Capital Crime announces full programme

 

CAPITAL CRIME ANNOUNCES FULL PROGRAMME, WITH JEFFREY ARCHER, AA DHAND, JANICE HALLETT, LISA JEWELL AND SABINE DURRANT TO JOIN PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED HEADLINERS JANE HARPER, ARDAL O’HANLON AND ANDREA MARA

 AA Dhand       Andrea Mara     Ardal O'Hanlon,             Elly Griffiths,            Jane Harper

Janice Hallett              Jeffrey Archer         Lisa Jewell,     Liz Nugent          Sabine Durrant 

The 2026 festival to return to the Leonardo Royal Hotel 18th-20th June, with the Fingerprint Awards on 18th June, hosted by Ryan Tubridy

• Newly confirmed authors also include Elly Griffiths, Abir Mukherjee, T.M. Logan, Vaseem Khan, MJ Arlidge, Chris Brookmyre, Catriona Ward and Lucy Foley
• The National Year of Reading and ‘Quick Reads’ to be commemorated by AA Dhand, Leye Adenle, Fiona Cummins and Debbie Hicks MBE
• Jeffrey Archer to celebrate 50 years of writing

Jeffrey Archer, Abir Mukherjee, AA Dhand, Lucy Foley, Lisa Jewell, Sabine Durrant and Janice Hallett are amongst the authors today (27th March) announced to take part in Capital Crime, London’s largest celebration of crime and thriller writing, which returns 18th-20th June. They will be joining the previously announced headliners Jane Harper, Lee and Andrew Child, Claire Douglas, Andrea Mara, Ardal O’Hanlon and Andi Osho for discussions around closed communities, Agatha Christie and courtroom dramas.

Capital Crime co-founder and Goldsboro Book managing director David Headley said:

‘Our vision for Capital Crime was to provide a community that celebrates the love of storytelling, and a welcoming space for all readers and authors. A cornerstone of the festival since it launched in 2019 has been our social outreach initiative which has seen schoolchildren from all around London invited to meet, hear and engage with publishing representatives and authors. Our partnership with The Reading Agency will only strengthen this work in a time when we need stories and connection more than ever. Our programme this year features discussions about courtroom dramas, comic capers and the legacy of Agatha Christie, but also holes in the justice system and societal issues in crime fiction, with some of the best names in the genre – from global superstars like Jane Harper and Lee Child, but also some extremely exciting emerging voices.’

The festival kicks off on Thursday 18th June with a panel of industry professionals navigating the road to publication; followed by experts Professor Anja Shortland, an expert in the field of exhortative crime and ransomware, former probation officer Ruth Dugdall and noted criminologist Christopher Berry-Dee speaking about different approaches to criminality with Doctor Emma Kavanagh, a psychology consultant specialising in human performance in extreme situations; and real-world private investigators Mike and  Chris Jennings exploring the realities of their job, and how crime fiction compares. Thursday’s final panel will see bestselling authors Elly Griffiths and Claire Douglas speaking to Joe Haddow about using the past and memory in their novels, before DHH Literary Agency’s open pitching afternoon and networking event. The day will conclude with the Fingerprint Award Ceremony, hosted by broadcaster and podcaster Ryan Tubridy.

Friday opens with a panel on modern espionage, with James Wolff, Paul Warner, David Goodman and Chris Humphreys in conversation with Jane Thynne; and Leodora Darlington, LM Chilton, Yemi Dipeolu and Tanya Sweeney discussing how messy relationships can take a deadly turn in crime. The day will also feature Abir Mukherjee, Sarah Vaughan, Foluso Agbaje and Elly Vine discussing elites behaving badly; Ajay Chowdhury, Jo Callaghan and Vaseem Khan will explore concerns around AI; and former lawyers Imran Mahmood, Harriet Tyce and Anna Mazzola will speak about the art of the courtroom drama. Lucy Rose, Essie Fox, Laura Purcell and Callie Kazumi will explore what could be behind readers’ appetite for dark gothic fiction; Clare Leslie Hall, Hattie Williams and Jennie Godfrey will speak about stories that will stay with you long after reading; and Jo Spain, Olivier Norek, Madeleine Pelling and Edel Coffey will discuss about how true stories can inspire fiction.

