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Shona MacLean

(Shona G MacLean)
Scotland (b.1968)
Niece of Alistair MacLean

Shona MacLean was born in Inverness and grew up in the Scottish highlands where her parents were hoteliers. She has an M.A. and Ph.D. in History from the University of Aberdeen. She lives on the Black Isle with her husband and four children.

Awards: CWA (2019) see all

Genres: Historical Mystery, Historical

Series

Alexander Seaton
   1. The Redemption of Alexander Seaton (2008)
   2. A Game of Sorrows (2010)
   3. Crucible of Secrets (2011)
     aka Crucible
   4. The Devil's Recruit (2013)

Damian Seeker
   1. The Seeker (2015)
   2. The Black Friar (2016)
   3. Destroying Angel (2018)
   4. The Bear Pit (2019)
   5. The House of Lamentations (2020)
   6. The Winter List (2023)

Novels

The Bookseller of Inverness (2022)
The Cromarty Library Circle (2026)

Awards

	2019 CWA Historical Dagger : Destroying Angel
	2015 CWA Historical Dagger : The Seeker

Award nominations

	2024 McIlvanney Prize (longlist) : The Winter List
	2024 CWA Historical Dagger (longlist) : The Winter List
	2023 McIlvanney Prize (nominee) : The Bookseller of Inverness
	2020 CWA Historical Dagger (shortlist) : The Bear Pit
	2009 CWA Historical Dagger (shortlist) : The Redemption of Alexander Seaton

Shona MacLean recommends

Consider the Ravens (2026)
(Scribe of Lindisfarne, book 1)
Cressida Downing
"Consider the Ravens offers a superb trip back in time to 15th century Lindisfarne, which is evoked with a tremendous sense of place and engaging characters as woman scribe Linnet and priory orphan Isabelle, accompanied by her glorious raven, Pol, flit through the light and shadows of a windswept monastic world"

Noble Beasts (2026)
Lucy Waverley
"This is a magnificent novel - vivid, moving and utterly convincing. It is perfectly balanced and the writing is beautiful. I am certain that Noble Beasts announces Lucy Waverley as a major new talent."

A Schooling in Murder (2025)
Andrew Taylor
"Andrew Taylor re-invents the classic crime story with the dark aplomb of a modern master."

The Bells of Westminster (2024)
Leonora Nattrass
"A hugely enjoyable book, filled with memorable and utterly engaging characters who come to life in the vastness, galleries, cloister walks and hidden stairways of their world. The mystery, rooted in the competing contemporary theories of science, antiquarianism and folk belief, is garlanded with enticing depictions of the abbey's treasures. I hope to hear more of Susan, Lindley and especially the marvellous Cuthbert, the parrot."

Murder at Holly House (2023)
(Frank Grasby Mystery, book 1)
Denzil Meyrick
"'Murder at Holly House' might be the most surprising book I've read this year. With all Meyrick's trademark ingenious plotting, guile and humour, this is a sure-fire set up for a very satisfying series."

The Burnings (2023)
Naomi Kelsey
"The Burnings is a beautifully written re-imagining of the North Berwick witch trials with clever and tantalising glimpses into the cross-over between witchcraft and lived experience in 16th-century Scotland."

Music in the Dark (2023)
Sally Magnusson
"Music in the Dark is a beautifully-written piece of work, achieved with immense skill. The portrayal of Jamesina Ross as she is shattered and put back together by the light-touch constancy of Niall Munro is perfectly balanced. The minute focus on these two individuals tells a huge story of the C19th Highlands, Glasgow and North America that readers will find deeply affecting."

The Plague Letters (2021)
V L Valentine
"A riotous delve into the dark medical world of Restoration London. In her heroine Penelope and the hapless Symon, V.L.Valentine has given us an appealing and truly unique pairing."

The Crown Agent (2019)
(Crown Agent, book 1)
Stephen O'Rourke
"Fast-paced and not a word wasted, this is a classic adventure that calls to mind Stevenson and Buchan."

The Serpent's Mark (2019)
(Jackdaw Mystery, book 2)
S W Perry
"The writing is of such a quality, the characters so engaging and the setting so persuasive that, only two books in, S.W. Perry's ingeniously plotted novels have become my favourite historical crime series."

Blood's Game (2017)
(Holcroft Blood, book 1)
Angus Donald
"Angus Donald is a proper story-teller and Blood's Game is a full-throated adventure following a flesh and blood cast of engaging characters as they cross and double-cross each other around a convincingly-depicted Restoration London."

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