Forthcoming books from HarperCollins (Including Hemlock Press)

July 2026

Icarus 17 is by Charles Cumming. A new thriller set in the ingenious world of Box 88, the covert intelligence service operating without government oversight. A young couple on the run. Max Radinsky thought he was living the perfect life in Athens. But when his girlfriend, Yasmine, is forced to flee the city, Max joins her on a desperate journey across Greece. What begins as an escape becomes a fight for survival as the young couple become the targets of an international manhunt. Untrained and living off their wits, they know their luck won’t last forever… The spy hunting them down. Lachlan Kite, head of covert intelligence service BOX 88, hasn’t seen his former lover, Martha Raine, for more than twenty years. But when Martha begs his help in finding her missing son, Kite has no choice but to act. What they uncover is worse than either could have imagined. Yasmine is carrying a secret which could destabilise the Middle East for a generation – and a team of merciless Israeli intelligence agents have been given orders to kill her on sight. To save Max – and stop a global crisis – Kite and Martha must reach the young couple before their pursuers close in.

Art restorer and legendary spy Gabriel Allon searches for the missing wife of a British

billionaire in the electrifying new tale of greed, corruption, and betrayal. Alice Winter, one of Britain’s most dazzling socialites, seemingly has the perfect life – a lavish home in posh Knightsbridge, a grand estate in Devon, millions of followers on social media who eagerly await her next post. But when she disappears without a trace while on holiday with three old friends from Cambridge, her desperate husband, the real estate baron Edward Knight, turns to none other than Gabriel Allon to find her. He soon discovers that Alice Winter is not the woman she appears to be, that she has a reckless side, that she has secrets. But Edward Knight has a secret too, a secret so dangerous that Gabriel will have no choice but to return to the life he thought he had left behind. An old enemy lurks there, waiting for him to make one misstep, waiting for the perfect moment to exact vengeance. From its irresistible opening chapters to its heart-pounding climax and shocking final twist, Ransom is by Daniel Silva and is a riveting, page-turning tour de force that proves yet again why Daniel Silva is the reigning master of international intrigue and suspense.

A scorching summer. Down in the seaside town of Teignmouth, ex-Met detective Eden Driscoll grows restless after a long summer caring for his nine-year-old nephew. A desperate plea. When a man knocks at Eden’s door desperate for help, claiming someone is trying to kill him, Eden jumps at the chance to solve a mystery. But before he can ask more questions, the stranger disappears. A deadly fire. The cry for help came too late – that same night a house along the coast is burnt to the ground, and a man’s remains are discovered among the rubble. In the days after, Eden’s curiosity only grows. He soon finds himself investigating, and begins to uncover a web of deception, jealousy and corruption. The Burning Tide is by William Shaw.

The Saffron Thief is by T L Mogford. In 1666, England's saffron

industry is booming, with the spice fetching a staggering £4 per pound—rivalling gold. Fabian Smith, the sensible second son of a Holborn poulterer, has sacrificed his dreams of adventure for family duty. But when the Great Fire claims his father and his reckless brother plunges them into debt with a ruthless conman, their home—and freedom—hang in the balance. Desperate to save his family, Fabian hatches a daring plan: steal the fortune they need. His target? The wealthiest saffron grower in Saffron Walden. Disguised and determined, he arrives just in time for the harvest, only to discover that the townsfolk are far more cunning than he expected. As danger closes in, Fabian must navigate treachery and his own heart, racing against time to save everything he holds dear.

Beware of the Trains is a collection of 16 short stories from Edmund Crispin featuring his beloved amateur detective, Gervase Fen. Crime fiction at its quirkiest and best. Who burglarised the train heading for Victoria Station, and whatever became of its conductor? Did the village idiot or Mrs Foley murder the mean-spirited Edgar Foley, or could the constable be responsible for the devious deed? Who on Earth will be able to untangle the affair of the disappearing car, the black necktie, and the abortive theft? Enter Gervase Fen, Oxford professor and sometime super-sleuth, an expert at solving cases that baffle even the most astute policemen. These sixteen short classics by a master of the modern detective story will test your crime solving abilities as well; Edmund Crispin has provided all the clues you need to detect the solution, using logic and common sense.

