A FORMER editor of the Cumnock Chronicle has seen one of his best-selling crime thrillers shortlisted for a major prize.

Douglas Skelton's name is on the long list for this year's McIlvanney Prize - widely regarded as the most prestigious award in Scottish crime fiction.

He joins names such as Val McDermind, Ian Rankin and Denise Mina on the shortlist of 12 authors for the award - named after perhaps Ayrshire's best-known crime writer of all, the late William McIlvanney.

Douglas has been nominated for his historical crime thriller An Honourable Thief.

The book's sequel, A Thief's Justice, came out a few weeks ago in hardback.

It's the third time Douglas has been nominated for the prize, which is awarded at Bloody Scotland, Scotland’s international crime writing festival, held in Stirling in September.

Cumnock Chronicle: An Honourable Thief

Previous winners of the prize include Chris Brookmyre, Craig Russell and Peter May.

An Honourable Thief, set in 1715, tells the story of Scottish born Jonas Flynt, ex-soldier and reluctant member of the Company of Rogues, a shady intelligence group run by ruthless spymaster Nathaniel Charters.

They are ordered to recover a missing document could prove devastating in the wrong hands.

The trail takes Jonas from the dark and dangerous streets of London to an Edinburgh in chaos. He soon realises there are others on the hunt, and becomes embroiled in a long overdue family reunion, a jail break and a brutal street riot.

Meanwhile, Douglas's next book will be out in a few weeks.

Children of the Mist, the fifth book in his Rebecca Connolly series, is set to be published on July 6.

Congratulations on the nomination from the Chronicle team, Douglas.