Showing posts with label Torkil Damhaug. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Torkil Damhaug. Show all posts

Monday, 12 February 2018

Granite Noir - Friday 23 - Sunday 25 February 2018



Granite Noir - Friday 23 - Sunday 25 February 2018

MOST WANTED
OUR GRANITE NOIR HEADLINE EVENTS
TONY AND CAROL ARE BACK: A CONVERSATION WITH VAL MCDERMID
Friday 23 February, 8pm - 9pm | The Lemon Tree Lounge | £9.50 inc. bf | BOOK TICKETS
Chaired by Fiona Stalker
BSL Signed
The one, the only, the magnificent Val McDermid joins us to talk about Insidious Intent, the tenth in her series featuring Tony Hill and Carol Jordan. This story of a clever murderer targeting needy single women will make your pulse race — and the novel’s astonishing ending will stop you in your tracks. 

FAMILIAR FACES, FANTASTIC BOOKS: IN CONVERSATION WITH HUGH FRASER AND ROBERT DAWS
Saturday 24 February, 5.30pm - 6.30pm | The Lemon Tree Studio | £9.50 inc. bf | BOOK TICKETS
Hugh Fraser will always be adored for playing Poirot's sidekick, Captain Hastings, as well as the Duke of Wellington in Sharpe. His first novel, Harm, introduced us to compelling, complex assassin Rina Walker. The latest in this series, Threat, sees Rina going head to head with Soho gangsters in 1960s London. It’s a tough assignment hitting close to home, and forcing her to confront unspeakable depravity. RADA trained Robert Daws has appeared in Midsomer Murders, New Tricks, Death in Paradise and Father Brown, to give just a few of his screen credits. He co-created and wrote the long running BBC Radio detective series, Trueman and Riley. The Killing Rock, is the third of his Sullivan and Brock novels, set in Gibraltar.

OUT OF THIS WORLD CRIME WRITING WITH CHRIS BROOKMYRE
Saturday 24 February, 7.30pm - 8.30pm | The Lemon Tree Studio | £9.50 inc. bf | BOOK TICKETS
Fabulous, funny Chris Brookmyre is back to talk about Want You Gone and Places in the Darkness! In the former, Jack Parlabane and a hacker known as Buzzkill must pull off an impossible heist, or lose everything they love most. Places in the Darkness, set on the first colony ship in outer space, introduces irreverent, irresistible sleuth Nikki Fixx, who never met a rule she wouldn’t break. Chris’s novel Black Widow, won 2016’s McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Book of the Year, and 2017’s Theakston Crime Novel of the Year. He sold out at 2017’s Granite Noir — don’t miss your chance to see him in 2018.

MEET THE CREATOR OF SHETLAND AND VERA: ANNE CLEEVES IN CONVERSATION WITH DR JAMES GRIEVE
Sunday 25 February, 12pm - 1pm | The Lemon Tree Lounge | £9.50 inc. bf. | BOOK TICKETS
BSL interpreted
Ann Cleeves has been called the successor to Ruth Rendell’s alter ego, Barbara Vine. She recently received the CWA’s Diamond Dagger, honouring contributions to the genre and a career of sustained excellence, and was the first writer to receive Iceland Noir's Honorary Award for Services to the Art of Crime Fiction. With Ann is Dr James Grieve, Emeritus Professor of Forensic Pathology at the University of Aberdeen, and a frequent consultant to crime writers, who appears as himself Ann’s Shetland novels. 

IN CONVERSATION
CRIME WRITER INTERROGATIONS
THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE — OR IS IT? WITH MATT WESOLOWSKI AND MICHAEL J MALONE
Friday 23 February, 12pm - 1pm | The Lemon Tree Studio | £8.50 inc. bf | BOOK TICKETS
In Six Stories, Matt Wesolowski probed the nature of truth, telling the story of a murder from multiple perspectives via investigative journalist Scott King, whose Serial-like podcasts have made him a cult figure. Michael J Malone’s House of Spines also asks whether we can believe its central character’s version of the truth. At its heart is a writer with mental health problems who uncovers secrets about his late mother and her family. 

BREATHTAKING THRILLERS WITH LILJA SIGURDAROTTIR AND CATHERINE RYAN HOWARD
Friday 23 February, 2pm - 3pm | The Lemon Tree Studio | £8.50 inc. bf | BOOK TICKETS
Lilja Sigurdaróttir is a star in her native Iceland, but Snare, the first in her Reykjavik Noir trilogy, is her first novel to be translated into English. It’s already an international bestseller, with film rights sold to Palomar Pictures. Catherine Ryan Howard’s compelling thriller, The Liar’s Girl, takes us to Dublin, where the emergence of a copy-cat serial killer forces a young woman to return to the homeland — and identity — she abandoned, and confront her worst nightmare. 

MAY THE (POLICE) FORCE BE WITH YOU WITH SARAH WARD, MARI HANNAH AND JØRN LIER HORST
Friday 23 February, 6.30pm - 7.30pm | The Lemon Tree Lounge | £8.50 inc. bf | BOOK TICKETS
We’re delighted to welcome back author, reviewer, blogger, and Scandi Crime aficionado Sarah Ward, talking about her new DC Connie Childs novel, A Patient Fury. Mari Hannah is a former probation officer, whose award-winning, Northumberland-set Kate Daniels novels — now in development with Stephen Fry’s production company — vaulted her into crime fiction’s top tier. Jørn Lier Horst, author of the successful William Wisting series, has won the Riverton Prize, the Glass Key, the Martin Beck Award, and the Petrona Award. 