Fen Country is by Edmund Crispin. Dandelions and hearing aids, a bloodstained cat, a Leonardo drawing, a corpse with an alibi, a truly poisonous letter … These are just some of the unusual clues that Oxford don/detective Gervase Fen and his friend Inspector Humbleby are confronted with in this sparkling collection of short mystery stories by one of the great masters of detective fiction.

August 2026

A witty and sly thriller, as social-climber Diana Leyland aims to pick off another husband unless his daughter can thwart her scheme. “You know Diana Leyland… she climbed the ladder by marrying a man on each rung! I think she gets rid of them when she’s got what she needs. I think she poisons them… I wonder who’s next.” To lose one husband is unlucky. To lose two is careless. But three? Three must be murder… Diana Leyland has her sights set on a new target, David Farrand. His daughter Cat has other ideas… Claws Out is by Bella Mackie

September 2026

Gravity Let Me Go is by Trent Dalton. It's the story of a murder. It's the story of a marriage. It's

the story of a lifetime. It's the story of a murder. It's the story of a marriage. It's the story of a lifetime. Noah and Rita. Rita and Noah. They’ve survived a lot: marriage, money troubles, two children and a hurricane that should have killed them. But can their relationship survive Noah’s obsession with a cold case murder? Noah, a true crime journalist, has just published his first book – the subject for which landed in his lap when the as-yet-unidentified killer of a local woman left a clue addressed to him in his home mailbox. Everything should be coming up roses for him and his family – but the local police hate him, he’s having creepy hallucinations, someone just tried to run him over, his beloved wife Rita has been writing him cryptic messages in the steam on the bathroom mirror – and another apocalyptic storm is heading to Brisbane… As Noah hurtles headfirst into his own swirling storm of secrets, can he cling for dear life to the only story that really matters – his love story with Rita?

Murder at the Grand Alpine Hotel is by Lucy Foley. High in the Swiss Alps, with glorious

mountain views and exclusive access to powdery slopes, the Grand Alpine Hotel draws guests from far and wide. The notorious actress. The high-flying politician. The reserved political wife. The reckless friend. The shrewd doctor. But when a guest enters a gondola alive, only to be found dead at the top of the mountain, it’s clear there’s a killer in their midst. As dark histories simmer, and old grudges emerge like cracks in the ice, someone watches on from the shadows. An unassuming woman with an extraordinary mind: Miss Marple. She suspects everyone in the hotel, and she’s right to. For it isn’t just a question of who has a motive, but who’s next…

October 2026

Roger Ackroyd, Betty Barnard, Amyas Crale, Linnet Doyle… Agatha Christie's most famous victims are celebrated in this illustrated alphabet, parodying some of her most fiendish murders in this perfect gift book for Christie fans. ‘In the midst of tragedy we start the comedy.’ Agatha Christie, The ABC Murders. Agatha Christie was crowned ‘Queen of Crime’ by book reviewers when her sensational The Murder of Roger Ackroyd exploded onto bookshelves exactly 100 years ago. She published new books every year for half a century and became the world’s bestselling novelist, creating more than 2,000 characters – and killing more than 250 of them. Poisoned, stabbed, electrocuted, shot, strangled, bludgeoned, injected, pushed off heights, drowned, smothered, incinerated, trampled to death … a litany of carnage lurks beneath the surface of Agatha’s books, and yet many of her fans still insist on calling them ‘cozy’. Tom Racine’s The A B C of Murder wholesome existence as an illustrator, video producer and voice artist took a dark twist when he was commissioned to design and write two ABC books in the style of Edward Gorey about death in Tolkien and Shakespeare. But, as he soon discovered, those two paled in comparison to the Queen of Crime in the gentle art of infamy…

