Books of murder and mystery have become the signature works of Scotland's literary world.
The genre, dubbed Tartan Noir by US crime writer James Ellroy, is booming with many such novels regularly topping the best sellers lists.
Now six books are in the running to take the title of one of the newest but most prestigious prizes in Scotland, the Crime Book of the Year, awarded by the Bloody Scotland festival.
Books by Christopher Brookmyre, Louise Welsh, Ann Cleeves, Matt Bendoris, Craig Russell and Lin Anderson have been shortlisted from a field of 55 books for the £1,000 prize.
The winner will be announced on September 12 as part of the Bloody Scotland crime writing festival in Stirling.
The previous winners are Peter May with Entry Island in 2014, Malcolm Mackay with How A Gunman Says Goodbye in 2013 and Charles Cumming with A Foreign Country in 2012, the first year of the award.
The full shortlist, which was chosen by an independent panel of readers, is Paths of the Dead by Lin Anderson, DM For Murder by Matt Bendoris, Dead Girl Walking by Brookmyre, Thin Air by Ann Cleeves, The Ghosts of Altona by Craig Russell and Death Is A Welcome Guest by Louise Welsh.
Magnus Linklater, journalist and former newspaper editor, writer and broadcaster Sally Magnusson, and Caron Macpherson of Waterstones Argyle Street in Glasgow are the 2015 panel of judges.
Bendoris, a journalist, said: "Well, I was already really looking forward to Bloody Scotland, but now I can’t wait.
"It’s a genuine honour to be on the shortlist with some of the best writers in the business for such a prestigious award. You can’t top that."
Brookmyre said: "I knew it was a risk to bring back Jack Parlabane after seven years, but I feel like I can bring so much more to the character these days, so it is a massive, gore-spattered seal of approval to have made the Bloody Scotland shortlist."
Ms Welsh added: "Bloody Scotland know crime fiction inside out, so it's a special thrill to be included on this year’s shortlist. I am in criminally good company."
Dom Hastings, the director of the festival, said: "The Bloody Scotland Crime Book of the Year is increasingly prestigious, and this year’s shortlist, replete with a number of very successful authors, is testament to the the strength, variety and diversity of crime writing in Scotland.
"Reading these books, you can travel from a misty midsummer night in Shetland to a high-security prison in the middle of an outbreak; experience the mysteries of a Druidic stone circle and the cut-throat anonymities of cyberspace, go on tour with a famous rock band or track down a long-lost killer. It’s a bit of a spooky list this year, with several of the novels flirting with the supernatural."
He added: "Also, interestingly, four of the titles are anchored by long-standing protagonists, proving that innovation and excellence still flourish in ongoing series fiction.
"All in all, it’s a phenomenally strong showing, demonstrating that crime fiction in Scotland is still in rude, bloody health."
The Bloody Scotland festival runs from September 11 to 13.
Authors at this year’s festival include Ian Rankin, Martina Cole, Linwod Barclay, Arne Dahl and Lindsey Davis.
Shortlisted writers Lin Anderson, Chris Brookmyre and Ann Cleeves will all be taking part in events at the festival.
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