Lynda La Plante, Laura Lippman and Robert Goddard to headline 2020 CrimeFest!

Lynda La Plante, Laura Lippman and Robert Goddard to headline 2020 CrimeFest.

Headline authors for CrimeFest - one of Europe’s biggest crime fiction conventions - have been announced. 

The 2020 convention sponsored by Specsavers is hosted from 4 to 7 June at the Mercure Bristol Grand Hotel and will feature icon of the genre, Lynda La Plante, the award-winning author of more than 30 internationally bestselling novels.

La Plante was a pioneer with her 1980’s series, Widows. The show received the Hollywood treatment with a movie adaptation by director Steve McQueen in 2018.

The BAFTA award winning screenwriter and former RADA trained actress went on to create one of television’s greatest characters, DI Jane Tennison in Prime Suspect. Played by Helen Mirren in a career-defining performance, the hugely influential character transformed the TV landscape.

She’ll be discussing her career in her debut appearance at CrimeFest alongside Buried - the first novel in her much-anticipated new series featuring DC Jack Warr.

Laura Lippman is one of America’s most admired crime writers. The New York Times bestselling author of acclaimed standalones and the award-winning Tess Monaghan series, is lauded by readers, critics and writers alike.

A reporter for twenty years, Laura worked with the Baltimore Sun before becoming a novelist, hailed by the Washington Post as, “one of the best novelists around, period.” Along with her fiction, Lippman will be discussing her latest book of essays, My Life As A Villainess.

Robert Goddard will also feature after the author was awarded the Crime Writers’ Association’s highest accolade in 2019, the Diamond Dagger, for a lifetime achievement in crime writing.

Goddard's first novel, Past Caring, was an instant bestseller and his books went on to captivate readers worldwide with their edge-of-the-seat pace and their labyrinthine plotting. His books have been translated into over thirty languages. His 28th novel, One False Move, was published last year.

Specsavers co-founder, Dame Mary Perkins, said: “As a personal fan of the crime genre and with my own personal connection to Bristol, it’s fantastic to be involved in this annual showcase of world-class crime fiction. It’s also great to see CrimeFest developing its community activity to help make reading accessible to everyone.”

CrimeFest, now in its 11^th year, is a hotbed for readers who dip into the occasional crime novel alongside die-hard fans, as well as drawing top crime novelists, editors, publishers and reviewers from around the world. It runs a series of educational and community outreach events alongside the convention.

Director and co-founder of CrimeFest, Adrian Muller, said: “CrimeFest is the most democratic of crime conventions as it’s open to all authors to take part. As such, it’s not just established names but offers an exciting and fertile ground for aspiring and new talent. There’s a friendly energy for readers and attendees, fitting the independent, vibrant spirit of our host town, Bristol.”

Up to 150 authors will descend on Bristol appearing in over 50 panels delving into diverse topics from politics to historical crime, the Golden Age of crime fiction to police procedurals, serial killers to cosy crime. There’ll also be a panel on crime fiction reviewers, honouring the late Marcel Berlins, and a ‘Ghost of Honour’ remembering Dick Francis.

Highlights include the coveted ‘Pitch an Agent’ for aspiring writers and the annual CrimeFest Awards featuring the inaugural Specsavers Debut Crime Novel Award.

Other big names include award-winning bestselling crime writer and broadcaster Dreda Say Mitchell, and Sarah Pinborough, the New York Times bestselling author of Behind Her Eyes, adapted by Netflix for broadcast this year.

The no. 1 bestselling Icelandic writer, Yrsa Sigurðardóttir also features with an appearance by the writer, broadcaster, dramatist and journalist Lynne Truss, famed for Eats, Shoots and Leaves alongside her comic crime novel, A Shot in the Dark.

Joining them as the Toastrix at the Gala Dinner is Zoë Sharp, creator of the Charlie Fox series of crime thrillers.

www.crimefest.com

Crimefest 2020!!

If you’re looking for a Black Friday style deal for the crime fiction aficionado in your life, there’s only a few days left for the Early Bird offer for CrimeFest tickets.

Delegates have until 16 December to book a full pass for the four-day convention for just £165, when the price then goes up to £185.

The crime writing fraternity’s biggest convention, styled on the American model, returns 4-7 June, 2020. CrimeFest attracts hundreds of authors, readers and book lovers for a criminally good time in buzzing Bristol, hosted at the Bristol Mercure Grand.

