Scotland is a fantastic setting for fiction books. From cities like Edinburgh to craggy Highlands and lochs populated by mythical monsters, authors have a lot to work with when their novels take place in Scotland.

The genres on this book list range from urban mysteries to popular time-travel romances – your next good read may be on this list.

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So, let’s get started with this list of books with a Scottish setting.

1. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Kicking off this book list is Outlander, the first book in Diana Gabaldon’s wildly popular Outlander series. Following World War II, combat nurse Claire Randall finds herself transported back in time to 1743, where she meets Jamie Fraser. Romance and intrigue ensue. Outlander is my favorite romance series because it’s smart, action-packed, and has highly memorable and complex characters.

2. The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware

Award winning author Ruth Ware sets her mystery novel, The Turn of the Key, in a modern smart home in the Scottish Highlands. Rowan Caine thinks she’s landed the ideal nannying job – generous pay, a picture-perfect family, and modern amenities. But once she starts working for the family, she realizes things aren’t as they originally seemed. And when she is imprisoned for killing one of her charges, she has to fight to prove her innocence.

Update: Read my review of The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware.

3. This is Where I Am by Karen Campbell

This is Where I Am takes place in modern day Glasgow. Newly widowed Deborah Maxwell sponsors a Somali refugee named Abdi Hassan. As the two interact, they form an “awkward friendship.” She teaches him about Glasgow and its people while he teaches her about the importance of family. And when Abdi’s previously silent 4-year-old finally speaks and reveals a secret, it “changes everything.”

4. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine has been a bestseller for a while now. Set in Glasgow, it tells the story of three mismatched strangers who, through a chance encounter, end up saving each other from lives of isolation. Socially inept Eleanor, bumbling Raymond, and elderly Sammy are characters you’ll find yourself cheering for.

5. The Highland Witch by Susan Fletcher

No list of books set in Scotland would be complete without a novel about witches! The Highland Witch, set in 1692, is a story about suspected witch and murderer, Corrag. While imprisoned, she tells her story to an Irish propagandist who is trying to discredit King William. “Hers is a story of passion, courage, love, and the magic of the natural world. By telling it, she transforms both their lives.” (Source: Amazon) Historical fiction set in Scotland with witches – sounds amazing!

6. Loch Down Abbey by Beth Cowan-Erskine

The title of this murder mystery is pure pun gold. Set in the 1930s and mimicking some of the madness of the recent pandemic, Loch Down Abbey stars a smart housekeeper who suddenly finds herself thrust into the role of amateur detective as she tries to solve the murder of the Lord of the Manor. One reviewer called it, “An entertaining romp and a fascinating insight into the weird and wonderful ways of the British aristocracy.” Sounds fun!

7. To the Hilt by Dick Francis

Dick Francis, who died in 2010, was an award-winning jockey and mystery writer who, depending on the source, wrote somewhere between 40 and 70 novels. His son is now carrying on the tradition of writing satisfying, typically horse-themed novels. In To the Hilt, a reclusive painter is dragged out of his isolated Scottish home to take control of his aristocratic family’s business when his stepfather falls ill. He has a lot to sort through, including tracking down embezzled money, fending off a hostile stepsister, and dodging violent thugs who think he’s hiding a treasure.

Check out my review of To the Hilt.

8. Women of the Dunes: A Novel by Sarah Maine

Women of the Dunes takes place in Scotland’s rugged western coast. Archaeologist Libby Snow has always had a connection to Sturrock House and the area surrounding it called Ullaness. Libby’s aunt was a maid at Sturrock House, and the area is steeped in the legend of Ulla, “an eighth-century Norsewoman whose uncertain fate was entangled with two warring brothers and a man who sought to save her.” Libby receives permission to excavate a nearby mound that may be an old burial place, but before she begins a storm uncovers a man’s skeleton, plunging Libby into a more current mystery.

