Alex Gray, born in 1950, is a Scottish crime fiction writer who’s made Glasgow’s gritty streets her literary playground. Growing up in Craigbank, she soaked up the city’s character – a flavor that now spices up her popular Detective Chief Inspector Lorimer series.
Gray’s childhood home buzzed with the tech talk of her telecommunications engineer father and telephone operator mother. This early exposure to connecting people might explain her knack for linking readers to her characters’ lives. Her mother’s roots in Tobermory added a dash of island intrigue to her upbringing.
After diving into Philosophy and English at Strathclyde University, Gray tried her hand at various jobs. She shuffled papers at the Health and Social Security Department, then found her groove teaching English. A three-month stint in Rhodesia in 1976 opened her eyes to new worlds – and netted her a husband to boot.
Back in Scotland, Gray kept teaching until the late 1990s. That’s when the itch to write full-time became too strong to ignore. She swapped lesson plans for plot twists, and Detective Chief Inspector Lorimer was born. Along with psychological profiler Solomon Brightman, Lorimer has become a favorite among mystery buffs.
Gray’s not just content with penning page-turners. She’s rolled up her sleeves to boost Scotland’s crime writing scene. Together with pals Lin Anderson and Alanna Knight, she formed the ‘Femmes Fatales’ – a trio of crime writers who are anything but fatal to the genre. Her crowning achievement? Co-founding Bloody Scotland, the country’s first international crime writing festival.
From Glasgow’s classrooms to the bookshelves of thriller fans worldwide, Alex Gray has carved out a unique spot in the crime fiction world. Her novels don’t just tell tales – they bring Glasgow to life, warts and all. Gray’s stories invite readers to lose themselves in the city’s winding streets, complex characters, and hidden secrets. For those who like their mysteries with a Scottish accent, Alex Gray delivers the goods.
Detective Lorimer Books In Order Of Publication
| Never Somewhere Else | (2002) |
| A Small Weeping | (2004) |
| Shadows of Sounds | (2005) |
| The Riverman | (2007) |
| Pitch Black | (2008) |
| Glasgow Kiss | (2009) |
| Five Ways to Kill a Man | (2010) |
| Sleep Like the Dead | (2011) |
| A Pound Of Flesh | (2012) |
| The Swedish Girl | (2013) |
| The Bird That Did Not Sing / The Silent Games | (2014) |
| Keep the Midnight Out | (2015) |
| The Darkest Goodbye | (2016) |
| Still Dark | (2017) |
| Only the Dead Can Tell | (2018) |
| The Stalker | (2019) |
| When Shadows Fall | (2020) |
| Before the Storm | (2021) |
| Echo of the Dead | (2022) |
| Questions for a Dead Man | (2023) |
| Out of Darkness | (2024) |