Exhumation is by Nicholas Binge. Arlo's having troubl e sleeping. Private Investigator Arlo Abbas wakes up to discover £10,000 suspiciously deposited into his account. Except he’s not been approached with a case and he doesn’t know the sender. Then, he finds a scrap of paper stuffed through his mailbox. Find Sophie Banik. His investigation leads him to a mysterious cult and the grave of a murdered girl. But there is no body buried there. Instead, Arlo unearths a coffin full of journals belonging to Liz, a girl who claims to have been underground for sixty-three days and to no longer sleep. Each answer seems to bring new questions: Who is Liz? Can she be telling the truth? What happened to Sophie? And who hired him? Arlo begins to wonder if he even wants to solve this case, but he doesn't have a choice – it’s been keeping him up at night.

You Are Mine is by Alex Lake. Mary Jordan is walking along the street when she spots a sign. If you are reading this, I am watching you. You are now part of my collection. You will be mine, and your life will never be the same again. Mary is horrified. Her skin crawls at the idea of being watched. She searches the buildings, looking for a face at a window. But only for a moment. There’s nothing to fear. It’s obviously just a harmless prank. She could not be more wrong…

November 2026

The Collateral Heart is by Jeffery Deaver. A terrible arson in Manhattan burns an old building to the ground. Amelia Sachs—criminalist Lincoln Rhyme’s wife and crime scene investigator extraordinaire–manages to save a victim from a fiery death. And in doing so she makes an eerie discovery. The arsonist has left a package of clues that might hint as to their motive and where they will strike next. As the perp prepares for another attack, and Rhyme and Sachs work feverishly to unravel the mystery, they cross paths with a detective from Long Island. Desdemona Vale is a sharp and unstoppable officer—balancing her fervent search for the killer of a young woman from her neighbourhood, with the arduous task of caring for her two young granddaughters. The searches for their respective villains lead Rhyme, Sachs and Vale improbably to another member of the cast: James Harper, a famed historian and the host of one of the most popular history podcasts in the country, a man who may, or may not, be able to shed light on the perp’s motive and identity. As always in a Jeffery Deaver novel, the multiple, interweaving plots race along nonstop adhering to the template of a one-sitting read; nothing is quite what it seems to be; and the novel features three surprise endings! More shockingly yet, as the layers of the plots are pulled back, Lincoln Rhyme learns to his dismay that he has a new nemesis—a worthy and terrifying successor to the Watchmaker. Can he stop the carnage in time? 

The Midwinter Martyr is by S J Parris. Venice, 1576. Giordano Bruno, heretic, philosopher and spy, is on the run from the Inquisition. He flees to Venice, but the beautiful city proves no safe haven. The killing of an aristocrat and the arrest of his wife and secretary for murder are causing unrest. When an anonymous letter, written in code, proclaims the woman’s innocence, the city’s chief of intelligence employs Bruno to find the writer.But the death is mired in a tangle of dangerous secrets, and Bruno soon learns there are some very powerful people who will stop at nothing to suppress the truth…

Old Peculiar Crime Writing Festival Launch

The full line-up for the 2024 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival, held 18-21 July at the Old Swan Hotel, has been revealed with Festival Chair Ruth Ware curating a ground-breaking programme that includes some of the biggest names in crime fiction.              

From cutting edge AI and technology’s impact on criminal investigation, to the complexities and capabilities of neurodivergent sleuths; from the shadowy world of spies and twisty whodunnits, to boundary-pushing psychological thrillers, there is plenty to surprise and thrill in this year’s programme.     

Programme highlights include an all-star lineup of acclaimed writers and global bestsellers including Mick Herron, Louise Candlish, M.W. Craven, James Comey, Lucy Foley, Femi Kayode, Saima Mir and many more. 

