Tariq Ashkanani, winner of last year’s McIlvanney Prize, among 2026 shortlistees

Five authors have been shortlisted for the McIlvanney Prize 2026, including last year’s winner Tariq Ashkanani, who took home the gong for The Midnight King (Viper).

The McIlvanney Prize is Bloody Scotland’s annual prize awarded to the best Scottish Crime book of the year. This year, Ashkanani – who also won the Bloody Scotland Debut Prize in 2022 – is shortlisted for The Hollow Boys (Viper), described as a “powerful evocation of small town America and a deftly handled plot with an impossibly chilling mystery at its heart.’”

He is joined on the shortlist by Gavin Bell, for 138 Main Street (S&S), a “genuinely unputdownable” serial killer novel; the “bold, vital and original voice” Frances Crawford, shortlisted for A Bad, Bad Place (Transworld); Philip Miller, with The Diary of Lies (Polygon), hailed for its “truly exquisite sense of pace and a strong female lead character”; and Zoë Rankin with The Vanishing Place (Viper), a “gripping story about a forgotten family, alone and vulnerable in the New Zealand wilderness.”

Kirsty Nicholson, head of marketing at awards sponsor Glencairn Crystal, said: “We’re thrilled to once again be part of the McIlvanney Prize and to celebrate the incredible talent at the heart of Scotland’s crime-writing community.

“This year’s finalists have delivered stories that intrigue, thrill and captivate, showcasing the imagination and originality that make this crime fiction prize so special. We’ll be raising a Glencairn Glass to every finalist as we look forward to discovering who takes home this year’s prize. Congratulations to all the shortlisted authors and the best of luck!”

The presentation of both prizes will take place in the Church of the Holy Rude in Stirling at 5pm on Friday 18th September before a procession led by the two winners and guest programmer Denise Mina to her event with Lee Child at The Albert Halls.