Denise Mina – Guest Programmer for Bloody Scotland 2026
Denise Mina at the helm of Bloody Scotland
International bestselling crime writer, Denise Mina, is today revealed to be the guest programmer for the Bloody Scotland International Crime Writing Festival 2026 which will return to the historic city of Stirling from 18-20 September.
Books by Denise Mina
Denise Mina
Books by Denise Mina
She follows the success of Sir Ian Rankin, who as the first ever guest programmer brought a host of big names to the 2025 festival including Kate Atkinson, Kathy Reichs and the Reverend Richard Coles.
Denise is working alongside festival director, Bob McDevitt, and the programming team – which includes fellow authors, Abir Mukherjee, Lin Anderson, Craig Robertson and Gordon Brown – to bring another world class line-up of authors and special guests to the prestigious Festival.
All will be revealed when the programme launches in June 2026.
Books by Denise Mina
Denise Mina said:
“Bloody Scotland is the high point of the crime fiction calendar in Scotland and I’m thrilled and honoured to be the second ever guest programmer. Established by crime writers for crime readers, every year feels like coming home.”
Books by Denise Mina
Denise is one of most charismatic authors writing in Scotland today and a great ambassador for crime writing internationally. She first won the McIlvanney Prize in 2017 with The Long Drop when she led the inaugural torchlit procession from Stirling Castle flanked by Val McDermid and Ian Rankin. She won again in 2019 with Conviction. The second time, slightly by default, when the chosen winner announced her intention to share the prize with her fellow finalists. The other winners looked perplexed, Denise was delighted.
(c) Bloody Scotland
Books by Denise Mina
She has a busy year in 2026. The world premiere of The Long Drop is on at The Citizens Theatre in Glasgow this summer and the play of her novella Rizzio is currently in development. Her most recent book, The Good Liar, is published in paperback in March and will be Scottish Book of the Month for Waterstones. The Guardian, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and the FT selected it as one of their Books of the Year 2025.
Huge Congrats Denise!!
