Val McDermid turns her hand to historical fiction with her latest book.
Set in medieval Scotland, 'Queen Macbeth' reveals the real story behind Shakespeare's infamous femme fatale, Lady Macbeth, Queen of Scotland.
Hear from Val McDermid about her dive into historical fiction and learn some of the details that didn't make it into print.
Val is the latest Scottish writer to join the successful collection of Darkland Tales novels, re-imagining stories from Scotland's history, myth and legend. Previous titles have included Denise Mina's 'Rizzio' and 'Hex' by Jenni Fagan, as well as works by Alan Warner and David Greig.
About the book
A thousand years ago in an ancient Scottish landscape, a woman is on the run with her three bosom companions – a healer, a weaver and a seer. If the men hunting her find them, they will kill her because she is the only one who stands between them and their violent ambition. She is no lady: She is the first queen of Scotland, married to a king called Macbeth.
About the speaker
Val McDermid is one of Scotland's bestselling authors whose novels have been translated into more than forty languages and have sold over nineteen million copies. She has won many awards, including the CWA Gold Dagger and the Cartier Diamond Dagger Award for outstanding achievement.