1588: A Calendar of Crime

Stories starring a sleuthing Scottish lawyer: "McKay's command of plot, place and character makes these 16th century St Andrews-set mysteries a delight." —The Scotsman

A grisly murder. A vanishing corpse. A secret romance. A ghostly tale. An innocent accused.


Set in the year of the Armada, 1588: A Calendar of Crime brings together five short stories featuring Hew Cullan. From the gruesome murder of a candlemaker to Spanish ghosts on Hallowmas, Shirley McKay delivers five gripping tales of mystery that will keep you reading long into the night.


"A fascinating evocation of the everyday life of ordinary Scots in the 1500s as well as series of first-rate stories. Her use of language is a delight, the sinewy and expressive Scots words aiding the creation of Cullen's very realistic world. McKay is to be congratulated for the continued quality and inventiveness of her tales." —The National