Tartan Noir Reading Group

Welcome to the 'The Mysterious Affair At Topping & Co.'!

This is one of the three, newly launched, Topping & Co. St Andrews book groups. Meeting on the last Friday of every month (excluding this first meeting, on 21st June), 'The Mysterious Affair At Topping & Co.' will discuss Scottish crime fiction across the decades.

Join us for an evening of murder, mystery, and a glass of wine. For the next six months we will be tracking A Century of Scottish Crime Fiction, reading and discussing a range of crime novels set in Scotland and written by (mostly) Scottish authors.

We will examine how Scotland’s crime fiction has evolved over the 20th and 21st centuries, particularly the varying depictions of Scotland as a literary setting. How is the landscape of Scotland used to create the perfect atmosphere for a crime novel? Why do so many crime writers keep returning to this country in their crime fiction? Whether you enjoy thrillers, classic whodunits, or the ever popular tartan noir, come along to discover new authors, and to share your own expertise with other fans of the genre.

This group is hosted by Benjamin, who is writing his PhD on 20th century crime fiction.

June's book is: The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan

May 1914. Britain is on the eve of war with Germany. Richard Hannay is living a quiet life in London, but after a chance encounter with a mysterious stranger he stumbles into a hair-raising adventure - a desperate hunt across the country and against the clock, pursued by the police and a cunning, ruthless enemy. Hannay’s life and the security of Britain are in grave peril, and everything rests on the solution to a baffling enigma: what are the thirty-nine steps?

Reading Group Structure

Ticketing: Each place is £5, which can be redeemed against a copy of a reading group book.

Frequency: Each reading group will meet once a month, on a set day of the week. You do not need to commit to one group, or every meeting! Just book for those you're interested in each month, and we hope to entice you back for another one.