William Knox (1928 – March 1999) was a Scottish author, journalist and broadcaster, best known for his crime novels and for presenting the long-running STV series Crimedesk.
At this time he also made a series of short programmes called Tales of Crime, also for STV, in which he recounted famous Scottish criminal cases.
His crime novels from the 1960s onwards, and in the 1970s his Crimedesk television series, publicised the Glasgow slang term "neds", referring to petty criminals or small-time hoodlums.
[1][2] A 1982 analysis of crime fiction discussing Knox's 1977 novel Pilot Error noted his description of Strathclyde Police as being unconcerned about "neds" getting hurt in a fight as long as no one else was affected.
In 2024, Zertex Media, a publishing company owned by crime writer Barry Hutchison (who uses the pen name JD Kirk), began republishing the books, starting with Deadline for a Dream in January 2024.