A former regional journalist has got “blood on his hands” in a bid to win a crime novel competition.

Now ex-Edinburgh Evening News reporter Neil Broadfoot is on the shortlist for the Deanston Scottish Crime Book of the Year Award.

His debut novel Falling Fast – a thriller centred on a story-hungry journalist investigating the secrets of Edinburgh’s political culture – puts him in the same league as some of the top names in Scottish crime fiction.

Neil, who enjoyed a 15-year career in the Scottish press before switching to a communications role with the Scottish government, is hoping his name will come out first on 20 September at Bloody Scotland, Scotland’s three-day International Crime Writing Festival.

The ex-reporter with The Scotsman and Scotland on Sunday told HTFP: “The crime-writing scene is bursting with incredible talent and great people at the moment, and to be plucked from all those brilliant writers is a humbling experience.

“Being shortlisted for the Deanston is an absolute honour – and totally surreal.

“I’ve been a fan of Bloody Scotland as a reader for years, to be here now on the shortlist is just fantastic. Bloody brilliant, in fact.”

To add spice to the drama, his book publishers – Saraband Books – are running a competition for one lucky reader to actually appear as a character in the second book of the Falling Fast trilogy, due out next year.