20 years ago this October, Edinburgh proudly became the world’s first UNESCO City of Literature. To celebrate, we teamed up with Edinburgh City of Literature(this link will open in a new window) to create this list of 20 brilliant novels set in Scotland's capital city. We invite you to travel through the cobbled streets of our historic city with this unmissable selection of books featuring new releases, the classics and everything in between.
Edinburgh UNESCO City of Literature Trust is a charity based in Edinburgh that maintains the title and has helped build the network, using it to bring opportunities to Scottish writers to work internationally. Locally, they have created a wide range of projects to connect readers and writers to Edinburgh as an amazing literary place. Find out more by reading our article on Edinburgh City of Literature’s 20th anniversary.

Jenni Fagan Luckenbooth

Sir Walter Scott The Heart of Midlothian

T L Huchu The Library of the Dead

Lynsey May Weak Teeth

Sarah Smith Hear No Evil

Sara Sheridan The Fair Botanists

Lucy Ribchester Murder Ballad

David Nicholls One Day

Muriel Spark The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie

Olga Wojtas Miss Blaine's Prefect and the Golden Samovar

Val McDermid Past Lying

Kaite Welsh The Wages of Sin

Irvine Welsh Trainspotting

Doug Johnstone A Dark Matter

Anbara Salam Hazardous Spirits

Alexander McCall Smith 44 Scotland Street

Ian Rankin Fleshmarket Close

Claire Askew All the Hidden Truths

Christopher Brookmyre Quite Ugly One Morning
