THERE has been Nordic Noir, Scottish Noir - now Shetland Noir has arrived on the crime fiction scene.
A new literary festival focusing on the crime genre is to be staged in Shetland, the first of its kind on the islands.
It will take place from November 13-15 next year.
Initial headliners for the festival, which will take place at the Mareel venue in Lerwick, include Denise Mina, Stuart MacBride and Alex Gray.
The festival is taking place in association with another event, Iceland Noir, and will also feature writers from the Nordic countries, including Arne Dahl, Yrsa Sigurðardóttir and Hakan Nesser.
More writers will be announced next year.
The festival has been backed by Shetland Arts and Promote Shetland.
Donald Anderson, the literary development officer of Shetland Arts, said: "It's really exciting to be able to announce such a stellar line up for Shetland's first ever Crime Fiction Festival and we are grateful to Iceland Noir for the opportunity to host their festival in 2015.
"We are proud to be working with Iceland Noir and Promote Shetland in order to bring this brilliant festival to a Shetland audience, and we look forward to welcoming crime fiction writers and enthusiasts from all over the UK, the Nordic countries and beyond."
Misa Hay, an executive at Promote Shetland, said that the beginnings of the festival were at the Bloody Scotland festival in Stirling last year, when the organisation had a discussion with the leading crime writer Ann Cleeves - author of the Shetland series of crime novels - about establishing a festival, with Iceland Noir, on the islands.
She said: "We approached Arne Dahl and invited him to Shetland and he accepted, which I suppose was the main impulse to liaise with Shetland Arts and start planning the festival.
"We are absolutely thrilled to be involved in such a great project since crime fiction is increasingly popular and this festival is great way of promoting Shetland."
Iceland Noir was founded by three crime writers who all write Icelandic crime fiction.
One, Ragnar Jonasson, is the Icelandic author of the Dark Iceland crime series, set in the northernmost town in Iceland, and due to be published in English next year. He said: "The Iceland Noir team is very excited to be working with Shetland Arts and Promote Shetland to bring the festival to the wonderful Shetland Islands".
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