Douglas Johnstone

A last-chance winter road trip for a Scottish band spirals into wild chaos – seagull massacres, bomb tests, and darkly funny rock’n’roll madness on the edge. A raw, darkly funny novel by one of Scotland’s finest authors – newly reissued!ANNIVERSARY EDITION with an INTRODUCTION BY VAL McDERMID‘A drug-fuelled, counterclockwise state-of-the-nation rock ’n’ roll tour captures where we were at better than any modern novel I’ve read’ — Irvine Welsh‘A powerful and moving commentary on the country and its defining myths’ — Ian Rankin‘One of the most vital books about modern Scotland – our landscape, culture, identity, myths and lies – of the twenty-first century. And despite the dinge, debauchery and danger, it's still a joy to tour with the band’ — Callum McSorley‘Packed with seedy, sticky bars, sullen punters and morose reflections in deteriorating weather, there is an atmospheric beauty to The Ossians’ — Independent on Sunday___Connor is twenty-four: brilliant, broken, and out of control. He’s the swaggering frontman of The Ossians, a Scottish indie band on the brink of signing a major record deal. Desperate to make their mark, they set off on a two-week winter tour across Scotland’s cities and hinterlands — a last-ditch attempt to find fame, purpose, and themselves. But the tour soon spirals into a surreal, chaotic odyssey. From seedy bars and snowbound towns to a final, defining Glasgow gig, the band hurtles through a whirlwind of seagull massacres, botched drug deals, a mysterious stalker, radioactive beaches, bomb-testing ranges, epileptic fits, riotous Russian submariners, deadly storms, epiphanies, regular beatings and random shootings. Raw, darkly funny and wild with energy, The Ossians is a gloriously anarchic story of rock’n’roll obsession, national identity and self-destruction — and what it means to belong: in a band, in a country, in a life unravelling at speed. ___‘The authentic ring of a man who’s been there’ — Guardian‘Johnstone is good at describing the excitement, boredom, sniping and bonhomie of a touring band at the transit-van end of the career arc’ — The Times‘A blast’ — Scotland on Sunday‘So exhilaratingly authentic, you can hear the chords and smell the vomit’ — Christopher Brookmyre‘A gripping, compelling road trip around modern Scotland’ — Niall Griffiths‘This is This Is Spinal Tap for Scotland’s lost generation. Johnstone has taken a small story of a small band lost in a small country and created an epic’ — Ewan Morrison‘Entertains in the uncharted corners of an unseen Scotland’ — ListPraise for Doug Johnstone‘Tense, funny and deeply moving’ — Mark Billingham‘Nobody portrays modern Edinburgh better than Doug Johnstone … speaks volumes about the power of story’ — Val McDermid‘An engrossing and beautifully written tale that bears all the Doug Johnstone hallmarks in its warmth and darkly comic undertones’ — Herald Scotland‘Wonderful characters: flawed, funny and brave’ — Sunday Times‘Gripping and blackly humorous’ — Observer‘A must for those seeking strong, authentic, intelligent female protagonists’ — Publishers Weekly‘This enjoyable mystery is also a touching and often funny portrayal of grief ... more, please’ — Guardian‘Some of the most unique characters in crime fiction’ — Daily Express‘Underlines just how accomplished Johnstone has become’ — Daily Mail

David’s best mate died falling off a cliff – and he was the last to see him alive. Fifteen years later, he returns to Arbroath, where another death forces him to face the past. A darkly funny, gripping debut from one of Scotland’s finest writers – newly reissued. 20th ANNIVERSARY EDITIONINTRODUCTION BY CHRISTOPHER BROOKMYRE‘Very funny, with a touching and believable romance thrown in’ Kate Saunders,The Times‘[A] pacy debut thriller. . . Johnstone skilfully coaxes the reader into identifying with these difficult-to-love characters and maintains the tension and drama’Metro‘[Leads] to comparisons with the Scots writer Christopher Brookmyre … with a touch of romance [and] a gripping action sequence in the final chapters’ Scotsman________________Your best mate just fell off a cliff in mysterious circumstances. You were the last person to see him alive. What do you d? f you're David Lindsay from Arbroath, you leg it – and don’t go back. Not for fifteen years. Then Nicola Cruickshank – yes, that Nicola, the girl you always fancied but never had the guts to speak to – gets in touch. She wants you back for a school reunion. At the very place it happened. Of course you say yes. Not to lay ghosts to rest, but because you still fancy Nicola. The thing is, if you are David Lindsay, then returning to Arbroath isn’t going to bring closure. Because when someone else tumbles off the cliffs – an act the locals now call tombstoning – David has a choice: run away again, or finally find out why people around him keep dying…____‘Detailed and atmospheric descriptions … funny and sparky dialogue’ Sunday Herald‘Excellently written, intriguing storyline, and different from anything else around. A very impressive debut’ Allan Guthrie‘A brilliant new author … a rollicking tale of mystery set in Auld Reekie and the east coast town of Arbroath...’ The List‘A vibrant and engaging debut, by turns humorous, irreverent and poignant’ Bill Duncan ‘A seductive and thrilling evocation of what lurks beneath the surface of small-town Scotland – or, indeed, small-town anywhere’ Christopher BrookmyrePraise for Doug Johnstone‘Tense, funny and deeply moving’ Mark Billingham‘Nobody portrays modern Edinburgh better than Doug Johnstone … speaks volumes about the power of story’ Val McDermid ‘An engrossing and beautifully written tale that bears all the Doug Johnstone hallmarks in its warmth and darkly comic undertones’ Herald Scotland‘Wonderful characters: flawed, funny and brave’ Sunday Times‘Gripping and blackly humorous’ Observer ‘A must for those seeking strong, authentic, intelligent female protagonists’ Publishers Weekly‘This enjoyable mystery is also a touching and often funny portrayal of grief ... more, please’ Guardian‘Some of the most unique characters in crime fiction’ Daily Express‘Underlines just how accomplished Johnstone has become’ Daily Mail‘Keeps you hungry from page to page. A crime reader can’t ask anything more’ Sun ‘A thrilling, atmospheric book … Move over Ian Rankin, Doug Johnstone is coming through!’ Kate Rhodes  ‘Johnstone never fails to entertain whilst packing a serious emotional punch’ Gytha Lodge  ‘One of the greats of Scottish crime fiction´ Luca Veste‘An unstoppable, thrilling, bullet train of a book … I totally loved it’ Helen Fields‘Expertly written, with poise, insight and compassion’ Mary Paulson-Ellis‘A terrific read with all of Johnston’s trademark warmth and wicked wit’ A K Turner  ‘Some of the best female characters in crime fiction. Pitch-perfect balance of dark and light … disturbing, compassionate and brilliantly funny’ Sarah Hilary'An absolute joy to read … full of such wonderful characters, brilliantly realised, with more peril and intrigue' James Oswald‘A unique brand of crime fiction boasting rare heart and depth’ Ambrose Parry

