Shetland Noir will return Thursday 11th - Sunday 14th June 2026!
The festival will once again bring Shetland's unique voice to the global stage of crime writing, with a programme packed full of author talks, workshops, panel discussions and special events. We are delighted that award-winning crime-writer and creator of the world-famous Jimmy Perez Shetland novels, Ann Cleeves OBE is returning as Patron of Shetland Noir 2026. Shetland's own queen of crime, Marsali Taylor, will be joining Ann in curating the programme, ensuring an unforgettable weekend for crime fiction fans.
We have 5 headline authors who will be joining us for the festival: Lee Child, Louise Penny, Vaseem Khan, Professor Lorna Dawson and Yrsa Sigurdardottir.
Tickets are now on sale for our headliner events, as well as day cards which give access to all events in the Shetland Noir programme on a single day.
Join internationally bestselling author Louise Penny for a special evening of conversation. Penny will be joined by acclaimed Scottish crime writer Alex Gray, Sunday Times bestselling author and co-founder of the Bloody Scotland Crime Writing Festival.
Leading forensic soil scientist Lorna Dawson joins us for a fascinating discussion about the real science behind crime investigation. She will be talking with bestselling Scottish crime writer Lin Anderson, creator of the Dr Rhona MacLeod series and co-founder of the Bloody Scotland Crime Writing Festival.
Join creator of the legendary Jack Reacher series and internationally bestselling author Lee Child, for a rare live conversation with Stewart Bain. This is a unique opportunity to hear from one of the world's most popular thriller writers in person.
Shetland Noir Curator Ann Cleeves talks to Vaseem Khan, author of two award-winning crime series set in India and the upcoming Quantum of Menace, the first in a series featuring Q from the James Bond franchise.
Literary scholar, critic and interviewer, Dr Tim Rideout sits down with our Curator Ann Cleeves to reflect on 20 years of Jimmy Perez, Shetland, and what's to come.
