Author Ian Rankin has agreed to appear at this summer’s Islay Book Festival in a major coup for the island event. The creator of the Inspector Rebus books will take part in several sessions during the August 29 to September 1 festival and is looking forward to his first visit to the whisky isle.
‘All I know about Islay is basically the whisky,’ he said. ‘So I’m really looking forward to exploring, driving around and meeting the people.’ Festival chairwoman Isla Rosser Owen said: ‘Ian’s as popular here as he is everywhere, so we’re delighted he is coming and we’re anticipating a lot of interest from locals and visitors alike.
‘He is an international bestseller, a master of crime fiction and one of Britain’s leading writers in any genre.’ Last year’s festival featured 19 authors and saw more than 800 people attending events across Islay and Jura in venues ranging from pubs to schools and care homes. Cookery writer and novelist Sue Lawrence, novelist Karen Campbell, historian Tom Devine, Scotland’s poet laureate, or Makar, Jackie Kay, and award-winning children’s author Philip Reeve have also been lined up for this year’s event.