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Val McDermid FRSE, FRSL (born the 4 Juin 1955) is a Scots crime writer, best kent fur her suspense novelles featurin Dr. Tony Hill.

McDermind wis born intae a wirkin-cless family in Fife. She studied Inglis at St. Hilda's College, Oxford, whaur she wis the furst scholart tae come frae a Scots state schuil.

Efter graduatin she becam a jurnalist an began her leeterar career as a dramatist. She furthset her furst novelle, Report for Murder: The First Lindsay Gordon Mystery in 1987.

She wis gien an honorary doctorate frae the Varsity o Sunderland in 2011. She cofoondit the Harrogate Crime Writing Festival an the Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award, pairt o the Harrogate International Festivals. In 2016 she led a team o St. Hilda's alumnae tae win the Christmas University Challenge.

McDermid's scrievins faas intae fower series: Lindsay Gordon, Kate Brannigan, Tony Hill an Carol Jordan, an Inspector Karen Pirie. The Mermaids Singing, the furst beuk o the Hill/Jordan series, wan the Crime Writers' Association Gold Dagger awaird fur Best Crime Novel of the Year. The Hill/Jordan series haes been adaptit intae a telly series, kent as Wire in the Blood. Her novelles, particularly the Tony Hill beuks, is kenned fur thair graphic depictions o violence an tortur.

McDermid haes sayed Jacko Vance, a TV celebrity wi a saicret cravin fur tortur, murther an unnerage quines, that appeart in Wire in the Blood an twa later beuks, is based on her ain experience o spierin Jimmy Saville.

McDermind considers her wirk tae be pairt o the tartain noir subgrenre o Scots crime fiction.