Everyone’s got their favourite authors, and it just so happens that my top two happen to hail from Scotland. Perhaps it’s my Nordic roots, perhaps it’s my Celtic ancestry. It could just be a coincidence. I’m not sure.

And as it happens, both of the authors happen to share a similar name… go figure.

‘The Wasp Factory’ by Iain Banks was an 18th birthday present from a good friend and after polishing it off, I was hooked. I Soon bought ‘The Bridge’ and ‘Complicity’ (which was turned into a great film) and I have since read most of his output.

But my number #1 author is Ian Rankin. The majority of his books focus on the fictional character John Rebus – an Edinburgh-based detective, not adverse to getting his hands dirty and mixing it up with local villains when it comes to solving crimes.

With a number of doctorates and prestigious awards and under his belt, Ian Rankin is one of the UK’s most respected authors and is well worth checking out.

Three books to try:

1) Fleshmarket Close – A dark tale of murder and Scottish immigration.

2) A Good Hanging and Other Stories – Twelve short stories which act as a good introduction.

3) Set in Darkness – A heavier book which focuses on the country’s new independent Parliament.