Val McDermid facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Val McDermid
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Val McDermid in 2007
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| Born | 4 June 1955 Kirkcaldy, Scotland |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Education | St Hilda's College, Oxford |
| Genre | Crime fiction |
| Spouse | Jo Sharp (m. 2016) |
Valarie McDermid, born on June 4, 1955, is a famous Scottish writer. She is best known for her exciting crime novels. Many of her books feature a character named Dr. Tony Hill, a clinical psychologist who helps the police solve crimes.
Her stories are part of a type of Scottish crime fiction called "Tartan Noir." Some of her book series have even been turned into popular TV shows. One show, Wire in the Blood, was based on her Tony Hill books. Another show, Karen Pirie, was made from her books about the detective Karen Pirie.
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About Val McDermid
Val McDermid grew up in Fife, Scotland. She was the first student from a Scottish state school to study English at St Hilda's College, Oxford University.
After college, she worked as a journalist. She also started her writing career by writing plays. Her first successful novel, Report for Murder: The First Lindsay Gordon Mystery, was published in 1987.
Awards and Achievements
Val McDermid has received many honors for her writing. In 2000, she joined the special Detection Club, which is for top mystery writers. In 2010, she won the CWA Diamond Dagger award. This award celebrates her amazing work in crime writing over her lifetime.
In 2011, she received an honorary degree from the University of Sunderland. She also helped start the Harrogate Crime Writing Festival. This festival includes the Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award. In 2016, she led a team from her old college to win the Christmas University Challenge TV quiz show.
In 2017, she became a member of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and the Royal Society of Literature. These are very respected groups for important thinkers and writers.
Val McDermid's Books
Val McDermid has written many books, often in different series. Each series features different main characters.
Main Book Series
- Lindsay Gordon: This series follows a journalist who solves mysteries.
- Kate Brannigan: These books are about a private investigator.
- Tony Hill and DCI Carol Jordan: This popular series features a clinical psychologist and a police detective.
- DCI Karen Pirie: These stories are about a detective inspector.
- Allie Burns: This series follows an investigative reporter.
The first book in the Tony Hill and Carol Jordan series, The Mermaids Singing, won the Crime Writers' Association Gold Dagger award in 1995. This award is for the best crime novel of the year. As mentioned, the Tony Hill series became the TV show Wire in the Blood. The Karen Pirie series also became a TV show called Karen Pirie.
Besides her novels, Val McDermid writes for British newspapers. She also often speaks on BBC Radio 4 and BBC Radio Scotland. Her books are known for being very detailed and exciting.
In 2010, she received the Cartier Diamond Dagger award for her great work in crime writing. Val McDermid sees her work as part of the "Tartan Noir" style of Scottish crime fiction.
In 2022, the people who manage the books of Agatha Christie said that the phrase "the Queen of Crime" was their copyright. They asked Val McDermid's publishers not to use it for her.
Val McDermid and Football
Val McDermid has always been a big fan of Raith Rovers football club. Her father used to work as a scout for the team. In 2010, she sponsored a part of the team's stadium, Stark's Park, in honor of her father. This part is now called the McDermid Stand.
A year later, she joined the club's board of directors. From 2014, her website became the main sponsor for the Raith Rovers team shirts.
Later, the Raith Rovers women's team decided to separate from the main club. They renamed themselves McDermid Ladies, after Val McDermid. Val McDermid then moved her sponsorship to this new ladies' team.
An Unusual Event
On December 6, 2012, something unexpected happened to Val McDermid. A woman poured ink over her during an event at the University of Sunderland. Val was signing books when a woman asked her to sign an old magazine that had a picture of a TV presenter who was later found to have done bad things. Val agreed, but then the woman threw ink at her and ran away. Val McDermid said this incident would not stop her from meeting fans and signing books.
The police arrested the woman, Sandra Botham. She was found guilty of assault in July 2013. She received a community order and had to pay a small fine. She was also told not to contact Val McDermid again. The newspaper The Northern Echo reported that the woman was upset about something she read in one of Val McDermid's older non-fiction books.
Val McDermid's Life
Val McDermid has lived in different places, including Stockport and near Alnmouth in Northumberland. She lives with her pets. Since 2014, she has lived in Stockport and Edinburgh.
In 2016, Val McDermid led a team of crime writers on the TV quiz show Eggheads. Her team won £14,000.
In 2016, Val McDermid married her partner, Jo Sharp. Jo is a Professor of Geography at the University of Glasgow.
Val McDermid's Books List
Lindsay Gordon Series
- Report for Murder (1987)
- Common Murder (1989)
- Final Edition (1991)
- Union Jack (1993)
- Booked for Murder (1996)
- Hostage to Murder (2003)
Kate Brannigan Series
- Dead Beat (1992)
- Kick Back (1993)
- Crack Down (1994)
- Clean Break (1995)
- Blue Genes (1996)
- Star Struck (1998)
Tony Hill and Carol Jordan Series
- The Mermaids Singing (1995)
- The Wire in the Blood (1997)
- The Last Temptation (2002)
- The Torment of Others (2004)
- Beneath the Bleeding (2007)
- Fever of the Bone (2009)
- The Retribution (2011)
- Cross and Burn (2013)
- Splinter the Silence (2015)
- Insidious Intent (2017)
- How the Dead Speak (2019)
Inspector Karen Pirie Series
- The Distant Echo (2003)
- A Darker Domain (2008)
- The Skeleton Road (2014)
- Out of Bounds (2016)
- Broken Ground (2018)
- Still Life (2020)
- Past Lying (2023)
Allie Burns Series
- 1979 (2021)
- 1989 (2022)
- 1999 (To Be Confirmed)
- 2009 (To Be Confirmed)
- 2019 (To Be Confirmed)
Other Books
- The Writing on the Wall (1997); short stories
- A Place of Execution (1999)
- Killing the Shadows (2000)
- Stranded (2005); short stories
- Cleanskin (2006)
- The Grave Tattoo (2006)
- Trick of the Dark (2010)
- The Vanishing Point (2012)
- Resistance: A Graphic Novel (2021)
- The Second Murder at the Vicarage (2022)
Children's Books
- My Granny is a Pirate (2012)
- The High Heid Yin's New Claes (2020)
Non-fiction Books
- A Suitable Job for a Woman (1994)
- Forensics – The Anatomy of Crime (2014)
- My Scotland (2019)
- Imagine a Country (2020)
See also
In Spanish: Val McDermid para niños
