Denise Mina

Denise Mina is one of the most original voices in fiction and described by Ian Rankin as the most exciting crime writer to have emerged in Britain for years. She is the author of eighteen hugely successful and critically acclaimed crime novels, the latest being Confidence. She has twice won the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year and The Long Drop, her fictionalised tale of a meeting between mass murderer Peter Manuel and the father of the family he has slaughtered, won the McIlvanney Prize.

Friday, 5th August – Trinity Church
6pm – 7pm
Mark Billingham and Denise Mina

Alex Gray

Alex Gray is celebrating 20 years since the publication of the first book in her much-loved and bestselling Lorimer series. The latest, Echo of the Dead, is the nineteenth novel featuring now DSI William Lorimer and sees him far from his home patch of Glasgow and on the case when two bodies are found on the ruggedly beautiful slopes of Buachaille Etive Mòr near Glencoe. With a potential serial killer on the loose, Lorimer’s Major Incidents Team is drafted in from the city.

Sunday 7th August
Trinity Church
2pm – 3pm
“Top Cops”
Alex Gray and Clare Mackintosh

Myra Duffy

Myra Duffy is best known for her series of crime novels set on the Isle of Bute. She divides her time between Glasgow and Bute and has family connections to the island stretching back several generations. Her novels include The House at Ettrick Bay, Last Ferry to Bute, Last Dance at Rothesay Pavilion, and The Brydeshill Affair and her latest, Foul Play at the High Kirk. Dark Deeds at Bute Noir is based on our very own festival. Her latest book, Foul Play At The High Kirk, is available now.

Myra will lead a guided bus tour of the island on the Sunday morning of the festival.

Saturday, 6th August
Bute Museum
3pm – 4pm
“Made on Bute”
Craig Robertson, Myra Duffy & Charles E. McGarry

BUTE NOIR BUS TOUR 
7 AUGUST 10.15am

Discover the hidden stories of the people and the places of the Isle of Bute on this special one off bus tour with Myra Duffy. Find out why author Myra Duffy sets her crime novels on the island and see some of the locations she uses. Myra will also be pointing out locations used by Craig Robertson and Stuart MacBride. You may even be lucky enough to see the seals basking on the rocks! Places are limited so book early. The 2- hour bus tour will start at Guildford Square on Sunday 7th August at 10.15a.m 

 

Charles E McGarry

Charles E. McGarry is a Scottish novelist and journalist. He is the author of three murder mysteries in the series featuring psychic detective Leo Moran. His debut, The Ghost of Helen Addison, sees Moran called to rural Argyll after the ritualistic murder of a young woman. The third in the series, The Mystery of the Strange Piper, is set on the beautiful but fictional west coast Scottish island of Sonna. Charles openly admits Sonna is a carbon copy of Bute where he has relatives.

Saturday 6th August
Bute Museum
3pm – 4pm
“Made on Bute”
Myra Duffy & Charles E. McGarry

Special Events

The Fun Lovin' Crime Writers

Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers
Saturday, 5th August 2023
Bute Yard 8pm – 10.00pm
Ticket: £15.00

The Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers are the world’s greatest crime fiction superband. They have been murdering songs for fun since a memorable debut gig at the Edinburgh International Book Festival in 2017. The line-up is Val McDermid (vocals), Mark Billingham (guitar/vocals), Chris Brookmyre (guitar/vocals), Stuart Neville (guitar/vocals), Luca Veste (bass), and Doug Johnstone (drums/vocals). They’ve fought the law; they’ve watched the detectives; and they’ve been down in the tube station at midnight. They’ve played Glasgow, Belfast, Reykjavik, London, Toronto and Glastonbury (yes, Glastonbury) and now they’re about to rock again in Rothesay. 

Competition is fierce for the Brookmyre Cup!
The Brookmyre Cup
Saturday, 5th August 2023
Putting Green, 11am  FREE

Rothesay Putting Green will once again host the “Usual Suspects” on Saturday 5th of August from 11a.m as they compete for the Brookmyre Cup.