PUBLISH AND PERISH WITH LOUISE HUTCHESON, LUCY ATKIN AND SARAH STOVELL
Saturday 24 February, 11.30am - 12.30pm | The Lemon Tree Studio | £8.50 inc. bf | BOOK TICKETS
Louise Hutcheson’s debut, The Paper Cell, examines the deadly potential of literary envy — and its bitter, lifelong aftertaste. In The Night Visitor, by Lucy Atkins, a high-flying telly presenter and bestselling historian is tormented by her socially awkward researcher, who is privy to the most dangerous secret of her career. Sarah Stovell’s Exquisite is a claustrophobic psychological thriller about obsessive love, featuring one writer at the top of her game, and another still dreaming of success.

HERE’S LOOKING AT YOU, KIDS WITH MELANIE MCGRATH, COLETTE MCBETH AND SANJIDA KAY
Saturday 24 February, 1.30pm - 2.30pm | The Lemon Tree Studio | £8.50 inc. bf | BOOK TICKETS
Three authors, three gripping takes on the complicated relationship between parents and children. In Melanie McGrath’s Give Me The Child, a doctor confronts her husband’s past infidelity, and his love child. With her family in peril, she wonders if you can be born evil, and whether violent behaviour is genetic. An Act of Silence, by Colette McBeth, questions how far a mother will go to protect a son who is accused of murder. Is she desperate enough to risk other’s lives to save his? In The Stolen Child, Sanjida Kay portrays a frightened family threatened by the arrival of a man claiming to be their adopted daughter’s biological father — and he wants her back.

PAGE AND SCREEN WITH MJ ARLIDGE AND STEFAN AHNHEM
Saturday 24 February, 3.30pm - 4.30pm  | The Lemon Tree Studio | £8.50 inc. bf | BOOK TICKETS
Discover how two authors juggle work as novelists and screenwriters, and how those disciplines compare and contrast. MJ Arlidge writes the bestselling DI Helen Grace thrillers, the newest of which is Love Me Not. He’s an equally successful screenwriter, whose first job was writing for Monarch of the Glen. Sweden’s Stefan Ahnhem will talk about his Stockholm-set Fabian Risk thrillers, The Ninth Grave and Eighteen Below.

PETRIFYING PSYCHOLOGICAL NOIR WITH TORKIL DAMHAUG AND LOUISE VOSS
Sunday 25 February, 9pm - 10pm | The Lemon Tree Studio | £8.50 inc. bf | BOOK TICKETS
The mind may be the most devastating weapon of them all. Torkil Damhaug, author of the best-selling Oslo Crime Files series, was a psychiatrist, and brings specialist knowledge to his taut thrillers. In Certain Signs That You Are Dead, forensic pathologist Jennifer Plåterud is called in to investigate the death of a hospital patient, and discovers she has personal links to this baffling case. Louise Voss has been writing psychological thrillers, police procedurals and contemporary fiction for 18 years. Her twelfth novel, The Old You, asks: How well do we know our spouses? What if your husband isn’t the man you think he is, but harbours a devastating secret, instead? 

WHEN BYGONES AREN’T BYGONES WITH JOHANA GUSTAWSSON AND CLARE CARSON
Sunday 25 February, 2pm - 3pm | The Lemon Tree Studio | £8.50 inc. bf | BOOK TICKETS
Introducing two mysteries hinging on deadly secrets from the past. French native Johana Gustawsson, now married to a Swede and living in London, co-authored the bestselling On se retrouvera, whose television adaptation in 2015 drew over 7 million viewers.  Clare Carson’s The Dark Isle, set in Orkney, finds Sam, daughter of an undercover agent who was killed in the line of duty, struggling to piece together the puzzle of his past.

THE WRITE INVESTIGATOR WITH WILL DEAN AND JAMES OSWALD
Sunday 25 February, 4pm - 5pm | The Lemon Tree Studio | £8.50 inc. bf. | BOOK TICKETS
Will Dean is the debut novelist everyone’s talking about. His novel Dark Pines, set in a remote Swedish town, introduces deaf journalist Tuva Moodyson, sent to investigate a body found deep in the woods. Will grew up in the East Midlands, studied Law, then moved to rural Sweden with his wife. There he built a wooden house in a boggy forest clearing, and it's from this base that he compulsively reads and writes. James Oswald is one of Scotland’s most popular authors, who’s just published The Gathering Dark, his eighth Inspector Edinburgh-set Tony McLean novel—and inked an exciting deal that sees him launching a new series this autumn. He was the only Scottish author listed in this year’s CWA ‘Dagger in the Library’ award. In addition to writing, James runs a sheep and cattle farm in Fife. 

WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? WITH STUART TURTON AND FELICIA YAP
Sunday 25 February, 8pm - 9pm | The Lemon Tree Studio|  £8.50 inc. bf | BOOK TICKETS
Two of the most talked-about recent debuts feature protagonists with unstable identities. Stuart Turton’s The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, has been called “Gosford Park meets Inception by way of Agatha Christie.” Felicia Yap, named one of the Observer’s Rising Stars of 2017, is sure to be one of the biggest names in crime fiction for years to come.

