Tony Black: Gritty Crime Novelist and Bold Edinburgh Storyteller

Tony is a celebrated Scottish author, born in Australia and raised in Scotland and Ireland, now living and working in Edinburgh. A former Young Journalist of the Year, he contributed to The Edinburgh Evening News, The Scotsman, and national press before venturing into crime fiction.

Best known for his gritty tartan noir novels featuring punk‑rock detective Gus Dury, his debut Paying for It (2009) exposed people trafficking and Edinburgh criminal gangs, followed by the acclaimed sequel Gutted, then titles such as Loss and Long Time Dead. Tony also created a second crime series starring DI Rob Brennan, M**der Mile, Truth Lies Bleeding, and The Last Tiger; earning strong praise.

His work has been nominated for eight Crime Writers’ Association Dagger Awards and he has been runner‑up in The Guardian’s “Not the Booker”. Irvine Welsh hailed him as “my favourite British crime writer,” praising Gus Dury as “the genre’s most interesting protagonist”

Tony’s latest book is The Lock In, a fabulous and thrilling anthology of his short fiction stories.

Recently Tony has developed a career in visual art, with new storytelling through vibrant imagery.

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