Val McDermid's reasoning in the case of Scotland's murdered libraries cannot be faulted

As murder investigations go, this case would challenge the most famous fictional detectives, from Sherlock Holmes to Val McDermid’s Karen Pirie. Just who is responsible for the serial killings of Scotland’s libraries?

Speaking at Kirkcaldy Galleries library, ahead of the launch of the Love Libraries campaign tomorrow, bestselling crime writer McDermid said she “would not be where I am today if this building had not been on my doorstep”.

Val McDermid, seen with fellow author Damian Barr, at the launch of celebrations for the National Library of Scotland's 100th anniversary last month (Picture: Jeff J Mitchell) | Getty Images

"My parents couldn't afford books but they understood they were the passport to better life chances than they'd had,” she said. "But it's not just writers who have their doors opened to the wider world by libraries. Engineers, lawyers, builders, artists, geographers, mathematicians, musicians – the list is endless. Libraries open windows that let us all fly."

It’s hard to blame the loss of libraries on cash-strapped councils faced with many difficult decisions and, after all, we get the politicians we vote for. So the horrifying truth is that we, the electorate, may be the real culprits in this true crime. However, in a plot twist worthy of the greats, we still have a chance of redemption.