Guests announced for book event hosted by Nicola Sturgeon and Val McDermid
The event will reunite the ex-first minister and her crime author friend.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.An event hosted by Nicola Sturgeon and Val McDermid celebrating their love of books will also include a bestselling thriller author and a comedian.
Val McDermid and Nicola Sturgeon’s In The Company of Books will take place on December 15 at 4pm at the Assembly Hall in Edinburgh.
The “festive in-conversation event” will reunite the ex-first minister of Scotland with her crime author friend as they explore the joys of reading.
Award-winning actor Alan Cumming and bestselling author Paula Hawkins will join as special guests.
Cumming is a Bafta, Emmy, Tony and Olivier award-winning actor who appeared in GoldenEye (1995) and CBS series The Good Wife (2010–16) and cited both women as “inspirations”.
Hawkins is the author of The Girl On The Train, which became a global phenomenon, selling more than 23 million copies and ranking as a number one bestseller around the world.
Her subsequent thrillers, Into The Water and A Slow Fire Burning, were also bestsellers and her new novel, The Blue Hour, was published to acclaim earlier in the year.
Cumming said: “Val and Nicola are both huge inspirations to me, and I can’t wait to share a stage to talk about our shared passion for books.”
Hawkins said: “There are few things I like more than a trawl through someone’s bookshelves, so I’m looking forward to having a good chat with Val and Nicola about the books we’ve loved and been inspired by over the years.”