How the fest was fun

Crimefest is a fabulous event for fans of the genre as well as writers. Bristol is also a beautiful place to visit.

Making the bad guy the hero

I'm part of a panel discussing the bad guy as hero at this year's Crimefest and it's had me thinking about Davie McCall.

Writers gather

A superb day in Wigtown at the Writers' Gathering

Wandering round Wigtown

Some shots from around Wigtown

How Harry made Clint’s Day

My favourite films No 1 - Dirty Harry.

The Vanishing

A new search for the remains of Moira Anderson, a young girl who vanished from her home in Coatbridge in 1957, will be led by a soil expert. I've updated the chapter I wrote on this tragic case in 1994.

The man who created ‘Psycho’

Hitchcock springs to mind but the real creator was a prolific author with hundreds of stories, 30 novels and a number of TV and film scripts to his name

The Little Girl Who Lived Down the Lane – part 2

The discovery of Betty Alexander's body sparked a massive murder hunt - and led to a first in Scottish criminal history

The Little Girl Who Lived Down the Lane – Part 1

A child goes missing - and police expect the worst. A tragic real-life case from 1952.

A brief history of fingerprints

A brief history of fingerprinting, adapted from a chapter in 'No Final Solution.'