Friday will also see Capital Crime’s National Year of Reading panel, in partnership with The Reading Agency, and chaired by one of its founding members Debbie Hicks MBE, with former Quick Reads authors AA Dhand, Fiona Cummins and Leye Adenle exploring how crime fiction can be the perfect gateway genre into a lifelong love of reading.

The day will close with Lisa Jewell and Sabine Durrant in conversation with Katherine Faulkner about their incredible chart-topping careers writing suspense in the domestic sphere; and global bestsellers Jane Harper and Andrea Mara in conversation with DJ Fee Mak about writing horrible things happening to ordinary people; and the suffering of parenthood in their novels. The final event of the day is the festival’s regular highlight Crime Quiz.

On Saturday 20th June, crime fiction fans will see former police officer turned bestselling novelist Clare Mackintosh reflecting on how her past has influenced her writing; Jeffrey Archer celebrating his 50 year career and Lee and Andrew Child speaking to Stig Abell about building and breaking the rules of crime over 31 Jack Reacher novels. In addition, legendary Irish writers Ardal O’Hanlon, Jane Casey and Liz Nugent will explore with Brian McGilloway what make Irish communities the perfect setting for crime fiction.

In addition, to mark the 50th anniversary of the death of Dame Agatha Christie, Sophie Hannah, Hazell Ward, Lucy Foley and Kelly Mullen will explore the enduring appeal and influence of her work.

Other panels on Saturday include Sarah Hilary, Chris Brookmyre, Doug Johnstone and Chris Merritt discussing career longevity; a discussion about justice and revenge with Julie Mae Cohen, D.B. Stephens, Emma Styles and Maz Evans; the illusion of safety with Catriona Ward, Andi Osho, J.P. Delaney and Rosa Silverman; and Rob Parker, Nadine Matheson and T.M. Payne speaking to Lisa Howells about the versatility of the procedural.

There will also be exciting public events throughout the festival: Orenda Books will be hosting a showcase and proofs party; and renowned wine expert Olly Smith will be launching his debut Death by Noir, in conversation with his brother and Emmy-winning Slow Horses screenwriter Will Smith.

Now in its sixth year, Capital Crime is proud to be a part of and contributor to the vibrant culture scene with the city, and has quickly established itself as one of the biggest festivals in the UK, with a reputation for originality, innovation, and a focus on creating an incredible reader experience with creatively curated and inclusive panels. Co-founded by Goldsboro Books MD David Headley, it has welcomed readers from around the country to see British authors such as Robert Harris, Anthony Horowitz and Paula Hawkins, appearing alongside international talent including Icelandic Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir and US bestsellers Jeffrey Deaver, Karin Slaughter, Linwood Barclay and Michael Connolly.

Headley and his team at Goldsboro Books have helped launch the careers of so many authors since it opened almost 25 years ago, by uniting incredible writing with their loyal, ever-growing community of passionate readers. Renowned for their thoughtful and impactful new initiatives to engage communities of readers, Capital Crime is a brilliant extension of this vision with an outstanding programme of over 40 entertaining, accessible events that explore all corners of the genre, and the opportunity to meet your literary heroes.

 The full programme can be found here.

 

Forthcoming Books from John Murray.

