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Val McDermid

ヴァル・マクダーミッド

Val McDermid

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1955-06-04 （Kirkcaldy, Fife, Scotland）
Nationality
British, Scottish
Languages
English
Residence History
Fife → Edinburgh → Northumberland / Manchester (past)

Career

Occupations
Writer, Journalist
Active Years
1987-
Affiliations
Harrogate Crime Writing Festival (co-founder)
Memberships
Detection Club, Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE), Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature (FRSL)

Education

St Hilda's College, Oxford
English
Degree: BA
Period: 1972–1976
Year of Graduation: 1976
Country: United Kingdom
Noted as one of the first students admitted from a Scottish state school

Awards

Gold Dagger (Best Crime Novel)
1995
Work: The Mermaids Singing
Organization: Crime Writers' Association
Result: winner
Cartier Diamond Dagger (Lifetime Achievement)
2010
Organization: Crime Writers' Association
Result: winner
Grand Prix des Romans d’Aventure
1998
Work: Star Struck
Organization: French award
Result: winner
Honorary doctorate (University of Sunderland)
2011
Organization: University of Sunderland
Result: awarded
Honorary degree (University of Edinburgh)
2025
Organization: University of Edinburgh
Result: awarded

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Mermaids Singing

1995 Crime fiction

An early installment in the Tony Hill and Carol Jordan series focusing on serial murders and psychological profiling.

crimepsychologyprofiling

The Wire in the Blood

1997 Crime fiction

A Tony Hill novel later adapted into a TV series of the same name that ran from 2002 to 2008.

graphic violencecriminal psychologyinvestigation
Adaptations
  • [Television series] Wire in the Blood (TV series) (2002)

A Place of Execution

1999 Crime / Suspense

A suspenseful novel set in a provincial community where past crimes and present investigations intersect.

small-town lifepast crimesjustice

Northanger Abbey (adaptation)

2014 Adaptation / Fiction

A modern adaptation of Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey, reimagined for the present day.

adaptation of classicsmodern societydepiction of women

1979

2021 Crime fiction

First entry in the Allie Burns series; a newspaper journalist becomes involved in an investigation of a past crime.

journalismpast vs presentsocial issues

Bibliography

  • Report for Murder (1987)
  • The Mermaids Singing (1995)
  • The Wire in the Blood (1997)
  • A Place of Execution (1999)
  • Northanger Abbey (2014)
  • 1979 (2021)

Adaptations

  • Wire in the Blood (TV series, 2002–2008)
  • Karen Pirie (TV series, 2022– )

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Tartan Noir Scottish crime fictiondetailed forensic description and cold psychological portraitureengagement with contemporary social issues and feminism
Recurring Motifs
depictions of violence and torturecriminal psychologywomen's position and feminismthe darker side of small communities

Legacy

Val McDermid is one of contemporary Britain's leading crime writers, notable for psychological insight and forensic detail; she has helped define the Tartan Noir subgenre and is widely recognized through adaptations, fellowships and honorary degrees.

Academic Societies

  • Royal Society of Edinburgh
  • Royal Society of Literature

In Popular Culture

  • Adaptations into television series such as 'Wire in the Blood' and 'Karen Pirie'

Quotes

  • "I never spook myself."
    Source: Daily Record (interview) (2016)

Trivia

  • Attacked with ink at a 2012 signing event (attacker convicted).
  • Known for sponsorship and support of local football club Raith Rovers; a stand was named in her honour.
  • Describes herself as a radical feminist and a socialist.
  • Won the Gold Dagger for 'The Mermaids Singing'.
  • Reported a legal dispute with Agatha Christie estate over the phrase 'Queen of Crime'.