WORDS AND MUSIC, SCANDI STYLE. AN EVENING WITH THOMAS ENGER
Sunday 25 February, 8pm - 9pm | The Lemon Tree Lounge | FREE | BOOK TICKETS
We’re delighted to launch the UK publication of Killed, the final instalment of Norwegian bestseller Thomas Enger’s internationally renowned Henning Juul series. Packed with tension and twists, here is the long-awaited conclusion to the drama of this conflicted, disillusioned crime reporter, as he finally comes to grips with shocking revelations about who set the fire that killed his six-year-old son — and why. As well as talking about his writing, Thomas will play some of his stirring, original piano compositions, including the lullaby written to accompany Henning’s story.  

DON'T MISS...  LOCALS IN THE LIMELIGHT
Granite Noir is proud to offer a stage to North-east writers. This year five of the region’s most talented authors will read extracts from their noir fiction ahead of some of the festival’s main events. 
Friday 23 February
2pm Gavin Gilmour before Breaking Thrillers
Saturday 24 February
11.30 Jo Gilbert before Publish & Perish
5.30pm John Bolland before Familiar Faces, Fantastic Books
7.30pm Shane Strachan before Chris Brookmyre 
Sunday 25 February
10.30am Jan Simpson before Petrifying Psychological Noir
There will also be pop-up readings by these authors in the Central Library cafe throughout the weekend. 



CRIMEWATCH…… GRANITE NOIR FILM SCREENINGS
Tickets available to buy at www.belmontfilmhouse.com
DOUBLE INDEMNITY
Friday 23 February, 6pm | Belmont Filmhouse | £10 / £8 concession
Walter Neff (Fred MacMurray), a salesman for Pacific All-Risk Insurance, staggers into the office late one night to record a memorandum regarding the recent death of a policyholder: “I killed Dietrichson… for money, and a woman. I didn’t get the money, and I didn’t get the woman.” 
There’s nothing but a towel and a staircase between Neff and the woman when they first meet; Neff pays a house call on Dietrichson’s Spanish-revival pile in LA, and encounters the oil executive’s bored, platinum-blonde wife, Phyllis (Barbara Stanwyck). She’d like to know if she can secretly procure a life insurance policy for her spouse; Neff knows she’s conscripting him for her husband-disposal unit, and he knows that claims manager Barton Keyes (Edward G Robinson) will smell a putrefying rat, but they’ve got power-surge chemistry, and that’s a honey of an anklet she’s wearing… With diamond-hard repartee by Wilder and Raymond Chandler (by way of James M Cain’s novel) and ghoulish cinematography by the great John Seitz, this is the gold standard of ’40s *noir**, straight down the line. PG; 107 Mins; Director Billy Wilder; Fred MacMurray, Barbara Stanwyck, Edward G Robinson; 1944; US.
Robert Daws chose Double Indemnity
A classic tale where the fool falls for the psychopath, it’s as fresh and as terrifying today as it was on first release. Film Noir at its best.”

THE BIG CLOCK
Saturday 24 February, 8.45pm | Belmont Filmhouse | £10 / £8 concession
Just 24 hours ago his life was perfect. Oscar-winning Best Actor Ray Milland stars in this smart and stylish thriller based on Kenneth Fearing’s novel and precursor to 1987’s No Way Out starring Kevin Costner. Milland portrays hotshot crime magazine editor George Stroud, who inadvertently becomes the subject of a murder investigation after spending an evening with his boss’ (Charles Laughton) mistress. She ends up dead and he is being framed by the actual killer. Meanwhile, at the publishing office, Stroud’s competent staff scurries for clues while he finds himself in a race against the clock. It seems the prime suspect they are seeking matches an all-too familiar description…his own! Maureen O’Sullivan and George Macready co-star in this richly told, often humorous story The New Yorker hailed as “slick and entertaining.” Known for its intriguing film noir cinematography and featuring beautiful costumes by Edith Head, this is one suspense classic you won’t want to miss.
PG; 95 mins; Dir John Farrow; Ray Milland, Maureen O Sullivan; 1948; US
Val McDermid chose The Big Clock:
When I read Kenneth Flaxner Fearing’s novel, The Big Clock, I was blown away by the cleverness and the originality of the plot. The film ratchets up the suspense, the performances are edgy, and because it’s told in flashback, it’s real edge-of-the-seat stuff. I’ve never understood why it doesn’t usually make the lists of ‘10 best noir films.”

THE BIG EASY
Sunday 25 February, 3.30pm | Belmont Filmhouse | £10 / £8 concession
In New Orleans, Remy McSwain, a lieutenant in Homicide finds that he has two problems, the first of a series of gang killings and Ann Osborne, a beautiful attorney from the D.A.’s police corruption task force in his office. He begins a relationship with her as the killings continue only to have charges filed against him for accepting bribes as he stumbles on a police corruption Sting. While this is happening, the criminals insist that none of the crime gangs are behind the killings.
15; 96 mins; Dir Jim McBride; Dennis Quaid, Ellen Barkin, Ned Beatty, John Goodman; 1986; US
Chris Brookmyre chose The Big Easy:
In a decade synonymous with morally simplistic, big-budget action thrillers, here was a gem of a crime movie in which all the lines are blurred. You will love the characters, you will love the music, you will love the food, and you will even love the bad guys.”


