A torchlight procession is to open this year's Scottish festival of crime writing, Bloody Scotland.
The procession for the annual festival will lead down from Stirling Castle to the nearby Albert Halls venue, where the author Ian Rankin will talk about 30 years of his most famous character, Inspector Rebus.
Another 30 year anniversary will also be celebrated at the festival, it has announced, with the event marking three decades of crime novels by Val McDermid.
The festival will once again also stage the McIlvanney Prize for the Scottish Crime book of the Year, which will also be announced at Stirling Castle, and will run from September 8 to 10.
Other authors in the programme include Lynda La Plante, Peter May, Mark Billingham, Denise Mina, Ann Cleeves, the Booker Prize shortlisted Graeme Macrae Burnet, Louise Welsh, and last year’s McIlvanney Prize winner, Chris Brookmyre. Guests also include John Gordon Sinclair, Vince Cable, Douglas Henshall and the deputy chief constable of Scotland, Iain Livingstone.
Bloody Scotland was established in 2012 and is funded by Creative Scotland’s Open Project Funding, Stirling Council, the Open University and Stirling University.
Venues will include the Golden Lion and the Albert Halls, with a capacity for 700, and this year there will be a new venue, the Allan Park South church, with 120 seats.
The festival will also once again hold the Scotland-England crime writers football match.
Mr Brookmyre said: "Bloody Scotland draws crime writers from all over the UK and indeed all over the world, and it does so because it delivers something they crave even more than each other’s company and a generous supply of drink.
"It delivers an enthusiastic and appreciative audience, which continues to grow year on year.
" One of the reasons for this is that Bloody Scotland is a very relaxed and informal affair, blurring the barriers between writers and readers, between festival and convention."
Jenny Niven, head of literature at Creative Scotland, the arts funding body, said: "What a year for Scottish crime writing as we celebrate 30 years of both Rebus, and of Val McDermid's singular talent.
"Bloody Scotland is a brilliant platform for one of Scotland's fastest growing exports - and as usual the festival presents a terrific mix of our best loved and brand new writers."
Bob McDevitt, director of the festival, added: "Last year was my first year looking after the festival and I have to say that I was amazed by the tremendous vibe from our audiences - they really do come to have fun."
Tickets are now on sale.
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