Pop along and cheer on your favourite.

 

Friday 4th August
Bute Yard
Red Hot Chilli Writers
10pm – 11pm, £10.00

LATE AND LIVE: Red Hot Chilli Writers Podcast with Special Guests

Authors Abir Mukherjee and Vaseem Khan bring their hilarious podcast to Bute; late, live and dangerous. Expect the unexpected as a line-up of special guests submit to whatever mad scheme, game or quiz that these two fiends dream up to entertain you.

Enjoy a 2-hour sightseeing trip
The Bute Noir Bus Tour
Sunday, 6th August, Guildford Square 10.00am
Ticket: £10.00

Discover the hidden stories of the people and the places of the Isle of Bute on this special one-off bus tour with Myra Duffy.

Find out why author Myra Duffy sets her crime novels on the island and see some of the locations she uses. Myra will also be pointing out locations used by Craig Robertson and Stuart MacBride.

You may even be lucky enough to see the seals basking on the rocks! Places are limited so book early.
The 2 hour bus tour will start at Guildford Square at 10.00 a.m. The bus

 

Susi Holliday

Susi Holliday is the author of eight exceptional and diverse crime novels. Her career began with three police procedurals set in her native East Lothian featuring Sergeant Davie Gray. Since then, she has flirted with science fiction, the supernatural, Gothic horror, and psychological thrillers, all while staying in the crime genre. Her stunning 2019 novel Violet about two mismatched strangers travelling together on the Trans-Siberian Express is being made into a movie and production begins this October.

Saturday 6th August
Rothesay Library
6pm – 7pm
“Psycho Thrillers”
Fiona Cummins, Susi Holliday & Luca Veste

Tony Kent

Tony Kent is a barrister, a former heavyweight boxer, and a superb thriller writer. He is the author of four explosive novels and surged to prominence with his action-packed debut Killer Intent. His day job still sees him representing clients at the Old Bailey but his nights are spent crafting bestselling crime novels. His latest is the pulsating No Way to Die, set in Key West and features Agent Joe Dempsey facing up to an old enemy and a race against time to prevent horror being unleashed across the USA.

Saturday 6th August
Rothesay Library
4.30pm – 5.30pm
“Legal Eagles”
Helen Fields & Tony Kent

Helen Fields

Helen Fields is the bestselling author of ten novels including six in her highly popular ‘Perfect’ series that includes Perfect Kill and Perfect Remains. Helen is a former criminal and family law barrister, practicing as both a prosecutor and defence counsel. She has brought those years of experience to bear on the courtroom crime novel Degrees of Guilt, writing as HS Chandler. Her latest book, One For Sorrow, is set in Edinburgh and sees a lone bomber targeting victims across the city.

Saturday 6th August
Rothesay Library
4.30pm – 5.30pm
“Legal Eagles”
Helen Fields & Tony Kent

MW Craven

photo: Gary Barton

MW Craven is the creator of the acclaimed Washington Poe series. The first in the series, The Puppet Show, introduced us to DS Poe and the brilliant analyst Tilly Bradshaw. The book won the highly prestigious CWA Gold Dagger, has been translated into 25 languages, and has rocketed Mike into the top league. The nerve-shredding new Poe novel, The Botanist, sees him on the case of a poisoner targeting celebrities and killing with seeming impunity despite giving them advance warning by bombarding them with poems and pressed flowers.

 

Friday 5th August
Trinity Church
4.30 – 5.30
MW Craven and Douglas Skelton

Michael Bennett

Michael Bennett is is an award-winning Māori screenwriter, director and author. His first book, a non-fiction novel telling the true story of New Zealand’s worst miscarriage of justice, In Dark Places won Best Non-Fiction Book at the 2017 Ngaio Marsh Awards. His blistering fiction debut Better the Blood tells the story of tenacious Māori police detective Hana Westerman who is pulled into the search for Auckland’s first serial killer. The book is currently in development for a six-part television series. 

