40 books set in Scotland that everyone should read
By Finlay Greig
Published 7th Mar 2019, 09:11 BST
Updated 7th Mar 2019, 13:22 BST
From Kidnapped to The Outrun, Scotland has a proud history of delivering quality literature
Embrace World Book Day by getting stuck into one of these great Scottish reads.
From crime novels to historical epics, Scotland has a rich history of producing literary classics be it Walter Scott's groundbreaking Waverley or William McIlvanney's Laidlaw.
Here are forty essential Scottish books that every bookworm should read.
Immortalised by Maggie Smith in a 1969 film of the same name, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie tells the story of an eccentric young teacher who encourages her pupils to embrace romantic ideals.
Nominated for the Man Booker Prize in 2016, Burnet's desperately bleak novel tells the story of an Applecross Peninsula triple murder. A shocking and upsetting, but utterly brilliant read.
In 1964 Calum Macleod of Raasay and his brother Charles constructed a road connecting the remote community of Arnish with the rest of the island. Roger Hutchinson tells the unique and human story in Calum's Road.
From the genius mind of Alasdair Gray, this daring and witty novel echoes Mary Shelley's Frankenstein in its own unique and fanciful way.
On its release Iain Banks' pitch black novel was criticised for its gruesome depictions of violence at the hands of a youth. The Scottish writer's horror masterpiece has since gone on to be regarded as one of the 20th century finest novels.
Set in a god-fearing Scotland, readers are navigated through Hogg's psychological mystery by its eponymous, criminal antihero.
Brothers Paul and Mikey navigate the surreal aftermath of a disturbing crime in this unpredictable thriller.
The film is great, the book is arguably better. Trainspotting provides readers an insight into the life of character Mark Renton has he flits between heroin and sobriety
Readers' first introduction to the miserly and masterful Inspector Rebus, is arguably the most thrilling.
This Kafkaesque novel set in a dystopic world precariously situated on a span reminiscent of the Forth Rail Bridge, follows a character seemingly devoid of a personality as he casually investigates how he came to arrive in the steel, red and inescapable universe.
Regarded as one of the masters of tartan-noir fiction, Val McDermid's A Darker Domain is arguably one of the Fife author's works. Set in her home-county, this novel investigates an unsolved murder while exploring the effect of mine closures on the community.
Set in the north east, Michel Faber's science-fiction novel follows an extraterrestrial as she preys on unsuspecting men.
Written over a thirty-year period, Lanark takes place in a dystopic and surreal version of Glasgow. Released in the 1980s, Alasdair Gray's debut novel is widely regarded as a modern classic.
This rollicking thriller takes readers across Scotland as charming protagonist Richard Hannay attempts to foil a conspiracy. As brilliant an ludicrous as Ian Fleming's James Bond.
The story of a barge labourer who disrupts the lives of his employer and employer's wife. The novel rose to fame in 2003 when it was released as a film starring Ewan McGregor
Spanning decades this semi-biographical exploration of secret-riddled cities Glasgow and Gloucester became an instant classic on it's release in 1995.
The opening lines of this introduce readers to a naked, down-and-out and con as he attempts to evade hitmen - and from thereon in there is little let up in this wicked dark comedy.
Legendary and groundbreaking, Waverley is widely regarded as the first example of historical fiction in Western literature. The epic novel follows English gentleman Edward Waverley as he wrestles with loyalties during the Jacobite rebellion of 1745.