YOUNG CRIMINALS ….. GRANITE NOIR FAMILY EVENTS
WRITING WORKSHOP WITH ELEN CALDECOTT
Saturday 24 February, 11am - 3pm | Central Library | BOOK TICKETS
FREE (Ticketed event so booking required)
Award-winning Elen Caldecott is the author of children’s mysteries such as The Great Ice Cream Heist, Operation Eiffel Tower, and The Mystery of Wickworth Manor. In this hour-long workshop she’ll help aspiring young writers explore their creativity and look at how to develop an idea. She’ll cover characterisation, point of view, and pace. Bring your inspiration — we’ll supply pens and paper.
Recommended age: 8-10

STEVE & FRANDAN TAKE ON THE WORLD WITH RON BUTLIN
Saturday 24 February, 2pm - 3pm | Central Library | BOOK TICKETS
FREE (Ticketed event so booking required)
Poet, playwright, novelist, and former Edinburgh Makar Ron Butlin unveils this rollicking rollercoaster of a novel, packed with adventure and adversity. Steve is sick of being cyber-bullied, and of adults messing up the world. His best friends, twins Fran and Dan, agree. The trio sets off to solve the world — but wind up in hot water. They’re captured, but Fran manages to escape, and realises it’s up to her to mount a one-woman rescue. Guaranteed giggles and gasps in this hour with one of Scotland’s most engaging authors. 
Recommended age: 11-14

MAGIC, MYSTERY AND MAYHEM WITH MEG MCLAREN
Sunday 25 February, 1pm - 2pm | Central Library | BOOK TICKETS
FREE (Ticketed event so booking required)
Be mystified by amazing magic tricks as Meg McLaren introduces the characters from her book Life is Magic. Then hear from Meg's new mystery story, Pigeon P.I. Can you help find out who’s stealing all the feathers?
Recommended age: 0+ years

SFX MAKE UP WORKSHOP
Sunday 25 February, 3pm - 4pm | Central Library | £15 | BOOK TICKETS
Join theatre make-up artist specialist and teacher Raymond Wood for a hands on SFX make up workshop. Over the course of the session Raymond will demonstrate a number of stage make up special effects that could be found on a body at a scene of a crime. We’ll be imagining crime scene scenarios and teaching you how to create though make up the trauma wounds they might lead to. There’ll also be an opportunity to create your own special effects. This workshop is fun and packed with information. All materials and products are included. 
Recommended age: 16+


GRANITE NOIR WORKSHOPS
LEARN FROM THE BEST AND DEVELOP YOUR WRITING SKILLS
HIDDEN TREASURES:  NARRATIVE NON-FICTION FROM HISTORICAL ARCHIVES WITH DIARMID MOGG
Friday 23 February, 3.30pm – 4.30pm | Seventeen | £8.50 inc. bf | BOOK TICKETS
Writer and researcher Diarmid Mogg shares his experience of delving into historical archives to uncover fascinating but forgotten crimes and explains how he brought them to life in the Granite Noir exhibition – Crime Scene Aberdeen - and through Small Town Noir, his online exploration of the stories behind a unique collection of salvaged mug shots.

HOW TO GET AHEAD IN PUBLISHING WITH ORENDA BOOKS’ KAREN SULLIVAN
Saturday 24 February, 10am - 11am | Lemon Tree Lounge | FREE | BOOK TICKETS
Meet the powerhouse publishing phenomenon that is Karen Sullivan. In 2014 she founded Orenda Books, an independent press dedicated to literary and crime fiction, many of them works in translation. Her authors include Thomas Enger, Agnes Ravatn, Gunnar Staalesen, and Amanda Jenning. Karen will give an informal talk offering top tips to aspiring writers about how the publishing industry works, how to pitch, what to expect if a publisher asks to see your work, whether you need an agent, and what happens after a book is accepted for publication.

HOW TO PLAN YOUR NOVEL (AND GET IT FINISHED) PERFECTING PLOT, WITH KILLER WOMEN’S COLETTE MCBETH
Saturday 24 February, 3.30pm - 4.30pm | Central Library  | £8.50 inc. bf | BOOK TICKETS
This master class demystifies the process of novel writing, helps you break down your story into manageable chunks, and shows how plotting will not only get you started, but take you all the way from the beginning to “THE END”. Learn about storyboarding techniques, outlining, character arcs and how to weave suspense into your novel. There will be useful tips (and hacks) for creating and managing multiple timelines and points of view, as well as ways to avoid the dreaded midway dip, and power through to the final chapter. 

CRAFTING COMPELLING CHARACTERS WITH KILLER WOMEN’S MELANIE MCGRATH
Sunday 25 February, 11am - 12pm | Central Library  | £8.50 inc. bf | BOOK TICKETS
Learn how to develop convincing, compelling characters, and discover how to use relationships between characters, story and setting to really make a character sing, dance — and murder. Discover how to craft likeable and unlikeable characters for stand-alones and series, and how to avoid the five most common pitfalls. This is a practical class. Be prepared for solo and team exercises. You'll leave having created two characters of your own from scratch.

