4th June 1955

Crime writer Val McDermid is born

Born in Fife, Val McDermid was educated at Oxford and worked as a journalist before finding success as a novelist. She has since become one of the best-known contributors to the genre of tartan noir, alongside James Ellroy and Rebus creator Ian Rankin.

Wire in the Blood

She has created several successful series of books, some of which have been adapted for television. Most notable among these are the stories featuring the characters Tony Hill and Carol Jordan, which were adapted by Tyne Tees Television for ITV as Wire in the Blood. These debuted on the network in 2002, with Robson Green playing clinical psychologist Tony Hill and Hermione Norris playing detective chief inspector Carol Jordan.

Although Wire in the Blood was the name of one of the books in the Hill and Jordan series, the collection launched in 1995 with the highly praised The Mermaids Singing, which won the Crime Writers’ Association’s Gold Dagger for Best Crime Novel of the Year.

Signing incident

In 2012, McDermid had ink thrown at her when signing books after a lecture at the University of Sunderland by a reader who claimed that a passage in McDermid’s non-fiction book, A Suitable Job for a Woman, was a direct reference to herself. As the Northern Echo of 9 July 2013 reported, “[Sandra] Botham dressed in disguise, pulling on a blonde wig and hat and, on December 6 last year, threw ink into Ms McDermid’s mouth during the signing session.”

As a result, she faced McDermid in court and was convicted of common assault. The Daily Record of 12 August that year reported that Botham had been given a restraining order and that she planned to appeal the sentence.

Non-fiction and football

McDermid has written several non-fiction books related to crime and detection, as well as presenting programmes on television and radio. She is a keen supporter of Raith Rovers, for whom her father acted as a talent scout. When the club offered to name one of its stands in her honour, in recognition of her sponsorship, she declined, and it was instead named The McDermid Stand in memory of her father.