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Cumming wins inaugural Scottish Crime Book of the Year award

17.09.12 | Charlotte Williams

The first Scottish Crime Book of the Year award has been presented to Charles Cumming for his novel A Foreign Country, with the announcement made yesterday at crime writing festival Bloody Scotland, in Stirling.

Cumming wins £3,000 prize money, with his novel concerning the disappearance of the first female head of MI6. The prize seeks to reward the best in Scottish crime writing.

Cumming said: "It's such a huge honour to win such a prestigious award in the first year of this fantastic festival. My thanks to the judges, to Mazars and to all the organisers."

Chair of the judging panel Sheena McDonald said: "A Foreign Country by Charles Cumming
. . . spans the complexity of the practices of crime and counter-crime in the modern world, from savage to subtle. The characters entirely convince us: we know - and sometimes avoid! - these people. We believe this credible evocation of what happens when crime threatens personal and state security. This book is exciting, imaginative and well-written. It doesn’t simply tick the crime-fiction boxes - it’s simply an outstanding novel."

Next year's Bloody Scotland festival will be held between 13th and 15th September.

• A Foreign Country
• Bloody Scotland
• Charles Cumming
• Charlotte Williams
• Prizes
• Scottish Crime Book of the Year