1 - 3 May 2026

This year we are proud to present our Friday evening Gala Night Play & Supper at the central Victoria Hall.  The evening will consist of a delicious range of meat and vegetarian curries with a welcome glass of Prosecco or our first ever Crime & Thrillers cocktail (and yes, it WILL be blood red in colour!).  Please note: there will no longer be a bar in operation so please bring your own refreshments! Our crime-based play will intrigue and amuse in equal measure.  For those that enjoy dressing up, there will be a prize for the best fancy dress costume on the theme: fairy tale villain.  We don't want to give any more away! All our famous guests will join us for a fun-filled night. £35  Reserve your ticket by email, tel 01381 600354 or complete and return this form.

'Why Crime Fiction Is Good For You' Surely he needs no introduction!  But if you do wish to learn more about the rather successful and prolific crime writer (and part-time Cromarty resident), Ian Rankin's website gives you all the info. Following his talk, Ian will be signing copies of his novel, 'Rather Be The Devil'.     Spotlight Slot - short reading & book signing from... Margaret Morton Kirk is a writer living and working in her home town of Inverness. She has written a number of short stories, one of which, ‘Still Life’, was runner-up in the ‘Bloody Scotland’ short story competition in 2015.  It was later adapted for radio and broadcast on Radio 4 as part of its ‘Scottish Shorts’ series. ‘The Seal Singers’, a semi-mythic tale set in Orkney, won third prize in the 2016 Mslexia short story competition.  And ‘Coming Home’, a chilling insight into one family’s fragmented past, was published in the Tales from Elsewhere anthology. Her debut novel, Shadow Man is published by Orion. Set in Inverness, it’s the first in a planned series featuring ex-Met DI Lukas Mahler. £15  Reserve your ticket by email, tel 01381 600354 or complete and return this form.

Mary Paulson-Ellis is a writer living in Edinburgh, Scotland. Her debut novel, The Other Mrs Walker is a Times Bestseller and Waterstones Scottish Book of the Year 2017. She has been shortlisted as a Breakthrough Author in the Books Are My Bag Readers Awards and Highly Commended as a Rising Star in the DIVA Literary Awards 2017. In a freezing Edinburgh flat, an old lady dies leaving nothing but a series of objects – an emerald dress, an orange and a Brazil nut with the Ten Commandments etched in its shell. What story might these objects reveal and who will uncover their tale? Talk & book signings - books available to purchase at the event. £15 Reserve your ticket by email, tel 01381 600354 or complete and return this form.

Join writer Shona MacLean for the first of two writing workshops. A strong sense of place is a key ingredient of successful crime and historical fiction. This workshop will explore how to create a strong sense of place and how to use it to help develop character and plot. To book your place, please complete a Booking Form or contact us on 01381 600354 / [email protected] £30  Reserve your ticket by email, tel 01381 600354 or complete and return this form. Shona (S.G.) MacLean was born in Inverness and brought up in the Scottish Highlands. She is the niece of adventure novelist Alistair MacLean. She obtained an MA and PH.D. in History from Aberdeen University. She began to write fiction while bringing up her four children (and Labrador) on the Banffshire coast. She has now returned to live in the Highlands, where her husband is a head teacher. 'The Redemption of Alexander Seaton' was short-listed for both the Saltire first book award and the CWA Historical Dagger; 'The Seeker' was winner of the 2015 Historical Dagger.  

'The Book Nobody Would Publish' William Matchett is a security expert and author.  He was in the Police Service of Northern Ireland, formerly the Royal Ulster Constabulary (George Cross). For most of his 30-year career he was an operational intelligence officer during Northern Ireland's conflict. He worked in anti-corruption after the conflict ended. His international credentials range from training law enforcement organisations in Jakarta and Zagreb to implementing programmes in Helmand and Mosul. Currently, he is a Senior Researcher at the Kennedy Institute for Conflict Prevention, Maynooth University, Ireland.  He also lectures to the University students on a Masters degree in Conflict Resolution and co-authored the internatinal counter terrorism cuorse for the Europena Police College (CEPOL). He has presented to Policy Exchange in London and similar vevnues in the UK on the challenges of policing armed conflict. In 2006 Matchett briefed the Pentagon on a police-building programme, going on to lead its training element in Iraq and then Afghanistan from 2006-10. The US Armed Services Committee praised both. In 2014 he worked for EUPOL Afghanistan and in 2017 co-delivered pre-deployment training for police missions on behalf of the European Security and Defence Academy in Brussels.   He has lectured internationally on counter-terrorism and counterinsurgency, and been a security commentator on interviews with the BBC. He has published articles in International academic journals, such as ‘Security: Missing from the Northern Ireland Model,’ contributed a chapter to ‘The Palgrave Handbook of Global Counterterrorism Policy’ and published in UK forums, such as CapX ‘We defeated terrorism before - we can do it again.’ He authored Secret Victory: The Intelligence War that Beat the IRA, a best seller on Amazon. £15  Reserve your ticket by email, tel 01381 600354 or complete and return this form.

Our Saturday Night at the Movies consists of a feast for your senses...you'll be treated to an episode of the hilarious spoof TV show, Scot Squad, presented by none other than star, Jack Docherty, AKA Chief Commissioner Miekelson, himself. This will be followed by a Q&A / panel discussion with all our guests.   Then settle back and enjoy the gritty but highly-acclaimed 1984 Coen Brothers thriller, Blood Simple, in the company of like-minded folk.  Please note, this movie is rated certificate 18 - more info can be found on it here. Popcorn provided but please BYOB. £15  Reserve your ticket by email, tel 01381 600354 or complete and return this form.

'Rosemarkie Man: An Update' - with archeologist Mary Peteranna of the Rosemarkie Caves Project. Followed by Prof. Dame Sue Black talking about her book, All That Remains: A Life In Death.  Prof Black is then joined by Ian Rankin to present the prizes for RSE@Inverness: Young People's Short Story Competition - Rosemarkie Man, with excerpts from the winning stories read out.     Spotlight Slot - short reading & book signing from...  Crime writer, Helen Forbes is a lawyer in her home town of Inverness. Her debut novel featuring DS Joe Galbraith, In the Shadow of the Hill, was published in 2014. Set in Inverness and Harris, it was described by one reviewer as having 'more twists and turns than the Road to the Isles'. Helen's second novel, Madness Lies, was published recently. £25  Reserve your ticket by email, tel 01381 600354 or complete and return this form.

Join writer Shona MacLean for the second writing workshop of the weekend. Trouble-shooting and editing your own work. This workshop will look at some key areas that can pose problems for writers of fiction: e.g. creating authentic dialogue; using factual research in narrative fiction – ‘fictionalising’ your research; dealing with journeys; disciplining your plot. To book your place, please complete a Booking Form or contact us on 01381 600354 / [email protected] £30  Reserve your ticket by email, tel 01381 600354 or complete and return this form. Shona (S.G.) MacLean was born in Inverness and brought up in the Scottish Highlands. She is the niece of adventure novelist Alistair MacLean. She obtained an MA and PH.D. in History from Aberdeen University. She began to write fiction while bringing up her four children (and Labrador) on the Banffshire coast. She has now returned to live in the Highlands, where her husband is a head teacher. 'The Redemption of Alexander Seaton' was short-listed for both the Saltire first book award and the CWA Historical Dagger; 'The Seeker' was winner of the 2015 Historical Dagger.