Crime writer reveals her killer kiss from Blondie star Harry

She is the best-selling crime author well-known for speaking her mind.

So it’s no surprise that, after being asked to name the best kiss of her life, Val Mcdermid didn’t hold back and named a very celebrity name.

Fife-born Val, 67, said: “A couple of years ago I was introduced to Debbie Harry at a party. I said, ‘I’ve been in love with you for the past 40 years’. And she said, ‘ Well, that deserves a kiss’. And not a peck on the cheek, either – she kissed me on the lips. With apologies to my beloved, I’d have to say that was the landmark kiss.”

Val, who is one of the authors taking part in Janice Forsyth’s true crime podcast Unspeakable, has sold more than 16 million books, translated into 40 languages worldwide. Her first success came with Report for Murder, published in 1987. The long-running ITV drama Wire In The Blood, starring Robson Green, was based on her novels about psychologist Tony Hill.