WILLIAM HEPBURN: CRIME IN MEDIEVAL ABERDEEN
Sunday 25 February, 2pm - 3pm | Town House  | £8.50 inc. bf | BOOK TICKETS
What crimes were committed in medieval Aberdeen? Who committed them? What measures did the authorities take to prevent and punish crime? This talk will draw on the work of the Law in the Aberdeen Council Registers (LACR) project to shed light on those who fell on the wrong side of the law in the streets of Aberdeen 500 years ago. It will look at the many acts of violence and breaches of the peace recorded in the UNESCO-recognised Aberdeen Council Registers. It will also focus on rare evidence for more serious crimes such as murder. It will show how crime was tried in Aberdeen’s courts and what kind of punishment people faced if they were found guilty. The talk will also showcase the work of the LACR project and offer tips for those keen to research Aberdeen’s history or find inspiration for creative writing.


UNUSUAL SUSPECTS - OTHER EVENTS FROM GRANITE NOIR
WANTED EXHIBITION OF POLICE WANTED POSTERS
The Lemon Tree
In a time before Crimewatch and the photo-fit, police ‘wanted’ posters were a common sight. They were one of the principal ways in which information about suspects, lost property or missing persons was disseminated. Their short-term purpose meant that they were often disposed of after the case had been solved. This exhibition draws on a collection of such posters that, instead of being thrown away once they had served their purpose, accumulated at Dufftown police station over many years and which now form part of the Grampian Police archive held by Aberdeen City & Aberdeenshire Archives. 
They cover a multitude of cases from petty theft and stolen motor vehicles through to missing children and violent crimes, including some notorious cases of murder, including those committed by Dr. Crippen. They are fascinating social documents with each one telling a vivid story.

CRIME SCENE ABERDEEN: EXHIBITION OF CRIME SCENE PHOTOGRAPHS
Friday 23 February - Saturday 3 March, | Seventeen |
Photography has been a useful tool in the police’s armoury almost since the invention of cameras, and photographs of a crime scene can prove vital to solving a case or securing a conviction. They may also inadvertently capture a wealth of detail that makes them fascinating to modern-day viewers. This exhibition displays a selection of crime-scene photographs from the Grampian Police archive, held by Aberdeen City & Aberdeenshire Archives, and tells the fascinating stories of the cases, ranging from burglary and petty theft to murder. Crime Scene Aberdeen has been created by writer and researcher Diarmid Mogg.

HIDDEN TREASURES: NARRATIVE NON-FICTION FROM HISTORICAL ARCHIVES
Friday 23 February, 3.30pm - 4.30pm | Seventeen  | £8.50 inc. bf | BOOK TICKETS
Photography has been a useful tool in the police’s armoury almost since the invention of cameras, and photographs of a crime scene can prove vital to solving a case or securing a conviction. They may also inadvertently capture a wealth of detail that makes them fascinating to modern-day viewers.
This exhibition displays a selection of crime-scene photographs from the Grampian Police archive, held by Aberdeen City & Aberdeenshire Archives, and tells the fascinating stories ofthe cases, ranging from burglary and petty theft to murder. Crime Scene Aberdeen has been created by writer and researcher Diarmid Mogg.

CRIME AND PUNISHMENT IN ABERDEEN: WALKING TOUR
Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 February, Times TBC |  BOOK TICKETS
Join Chris Croly and the [M]apping team from the University of Aberdeen and Andrew Sage Art and Entertainment to take an interactive tour of sites associated with medieval and beyond crime and punishment in Aberdeen. Discover historic gaols, the Gallow Hill, learn about piracy, witchcraft, beheading and hanging. This tour will meet at Castlegate. #aberdeensdarkpast

POISONED COCKTAIL PARTY
Sunday 25 February, 8.30pm | 1906 Restaurant at HMT  | £25 inc. bf | BOOK TICKETS
Join us for a refreshing tipple at our not to be missed Poisoned Cocktail Party. Under the expert guidance of Dr Kathryn Harkup, author of A is for Arsenic and Making the Monster: The Science Behind Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, we’ll treat you to three specially concocted cocktails, all inspired by some of Agatha Christie’s favourite poisons. Our very own Granite Noir cocktails will feature on the menu and non-alcoholic versions will be available.
Drink them if you dare!

POISONED HIGH TEA
Sunday 25 February, 3pm | 1906 Restaurant at HMT  | £20 / £27 inc. Prosecco | BOOK TICKETS
What could be more inviting on a chilly Sunday afternoon than a plate piled high with warm scones, pastries and dainty sandwiches, washed down with strong coffee or aromatic tea? But beware! Dr Kathryn Harkup, author of A is for Arsenic, is here to remind us that in the hands of literary Grande Dame Agatha Christie, everything on the menu could — and did — become a lethal weapon. While you dine, Dr Harkup will talk about some of Christie’s favourite poisons, describing how the Queen of Crime deployed them, and where she found her inspiration. It all adds up to one unforgettable meal!


LATE NIGHT NOIR IN THE LOUNGE
FOLK
Saturday 24 February, 9pm | The Lemon Tree Lounge  | £5.50 inc. bf. | BOOK TICKETS
When Grace discovers her estranged mother has died, she journeys back to her island home. But the circumstances of her mother’s death unlock a strange new world that challenges everything Grace believes in. Led through a dark journey by a talking crow, a pedantic husband, a rebellious minister and spirited daughter, Grace’s scientific mind is overwhelmed by mythology, religion and spiritualism. 
A work-in-progress sharing of a new musical play which unites multi-disciplined artists Annie Grace, Alan McHugh and Morna Young with director Dougie Irvine. Co-written, co-composed and co-performed by the artists, FOLK is a contemporary folktale – a story of faith and love – exploring human existence in our modern world.

