Writer and friend, Val Penny...

...makes a very welcome return to my blog this week to talk about the setting for her very intriguing books...

VP  I chose Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, as the setting for my novels that form The Edinburgh Crime Mysteries.  Hunter's Blood is the fourth book in the series and has been published by darkstroke.  Edinburgh is a beautiful city of around half a million people.  It is situated on the south banks of the Firth of Forth.  There are some lovely views across the Forth from Edinburgh to the county of Fife on the north of the river.  There are three bridges crossing the Firth of Forth: the oldest is the Forth Rail Bridge, built in the nineteenth century, the Forth Road Bridge was built in the twentieth century and the most modern, a bridge for road traffic was completed in the early part of this century, named the Queensferry Crossing.

In the Holyrood district of Edinburgh sits the delegated parliament of Scotland, that has wide powers over how the people are governed, meets in the Scottish Parliament Building.  Following a referendum in 1997, in which the Scottish electorate voted for devolution, the current Parliament was convened by the Scotland Act of 1998 which sets out its powers as a devolved legislature.  Since September 2004, the official home of the Scottish Parliament has been a  new Scottish Parliament Building in the Holyrood area of Edinburgh.  The Scottish Parliament building was designed by Spanish architect Enric Miralles.  There was much concern at the time as the building was completed many years late and several times over budget.

The main protagonist of Hunter's Blood is Detective Inspector Hunter Wilson.  He lives in Leith, an area to the north of the City and drinks in his local pub, the Persevere Bar. His home is also close to one of the main soccer grounds in Edinburgh, the Hibernian Football Ground.  Hibernian Football Club, commonly known as Hibs, is a Scottish professional football club based in Leith.

The other main character, Detective Constable Tim Myerscough lives across the city from Hunter, in the south-west of the city.  He moves into a flat in Gillespie Crescent between Tollcross and Bruntsfield.  His local pub is the Golf Tavern, off the Bruntsfield Links.

A wonderful free activity to do all year round is to play golf on Brunstfield Links.  It is believed to be one of the oldest sites of golf as it pre-dates the seventeenth century, the short hole course was founded in 1895.  Situated south of Melville Drive, there are two courses available to play on.  A summer short 36 hole course (open end of April to September) and a 9 hole winter course (open October to end of April).

DC Tim Myerscough's father, Sir Peter Myerscough, lives even further to the south in the Morningside district of Edinburgh. From his large house he has fine views across the Pentland Hills. The Pentland hills are situated just outside of Edinburgh. The reservoirs are

picturesque and each hill is slightly different. If you are fit enough, you can go on top of all of the hills in one day.

Edinburgh is such a diverse and cultural city, home to The Edinburgh International Festivals that represent all aspects of art, three universities and several colleges and the Scottish national rugby ground at Murrayfield. It is the perfect place to situate 'Hunter's Chase' and the mysteries DI Hunter Wilson has to solve.

I hope readers will enjoy Hunter’s Blood, the most recent mystery featuring Hunter and his team.

AW  I'm sure they will, Val.  Thanks for visiting.

about the book… DI Hunter Wilson never has just one problem to solve.  He finds three elderly women he knows dead in mysterious circumstances.  A little girl is lost on a cold winter night and then his team finds cocaine hidden around the farm where she is living. Hunter is worried that he cannot keep his family safe.

Why did the women die? What did the child witness?

Hunter must find the answers to these questions to ensure his family and his city are safe.

about the author… Val Penny is an American author living in SW Scotland.  She has two adult daughters of whom she is justly proud and lives with her husband and two cats.  She has a Law degree from Edinburgh University and her MSc from Napier University.  She has had many jobs including hairdresser, waitress, lawyer, banker, azalea farmer and lecturer.  However, she has not yet achieved either of her childhood dreams of being a ballerina or owning a candy store.  Until those dreams come true, she has turned her hand to writing poetry, short stories and novels.  Her crime novels, Hunter's Chase, Hunter's Revenge, Hunter's Force and, Hunter’s Blood are set in Edinburgh, Scotland, published by Crooked Cat Books.  The fifth book in the series, Hunter's Secret, follows shortly.

You can follow Val on her Website on her Facebook Page and through her Facebook Group and on Twitter

You can get the complete Edinburgh Crime series on Amazon