Featured guest authors announced to date at CrimeFest 2020 are Laura Lippman, talking about her upcoming collection of essays My Life as a Villainess. Also featuring is Robert Goddard, this year’s winner of the Crime Writers’ Association’s most prestigious award: the Diamond Dagger lifetime achievement award for authors whose careers are marked by sustained excellence.

The Full Pass includes a programme book, a delegate bag and admission to all events (with exception of the Gala Dinner, Crime Writing Day and Pitch an Agent). By securing a full, Friday or Saturday CrimeFest pass, delegates will have the option of securing a coveted place on the popular Pitch an Agent.

Pitch an Agent is your chance to pitch your novel idea to three superstar agents. 2020’s agents are Pitch originator Camilla Bolton from the Darley Anderson Agency, Sandra Sawicka from the Marjacq agency, and Hannah Sheppard from DHH Literary Agency. These agencies represent giants of the genre including Lee Child and Martina Cole. If you are looking for an agent, have not previously participated, and are not commercially published, then this is for you.

The CrimeFest website is updated with participating authors and attendees, so do check it out to see who you’ll be hanging out with - and the friends you’ll no doubt make!

Visit PITCH AN AGENT for more information or buy TICKETS.

My Holiday Reads 2019!!

Packing for the summer holidays is always fun, thinking about that great escape ahead, but deciding which books to share your time with while away, requires careful thought!

So here are my list of delights to join me on holidays, some in book form and some as audio books while I soak in the rays!!

Health Warning: The odd break from reading to chat with hubby may also be required!!

The Lost Man - Jane Harper

Educated - Tara Westover

Lady in the Lake - Laura Lippman

American Dirt - Jeanine Cummins

Her Kind - Niamh Boyce

The Chain - Adrian McKinty

Where the Crawdads Sing - Delia Owens

Sweet Sorrow - David Nicholls

Never Look Back - Alison Gaylin

Everything I Never Told You - Celeste Ng

The Voice of THE HIDING GAME will be the fantastic Jennifer Woodward!

NEWS ALERT!!!

I’ve just heard the fantastic Jennifer Woodward, actress and narrator, will be the voice of THE HIDING GAME Audio book, and I am absolutely thrilled!

Jennifer has worked on books by Karin Slaughter, Lisa Gardner, Jeffrey Deaver, Jodi Picoult and Laura Lippman to name but a few!

I am quite a big audio fan, and I can’t wait to hear Jennifer bring the story come to life!

My Delicious Reads of 2018!

It is January and therefore the time of year to reflect on the highs and lows, and all things in between. I have to admit because of work on my current novel, I have had less time for the guilty pleasure of reading, but none the less, on review, there are certainly some tasty treats in my 2018 mix!

I have a serious amount of Irish crime fiction books in my 'To Be Read list', so apologies in advance to all the amazing Irish writers whose pleasure still awaits me and who have proven yet again that Irish Crime Fiction is up there with the best in the world.

Anyhow, these are the books which gave me the most pleasure in 2018, if you fancy having a look.

SUNBURN (2018)- Laura Lippman

Jaw dropping writing, a story with deeply flawed characters that you can't get enough of. This is modern noir at its best!

'Polly and Adam at a local tavern in the small town of Belleville, Delaware. Polly is set on heading west. Adam says he’s also passing through. Over the course of a punishing summer, Polly and Adam abandon themselves to a steamy, inexorable affair. Still, each holds something back from the other—dangerous, even lethal, secrets that begin to accumulate as autumn approaches, feeding the growing doubts they conceal. Something—or someone—has to give.'

CROSS HER HEART (2018)- Sarah Pinborough

An utterly engaged story which held my attention throughout. Cross Her Heart is full of surprises and is at times quite beautiful. I felt bereft when it was over.

'Lisa lives for her daughter Ava. When Ava rescues a boy from drowning and their pictures are all over the news for everyone to see, Lisa's world explodes, and she finds everything she has built threatened, including her many secrets. Not knowing whom she can trust, it's up to her to face up to her past to save what she holds dear.'

FORCE OF NATURE (2018)- Jane Harper

Not quite up there with 'The Dry', Jane Harper's acclaimed debut novel, but another tour do force all the same. A novel where the landscape becomes alive, and the dangers it holds are utterly deadly for its characters.

