The best books that show the hidden parts of Edinburgh

This is the first book in the Skelfs series by Doug Johnstone. A Dark Matter introduces us to Dorothy, Jenny, and Hannah, three generations of women who run a funeral home and a private investigator business in Edinburgh. Each chapter is from the perspective of one of the three central characters and gives the reader a different take on what is happening. The crime elements of the story keep you guessing and make you want to read on, however these are interspersed with moments of introspection from the characters who meditate on issues such as science versus faith and the different ways people deal with grief. It is both uplifting and grim all at the same time as well as being darkly humorous, and it takes you to the parts of Edinburgh that the tourists don’t go to.

Ross Sayers is one of my favourite contemporary Scottish authors. His books are always unique and humorous with genuine characters. This book looks at the subject of memory, how we can yearn to go back to a particular moment in time, how we can be trapped by things that have happened in our past and asks if we can really trust our own memories. It contains dual timelines alternating between 2019, with Hannah’s first day working at Memory Lane in Edinburgh, and 1975, inside the memory of John Valentine as he relives his wedding day over and over again. It’s a compelling work of speculative fiction that forces the reader to confront their own memories.

This is the twelfth book in the Inspector Rebus series with the main storyline revolving around the disappearance of a student in Edinburgh. The novel pays reference to the true story of the mysterious seventeen miniature coffins which were found on Arthur’s Seat in 1836. These in turn invoke the infamous story of Burke and Hare, two of Edinburgh’s most grisly inhabitants, and shows the dark history that Edinburgh is steeped in. I like the way book develops the relationship between Rebus and his partner Siobhan Clarke and the choices Siobhan is forced to make both in her career and personal life. I always find myself immersed in the world of Rebus when I am reading one of these novels, so much so that I often find myself confusing the fictional crimes with those from the Edinburgh Evening News!

This was the first book I read when I started my English degree at Aberdeen University and I remember reading it on the train home one weekend and being completely gripped by it. The novel is about two brothers, George and Robert, one of whom is murdered. The structure of the novel is interesting in that, although it is a work of fiction, it presents itself as a found and true document, with the first part being narrated by the ‘editor’ and the second part told from the point of view of Robert. Robert is the quintessential unreliable narrator and his fate can be interpreted in a number of different ways from demonic possession to schizophrenia. It’s a dark and gothic novel that leaves you feeling unsettled long after you have finished it and unsure about what is real and what isn’t.

This is one of my favourite books of all time, not least because my Dad was an extra in the Michael Caine film version and gifted me a copy of the book when I was eight and in hospital. It is set around the true story of the Appin murder and tells the story of David Balfour. On the surface this is a historical adventure story however at its heart is the friendship between David Balfour and Alan Breck Stewart. Despite their obvious differences, such as age and politics, the two men form a loyal and enduring friendship and are not ashamed to show their love for one another. Corstorphine Hill is one of Edinburgh’s hidden treasures and one of my favourite places in the city and is the setting for one of the book’s most beautiful and moving passages.