Tartan Noir Reading Group

Welcome to 'The Mysterious Affair At Topping & Co.'!

'The Mysterious Affair At Topping & Co.' will discuss Scottish crime fiction across the decades.

Join us for an evening of murder, mystery, and a glass of wine. We will be tracking 'A Century of Scottish Crime Fiction', reading and discussing a range of crime novels set in Scotland and written by (mostly) Scottish authors.

We will examine how Scotland’s crime fiction has evolved over the 20th and 21st centuries, particularly the varying depictions of Scotland as a literary setting. How is the landscape of Scotland used to create the perfect atmosphere for a crime novel? Why do so many crime writers keep returning to this country in their crime fiction? Whether you enjoy thrillers, classic whodunits, or the ever popular tartan noir, come along to discover new authors, and to share your own expertise with other fans of the genre.

This group is hosted by Benjamin, who is writing his PhD on 20th century crime fiction.

November's book is: His Bloody Project

SHORTLISTED for the MAN BOOKER PRIZE 2016. WINNER of the SALTIRE SOCIETY FICTION BOOK of the YEAR 2016. The year is 1869. A brutal triple murder in a remote community in the Scottish Highlands leads to the arrest of a young man by the name of Roderick Macrae. A memoir written by the accused makes it clear that he is guilty, but it falls to the country's finest legal and psychiatric minds to uncover what drove him to commit such merciless acts of violence. Was he mad? Only the persuasive powers of his advocate stand between Macrae and the gallows. Graeme Macrae Burnet tells an irresistible and original story about the provisional nature of truth, even when the facts seem clear. His Bloody Project is a mesmerising literary thriller set in an unforgiving landscape where the exercise of power is arbitrary.

Reading Group Structure

Ticketing: Each place is £5, which can be redeemed against a copy of a reading group book.

Frequency: Each reading group will meet once a month, on a set day of the week. You do not need to commit to one group, or every meeting! Just book for those you're interested in each month, and we hope to entice you back for another one.