Lin (Linda) Anderson (born in Greenock, Scotland) is a Tartan Noir^[1] crime novelist and screenwriter, best known as the creator of forensic scientist Rhona MacLeod. As of 2010^[update] the Rhona MacLeod books are being developed for ITV.^[2]

Anderson was born in Greenock, of Scottish and Irish parents. Her father was a detective in the CID.^[3] She worked in the Nigerian bush for five years during the 1980s, and later wrote an African short story which was broadcast on BBC Radio Four. Another of her African stories was published in the 10th Anniversary Macallan/Scotland on Sunday Short Story Collection.^[4] Before turning full-time to writing, she used to teach maths and computing at George Watson's College, Edinburgh.

A film of her screenplay Small Love was shown at London Film Festival and Edinburgh International Film Festival in 2001, and broadcast on Scottish Television in 2001 and 2002. Since then she has graduated from the newly founded Screen Academy Scotland,^[5] and has further screenplays in production.^[6]

Lin is a massive fan of the film Braveheart, claiming to have seen it over fifty times, and in 2004 wrote a book about the making of it (see Non-fiction below).^[7]

Lin is a member of the Femmes Fatales crime writing trio, together with Alanna Knight and Alex Gray.

She and Alex Gray^[8] are amongst the co-founders of Bloody Scotland,^[9] a Tartan Noir and Scottish crime writer's festival, which is held in Stirling since 2012.