Five guaranteed page turners from GRANITE NOIR 2025 

Granite Noir, Aberdeen’s crime fiction festival returns this month, with four days of forensic exploration of the genre, Thursday 20 to Sunday 23 February. Featuring a criminally good line-up of authors, panel discussions, exhibitions and events, there’s something for everyone to enjoy. To help parse the jam-packed programme, Granite Noir team members have selected five of their favourite books included in this year’s programme.  

Granite Noir 2025 will run Thursday 20 – Sunday 23 February, taking place in Aberdeen Performing Arts venues, His Majesty’s Theatre, Music Hall and the Lemon Tree; as well as venues across the city, including Aberdeen Arts Centre, the Anatomy Rooms, Central Library and Cowdray Hall. Events in the Lemon Tree Studio will be available to a global audience through livestreaming, with selected events across the programme being supported by BSL interpretation. For tickets and to browse the full programme of events, visit aberdeenperformingarts.com/granite-noir/.

Granite Noir is produced and curated by Aberdeen Performing Arts. We are grateful for the support of our funders Aberdeen City Council, Creative Scotland and Event Scotland. Granite Noir is presented with our partners Aberdeen City Libraries, Aberdeen Archives Galleries and Museums, Aberdeen Arts Centre, Citymoves Dance Agency, Police Scotland and Robert Gordon University.

Ben Torrie, Director of Programming and Creative Projects:  The Blue Hour by Paula Hawkins 

There are so many great reads by this year’s Granite Noir authors, that it is impossible to pick just one, so I’ve chosen two! My first is The Blue Hour by Paula Hawkins. The novel is set in Scotland with much of the story taking place on a remote island which is cut off by high tide each day and is the former home of a renowned artist whose work being exhibited in the Tate Modern contains a gruesome discovery which triggers a dramatic uncovering of the artist’s demise. It is a fascinating premise, contains vivid and colourful characters, and evokes a sense of place which captures perfectly the remote Highland setting. The book provides an intriguing glimpse into the mysteries of the art world, and is a really compelling exploration of greed, isolation and obsession. Many of the reviews of the book proclaim it to be Paula Hawkins’ finest, and I’m inclined to agree! 

Granite Noir is proud to welcome Paula Hawkins in conversation about The Blue Hour for its 2025 festival. Paula will also introduce a screening of the film adaptation of her best-selling novel The Girl on the Train, presented in partnership with Belmont Community Cinema.   

The Blue Hour – In Conversation with Paula Hawkins

• Friday 21 Feb 2025
• 8:00pm
• Music Hall

Ben Torrie, Director of Programming and Creative Projects: A Lesson in Cruelty by Harriet Tyce 

The other book I’ve just read and had to mention is A Lesson in Cruelty by Harriet Tyce, which I’ve struggled to put down! The seemingly unrelated stories of three women are thrillingly woven together to create a stunning climax – I can’t recommend this one highly enough, a really great read! So many others in the festival that I’ve yet to read and can’t wait – we are truly blessed to have such fantastic writers coming to Aberdeen.

Harriet Tyce appears at Granite Noir 2025 for its Reclaiming the Narrative talk with Nilesha Chauvet, chaired by Fiona Stalker, as well as leading a celebration of the work of PD James.

Reclaiming the Narrative with Nilesha Chauvet & Harriet Tyce

• Friday 21 Feb 2025
• 5:00pm
• Lemon Tree

Catriona Cox, Granite Noir Programme Associate: Feeding the Monster by Anna Bogutskaya

I’m so excited to bring Anna to Aberdeen to discuss her book Feeding the Monster with Kirsty Logan. We love the dark stuff! Finding an amazing book that allows us to explore our fascination with the horror genre is just brilliant; we’re seeing more of this kind of accessible analysis and Anna has totally smashed it with this one. 
The media we consume is often so much more than just entertainment and I know some of us just love digging into that and learning about ourselves through what we choose to connect with in books, on screen and all the other ways we spend our time.
‘Feeding the Monster’ is a compelling read from page one that keeps you wanting more, definitely one to read past your bedtime… if you dare! Anna Bogutskaya will discuss the horror genre at Granite Noir before a screening of Censor, presented in partnership with Belmont Community Cinema.  

Horror Film screening of Censor and author talk with Anna Bogutskaya

• Sunday 23 Feb 2025
• 4:30pm
• Cowdray Hall

Stuart Mitchell, Marketing Executive:  The Legacy of Arniston House by T.L. Huchu

The fourth Edinburgh Nights book is best enjoyed if you’ve read the series. Relationships remain central — Ropa’s bonds with friends, family, and colleagues evolve, some strengthening while others fracture unexpectedly. This instalment also weaves together threads from earlier books, deepening the world-building and revealing more about this version of Edinburgh’s hidden history.  
 Ropa is a fantastic protagonist — her Zimbabwean heritage, street smarts, and resilience make her a standout in fantasy fiction. This book brings her family history into focus, raising questions of nature versus nurture, and even sees her on the run. There’s a major shift at the ‘Library of the Dead’, and the fairy flag from the previous book plays a crucial role.  

While I’m sad the series is nearing its end, I’m eager to see what Tendai does next. If you love the series, grab this book immediately. If not, start with ‘The Library of the Dead’ — you won’t regret it!

A Kind of Magic with TL Huchu & Courtney Smyth

• Sunday 23 Feb 2025
• 5:00pm
• Lemon Tree

Katie McPetrie, Marketing Intern: No & Other Love Stories by Kirsty Logan

While it isn’t released until February, No & Other Love Stories by Kirsty Logan is one of the books I’m most looking forward to getting my hands on! In her work she often explores the themes of family, relationships and personal identity through the genres of horror and fantasy in an incredibly skilful way.   Her collection ‘Things We Say in the Dark’ is a favourite of mine with stories set against the backdrop of seances and libraries made of glass, so I can’t wait to see what she has done with her latest collection. Kirsty is appearing an event that is quite different from the traditional Granite Noir line-up, it’s exciting to see the festival expand into different genres and perspectives.

Myth, Murder and Monstrosity with Sarah Maria Griffin, Elle Nash & Kirsty Logan

• Saturday 22 Feb 2025
• 5:00pm
• Lemon Tree