ...

Blair Charlston swapped the stock market for salvation - and now he's making a killing. Once a controversial venture capitalist, Charlston reinvented himself as a personal and business development guru after surviving an attempt to take his own life when a business deal went disastrously wrong. So when he decides to host a weekend retreat on the outskirts of Stirling for more than 300 people, Connor Fraser is drafted in to cover the security for a man who is at once idolised as a saviour and hated as a ruthless asset stripper.