CRIMINAL MASTERMIND - CRIME WRITERS PUB QUIZ WITH RUSSEL D MCLEAN
Sunday 25 February, 5.30pm | The Lemon Tree Lounge  | £5 per person | BOOK TICKETS
Pit your wits against some of the festival authors and other crime enthusiasts in our Granite Noir pub quiz. Think you know your crime writing? Looking for a mental challenge? Looking for a fun activity to enjoy with friends? This quiz is for you. With some rounds specifically written by our authors, lots of prizes and friendly competition this will be a fantastic event for all our Granite Noir fans!
Max 6 per team or we can put you in teams on the night.

WORDS AND MUSIC SCANDI STYLE. AN EVENING WITH THOMAS ENGER
Sunday 25 February, 8pm - 9pm | The Lemon Tree Lounge  | FREE | BOOK TICKETS
We’re delighted to launch the UK publication of Killed, the final instalment of Norwegian bestseller Thomas Enger’s internationally renowned Henning Juul series. Packed with tension and twists, here is the long-awaited conclusion to the drama of this conflicted, disillusioned crime reporter, as he finally comes to grips with shocking revelations about who set the fire that killed his six year-old son — and why.
As well as talking about his writing, Thomas will play some of his stirring, original piano compositions, including the lullaby written to accompany Henning’s story.
Chaired by Lesley Anne Rose

NOIR AT THE BAR
Sunday 25 February, 9pm | The Lemon Tree Lounge  | FREE | BOOK TICKETS
Host Russel D McLean (founder of Glasgow’s Noir at the Bar) hosts this informal gathering of festival and local talent for a night of readings and hijinks. The format originated in Philadelphia and has sprung up around the world, becoming an international phenomenon. Anything can happen: you may hear new work, readings from published novels, maybe even a song or two. Get up close and personal with some of your favourite writers in a relaxed setting.

GRANITE NOIR TV
Introducing Granite Noir TV, our live streaming and pay per view service, new for 2018! Watch selected talks along with exclusive content and interviews. Check aberdeenperformingarts.com/granitenoir and social media for further details.

BOOKING GRANITE NOIR TICKET DISCOUNTS
To book visit the HMT or Lemon Tree box offices, call 01224 641122 or click on the links below and select the events you would like to attend.
Book for 4-7 events: Get 10% off  | 8+ events: Get 15% off  |  Full Weekend Pass: £105 inc. bf


(Full Weekend Pass only includes events in the Most Wanted and In Conversation sections)

Thursday, 14 July 2016

Books to Look Forward to from Headline

June 2016

The Pursuit by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg featuring FBI agent Kate O'Hare and her secret partner, fugitive Nicolas Fox. FBI agent Kate O'Hare's covert partner has been kidnapped. But she is in hot pursuit...Nicolas Fox, con man, thief, and one of the top ten fugitives on the most-wanted list, has been kidnapped from a retreat in Hawaii. The kidnapper doesn't know that Nick Fox has been secretly working for the FBI and that his partner, Special Agent Kate O'Hare, is on their trail. The pursuit leads to Belgium, France and Italy, and pits Nick and Kate against a deadly adversary: Dragan Kovic, an ex-military officer from Serbia. He's plotting a crime that will net him billions...and cost thousands of lives. Nick and Kate have to mount an audacious con to avert catastrophe. The pressure's on for them to make this work - even if they have to lay their lives on the line...

On a cold November night in a Deptford yard, dock worker Harry Parker stumbles upon the body of a dead woman. Inspector Ben Ross is summoned from Scotland Yard to this insalubrious part of town, but no witness to the murder of this well-dressed, middle-aged woman can be found. Even Jeb Fisher, the local rag-and-bone man, swears he's seen nothing. Meanwhile, Ben's wife Lizzie is trying to suppress a scandal: family friend Edgar Wellings has a gambling addiction and no means of repaying his debts. Reluctantly, Lizzie agrees to visit his debt collector's house in Deptford, but when she arrives she finds her husband is investigating the murder of the woman in question. Edgar was the last man to see Mrs Clifford alive and he has good reason to want her dead, but Ben and Lizzie both know that a case like this is rarely as simple as it appears...  The Dead Woman of Deptford is by Ann Granger.

July 2016

Set in London in 1837, Anna Mazzola's The Unseeing is the story of Sarah Gale, a seamstress and mother, sentenced to hang for her role in the murder of Hannah Brown on the eve of her wedding. After Sarah petitions for mercy, Edmund Fleetwood is appointed to investigate and consider whether justice has been done. Idealistic, but struggling with his own demons, Edmund is determined to seek out the truth. Yet Sarah refuses to help him, neither lying nor adding anything to the evidence gathered in court. Edmund knows she's hiding something, but needs to discover just why she's maintaining her silence. For how can it be that someone would willingly go to their own death?

August 2016

Curious Minds is by Janet Evanovich and screenwriter Phoef Sutton They couldn't be less compatible, but they make a great team...Emerson Knight is introverted, eccentric, and has little-to-no sense of social etiquette. Good thing he's also brilliant, rich and (some people might say) handsome. Riley Moon has just graduated from Harvard. Her assertive (some people might say aggressive) spitfire attitude has helped land a dream job at Blane-Grunwald bank. At least, Riley Moon thinks it's her dream job until she is given her first assignment: babysitting Emerson Knight. An inquiry about missing Knight money leads to a missing man, missing gold and a life-and-death race across the country. Through the streets of Washington D.C., and down into the underground vault of the Federal Reserve in New York City, an evil plan is exposed. A plan so sinister that only a megalomaniac could think it up, and only the unlikely duo of the irrepressibly charming Emerson Knight and the tenacious Riley Moon could hope to stop it...

