The literary crime wave first reached Shetland’s shores in 2006, when Ann Cleeves published Raven Black, the first of eight books featuring Detective Inspector Jimmy Perez. They provided the foundation for the very successful BBC1 television series, Shetland, the eighth season of which is being shot in the islands during 2023.
A generation ago, with a crime rate among the lowest in the UK, Shetland was one of the last places you would have expected to find a book festival entitled "Shetland Noir". But whereas the real-life tally of serious crime remains low, the fictional one is astonishingly high, providing ample inspiration for the second Shetland Noir event in June 2023. As I discovered on a recent visit, the Hatchery Bookshop, in Weisdale, has a beguiling selection of crime literature to match.
It comes as no surprise to learn that Ann is the patron and curator of this second edition of the festival which, like its predecessor, is part of the long-running annual WordPlay series; the first was held in 2015. However, she’s not the only crime author active in the islands, and the limelight is shared with local writer Marsali Taylor, who, over the past decade, has so far created a series of eleven absorbing mysteries, each set in a different part of Shetland.
Dr Sarah Taylor – no relation to Marsali – established the Hatchery Bookshop just over two years ago; and you can read more about the background to the project here. In summary, Sarah and her partner Jim moved to Shetland in 2000, where she had been appointed director of public health. On retiring, a huge collection of books inherited from her mother led her to think about opening a shop, and she went on to assemble the collection of around 85,000 books that formed the original stock, with about 15,000 on display.
Looking back over those two years, how has it turned out? Sarah says:
“It’s gone very well. It’s great! I don’t know what I expected, but it’s been really good fun. It’s quieter in the winter, predictably, but even in the quietest weeks in winter, even when there’s snow on the ground, I get people in. In the two years since I opened, I’ve only had four days when I’ve not sold anything.”
She has had to become “more selective” about buying. “I’ve finally run out of storage space, because I can’t resist buying interesting books!” A solution is at hand though, as she now has planning permission to build a shed outside. There’s been progress, too, with the launching of the new website. “I’m not selling through the website yet, but I can see that in a while I probably will be. I’ve some books that are quite niche or special-interest.”
The shop attracts “lots of Shetland folk” but during the summer Sarah also sees many visitors. There’s been “lots of positive feedback, which is lovely”.
Turning to the theme of Shetland Noir, she names some crime writers that she really likes. “I’m a big Ian Rankin fan, and since I’ve discovered William McIlvanney, I’ve recommended him to a few people. I know he was one of Ian Rankin’s inspirations, but he’s much darker. And recently, I’ve discovered a whole generation of American writing, in which there’s always a mystery, but they’re really about places and people. There’s a guy called Carl Hiaasen; he writes from about the sixties in Florida, and he's very funny, and quite anarchic!”
Sarah has also returned to some of the authors she read years ago, like Ruth Rendell. “She’s very good, she’s very clever at the psychology of characters. I like good characterisation.” Georges Simenon is also among her favourites. She quite enjoys Scandi Noir: “I’ve quite a good collection in the bookshop, but some of them are quite brutal, I think, and I go through phases of being able to read them and then needing to read something different.”
Marsali Taylor’s Shetland mysteries are very popular: “they go off the shelves as soon as I’ve put them on. I’ve had half a dozen of hers through, and they don’t last a week. People come in and ask quite regularly for hers, and she’s just written another one.”
Not surprisingly, it’s the same story with Ann Cleeves. “They sell almost immediately, so quickly.”
And what can fans of crime writing look forward to when they visit? There is a crime section “and I have a whole section that I call ‘killers’, alongside ‘thrillers’. I’ve a separate shelf that’s Scandi Noir, and a Scottish one.”
Sarah has also begun to experiment with display shelves. “I try to do those for topical things, so in Shetland Noir week, that’s where I’ll put Ann Cleeves. But it’s World Cocktail Day today, so I’ve put my cocktail books out! It’s also National Share a Story Month and next week is Mental Health Awareness Week. I try to do things that raise awareness.”
There’s a shelf on censorship:
“The conversation about Roald Dahl’s books prompted me to think about that. There are large numbers of books that have been censored in various places, so I’ve put a selection out and put a note in each explaining why. I get into lots of interesting conversations about those books and the topic of censorship. It’s quite thought-provoking. I had a couple of Americans in recently and they were lamenting censorship in the USA, in Texas for example.”
This year’s Shetland Noir offers a rich and varied programme and Sarah will be attending several of the talks. She’s especially looking forward to the one by Dr James Grieve, an Aberdeen-based forensic pathologist with Shetland connections, including work with Ann Cleeves.
Other appealing conversations include those with Martin Edwards, author of 21 novels including The Lake District Mysteries; Elly Griffiths, creator of forensic archaeologist Ruth Galloway; the ‘Queen of Crime’, Val McDermid; Shona Maclean, who’ll talk about her latest novel and earlier work; and Richard Osman, whose Thursday Murder Club books have been worldwide best sellers.
However, the programme also promises many other treats, including a local writers’ session; reflections from a real Shetland former detective, Iain Souter; and a special showing of Ann Cleeves’ favourite film noir, The Third Man.
A visit to the Hatchery Bookshop is likely to be one of the highlights of the Shetland Noir weekend, or indeed any weekend. A bonus is that it’s just across the road from the Bonhoga Gallery, housed in a former mill, where book buyers can settle down with a cup of tea to explore their new acquisitions. Neither is to be missed.
Alastair Hamilton
Alastair Hamilton moved to Shetland in 1976. Until he retired, he worked for Shetland Islands Council, latterly as Head of Planning, and was also involved in economic development.