Sunday 7th August
Isle of Bute Discovery Theatre
12.30pm – 1.30pm
“Screen Test”
Michael Bennett, Helen FitzGerald and Alexandra Sokoloff

Luca Veste

Luca Veste came to the attention of crime fans with his outstanding Murphy and Rossi series, part psychological thriller, part procedural, set in his native Liverpool. His latest novel You Never Said Goodbye is out now. Sam Cooper is haunted by his mother dying when he was a child. When Sam’s father makes a deathbed confession, everything he believed is turned upside down, leading to a headlong dash to the USA to unearth the truth. Luca is also the bass player for the Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers and a world-leading Britney Spears tribute act.

Saturday 6th August
Rothesay Library
6pm – 7pm
“Psycho Thrillers”
Fiona Cummins, Susi Holliday & Luca Veste

Alex Knight

Alex Knight is the author of two pacy American-set thrillers Hunted and Darkness Falls. In his latest, a woman pulls into a 24-hour roadside diner and from the next booth hears the unmistakeable voice of the man who murdered her brother two decades before, and then disappeared without a trace. Writing as Mason Cross, he is also the author of the outstanding Carter Blake series that includes The Killing Season, The Samaritan, The Time to Kill, Don’t Look For Me and Presumed Dead.

Sunday 7th August
Isle of Bute Discovery Theatre
11am – 12 noon
“All American”
Mark Edwards, Alex Knight and Tariq Ashkanani

Stuart Neville

Stuart Neville is one of the most talented writers in the business today. He stormed to international success with his debut novel The Twelve set in his native Northern Ireland (published in the USA as The Ghosts of Belfast). His new novel, The House of Ashes, is a Gothic masterpiece. Six decades of secrets and sins are unleashed in a house that went up in flames, bringing a terrifying new reality. Stuart is an accomplished guitarist and a member of the Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers.

Saturday 6th August
Trinity Church
12 noon – 1pm
“Burning Issues”
CJ Tudor, Alex North & Stuart Neville

Helen FitzGerald

Helen FitzGerald consistently produces engrossing and original work. A former screenwriter, she was born and raised in Australia  but has lived in Glasgow for many years. Her compelling novel, The Cry, about a couple at the centre of a media storm after their baby son goes missing, was adapted into a BBC drama in 2018 starring Ewen Leslie and Jenna Colman. Helen’s latest book, Keep Her Sweet, is the story of two sisters whose arguing goes way beyond sibling rivalry and is a murder waiting to happen.

Friday 5th August
Bute Museum
7.30pm – 8.30pm
“Sinister Sisters”
Kia Abdullah and Helen FitzGerald

Sunday 7th August
Isle of Bute Discovery Theatre
12.30pm – 1.30pm
“Screen Test”
Michael Bennett, Helen FitzGerald and Alexandra Sokoloff

Fiona Cummins

Fiona Cummins is a former showbusiness journalist who exploded onto the crime scene with her outstanding debut novel Rattle, a harrowing and polished serial killer thriller. She has now written five bestselling crime novels, three of which have been optioned for television. Her latest, Into the Dark, is a gripping revenge thriller in which a family disappears without trace and the only clue is a message scrawled in blood on the mirror in the 15-year-old daughter’s bedroom.

Saturday 6th August
Rothesay Library
6pm – 7pm
“Psycho Thrillers”
Fiona Cummins, Susi Holliday & Luca Veste

Douglas Skelton

Douglas Skelton is the author of eleven novels and a number of true crime books. He broke through with four acclaimed books in his gritty Glasgow-based Davie McCall series about an underworld henchman with a moral code. Douglas has found his stride, and a new army of fans, with his highland-set series featuring reporter Rebecca Connolly. Where Demons Hide, the fourth Connolly book, sees a young woman’s body found at the centre of a pentagram on a lonely moor.