'Five women reluctantly pick up their backpacks and start walking along a muddy track. Only four come out on the other side.  The hike through the rugged Giralang Ranges is meant to take the office colleagues out of their air-conditioned comfort zone and encourage teamwork and resilience. At least, that's what the corporate retreat website advertises, but as Federal Police investigator Aaron Falk delves into the disappearance of Alice, the missing woman, he begins to suspect some dangers ran far deeper than anyone knew.'

GIVE ME YOUR HAND (2018)- Megan Abbott

A dark tale of secrets, and the fallout from keeping them. Fast paced and compelling with female characters you never doubt are the real thing.

'Kit Owens had modest ambitions for herself when the mysterious Diane Fleming appeared in her high school chemistry class. But Diane's academic brilliance lit a fire in Kit, and the two developed an unlikely friendship, until Diane shared a secret that changed everything.  More than a decade later, Kit thinks she's put Diane behind her forever, fulfilling her scientific dreams, but the past comes roaring back when she discovers that Diane is her competition for a position both women covet, and the two former friends find themselves locked in a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse that threatens to destroy them both.'

BLACK WATER (2018) - Cormac O'Keeffe

Black Water is a novel which pulls you into the dark underbelly of Dublin city with great characters, chilling dexterity and unflinching truth - it is harsh, but tender, steely and authentic.

‘I killed the boy...

Jig loves football and his dog, hates school, and knows to lie low when his Ma's blitzed on the vodka and tablets. An ordinary boy on the mean streets alongside Dublin's Grand Canal, ruled by Ghost and his gangland crew. But now Ghost has a job for Jig, one that no one can afford to go wrong- not the gangs, the police, the locals, and least of all Jig.’
Forty-eight hours after leaving her husband’s body at the base of the stairs, Tanya Dubois cashes in her credit cards, dyes her hair brown, demands a new name from a shadowy voice over the phone, and flees town. She meets Blue, a female bartender who recognizes the hunted look in a fugitive’s eyes and offers her a place to stay. With dwindling choices, Tanya-now-Amelia accepts. An uneasy―and dangerous―alliance is born.’

THE PASSENGER (2016) - Lisa Lutz

An extremely fast paced novel with some black humour fired into the mix, a story full of lies, danger and intrigue, it will keep you hooked until the very last page.

‘In case you were wondering, I didn’t do it. I didn’t have anything to do with Frank’s death. I don’t have an alibi, so you’ll have to take my word for it...

ALL THE MISSING GIRLS (2018) - Megan Miranda

Full of mystery and uncertainty, a twisty well-structured tale which will grip you from the get-go, filled with secrets you are compelled to unravel as the disappearances of two young women—a decade apart— is told in reverse.

'It’s been ten years since Nicolette Farrell left her rural hometown after her best friend, Corinne, disappeared from Cooley Ridge without a trace. Back again to tie up loose ends and care for her ailing father, Nic is soon plunged into a shocking drama that reawakens Corinne’s case and breaks open old wounds long since stitched. With twists and turns that lead down dark alleys and dead ends, you may think you’re walking a familiar path, but then Megan Miranda turns it all upside down and inside out and leaves us wondering just how far we would be willing to go to protect those we love.'

ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE - Elizabeth Strout

First up, this is NOT a CRIME NOVEL, but I simply can't mention my best reads of 2018 without including this one. An absolutely joyous novel and if you dare to venture out of the crime genre into literary fiction, this is a great place to start. I adore the sparseness of Strout's prose, and the delicate pathways she brings the reader on as we travel the lives of such richly layered characters.

NOTES TO SELF - Emilie Pine

Again, NOT a CRIME NOVEL, but I have recommended this series of essays by Emilie Pine to practically everyone I've talked about books to last year. Hands down, the best thing I have read in a very long time....

HAPPY READING IN 2019!!

Murder & Mystery at Harrogate!!

This year sees a dazzling list crime writing stars taking part in the world’s biggest celebration of the crime writing genre. Lee Child author of the global bestselling Jack Reacher series will be chairing the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival which takes place 19-22 July.

Lee says: “I’ve been to all the festivals in the world and Harrogate is by far my favourite, so it’s a joy to be 2018’s chair."

Most importantly for readers and authors, it’s a great chance to hang out and socialise in beautiful Harrogate with each other. Blockbuster author, John Grisham, will be one of the headline writers. The lawyer-turned-author has had nine of his books adapted to film, including The Firm, The Pelican Brief and A Time to Kill.

