Insider's Choice: New Scottish books to look out for in February
Witch Trial, the new crime novel from Traitors star Harriet Tyce, leads Vikki Reilly’s recommendations for February
We’re already off to a flyer in 2026, with books released by some of Scotland’s best contemporary writers - notably Ali Smith and Louise Welsh - and in February the pace continues.
Fans of crime fiction will have been delighted to see the bestselling Harriet Tyce take her place at the round table in The Traitors. For those introduced to her via the hit television show, you can get to grips with her plotting skills in her latest novel, Witch Trial (Wildfire, 2 February, £18.99), in which two teenage girls are in court for the murder of their schoolmate. It’s told mainly from the point of view of one of the jurors, Matthew Phillips, a middle-aged heart surgeon who has troubles of his own. As the details of the crime grow more disturbing Phillips’s own judgement unravels, and Tyce cleverly upends expectations with a tale that has more than a nod to James Hogg’s The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner.
Staying with witchcraft and the supernatural, The Wise Witch of Orkney by Anna Craig (Black and White, 26 February, £16.99), is a pacey historical novel that sees suspected witch Elspeth Balfour introduced as a lady-in-waiting to Anna of Denmark, wife of James VI and I. She is to take care of the queen while she is pregnant with the heir to the throne. Life at court for Elspeth involves intrigue after intrigue, and the historical implications are good fun to ponder, as are the relationships between the ladies at court.
Look out too for another psychological thriller, Original Sins by Linda Duncan McLaughlin (Into Books, 19 February, £11.99). The intimate, conversational voice of narrator Joanne, grieving her adoptive mum’s death yet determined to betray her by finding her biological parents, brings a reading-through-your-fingers experience. As her quest, and the truth about her past, gets darker and darker, you can only read on.
If you’re determined to get away from humanity’s dark side, however, then get your hands on Common Ground by Elissa Soave (HQ, 26 February, £20.00). This is Soave’s third novel, and she returns to a character from her debut, Ginger and Me: Germaine Hounslow. In Common Ground, we find her managing an allotment in North Lanarkshire. She has mainly kept to herself, getting on with tasks rather than getting to know those who work the plots, but her peace is shattered when plans to redevelop the allotment are announced. Everyone at the allotment bands together to save their sanctuary, and in working together they discover a community they didn’t know they needed. It’s the perfect antidote to dark winter nights and our current news cycle.
Lastly, James Meek’s latest novel, Your Life Without Me (Canongate, 12 February, £18.99) explores great contemporary themes of consumerism, terrorism, and the challenges of how to be your authentic self in a mediated, self-aware world. This suggests a mighty tome; instead, it’s a little gem. In tending to these themes through one family, the Burmans, these explorations are much more personal and all the more moving and resonant for it.
Vikki Reilly has worked in Scottish books for over 20 years and now works for Publishing Scotland, the trade and networking body for Scotland’s book publishing sector. She also edits BooksfromScotland.com, a website that promotes the best in Scottish writing, contemporary and classic, and supports Scottish publishers and authors to find new audiences.
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