They'll join Special Guest headliners Chris Carter, Jane Casey, Elly Griffiths, Peter James, Erin Kelly, Vaseem Khan, Dorothy Koomson, Shari Lapena, Abir Mukherjee, Liz Nugent and Richard Osman in what promises to be an unforgettable celebration of the genre. 

Tickets for individual events are on general sale from 10am on Thursday 16 May. The full programme can be found here. It would be  a crime to miss it!

The British Book Awards shortlists 2023

 

The British Book Awards shortlists have been announced!

The complete shortlists can be found here. 

Crime and Thriller shortlist 

Bamburg by L J Ross

Murder Before Evensong by Reverend Richard Coles

The Bullet That Missed by Richard Osman

The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley

The Twyford Code by Janice Hallett

Wrong Place, Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister

Durham Book Festival - 13th - 16th October 2022

 

The Durham Book Festival programme has been announced.

The programme can be found here.

What will be of interest is that there are a number of events involving crime writers.

14^th October 2022 Gala Theatre – 5:30pm – 6:30pm

An Audience with Alexander McCall Smith

15^th October 2022 Gala Theatre – 1:00pm – 2:00pm

Murder and Mystery: Lucy Foley and Janice Hallett

15^th October 2022 Gala Theatre – 3:00pm – 4:00pm

LJ Ross: The Big Read

16^th October 2022 Gala Theatre Studio – 11:30am – 12:30pm

Baskerville Proof Party

The full festival programme and tickets will be available from Thursday 10^th September 2022, at durhambookfestival.com

SlaughterFest 2022

Slaughterfest the crime writing festival curated by internationally bestselling author Karin Slaughter is back! 

Longlist revealed for Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2021

 

Mark Billingham| Louise Candlish| Jane Casey | Steve Cavanagh |Will Dean| Eva Dolan| Lucy Foley| Elly Griffiths| Doug Johnstone| Rosamund Lupton| Val McDermid| Brian McGilloway| Abir Mukherjee| Liz Nugent| Ian Rankin| Susie Steiner| Chris Whitaker| Trevor Wood

Harrogate, 5 May 2021: Today, the longlist of the UK and Ireland’s most prestigious crime novel award is unveiled with literary legends and dynamic debuts in contention for the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year.

 Now in its 17th year, the most coveted prize in crime fiction, presented by Harrogate International Festivals celebrates crime writing at its best. This year’s longlist transports readers around the world from California to Sweden and Calcutta to a remote Irish island and explores every subgenre from Scandi noir to murderous families.

 The line-up of returning champions is led by crime fiction titan Ian Rankin, who has received a nod for his A Song for The Dark Times, Mark Billingham, hoping for a third win with his Cry Baby, and Steve Cavanagh looking to beat the competition with Fifty Fifty.

This year’s longlist recognises a number of authors who have previously never been listed by the prize. Hoping to claim the trophy on their first appearance are Lucy Foley with her No.1 Sunday Times Best Seller The Guest List, Chris Whitaker with We Begin at The End, Scottish author Doug Johnstone with The Big Chill and Liz Nugent with Our Little Cruelties, and Jane Casey with her latest Maeve Kerrigan instalment The Cutting Place.

 The longlist also features several previously nominated authors hoping to go one step further and clinch the trophy with Elly Griffiths securing her seventh pick for her much lauded The Lantern Men and Susie Steiner getting her third nod for Remain Silent and Brian McGilloway’s second nomination for The Last Crossing, and best-selling author Louise Candlish hoping to win on her second pick with The Other Passenger.

Joining these outstanding names is the undisputed ‘Queen of Crime’ herself, Val McDermid with her newest Karen Pirie novel Still Life. Celebrated in the industry for her impeccable ability to select emerging talent for the annual New Blood panel at Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival, McDermid find herself competing against many New Blood alumni including: Will Dean for his latest Scandi noir Black River; Eva Dolan for the newest instalment of her critically-acclaimed Zigic and Ferreira series, Abir Mukherjee’s new Calcutta and Assam-inspired Death in the East, and finally Trevor Wood – who has gone from the 2020 New Blood panel to longlisted for Crime’s biggest award.

