Crime writer’s reading set to cast its spell at wartime site

Very rarely do you get hear a murder story, read by the author, at the actual scene of the crime. 

So make your way to Cultybraggan PoW camp near Comrie this Friday the 5^th of October, 2018 at 7pm and become immersed in a book event with a difference. Tickets cost £5.98 and can be purchased on Eventbrite.

This is not such much a whodunit as a … wow, this is where it was done.

Be gripped as award-winning author Bill Jones reads, and reflects on, on his latest book – the Second World War thriller, Black Camp 21. 

Based on true events, it centres on the murder of a German interpreter by a group of five SS officers, who were held at Cultybraggan as the war in Europe drew to a close.

And, because, the camp itself is such an integral part of the story, this reading promises an out of the ordinary event.  

The officers were eventually hung by the hangman Albert Pierrepoint, who executed more than 400 people during his high-profile career. It is the largest number of men ever put to death in England for the same crime. 

As it reaches a dramatic conclusion, you’ll find yourself becoming more and more absorbed as the author reads excerpts from the book – and does so within breathing distance of the crime scene. 

As it reaches a dramatic conclusion, you’ll find yourself becoming more and more absorbed as the author reads excerpts from the book – and does so within breathing distance of the crime scene. 

Event host Nicola Small, who is local history officer with Culture Perth and Kinross, is eagerly anticipating the reading: “I’m really excited to be interviewing Bill, who has written a brilliant novel based on actual events. 

“Holding the event at the camp will set the scene for a truly atmospheric reading and what I hope will be an intriguing insight into this gripping novel.” 

Jones’ book comes with a glowing recommendation from none other than bestselling crime writer Lee Child, who has described is as “excellent, a story told with pace and power”. 

As the war ended and Britain’s PoW camps filled with defeated German soldiers, the most dangerous – so-called ‘black’ prisoners – were sent to Cultybraggan Camp 21. 

The camp, which is now one of Scotland’s most strangely atmospheric visitor attractions, has been assessed by Historic Scotland as a Unique Heritage Asset of International Value. 

The site, one mile outside of Comrie, is the last remaining Second World War high security Prisoner of War Camp in the UK.  

It was built in 1941 to house up to 4,000 Category A prisoners and had a notoriously hard reputation, housing dozens of SS officers, as well as members of the Luftwaffe and Marine Corps. 

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Bill Jones was born in Bridlington and currently lives in Ampleforth, North Yorkshire. He was a journalist before joining Granada Television in Manchester in the 1980s where he worked on hundreds of documentaries for the BBC, ITV and Channel 4. 

After 30 years in broadcasting, he turned to a career in writing. His first biography, The Ghost Runner, was shortlisted for the William Hill Award and won him The Times Best New Writer in the 2012 British Sports Book Awards.