 

January 2026

A Gift Before Dying is by Malcolm Kempt. At the edge of the world, can justice still be found.  After a botched high-profile murder investigation, Sergeant Elderick Cole is exiled to the remote, rugged landscape of Nunavut, a vast territory in the Arctic Circle known for its untamed beauty, frigid temperatures, and endless winter nights.  His bleak existence takes a sinister turn when he discovers the hanging body of Pitseolala, a troubled Inuit girl whom he had sworn to protect. Her death dredges up demons he thought he'd buried along with the scars of a fractured marriage and the aching divide between himself and his estranged daughter. As Cole's life unravels - and with it, the fragile thread of his investigation - he turns to Pitseolala's younger brother, Maliktu, a fellow outsider. It's then that Cole uncovers what binds them: a singular mission to find her killer. Against fierce backlash, Cole's overriding desire to redeem just one aspect of his otherwise failed life becomes an obsession - and he's willing to break every rule in his unyielding pursuit of justice and the smallest shred of redemption.

For over a century two rival organisations of women have gone to deadly lengths to secure a precious scrap of fraying embroidery in the hopes of finding the original medieval manuscript from which it was torn. There's the Order of St Katherine: devoted to the belief that women must pull strings in the shadows in order to exercise covert control. And the Fellowship of the Larks: determined to amass as many overt positions of power for women as possible . . . while making sure their methods never come to light. When trailblazing paleographer Dr Anya Brown is headhunted by the exclusive Institute of Manuscript Studies at St Andrews, she's unaware that she is in grave danger - her new employers are the Larks, and they'll stop at nothing to achieve their mission. As Dr Brown is drawn deeper into this ancient web, events spiral beyond her control. To uncover the truth, and escape with her life, she must summon all her expertise to decipher a series of messages that have lain hidden for centuries. The Burning Library is by Gilly Macmillan.

February 2026

 In August 1940, a man walked into Leon Trotsky's study in Mexico City and drove an ice pick into his skull. The killer? Ramon Mercader - an aristocratic Spaniard turned Soviet assassin. The mastermind? Joseph Stalin. But this was no simple hit. It was the climax of a decade-long global hunt: a story of seduction and betrayal, of fake identities and secret loyalties, of idealists and fanatics, lovers and spies. While Trotsky raged in exile - still clinging to his revolutionary dream - Stalin's agents closed in. At the heart of it all was Mercader: a man trained to lie, charm and ultimately to kill. Tracing a path from the cafes of Paris to the battlefields of Spain, from Stalin's Kremlin to a bloodied study in Mexico, The Death of Trotsky by Josh Ireland unfolds like a spy thriller - a story of obsession and betrayal, of dreams destroyed and loyalties twisted, culminating in one of the most shocking murders of the modern age.

From James Wolff a former spy comes Spies and Other Gods an electrifying novel about the mystery, paranoia and ruthlessness of the secretive world of British espionage. The Head of British Intelligence is having a bad day. Only six months off retirement and Sir William Rentoul is wondering if he'll make it that far, what with the sudden descent of a brain fog dense enough to turn every day into a series of small humiliations. To make matters worse, Parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee - the body that oversees Sir William - has received an anonymous complaint from one of his officers. Sir William dimly recalls accepting that there should be a channel for whistleblowers, but he never expected that they would pick his most sensitive case, one involving an Iranian assassin and a trail of dead bodies, or that the person who turned up to poke their nose into his files should be a lowly parliamentary researcher named Aphra McQueen, who displays smarts, tenacity and rebelliousness in unsettling measures. Aphra seems to know more about the operation than she is letting on. What will she uncover? What is she really up to? And can she survive the unexpected events that will bounce her from London to Birmingham to Paris to Lausanne?

March 2026

All Them Dogs is by Djamel White. Things are different since Tony Ward landed back in town. The West Dublin gangland has changed. His old mentor is dead, and his best pal Kenny Boyle is on the straight and narrow. After five years keeping quiet across the way, Tony is keen to reinstate himself, and when the opportunity arises to work side by side with Darren 'Flute' Walsh, a top enforcer of notorious crime boss Aengus Lavelle, it feels like a no brainer. Biting off more than he can chew has never bothered Tony Ward, but Flute Walsh is not the meek, quiet boy Tony remembers from school. Brooding, stoic, and unpredictably dangerous, Tony finds himself drawn to his new associate in more ways than one. With retribution from his past actions always close in the rear view, the protection offered by Flute's standing in the gang is crucial. But how safe is Tony really, when a mutual attraction starts to complicate matters?