Other American authors include Don Winslow, who has sold over 100 million books worldwide and Laura Lippman, a former journalist on the Baltimore Sun turned New York Times bestselling author, considered one of the most acclaimed novelists in America. There will also be husband and wife writing team known as Nicci French, and special guests also include Sophie Hannah, Linwood Barclay, Denise Mina, and Val McDermid. 

Val McDermid’s annual New Blood panel, will showcase four hand-picked debuts, one of which is Irish Crime Writer Dervla McTiernan for her novel The Ruin.

The festival opens with a day-long writing workshop, Creative Thursday, followed by the crime writing equivalent of The Oscars, the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award. The festival is well known for it's open approach, readers, fledgling writers, and established authors mingle in the hotel bar. Considered to be one of the most important events in the crime publishing calendar, agents, publishers, publicists, readers and authors attend from all over the world.

For more information, including tickets, visit HERE

Harrogate Crime Festival 2018 Killer Line up!!

The full line-up of the world’s biggest celebration of the crime genre has been unveiled at an exclusive London launch party.

Lee Child, Programming Chair of the 2018 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival, flew in from New York to host the party with arts charity, Harrogate International Festivals, which delivers the annual festival hosted annually at the Old Swan Hotel in Harrogate.

Alongside authors, editors, publishers and agents attending The Hospital Club in Covent Garden, supporters and patrons of Harrogate International Festivals are expected to attend.

Lee Child, author of the global bestselling Jack Reacher series, will head up an American invasion to Harrogate this summer.

A Reacher novel is sold somewhere in the world every nine seconds. Published in over one hundred territories, Lee Child’s novels have been adapted to two Hollywood films starring Tom Cruise. Lee will be in conversation with John Grisham, a name synonymous with the modern legal thriller.

Other American authors include Don Winslow, who has sold over 100 million books worldwide and Laura Lippman, a former journalist on the Baltimore Sun turned New York Times bestselling author, considered one of the most acclaimed novelists in America.

The festival takes place 19-22 July at Agatha Christie’s old haunt, The Old Swan Hotel.

Lee Child said: “I’ve been to all the festivals in the world and Harrogate is by far my favourite, so it’s a joy to be 2018’s chair. For authors, it’s a chance to hang out and socialise in beautiful Harrogate, and more crucially we get to meet the most important people – our readers. Crime writers deal with some of the biggest issues of our times, so I promise our incredible line-up will inspire thought and debate. I love it because this festival also has such warmth and camaraderie – it’s the most fun book event out there.”

Special Guests also include Linwood Barclay, Denise Mina, Sophie Hannah, Nicci French, and Festival co-founder Val McDermid, who will be in conversation with Professor Dame Sue Black, director of the Centre for Anatomy and Human Identification at Dundee University. Val McDermid has unveiled her four ‘New Blood’ debut crime novelists for 2018, which is one of the most anticipated events in publishing, and will showcase four hand-picked debuts from the Queen of Crime: The chosen authors are Stuart Turton, CJ Tudor, Will Dean, and Irish author Dervla McTiernan – READ MORE HERE

Simon Theakston, Executive Director of T&R Theakstons and title sponsor, said: “The crime genre dominates more than ever. There’s huge thirst for the genre’s moral framework where usually, justice prevails, proven by the fact our chair this year, Lee Child, is a hero to millions of readers. I’m delighted, as 2018’s festival looks even bigger and better than ever, our celebration of the genre is no doubt the best in the world.”

The Festival opens with a day-long writing workshop, Creative Thursday, followed by the crime writing equivalent of The Oscars, the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award.

Festival goers will join the world’s most celebrated crime authors in conversation, in action and in the bar, including panel events with Alafair Burke, Karen Cleveland, AA Dhand, Gregg Hurwitz, Simon Mayo, Chris Brookmyre, Yrsa Sigurðardóttir, Ann Cleeves and Eva Dolan. There’ll be a Late Night Event with BBC’s Pointless star, Richard Osman, and stand-up turned crime author, Mark Billingham.

Established in 2003 by Val McDermid, agent Jane Gregory and arts charity Harrogate International Festivals, 2018 marks the 16th Festival.

Famed for its no barriers approach, fans, fledgling writers and established superstar authors mingle in the hotel bar. It is one of the most important events in the crime publishing calendar. Agents, publishers, publicists, readers and authors attend from all over Europe and the world.

Tickets for all events go on sale Monday 23rd April, 10am. Box office: 01423 562303 harrogateinternationalfestivals.com