The full longlist for the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2021 is:

 Cry Baby by Mark Billingham (Little, Brown Book Group, Sphere)

The Other Passenger by Louise Candlish (Simon & Schuster)

The Cutting Place by Jane Casey (HarperCollins, HarperFiction)

Fifty Fifty by Steve Cavanagh (The Orion Publishing Group, Orion Fiction)

Black River by Will Dean (Oneworld Publications, Point Blank)

Between Two Evils by Eva Dolan (Bloomsbury Publishing, Raven Books)

The Guest List by Lucy Foley (HarperCollins, HarperFiction)

The Lantern Men by Elly Griffiths (Quercus, Quercus Fiction)

The Big Chill by Doug Johnstone (Orenda Books)

Three Hours by Rosamund Lupton (Penguin Random House UK, Viking)

Still Life by Val McDermid (Little, Brown Book Group, Sphere)

The Last Crossing by Brian McGilloway (Little, Brown Book Group, Constable)

Death in the East by Abir Mukherjee (VINTAGE, Harvill Secker)

Our Little Cruelties by Liz Nugent (Penguin, Sandycove)

A Song For The Dark Times by Ian Rankin (Orion, Orion Fiction)

Remain Silent by Susie Steiner (HarperCollins Publishers, The Borough Press)

We Begin At The End by Chris Whitaker (Bonnier Books UK, Zaffre)

The Man on the Street by Trevor Wood (Quercus, Quercus Fiction)

Executive director of T&R Theakston, Simon Theakston, said: “The way the global obsession with the crime genre continues to grow year on year is simply astonishing and this year’s longlist proves the remarkable talent on offer in crime writing– from legends of the craft to eager-eyed newcomers. The shortlist is already too close to call so we encourage all to get voting! A hearty toast of Old Peculier to all longlisted authors for this coveted award – and we look forward to what we know will be a fiercely fought competition!”

Run by Harrogate International Festivals, the shortlist will be announced in June and the winner on 22 July, at the opening evening of the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival – with the public able to vote for the winner on harrogatetheakstoncrimeaward.com.

The award is run by Harrogate International Festivals sponsored by T&R Theakston Ltd, in partnership with WHSmith and the Express, and is open to full length crime novels published in paperback 1 May 2020 to 30 April 2021 by UK and Irish authors. 

The longlist was selected by an academy of crime writing authors, agents, editors, reviewers, members of the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival Programming Committee, and representatives from T&R Theakston Ltd, the Express, and WHSmith.

The public are now invited to vote for a shortlist of six titles on www.harrogatetheakstoncrimeaward.com, which will be announced in June. The winner will be revealed on the opening night of Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival, Thursday 22 July, and will receive £3,000, and a handmade, engraved beer barrel provided by Theakston Old Peculier.

The British Book Awards Crime and Thriller Shortlist

 

The British Book Awards shortlists have been announced.

The shortlist for the Crime and Thriller are as follows - 

Troubled Blood by Robert Galbraith 

The Sentinel by Lee Child and Andrew Child

The Patient Man by Joy Ellis

The Guest List by Lucy Foley

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

A Song for The Dark Times by Ian Rankin

All the other shortlists can be found here. Congratulations to all the nominated authors.

THE AMAZON PUBLISHING READERS' AWARDS 2020

 

This year we asked our Capital Crime Festival pass holders and our Book Club susbcribers to vote on their favourite crime and thriller books, TV shows and films from the past year.
The readers voted in droves, and we're pleased to announce the full list of winners below.

