Crimespotting: An Edinburgh Crime Collection

by Irvine Welsh, Ian Rankin, Margaret Atwood

All the short stories in "Crimespotting" are brand new and specially commissioned. The brief was deceptively simple - each story must be set in Edinburgh and feature a crime. The results range from hard-boiled police procedural to historical whodunit and from the wildly comic to the spookily supernatural.

Genres: Crime, Short Stories, Scotland, Mystery, Fiction, Thriller Suspense

224 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2009

About the author

Probably most famous for his gritty depiction of a gang of Scottish Heroin addicts, Trainspotting (1993), Welsh focuses on the darker side of human nature and drug use. All of his novels are set in his native Scotland and filled with anti-heroes, small time crooks and hooligans. Welsh manages, however to imbue these characters with a sad humanity that makes them likable despite their obvious scumbaggerry. Irvine Welsh is also known for writing in his native Edinburgh Scots dialect, making his prose challenging for the average reader unfamiliar with this style.

Reviews

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I'll just keep saying this until I run out of breath completely - but really, the world needs more quality collections of Crime Short Stories. CRIMESPOTTING, a fabulous little volume put together as a fund raiser for The ONECITY Trust, is subtitled "An Edinburgh Crime Collection". It features stories by lesser and well known authors including (in alphabetical order) Lin Anderson, Kate Atkinson, Margaret Atwood, Christopher Brookmyre, John Burnside, Isla Dewar, A.L. Kennedy, Denise Mina, Ian Rankin and James Robertson. (There are some stories here which go on to be included in the Mammoth Book of Best British Crime which I'm going to mention in a review soonish). The requirement for inclusion was that the story included a "crime" and was set in Edinburgh. The results are remarkedly diverse.

Needless to say I've been reading a few short story collections recently. Mostly because I find them such a fascinating form of writing, although I also find them almost invaluable for filling in the dreaded "waiting time" that seems to go with life these days. One thing I'm increasingly becoming aware of is that a really really good short story can't be as easy to write as you would think. A Crime short story in particular still has to provide a reader with some of the elements of the genre that you expect - a crime / investigation / resolution / explanation / consideration / illumination and so on.

What was immediately obvious in CRIMESPOTTING is that there is an incredibly high standard of story-telling in each of these entries - although there are obviously also absolute standout entries. To be honest I'd have a bit of trouble voting for my specific favourite as a lot of them appealed immensely. Luckily, there's probably something for fans of all sorts of different sub-genres.

For this reader, CRIMESPOTTING (and The Mammoth Book of Best British Crime for that matter) really were a master class in short story reading. Good enough to go back and reread many of the entries, CRIMESPOTTING became a permanent resident of the car glovebox a while ago. It will head back there after this review has been written as flicking back through the book there's a couple of entries I'd like to read again.

[Su · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great little book for a terrific charity. This is tartan noir at its best and a brilliant introduction to the genre for anyone who hasn't dipped their toe in the dark side of Edinburgh before.
Some of my favourite authors are represented and have produced some fantastic short stories, but I was also introduced to some new Scots authors, which is all good. Fantastic if you read in short bursts or all in one afternoon!

[Liza · Rating 4 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed this collection of short crime stories set in Edinburgh. Standout was Christopher Brookmyre's place b. An Expose of homeopathy but there was not a dud in the collection. The great thing about a collection like this is the opportunity to find new authors to read. As well as well loved authors like Margaret Atwood (who has a story combining past lives and online dating), Ian Rankin (a moral dilemma about heroism) and Kate Atkinson (a twist delivered with stealth), there are authors I'd not read before and will seek out. What more could you ask of a short story collection?

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

A satisfying and varied set of short stories - it's always good to see what stellar writers do with the same brief and being tied to place and format did neither them nor the reader any harm. I felt of Brookmyre's place b that was something he really needed to get off his chest.

As is often the case with a short crime story, it wasn't always clear what had happened in a story.

[Will Templeton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice, varied mix of stories here, all based in the wonderful city of Edinburgh. A bit hit and miss at times, but most of the contributions were very good.

[Kindred Spirit · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a quick, easy read of short stories supporting the Edinburgh OneCity Trust. I bought it ages ago (the book was published in 2009) and only got around to reading it now, as I prepare to clear out my book collection.

All the stories are crime stories, but the authors have taken different interpretations of what "crime" means. Some are modern, some are historical, some are police procedurals, some have a twist. In the last story, I'm still not 100% sure what the author intended the crime to be. All have to have a connection to Edinburgh. Some were more tenuous than others.

I liked some of the stories: "Affairs of the Heart" by Kate Atkinson, "Pretend Blood" by Margaret Atwood"and "There Goes Me" by Isla Dewar. The rest I can take or leave - some definitely just leave. I know it can be hard to fully flesh out a character and story in few words, but there were too many white male protagonists with "typically male" issues to really catch my attention, plus three of the ten stories involved affairs (male cheating on female partner). Not my cup of tea.

I still think the money to buy the book was well spent, because all profits went to the OneCity Trust, but I also think giving the book away to new readers is the right move. If you are a crime novel enthusiast or an Edinburgh native or lover, and sales of the book still support the Trust, then I would recommend it.

[ML Downie · Rating 4 out of 5]

good crime compilation. yet another very dark story by denise mina from glasgow and two very clever ones from kate atkinson and margaret atwood.

[Silvia Verona · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent collection. A couple really had creepy down, one was more a cozy, but all really great. Kudos to the contributors

[Jack Venables · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible.

I bought this book with a trip to Edinburgh on the Horizon and it did not disappoint! It is a collection of short stories by a variety of Scottish authors all given the same brief; to write a crime story set in Edinburgh. The variety is outstanding, I can't identify any as a weak point. All of the authors give a great representation of themselves and their craft. My only criticism is that it wasn't longer.

I have also found this a "Gateway book" to many of the authors within, now seeking to pursuit some authors I had not previously known or thought to explore.

[Jo Bennie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great little collection of crime stories based in Edinburgh written by a variety of writers, some such as Lin Anderson and Ian Rankin known for their crime fiction, others such as Margaret Atwood and James Robertson less so. For me, the best definately saved til last with AL Kennedy's contribution although the quality of Rankin's piece was superb.

[RJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection of short stories is by many different authors, and has one thing in common: all the stories are set in Edinburgh. I saw this book on the internet originally, and I enjoyed all the different stories. A great read while on long coach journeys.

[Calzean · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good selection of short stories, written by various Scottish crime writers. The stories cover murder, fraud, theft, and revenge. While most are in the modern era, one is based in the mid 1800s and there is a couple with supernatural themes. All very varied and enjoyable.

[Kaitie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really enjoyed some of the stories in this book, and others just seemed to drag on... all in all it was still well worth the read! :)

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probbly the best anthology I've ever read - certainly the best charity anthology - insofar as there wasn't a dud amongst the ten stories in this.

[Deanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mixed bag of great and good stories all insured by Edinburgh.

[Bja]

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