9. Whirligig by Andrew James Greig

Whirligig takes place in a small Highland town and is classified as being in the “tartan noir” genre (who knew?!). There’s an elusive serial killer on the loose in the town, and corruption among those in power is hampering the investigation. DI James Corstophine and his squad of passed-over-for-promotions team members have their work cut out for them. Corstophine is still reeling from the death of his wife – can he pull it together and catch the clever killer before he/she strikes again? (Love that book cover!)

10. The Bookseller of Inverness by S G MacLean

This list of fiction books set in Scotland had to include a story related to Culloden, right? In The Bookseller of Inverness, Iain MacGillivray, his face bearing scars from the battle, now lives a quiet life as a bookshop owner in Inverness. One day, he finds a stranger combing through his book collection, obviously hunting for information that he won’t reveal to Iain. The next day, the stranger lies dead in the shop and Iain is thrust into a “web of deceit and a series of old scores to be settled in the ashes of war.” (Source: Amazon)

11. And the Land Lay Still by James Robertson

The Amazon description of this novel is quite majestic: “And the Land Lay Still is nothing less than the story of a nation. James Robertson’s breathtaking novel is a portrait of modern Scotland as seen through the eyes of natives and immigrants, journalists and politicians, drop-outs and spooks, all trying to make their way through a country in the throes of great and rapid change. It is a moving, sweeping story of family, friendship, struggle and hope – epic in every sense.” With a 4.5 reader rating on Amazon, the aspirational description just might have some meat behind it!

12. One Good Turn by Kate Atkinson

One Good Turn, a novel set in Edinburgh, has the satisfying twists and surprises we’ve come to expect from Kate Atkinson. When ex-cop Jackson Brodie witnesses a near fatal road rage incident, he doesn’t realize it would force him out of retirement and into a group of characters who all have secret agendas, some of them nefarious. Jackson finds himself facing “several mysteries that intersect in one sinister scheme.”  (Source: Amazon) One Good Turn sounds right up my alley!

13. A Rip Through Time by Kelley Armstrong

Back to a book about time travel, which Scotland is well-known for and very skilled at. In A Rip Through Time, which takes place in Edinburgh, homicide detective Mallory Atkinson is strangled exactly 150 years after the death of a housemaid named Catriona Mitchell. Mallory finds herself transported back in time and into Catriona’s body. The undertaker she’s working has a freshly murdered body and Mallory believes that solving the crime is her ticket back to the future. As a side note, I would stink at pretending to be a Victorian housemaid. Or a Victorian anything.

14. The Blackhouse: The Lewis Trilogy by Peter May

When a brutal murder takes place in his hometown, Edinburgh detective Fin Macleod is sent there to see if it’s connected to a similar murder that took place in the city. Fin’s childhood on the Isle of Lewis was grim and troubled, and “As Fin reconnects with the people and places of his tortured childhood, the desolate but beautiful island and its ancient customs assert their grip on his psyche.” Sounds like tartan noir to me!

15. Edinburgh Twilight (Ian Hamilton Mysteries, 1) by Carole Lawrence

Another mystery (my preferences are showing!), this time set in Edinburgh. Edinburgh Twilight features Detective Inspector Ian Hamilton. When a man is found strangled in a park, the only clue is a playing card found on the body. Ian consults with a photographer and a librarian as he grapples with his toughest case. The clock is ticking as Ian tries to find the killer before he strikes again.

I think there’s something for everyone on this list of books with a Scottish setting. Did anything catch your eye? Would you add any good novels?

And a shout-out to Michaela for helping me with the research!

And if you like good book lists, check out 15 Interesting Books Set in Germany.

Update on Children’s Book Drive

I want to begin this update by saying Y’ALL ARE AMAZING!! The picture below shows my daughter, Hayley, as of yesterday with 126 children’s books, mostly donated by my generous blog readers. Since then, a Facebook post from yesterday evening did unusually well, and the book tally has reached 217, which blew away our 150-book goal!! Is it greedy that we want even more books? If you’d like to buy a book (or three) for a young child in need, please peruse our Amazon list.