Friday 5th August
Trinity Church
4.30pm – 5.30pm

MW Craven & Douglas Skelton

Chris Brookmyre

Chris Brookmyre is one of Scotland’s finest writers and the author of 24 novels, the latest being The Cliff House. A luxury hen party sees one of the guests disappear and among seven terrible secrets, one is worth killing for. Chris has been shortlisted four times for the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award, winning it in 2017 for Black Widow which also won the McIlvanney Prize. He is a member of the Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers.

Saturday 6th August
Trinity Church Hall
1.30pm – 2.30pm

Chris Brookmyre & Doug Johnstone

Clare Mackintosh

Clare Mackintosh is a former police officer turned international bestselling author. Her exceptional novels have been published in more than 35 languages and sold over two million copies. Her breathtakingly twisty debut I Let You Go won the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year. Her following novels, I See You and Let Me Lie were both Sunday Times number one bestsellers. Her new novel, The Last Party sees an entire Welsh village invited to a New Year’s Eve celebration – only for the wealthy host to be found murdered by midnight.

Sunday 7th August
Trinity Church
2pm – 3pm

“Top Cops”
Clare Mackintosh and Alex Gray

Stuart MacBride

Stuart MacBride

Stuart MacBride is the Number One bestselling author of the Logan McRae and Ash Henderson series that have seen him firmly established as one of the UK’s most popular crime writers. He has made Aberdeen his own on the crime map of Scotland, endearing the city and its people to a legion of fans since the publication of his aptly-titled debut Cold Granite. His novel The Coffin Maker’s Garden featured scenes set on Bute and his latest, No Less the Devil has Logan on the trail of a killer named Bloodsmith.

Sunday 7th August
Trinity Church
5pm – 6pm

Alan Parks

Alan Parks worked in the music industry for over twenty years before turning his hand to crime writing with the exceptional Bloody January, the first of five novels featuring Detective Harry McCoy. Set in the underbelly of the rundown Glasgow of the 1970s, the series throbs with atmosphere and authenticity. Alan’s fourth book, The April Dead, was shortlisted for the McIlvanney Prize. In his fifth, May God Forgive, McCoy has 24 hours to find two kidnapped boys before they turn up dead.

Saturday, 6 August
Trinity Church
3pm – 4pm
Alan Parks & Craig Robertson
Glasgow Then And Now


Val McDermid

Val McDermid is the Queen of Crime and one of the world’s leading authors. She has sold over 17 million books globally and has been translated into over 40 languages. Her memorable creations include Carol Jordan and Tony Hill, Lindsay Gordon, Kate Brannigan, and Karen Pirie who is to feature in a new ITV drama series of the same name. Her latest protagonist, journalist Allie Burns, returns this year in the outstanding 1989. Val is lead vocalist with the Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers.


Saturday 6th August
Trinity Church
7.30pm – 8.30pm

Val McDermid

Kia Abdullah

Kia Abdullah is an novelist and travel writer from London who is fast making a name for herself as a standout author of psychological thrillers. Her novels include Take It Back, a Guardian and Telegraph thriller of the year; Truth Be Told, which was shortlisted for a Diverse Book Award; and Next of Kin, a Times Book of the Month and long-listee for the CWA Gold Dagger. The riveting Next of Kin features a high-profile trial that will tear a family apart.

Friday, 5th August
Bute Museum
7.30pm – 8.30pm
“Sinister Sisters”
Kia Abdullah & Helen FitzGerald

Mark Billingham

Mark Billingham is the number one bestselling and award-winning author behind the Tom Thorne series and a succession of superb standalones. The eighteenth in the Thorne series, The Murder Book, is released this summer and is Billingham at his brilliant best. Hunting the woman responsible for a series of grisly murders, Thorne has no way of knowing that he will be plunged into a nightmare from which he may never wake. His past has caught up with him and a ruinous secret is about to be revealed. Mark plays guitar and sings vocals for the Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers.

Friday 5th August
Trinity Church
6pm – 7pm
Mark Billingham & Denise Mina