Stuart Johnstone: Edinburgh Crime Author with a Gripping Police Past

Stuart is a compelling Scottish author based in Edinburgh, renowned for his Don Colyear crime series.

He had a decade-long career in the police before turning to the pen and was also a dog-shop owner here in the city. Stuart is also an advanced tutor in creative writing.

His debut novel, Out in the Cold (2020), introduces Sergeant Don Colyear, whose intuition lands him in perilous investigations in the Highlands. He followed this with Into the Dark (2021), a chilling case involving the M**der of a child, and Run to Ground (2022), a gripping return to Edinburgh’s darker underbelly

Stuart first gained literary attention as an “Emerging Writer” selected by UNESCO’s City of Literature Trust, leading to publication, alongside his hero, Stephen King, in the anthology Six Scary Stories. During his time at The Open University he balanced studies with running his shop, culminating in his MA major project becoming his first novel.

Stuart has a knack for intense atmosphere, procedural detail, and psychological suspense, writing across crime, dystopian, and horror genres. Active in Edinburgh’s literary scene, he continues to develop his writing and is currently working towards his fourth novel.

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