Claire Askew

Claire Askew is a Scottish poet and novelist who was named Edinburgh's Makar (city poet laureate) in 2023. She writes crime fiction alongside her poetry, and her novels are set in Edinburgh, combining the procedural elements of detective fiction with literary prose and a deep sense of place. All the Hidden Truths is her debut novel, inspired by real events, which follows the aftermath of a mass shooting at an Edinburgh college from three different perspectives — the detective, a victim's mother and the perpetrator's mother. The novel won the 2019 CWA Gold Dagger for Best Crime Novel. Her audiobooks and books are powerful, thought-provoking listening that combines the best of crime fiction with genuine literary ambition.