TV Show of the Year -
The Liar (Season Two)

Movie of the Year -
Knives Out

Audiobook of the Year -
The Guest List by Lucy Foley

E-BOOK of the Year -
Death in the East by Abir Mukherjee

Debut Book of the Year -
Eight Detectives by Alex Pavesi

Independent Voice Book of the Year -
Beast by Matt Wesolowski

Thriller Book of the Year -
Three Hours by Rosamund Lupton

Mystery Book of the Year -
The Mist bycRagnar Jónasson

Crime Book of the Year -
Without A Trace by Mari Hannah

Click on the winners to check them out!

Seraphina Nova Glass on The Top Three Well Placed Red Herrings in Crime Fiction

 

What’s a mystery without a red herring? The use of a great red herring leads the reader down multiple paths of uncertainty and is strategically necessary in a good thriller or mystery. Using them correctly is an art. The killer is never going to be the obvious bad guy making all the noise, right? We’re savvy readers these days, so if you have a character who makes too little noise and seems like the least likely culprit, that will automatically send up a red flag and make them highly suspect too, so it’s not an easy feat creating an engaging mystery with the magic number of red herrings . It’s a balance. The author needs to misdirect with the right amount of distraction and illusion that induces the reader to make false conclusions, but not bombard us with too many characters to care about and rabbit holes to climb down.

Each red herring has to serve a purpose, be carefully planned out and placed. They must add to the story while not being too obvious. The reader should never figure them out before the protagonist does. It’s not an easy undertaking, but here are three novels that make the red herring look easy. 

The Invitation by Rachel Abbott

Jemma and Matt are invited to Matt’s childhood friend, Lucas Jarrett's, home for a wedding that ends in tragedy. A body is found. One of the guests is dead. A year later, they are all invited back for what turns into a twisted game Lucas is forcing them all to play in order to uncover what really happened that fateful night and which one of them knows more than they’re letting on. 

This one got rave reviews for a reason. There are so many characters that you have red herrings galore and although sometimes it can be jarring to keep so many characters straight especially with multiple points of view, in addition to switching between first and third person, that structure actually makes it effortless. Don’t let the complexity deter you because it’s a very well-constructed plot with memorable characters you’ll find yourself thinking about after you put it down. 

The Sleeper By Emily Barr

Lara Finch is living a lie. She is bored in her marriage although to the outside world, her life is idyllic. When she talks her husband into agreeing she should take a job in London that requires her to take an overnight sleeper train each week, she feels guilty for enjoying being away. That guilt is short lived, however, when she meets a man on the train whom she begins an affair with. When she suddenly disappears from the train, her double life and dark secrets from the past begin to surface as the search for her ensues. 

I love a story that’s so well-crafted you never suspect the ending and so you keep turning the pages because you will not be satisfied until you know the truth. The structure of this book switches between two first person protagonists in an unusual way that really keeps the reader’s suspicions darting from character to character in search of the culprit. There aren’t an abundance of red herrings, but the ones that exist are so well placed you suspect everyone and no one all at the same time. 

The Guest List by Lucy Foley

On an island off the coast of Ireland, a high profile wedding is being held, and when the family and friends of the couple arrive, things get weird fast. The best man, the bridesmaid, the plus one, the wedding planner--everyone has a secret and yes, there’s a murder, but this dream wedding turns into a nightmare long before the dead body is found. Told in a past/present structure the question is, who is the victim and who is the killer? 

The author provides the perspectives of a wide host of diverse characters, from the bride, to the guests, to the host which keeps the list of suspects juicy because you are getting facts from all sides and trusting and suspecting everyone’s motives at some point. There are so many people to suspect, you’ll never guess the satisfying twist that awaits you at the end. Each characters past--their grief, losses, their simmering resentments and jealousies are skillfully revealed as the story moves toward it’s explosive ending, and the red herrings are so adeptly sprinkled in, that even though it’s a slow burn, you will gladly wait, and it will be worth it. 

