Liam McIlvanney wins crime writing award named in honour of father

Author Liam McIlvanney has been announced as the winner of an award for Scottish crime writing named in honour of his late father.
By The Newsroom
Published 21st Sep 2018, 21:01 BST
Updated 21st Sep 2018, 22:11 BST
Liam McIlvanney, winner of the McIlvanney Prize 2018. Picture: Paul ReichLiam McIlvanney, winner of the McIlvanney Prize 2018. Picture: Paul Reich
Liam McIlvanney, winner of the McIlvanney Prize 2018. Picture: Paul Reich

McIlvanney won the The McIlvanney Prize 2018 for Scottish Crime Book of the Year - renamed in memory of his father William - for his novel The Quaker.

The winner was kept under wraps until the ceremony on Friday evening at the Bloody Scotland Festival.

Hide Ad

Susan Calman, who was a member of the judging panel alongside Craig Sisterson and Alison Flood, said: “The Quaker was, for me, the stand out book from the longlist. It’s one of those novels that as soon as I finished it, I looked forward to reading it again.

• READ MORE: Book review: The Quaker, by Liam McIlvanney

“Not only did I love the evocative recreation of Glasgow but the characters created were refreshing and surprising. It was such a pleasure to read.”

Following the ceremony, guests formed a torchlight procession through the streets of Stirling led by Val McDermid, Denise Mina and this year’s prize winner Liam McIlvanney.

Previous winners of the Scottish Crime Book of the Year Award are Denise Mina with The Long Drop 2017, Chris Brookmyre with Black Widow 2016, Craig Russell with The Ghosts of Altona in 2015, Peter May with Entry Island in 2014, Malcolm Mackay with How A Gunman Says Goodbye in 2013 and Charles Cumming with A Foreign Country in 2012.