Lin (Linda) Anderson (born in Greenock, Scotland) is a Tartan NoirLin refers to her Rhona MacLeod books as belonging to this genre (see http://www.rhonamacleod.com/). crime novelist and screenwriter, best known as the creator of forensic scientist Rhona MacLeod. , the Rhona MacLeod books were being developed for ITV.
Life and career Anderson was born in Greenock, of Scottish and Irish parents. Her father was a detective in the CID. She worked in the Nigerian bush for five years during the 1980s, and later wrote an African short story which was broadcast on BBC Radio Four. Another of her African stories was published in the 10th Anniversary Macallan/Scotland on Sunday Short Story Collection.Shorts 3: The Macallan/Scotland on Sunday Short Story Collection, edited by Ali Smith. Polygon. 2000 Before turning full-time to writing, she used to teach maths and computing at George Watson's College, Edinburgh.
A film of her screenplay Small Love was shown at London Film Festival and Edinburgh International Film Festival in 2001, and broadcast on Scottish Television in 2001 and 2002. Since then she has graduated from the newly founded Screen Academy Scotland,http://www.napier.ac.uk/dama/screen/html/oldnews.htm#250706 and has further screenplays in production.River Child
Lin is a massive fan of the film Braveheart, claiming to have seen it over fifty times, and in 2004 wrote a book about the making of it (see Non-fiction below).Braveheart @ MacBraveHeart – About MacBraveHeart
Lin is a member of the Femmes Fatales crime writing trio, together with Alanna Knight and Alex Gray.
She and Alex Gray are amongst the co-founders of Bloody Scotland, a Tartan Noir and Scottish crime writer's festival, which has been held in Stirling since 2012.
In August 2025, Anderson was a guest on the Off the Shelf Podcast as part of a feature on the McIlvanney Prizehttps://open.spotify.com/episode/2OmafwLm9FpqT34jQZ8dfF?si=00sHBZxgSzeiA3Ww6MGd8w.
Bibliography
Rhona MacLeod series Driftnet (2003) Torch (2004) Deadly Code (2005) Blood Red Roses (2005) Dark Flight (2007) Easy Kill (2008) Final Cut (2009) The Reborn (2010) Picture Her Dead (2011) Paths of the Dead (2014) The Special Dead (2015) None But the Dead (2016) Follow the Dead (2017) Sins of the Dead (2018) Time for the Dead (2019) The Innocent Dead (2020) The Killing Tide (2021) The Wild Coast (2023) Whispers of the Dead (2024) The Dead and the Dying (2025)
Patrick de Courvoisier series The Case of the Black Pearl (2014) The Case of the Missing Madonna (2015) Ice Cold in Cannes (2024)
Blaze Dog Detective series (with Donald McKay)
The Magic Flag Mystery (2020) The Dinosaur Mystery (2021)
Standalone novels
The Party House (2022)
Screenplays Small Love (2001) River Child (2006) The Incredible Lightness of Brian (2006)
Non-fiction Braveheart: From Hollywood to Holyrood (2004)Lin Anderson : BRAVEHEART – From Hollywood to Holyrood
Notes
External links Personal Website Radio interview (2009) Video interview at Daily Record (2010) Femmes Fatales website