Chris Brookmyre: Thirty, and Counting

Captioned

Chris Brookmyre’s offbeat brand of Scottish crime has been selling by the millions since his debut in 1996. He joins us now with his 30th novel, The Cracked Mirror, a deeply unusual detective caper that splices the tweedy with the hardboiled. With Denise Mina, Brookmyre will discuss his unquenchable desire to push the limits of genre, and look back over his life in writing – and perhaps even his occasional football punditry and noir-ish cover band! You can also expect a special sneak peek of his next Jack Parlabane novel.

Book Festival News

60 new events now available on demand 60 new events now available on demand
Tuesday 4 November

Enjoying this event? You can help us produce more like it.

Donate

Share

Watch more

A C Grayling (2015 Event) A C Grayling (2015 Event) A Professor of Philosophy, A C Grayling believes that his subject shouldn’t float above in an ivory tower, but take an active role in society. His most recent published works have looked at the world in a time of war and perpetual conflict. Whether… Lights Off The Quay - pt1 (A L Kennedy) Lights Off The Quay - pt1 (A L Kennedy) We commissioned and published new stories and poems from four of the finest Scottish writers: A L Kennedy, Janice Galloway, John Burnside and Don Paterson. Lights Off The Quay, our first publication of new writing, is the result. A sold-out event at the… Alain Mabanckou: Rewriting the Congolese Story Alain Mabanckou: Rewriting the Congolese Story On 18 March 1977 at 14.30, the third President of the People’s Republic of the Congo, Marien Ngouabi, is assassinated. In the frenzied aftermath, blame flies and ethnic divides widen, and far away, a family member is murdered for their alleged involvement… Salman Rushdie Salman Rushdie Master storyteller Salman Rushdie returned to the Book Festival in 2008 to talk about his sumptuous new novel The Enchantress of Florence with Ramona Koval. This is a short extract filmed live at the sold-out event where he describes the influences on his… Robert Macfarlane: Is A River Alive? Robert Macfarlane: Is A River Alive? Robert Macfarlane's radiant writing on nature, people, and place is in a class unto itself, and the Guardian has slated Is a River Alive? as the biggest publishing event of 2025… Michael Pedersen: Charged by Starlight Michael Pedersen: Charged by Starlight Edinburgh’s Makar, Michael Pedersen, is an effervescent poet, poignant memoirist, anarchic event host… and now a debut novelist. He joins Russell Tovey to discuss the offbeat Muckle Flugg… Claire Askew & Kate Foster: Tales of Two Edinburghs Claire Askew & Kate Foster: Tales of Two Edinburghs What is it about the Scottish capital that makes it such fertile ground for fictionalised mystery? Claire Askew’s The Dead Don’t Speak sees DI Helen Birch drawn back into action when an anonymous vigilante starts stalking the streets of Edinburgh. Kate… The Front List: Asako Yuzuki The Front List: Asako Yuzuki Since Butter appeared in print, bookshops have been scrambling to keep Asako Suzuki’s word-of-mouth sensation in stock. Yuzuki talks today about consumption, sexism, skewed beauty standards, and her mission to elevate the status of Japan’s women through… Polly Toynbee & David Walker: The State of Us Polly Toynbee & David Walker: The State of Us Years of political mayhem, scarring austerity, and apparent incompetence all round: what will Britain’s next government inherit when they step into office? Polly Toynbee and David Walker explore this in The Only Way is Up: an essential guide to the state… Sara Sheridan: On the Scent of Untold Riches Sara Sheridan: On the Scent of Untold Riches There cannot be many novelists in the world who have a sideline in perfume production, but Sara Sheridan is one of them. The Edinburgh-based author runs a company named Reek whose scents celebrate ‘powerful, unapologetic women’ and their often-overlooked…