Psychiatrist Dr. Evelyn Talbot thought she had experienced her darkest nightmare when she was targeted as a teenager by a killer, but she's about to find out that some nightmares return again and again... Dr. Evelyn Talbot has learnt to live with the fear. As a teenager she was targeted by her boyfriend, Jasper Moore, and survived days of torture. She escaped with her life, but Jasper disappeared before he could be caught. Now Evelyn Talbot lives in a world of psychopaths. As the pioneering head of the Hanover House institute in Alaska, she engages daily with killers who have no conscience, no remorse and an ever-increasing desire to murder her. Her only desire is to try and figure out why they do what they do and stop them. But when a mutilated body is found in her sleepy Alaskan town Evelyn is forced to question herself, her inmates and whether her darkest nightmare has come back to haunt her...  Her Darkest Nightmare is by Brenda Novak.

Dark Serpent is by Paul Doherty.  Summer 1311, and Sir Hugh Corbett has taken up a life of
danger again...After his recent unveiling of a devious assassin, Sir Hugh Corbett has returned to service as the Keeper of the Secret Seal, begrudgingly admitting that his appetite for adventure has once again been whetted. Summoned to meet the King to be congratulated on their work together, Corbett and Ranulf learn of the death of Corbett's close friend, Ralph Grandison. Ralph, a leper, has been found dead in a rowing boat, a dagger thrust through his chest. But this murder is not the first of its kind. Other patients of the hospital in which Ralph was staying have similarly slaughtered and it seems as though the lepers, all former knights of the Royal household, are being targeted. The discovery that Ralph was killed by no ordinary weapon, but a poison dagger that once belonged with the Crown Jewels before being famously stolen, leads Corbett down a complex path, where the risk of disease plays out against the backdrop of finding an assassin who will use any means necessary to kill. As Corbett puts himself in the path of extreme danger, will he survive to see another day?


September 2016

A very egalitarian killer. The nun is dead, her body lies on the mayor's lawn. And it isn't alone. There are four of them altogether. They've been killed at different times, in different places, and dumped there. There should be five - but the boy is missing. One second he was there...Jonah Quill, blind since birth, sits in a car driven by a killer and wonders where they are going. Though he is blind, Jonah sees more than most people do. It is his secret, and he is counting on that to save his life. Then gone. Detective Kathy Mallory is counting on herself to save his life. It takes her a while to realise that the missing-person case she is pursuing is so intimately connected to the massacre on the mayor's lawn. But there's something about the boy she is searching for that reminds her of herself, all those years ago. She will find him - she just hopes it will be in time.  Blind Sight is by Carol O’Connell.

Murder on the Serpentine is by Anne Perry.  Pitt is on a secret mission for the Queen, maybe his last...London, 1899: Head of Special Branch Commander Thomas Pitt is summoned to Buckingham Palace. In the twilight of her years, Queen Victoria is all too aware that the Prince of Wales will soon inherit her empire and must be beyond reproach. She tells Pitt she tasked her close friend and confidante, John Halberd, with investigating the Prince's friends, specifically Alan Kendrick, a wealthy playboy and betting man, but before he could report back, Halberd was found dead in a rowing boat on the Serpentine. The death has been ruled an unfortunate accident and the investigation closed, but the Queen is not convinced that all is as it seems and tasks Pitt with finding the truth. Forced to act alone in this most sensitive of investigations, Pitt finds himself embroiled in a plot that threatens not only the reputations of men, but also the safety and reputation of the Empire...

A return to Atlantis The lost city has defined Nina Wilde's life. Her parents' obsession with Atlantis cost them their lives, but finding it brought Nina to her husband Eddie Chase and a series of archaeological treasures. A secret codex A decade later, the International Heritage Agency needs their help to locate the Secret Codex, an account of ancient Atlantean explorer Talonor's journeys, thought to be located in the dangerous underwater ruins of Atlantis. Unable to resist one more adventure, the couple join the mission. A king whose touch turns to gold But when a long-lost relative reappears in Nina's life, asking her to use the Codex to find a hidden cave containing the secret of King Midas, she is unprepared for the devastation that follows. The promise of unlimited gold has aroused the greed of powerful and ruthless forces...and only Nina and Eddie stand in their way.  The Midas Legacy is by Andy McDermott.

The Disciple is by Stephen Lloyd Jones. They are coming... On a storm-battered road at the edge of the Devil’s Kitchen, a woman survives a fatal accident and gives birth to a girl who should never have lived. The child’s protection lies in the hands of Edward Schwinn - a loner who must draw himself out of darkness to keep her safe - and her arrival will trigger a chain of terrifying events that no one can explain. She is a child like no other, being hunted by an evil beyond measure.  For if the potential within her is realised, nothing will be the same. Not for Edward. Not for any who live to see it.

October 2016

Betrayal is by Martina Cole.  Survival. It's all down to who you trust. Aiden O'Hara has been head of the family since he was kid, and he's going to keep it that way. Jade Dixon is the one who watches his back. Mother of his son. The one who makes him invincible. But Jade's been in the game a lot longer than Aiden. She knows no one's indestructible. And when you're at the top, that's when you've got to watch the hardest. Especially the ones closest to you ....

