Looking for an engrossing story to enjoy while you tuck yourself away from the winter weather? We've peeked at publishing schedules for the next few months and picked out our top Scottish reads. Local publishers, Scottish writers and books set in Scotland all feature, so see if you can find that comfort read you're looking for.

Elizabeth May & Laura Lam: Seven Mercies
The second book in a thrilling feminist space opera duology, Seven Mercies is the follow-up to instant Sunday Times bestseller Seven Devils. Expect more high-octane adventure and explosive character dynamics as a team of seven rebels fight to free the galaxy from the ruthless Tholosian Empire. Co-written by two authors at the forefront of their genres, this is space escapism at its best.
Orion, Thursday 20 January.

Andrés N Ordorica: At Least This I Know
The first 2022 title from the small but mighty 404 Ink is a debut poetry collection from Andrés N Ordorica. The poems tell Ordorica's own story as he works through the various meanings of belonging, from found families and queer safe spaces to new countries and communities. From Mexico to the USA and then Scotland, the collection is a deft and sometimes caustic exploration of personhood and place.
404 Ink, Thursday 27 January.

Sarah Smith: Hear No Evil
An atmospheric work of fiction based on a landmark case in Scottish legal history, Hear No Evil tells the story of Jean Campbell, a young deaf woman accused of throwing a child into the River Clyde in 1817. Taken from her home in Glasgow and imprisoned in Edinburgh's infamous Tolbooth, Campbell's only hope of escaping death by hanging or life in an insane asylum rests on a teacher from the Deaf & Dumb Institution and his willingness to do more than simply interpret.
Hachette, Wednesday 2 February.

Kirsti Wishart: The Projectionist
The author of 2021's fabulously fun and deft romp The Knitting Station returns with The Projectionist. A must for film aficionados, Wishart's second novel is set in the fictional seaside town of Seacrest where movie-mania permeates every moment. When a legendary film critic shows up to take part in the perpetual film festival, things take a turn for the strange(r).
Rymour Books, Friday 25 February.

Amy Liptrot: The Instant
In this follow-up to her Wainwright Prize-winning memoir The Outrun, Amy Liptrot takes the reader to Berlin. As she explores the city's streets and nightclubs on the hunt for love and inspiration, she's also drawn to the wildlife existing alongside her, from goshawks and raccoons to hooded crows. Yet despite a bustling world, Liptrot is drawn into the online sphere, in a memoir that ties the navigation of different spaces into a captivating narrative.
Canongate, Thursday 3 March.

Jenni Fagan: Hex
The latest volume in Polygon's Darkland Tales series, Hex is a powerful, fictional retelling of the North Berwick witch trials from Jenni Fagan, one of Granta's 40 Under 40 young writers and author of the highly acclaimed Luckenbooth. This addition to the anarchic series, which has included works by Denise Mina and Alan Warner, is set to shed new light and understanding on a horrific time in Scotland's history. In Fagan's own words, 'this book is dedicated to Geillis Duncan, a teenage girl whose torture and execution for witchcraft in 1591 was never just a story'.
Birlinn, Thursday 3 March.

Claire Askew: A Matter Of Time
The fourth book in Claire Askew's acclaimed DI Birch series is a taut thriller with a 24-style countdown. Birch has just one day to negotiate with a killer and save their hostages. Set on a farmhouse in the Borders, this is a tightly-plotted and beautifully written police procedural which is equally enjoyable as a standalone. As with the previous books in this series, A Matter Of Time is packed with thought-provoking questions.
Hodder & Stoughton, 10 March.