Polygon Books

We are delighted to report that Val McDermid was named Allianz Writer of the Year at the annual Diva Awards this weekend. She fought off competition from Alice Osman, Juno Dawson, Clare Lydon, Kae Tempest, Laura Kay, Lex Croucher and Nicola Dinan to take the crown. Birlinn was so much more than proud to publish Val’s Queen Macbeth last year on the Polygon Darkland Tales list. It is out this month in paperback.

Val was taken by surprise: ‘I was genuinely gobsmacked to win the Writer of the Year at the DIVA Awards. The longlist was so strong, including Alice Oseman, Juno Dawson and Kae Tempest among others – I felt sure it would go to one of them. It’s an honour to be recognised for my work, particularly in the year when I’m publishing my 40th novel. Our community is under threat from many quarters just now, and I’m proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with them and make what contribution I can to our pleasures!’
https://birlinn.co.uk/2025/04/28/val-mcdermid-scoops-writer-of-the-year-at-the-diva-awards/

🌀 Cover reveal! 🌀

We are so excited to be publishing this thrilling debut novel, The Man on the Endless Stair, by award-winning writer Chris Barkley 7th August.

When troubled young author Euan meets decorated novelist Malcolm Furnivall, he feels his luck has finally changed. Malcolm takes Euan as a protégé, vouching for him in the 1950s rarefied literary scene. But lately, Malcolm has not been himself. Consumed by his work and convinced that something terrible will befall him, he summons his loved ones to his secluded Hebridean island and entrusts Euan to complete his masterpiece.

Malcolm’s suspicions soon prove well-founded; he is discovered brutally murdered in his study, his unfinished novel missing. Far from the mainland, with the killer at large and the island’s inhabitants circling, Euan feels both his mentor’s legacy and his chance at greatness slipping away. He must venture deep into Malcolm’s labyrinthine mansion to find the manuscript before it falls into the wrong hands. The closer he comes to solving the mystery, however, the tighter he will bind himself to a fate sealed in time...

Available for preorder now! https://birlinn.co.uk/product/the-man-on-the-endless-stair/

⭐️Exciting news! ⭐️
In winter this year, we will publish Benbecula by Booker Prize-shortlisted author .

It will be the sixth title in Polygon’s Darkland Tales series of novels, which sees Scottish authors reimagining key moments from Scottish history, myth and legend. Previous titles in the series include Rizzio by Denise Mina, Hex by Jenni Fagan, and most recently, Queen Macbeth by Val McDermid.

Benbecula is based on the true story of a murder committed on the titular Scottish island in 1857 when a crofter called Angus MacPhee butchered his mother and two other family members.

We can’t wait for you to read Benbecula! Find out more about this brilliant news on our blog.

☠️ Cover reveal! ☠️

We are delighted to be publishing a new book from the author of the critically acclaimed bestseller, The Edinburgh Skating Club. Michelle Sloan’s brilliant new historical fiction novel Mrs Burke and Mrs Hare is being published on 3rd July!

In the shadowy closes of Edinburgh’s Old Town, sixteen people are murdered to feed surgeon Dr Robert Knox’s insatiable need for his anatomy classes. Burke and Hare and their wives, Lucky and Nelly, are all complicit, but only Burke swings for their crimes. Lucky, Nelly and Hare go on the run from the angry mob, reinvention their only means of survival.

Years later, journalist Duncan Fletcher hears rumours of sightings of the two women. Keen to impress his editor, Duncan investigates the aftermath of the murder trial. With cobbler Joseph Campbell in tow, Duncan’s quest leads him to the backstreets of London, where the horrors of the past collide with the present.

The time for retribution has come.

Available to pre-order now!