Christmas 1900. Victor Narraway, Thomas Pitt's former boss and his new wife Vespasia are
travelling by train from Jaffa to Jerusalem. Although enjoying their time together and the interesting people they meet, Vespasia soon becomes concerned that someone is watching their every move. When one of their new acquaintances is found murdered, the only clue is a mysterious piece of parchment written in a foreign tongue, and a message imploring Narraway to continue the stranger's quest. Sensing its importance, Narraway and Vespasia decide to fulfil their dead friend's wish. Continuing to Jerusalem with the parchment in hand, they quickly find themselves embroiled in danger. With Vespasia's fears suddenly realised and a watcher on their trail, will Narraway and Vespasia's fates follow that of their friend or can they make it to Jerusalem unscathed?  A Christmas Message is by Anne Perry.

Fireraiser is by Torkil Damhaug.  A man obsessed with the cleansing power of fire is destroying everything that reminds him of his youth. He calls himself the Fire Man. That same Easter, a teenager is threatened by his girlfriend's tradition-bound family. Karsten's attempts to protect himself put him and his sister Synne at even greater risk. Then he disappears all together. Eight years later, Synne is determined to find out what happened that night. But her investigation will ignite smouldering and dangerous memories. And the Fire Man is still there, waiting, and watching her search for the truth at every step…
  
November 2016

The Smoke Hunter is by Jacquelyn Benson. Chasing a threat born in smoke...London, 1898. Archivist Eleanora Mallory discovers a map to a legendary city. But is it the key to unravelling an ancient mystery or a clever hoax? Compelled to find out, Ellie journeys to Central America - with a merciless enemy hot on her heels. In a race to uncover the map's secret first, Ellie is forced to partner with maverick archaeologist Adam Bates, a man she's not sure she can trust. Together, they venture into an uncharted wilderness alive with smoke and shadows, where an even greater danger awaits them. For what lies there whispering to be unearthed has the power to bring the world to its knees. Join Ellie and Adam as they battle rivers of scorpions, plummeting waterfalls and pre-historic death traps on the journey to uncovering a deadly secret that could shake the fate of the world.

Cincinnati's children are in grave danger, and time is running out to save them...When FBI Special Agent Griffin 'Decker' Davenport wakes from a coma, he immediately thinks of two things: first, the ring of human traffickers he's spent the past three years undercover to bring down was just the tip of the iceberg; second, the brown eyes he sees upon waking belong to a woman he trusts to help him finish the job he started. Special Agent Kate Coppola's mission is to stop the growing menace of domestic human trafficking, starting with the customers and suppliers of the now-broken Cincinnati trafficking ring. Decker's new revelation is her worst nightmare - one of the traffickers' customers is acquiring teens for the Internet sex trade. Knowing the lives of kids are at stake, Kate and Decker ignore the risk to themselves, but the instinct to protect each other is far harder to ignore with each day that they work together. The search for this mystery customer becomes more difficult and dangerous with every passing hour as witnesses, suspects, and even members of their own team, are systematically exterminated by a predator who lets nothing stand in his way.  Every Dark Corner is by Karen Rose.

Pendulum is by Adam Hamdy You wake. Confused. Disorientated. A noose is round your neck. You are bound, standing on a chair. All you can focus on is the man in the mask tightening the rope. You are about to die. John Wallace has no idea why he has been targeted. No idea who his attacker is. No idea how he will prevent the inevitable. Then the pendulum of fate swings in his favour. He has one chance to escape, find the truth and halt his destruction. The momentum is in his favour for now. But with a killer on his tail, everything can change with one swing of this deadly pendulum...Targeted for death. Then fate intervenes. You have one chance. Run.

Paris,1937. Luke Hamilton - a junior air intelligence officer at the British Embassy - finds himself the target of an assassination attempt. A clear case of mistaken identity, or so it first appears. As Luke is hunted across a continent sliding towards war, he comes to learn that the answers lie deep in a past that predates his abandonment as a baby on the steps of an orphanage twenty-five years ago. Where Dead Men Meet is by Mark Mills.

Invictus is by Simon Scarrow. It is AD 54. The soldiers of the Roman army patrol a growing Empire, from the Mediterranean to the North Sea, from the Atlantic to the banks of the Nile. Rome brutally enforces its rule, and its legions are the most efficient and aggressive fighting force in the world. Two battle-scarred veterans of this army, Prefect Cato and Centurion Macro, have survived years of campaigning in Britannia and have been recalled to Rome. Their time in the teeming, dangerously political city is short, and soon they are travelling with the Praetorian Guard to Spain, a restless colony where simmering tension in the face of Roman rule is aggravated by bitter rivalry amongst the natives. The challenges that face two old friends and their comrades in arms are unlike any they have seen before - in a land that declares itself unconquerable...

When a woman and her husband, desperate for a baby, find themselves unable to conceive, they decide to take further steps. Since it is the husband who is infertile, the heroine decides to use a donor. And all seems to be well. Three months pass and she is happily pregnant. But a shocking revelation occurs when she discovers that a man arrested for a series of brutal murders is her donor - the biological father of the child she is carrying. Delving deeper to uncover the truth, the heroine must face her worst fears, and confront a terrifying truth.  Most Wanted is by Lisa Scottoline.