Crime novels top Scottish fiction vote

So, it turns out that the phrase “there’s been a murder” is music to our ears. The book readers of Scotland – the nation that brought the world the Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Sherlock Holmes, and a whole generation of tartan noir authors – love crime novels. That’s the news on the first day of Book Week Scotland, with the Scottish Book Trust shining a light on the reading habits of the nation.

“It is hardly surprising that the country which gave us Ian Rankin, Denise Mina, Iain Banks, Val McDermid, Christopher Brookmyre and many others has bred a generation of crime enthusiasts," said Marc Lambert, CEO of Scottish Book Trust. "We are a nation bursting at the seams with hard boiled literary talent, and if recent releases such as His Bloody Project [Graeme Macrae Burnet's Booker Prize-nominated novel] are anything to go by, that isn’t showing any signs of slowing down."

The Book Trust’s survey of 1000 adults revealed that just over 1 in 4 (27%) Scots who read for enjoyment will choose to pick up books that feature fictionalised crimes, their detection, criminals and their motives, topping their choice of reading or listening genres. The next most popular genres were science fiction/fantasy and biography/autobiography, both at 10%, followed by historical fiction at 9%.

While the crime genre was the most popular among readers of all ages, the second most popular genre among young readers (aged 16-34) was science fiction/fantasy (15%), while readers aged 55 and over chose historical fiction as their second preference (14%).

Scottish Book Week runs until 27 Nov, and features events with some of the UK’s best-loved writers and illustrators, including Will Self, Lisa McInerney, Jenni Fagan, Jill Mansell, Simon Scarrow, Isabel Greenberg, Clare Mackintosh, Alexander McCall Smith and Jodi Picoult. For details of the events, read our guide here. 

Book Week also gives the opportunity for book lovers to discover new writing talent, with 150,000 free copies of short story and poem collection Secrets and Confessions, described as being "written by the people of Scotland", is being handed out this week via libraries, bookshops and other outlets.

The week comes to a close with the unveiling of the nation’s ten favourite Scottish book-to-screen adaptations. Will Danny Boyle's cult take on Irvine Welsh’s Trainspotting triumph? Maybe the love for the 1996 mini-series based on Iain Banks' The Crow Road will make it the dark horse? Or perhaps Jonathan Glazer’s recent masterpiece Under the Skin, based on Michel Faber’s novel, will have the edge?

Voting is open until 5pm on Tue 22 Nov at www.bookweekscotland.com

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Book Week runs 21-28 Nov. For full details and listings, go to scottishbooktrust.com/book-week-scotland