Lennox, Vonnie and Ava head to Greenland to meet up with Heather, Sandy and the Enceladons, commencing an epic showdown that will change everything … The emotive, devastating yet ultimately life-affirming conclusion to the bestselling Enceladons Trilogy, as seen on BBC2’s Between the Covers…‘An affecting and thought-provoking read. Johnstone''s worldbuilding is top notch in this pacy eco-alien tale of peril and hope’ Tendai Huchu‘Doug Johnstone has emerged as the unholy, octopoid lovechild of David Attenborough and Michael Crichton … a thrilling, action-packed adventure’ Callum McSorley‘Surprising, compelling and out of this world’ Ann Morgan''A delight! We need more novels that take on human exceptionalism with such gusto'' Ever Dundas______ It’s been eighteen months since the Enceladons escaped the clutches of an American military determined to exterminate the peaceful alien creatures.Lennox and Vonnie have been lying low in the Scottish Highlands, Ava has been caring for her young daughter Chloe, and Heather is adjusting to her new life with Sandy and the other Enceladons in the Arctic Ocean, off the coast of Greenland. But fate is about to bring them together again for one last battle.When Lennox and Vonnie are visited by Karl Jensen, a Norwegian billionaire intent on making contact with the Encedalons again, they are wary of subjecting the aliens to further dangers. But when word arrives that Ava’s daughter has suffered an attack and might die without urgent help, they reluctantly make the trip to Greenland, where they enlist the vital help of local woman Niviaq. It''s not long before they’re drawn into a complex web of lies, deceit and death. What is Karl’s company really up to? Why are sea creatures attacking boats? Why is Sandy acting so strangely, and why are polar bears getting involved? Profound, ambitious and immensely moving, The Transcendent Tide is the epic conclusion to the Encedalons Trilogy – a final showdown between the best and worst of humanity, the animal kingdom and the Encedalons. The future of life on earth will be changed forever, but not everyone will survive to see it…______ ‘A brilliant novel, handling complex themes … a timely meditation on man''s destructive nature’ Ambrose Parry‘Wonderfully drawn … a serious critique of the state of the world today in a tense thriller anchored in the lives of ordinary people’ James Oswald‘One of the best writers of his generation,’ Paul Burke, CrimeTime ‘The perfect end to the perfect trilogy’ Michael Wood‘Powerful, profound, prescient and pacy … A brilliant near future tale, told beautifully, and sure to appeal to sci fi and thriller fans alike’ Lyndsey CroalPraise for The Enceladons Trilogy **Selected for BBC 2 Between the Covers 2023****Longlisted for the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Book of the Year** ‘A gateway book to sci-fi … I loved it’ Sara Cox ‘A barnstorming thriller … and a wonderful and radical sense of a greater, wider way of seeing life on our planet’ Martin MacInnes‘Science fiction gains a new author’ Derek B. Miller ‘So readable and accessible’ Alan Davies ‘If you read one life-affirming book this year, make sure it''s this one’ Nina Pottell, Prima ‘Prioritising pace, tension and high stakes … a plea for empathy, compassion and perspective’ Herald Scotland ‘An emotionally engaging read’ Guardian ‘A delicious, demanding departure’ Val McDermid ‘As moving as it is magical and mysterious’ Mark Billingham ‘A first-contact tale full of heart and high-octane action’ D.V. Bishop ‘An adrenaline-filled ride of a novel, laced with empathy and understanding’ Rachelle Atalla ‘Clever and unusual … I was on a journey with these characters, and completely transfixed’ Susi Holliday

When three people suffer strokes after seeing dazzling lights over Edinburgh, then awake completely recovered, they’re convinced their ordeal is connected to the alien creature discovered on a nearby beach … an adrenaline-soaked, deeply humane, life-affirming first-contact novel from one of Scotland’s most revered authors… Connecting will change everything… Lennox is a troubled teenager with no family. Ava is eight months pregnant and fleeing her abusive husband. Heather is a grieving mother and cancer sufferer. They don’t know each other, but when a meteor streaks over Edinburgh, all three suffer instant, catastrophic strokes... ...only to wake up the following day in hospital, miraculously recovered. When news reaches them of an octopus-like creature washed up on the shore near where the meteor came to earth, Lennox senses that some extra-terrestrial force is at play. With the help of Ava, Heather and a journalist, Ewan, he rescues the creature they call 'Sandy' and goes on the run. But they aren’t the only ones with an interest in the alien … close behind are Ava’s husband, the police and a government unit who wants to capture the creature, at all costs. And Sandy’s arrival may have implications beyond anything anyone could imagine…