Ep. 269 - Callum McSorley on Mixing Noir and Humour

Watch as a full video episode on YouTube

Callum McSorley is a writer based in Glasgow.His debut novel, Squeaky Clean, was published by Pushkin Vertigo in 2023 and won the prestigious McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Book of the Year.Its sequel, Paperboy, was released in 2025 and was a finalist for the same award.His short fiction has been featured in Gutter Magazine, New Writing Scotland, and broadcast on BBC Radio 4.His latest book, Rat Race, is out now.

We had a great time chatting with Callum, hearing about his early days of mapping out fantasy epics and why he pivoted to writing crime. We also talk about the brutal realities of working grueling night shifts on the railways, and we get some interesting anecdotes about how writing a non-historically accurate Victorian serial killer book actually landed him his literary agent!

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