Tracy Chevalier speaks to Clare Hunter at the Edinburgh International Book Festival Two decades after Girl with the Pearl Earring, Tracy Chevalier is back with another finely rendered story of women. Refusing to tend endlessly to her grieving mother after the Great War, Violet Speedwell begins a new life among the embroiderers of Winches… Chris Brookmyre talks to Brian Taylor at the Edinburgh International Book Festival Sixteen years on from the death of young Niamh on a holiday in Portugal, the glamorous Temple clan hold a fateful family reunion in Fallen Angel, Chris Brookmyre’s new standalone thriller. For Amanda, a neighbouring nanny, fascination gives way to suspi… Ross Benjamin & Daniel Kehlmann: When History Prefigures Our Own Times For anyone feeling that the world has turned decidedly apocalyptic on us, Daniel Kehlmann’s picaresque novel Tyll offers an intriguing parallel from 17th century Europe. The Thirty Years War over the Holy Roman Empire left millions of Germans dead: dark… Ian Rankin: A Rebus for the Dark Times We have all become familiar with living through these strange times but for Ian Rankin 2020 has been unusual in more ways than one. For starters, even though the number one bestselling writer thought he was taking a year off, he found himself topping the … Alasdair Gray (2010 event) With the help of three actors, Lanark author Alasdair Gray presents an irreverent dramatised reading… Ian Robertson at the Edinburgh International Book Festival For over 40 years, Ian Robertson has been an instantly recognisable and eminently authoritative voice for rugby fans everywhere. His commentary has added to classic encounters such as the 2003 World Cup Final, when England triumphed at the death against h… Hadley Freeman (2016 Event) For many, the 80s was a decade that taste didn’t just forget, but totally bypassed. Guardian and Vogue columnist Hadley Freeman does not subscribe to that one bit and is so passionate about 80s American movies that she’s written a book about them. Lif… Jussi Adler-Olsen (2015 Event) We were thrilled to welcome bestselling Danish writer Jussi Adler-Olsen to the Book Festival's home in Charlotte Square Gardens for the first time. The creator of the Department Q novels has sold over 10 million copies of his books worldwide; watch as… Ibram X Kendi talks to DeRay Mckesson at the Edinburgh International Book Festival We all occasionally do things that are racist, yet often fail to recognise it. Ibram X Kendi is a founding director of the Antiracist Research and Policy Center in Washington DC. How To Be an Antiracist is his extraordinary guidebook which helps build a v… Val McDermid with Nicola Sturgeon (2015 Event) The Diamond Dagger-winning Fifer has built a vast fanbase over the years thanks to her number one bestselling novels that have sold over 11 million copies. One of Val McDermid’s better known readers is Scotland’s First Minister and here watch …