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