When the daughter of the Swedish Ambassador disappears from her prestigious London school in broad daylight, the authorities are on high alert. There are no witnesses and no ransom demand: thirteen-year-old Freya Sjöberg has vanished into thin air. With the Metropolitan Police out of their depth, specialist agent DS Madeleine Farrow is called in to handle the case. As a former pupil at Wimpole Girls, she knows the school's affluent corridors only too well. But even she can't anticipate the dark secrets held within its walls. With the clock ticking since Freya's disappearance, Madeleine must return to a place that holds painful memories to find a girl who has left no trace. For help, she calls on dogged - and occasionally maverick - young private investigator Ramona Chang. Together the unlikely pair find themselves plunged into a world of extreme wealth and dangerous secrets. The deeper they dig, the more they uncover - exposing a tangled web of conspiracy and lies that could change everything they thought they knew about the case, and each other. Lost Girls is by Charlotte Philby.

May 2026

Murder at the Hotel Orient is by Alessandra Ranelli. In modern Vienna, the infamous Hotel Orient glitters at the heart of the city, luring lovers inside for an evening of debauchery. Behind its velvet curtain, cameras are forbidden, aliases are required, and every guest has something to hide. For those seeking illicit liaisons, Sterling Lockwood is the perfect concierge. Sultry and poised, she's the ultimate keeper of secrets, including her own. But when dawn breaks and two of the anonymous guests are found dead in their suite, Sterling must break the Orient's sacred code of discretion, turning detective to find a killer and clear her own name. Alongside Fernando, her quick-witted friend and bellhop, Sterling steps beyond the hotel's stained-glass doors, venturing from grand coffee houses where power whispers between porcelain cups, to dimly lit bars where the curious seek rapturous oblivion, and risking everything to solve an impossible case.

What happens when you can no longer keep a secret? When Arthur Cotton sees a body washed up on the beach, difficult memories come flooding back. He kept the books for the Brighton mob back in the day and got out on friendly terms. But retirement came with conditions - mainly to keep his mouth shut. Fifty years on, it's trickier. Dementia is taking hold and he's getting leaky. His former bosses are worried. Arthur didn't just keep their accounts; he also kept their secrets. Now there's going to be a reckoning. It's up to Arthur's daughter, Susan, a carer for the elderly, to find out what her father knows. What he's been saying and to whom. There are dangerous people around, and they're beginning to lose their patience. She'll have to turn detective to encounter a Brighton she barely knew existed, and to turn up parts of her father's past that are just as dark. The Darkest Tide is by Peter Hanington.

Nine nights to solve a murder...or she'll be next. When Bigglesweigh's notorious gangster, Cuttah, uses up the last of his nine lives, and is found dead at his flat, there is only one person who can solve the mystery of who killed him: indomitable retired NHS nurse Miss Hortense. Cuttah left a letter with a list of suspects. There's just one problem: Miss Hortense's name is on the list and she only has nine days before his cronies seek retribution... Miss Hortense and the Last Rites is by Mel Pennant.

June 2026

Death by Noir is by Olly Smith. Barclay Flint is the eccentric proprietor of The Bottle Bank wine shop in Lewes, the small Sussex town renowned for its annual Bonfire Night festival. Barclay can taste a kaleidoscopic universe in a single glass of wine - and will delight in luring you to share in its charms. Barclay passes his days happily matching his customers to the wines of their dreams, but when his friend, struggling regenerative vineyard owner Victor Crawshaw, goes missing, Barclay falls under suspicion and must deploy his wine detection skills to crack the case and clear his name. As the clock ticks down to Bonfire Night's epic festival of flames, the fireworks might not be all that start exploding...