Wikipedia describes ‘Tartan Noir’ as a form of crime fiction particular to Scotland and Scottish writers. It has its roots in Scottish literature (notably Robert Louis Stevenson), and the term was coined by American novelist James Ellroy in the 1990’s.
The genre is typified by its “hard-boiled” and dark-humoured style. The first landmark TN title was Laidlaw by William McIlvanney (1977), which in turn inspired the “king of Tartan Noir” Ian Rankin.
Other noted genre authors include Lin Anderson, Tony Black, Gordon Ferris, Alex Gray, Allan Guthrie, Quintin Jardine, Val McDermid, Stuart MacBride, Peter May, Denise Mina, James Oswald, Craig Robertson, and Craig Russell.