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Someone's Listening by Seraphina Nova Glass (Published by Titan Books) Out Now

Faith Finley has it all: she's a talented psychologist with a flourishing career, a bestselling author and the host of a popular local radio program, Someone's Listening, with Dr. Faith Finley. She's married to the perfect man, Liam Finley, a respected food critic. Until the night everything goes horribly wrong, and Faith's life is shattered forever. Liam is missing-gone without a trace-and the police are suspicious of everything Faith says. They either think she has something to hide, or that she's lost her mind. And then the notes begin to arrive. Notes that are ripped from Faith's own book, the one that helps victims leave their abusers. Notes like "Lock your windows. Consider investing in a steel door." As the threats escalate, the mystery behind Liam's disappearance intensifies. And Faith's very life will depend on finding answers...

The Crime and Thriller Book of the Year - British Book Awards (Nibbies)

The short lists for the British Book Awards (Nibbies) have been announced.  The complete list can be found here.

The Crime and Thriller Book of the Year short list is made up of the following books.

My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite (Atlantic Books)

The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley (HarperCollins)

How The Dead Speaks by Val McDermid (Little Brown)

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides (Orion)

The Imposter by L J Ross (Dark Skies Publishing)

Blue Moon by Lee Child (Bantam Press)

The six authors on this shortlist range from huge crime brands which have been loved for decades, to début names. Last year saw the return of the classic murder mystery, while psychological thrillers continued to garner popularity. Indie publishers fared well in this category, using bold online and outdoor marketing strategies to build big names in this crowded genre.

Congratulations to all the nominees.

Golden Age of Crime Weekend' at the Essex Book Festival

Get your crime fix at this March at Essex Book Festival !

The annual Golden Age of Crime Weekend is back for another year as a part of Essex Book Festival, which is running from 28th and 29th of March. Crime lovers will enjoy a ‘Criminally Good Afternoon Tea’ with CL Taylor, sharpen their writing skills with crime-writer Samantha Lee Howe, and get a chance to listen in on the fascinating ‘Golden Age’ panel conversation with award-winning crime writers Frances Fyfield, Ruth Ware and Jared Cade. 

And that’s not all, on the 16th March Mark Ellis will be discussing his latest book Death in Mayfair, Barry Forshaw, the UK’s leading crime fiction expert will examine how female writers have energised the crime genre during his ‘Dorothy L Sayers Lecture’ on the 26th and last but certainly not least Sunday Times bestselling author Lucy Foley will be heading to Southend-on-Sea to discuss her book The Guest List!

For tickets and more information please visit: 

https://www.essexbookfestival.org.uk/events and https://essexbookfestival.org.uk/event/golden-age-of-crime-weekend-2020/

If you’re on social media and feel like tagging them you can find the on Twitter - @EssexBookFest, #essexbookfestival

Whodunnit? The Perfect Ending in Detective Fiction

Please join Cleanprose on 22 February for an afternoon of detection at Clean Prose, London's first co-working space for writers.  

How can a solution be satisfying, yet unexpected? A successful solution is essential but it’s as elusive as a master criminal.

Join a panel discussion with Lucy Foley (The Hunting Party), Andrew Wilson (A Talent for Murder) and Mia Emilie (The Watchers Trilogy), in discussion with J C Bernthal and Brittain Bright, to explore how crime and detective novels are constructed and what makes the perfect ending.

The panel will be followed by a cream tea with the authors, then attendees will have the opportunity to purchase books and have them signed.

Tickets are £25, now available on Eventbrite.

When: Saturday 22nd February 2020 from 14:00

Where: Clean Prose, 2 Charlotte Road, EC2A 3DH

Murder One Ireland's International Crime Writing Festival 1-3 November 2019

Friday 1st November

The Gutter Bookshop 10th Birthday Celebrations @ The Gutter Bookshop

Join Bob Johnston and the Murder One team to celebrate Bob’s 10 years in Temple Bar – an informal evening of chat with some criminally good speeches – rub shoulders with your writer friends and colleagues to celebrate with one of Dublin’s landmark independent bookshops!

The Gutter Bookshop  

Friday 1 November, 6.30pm | Free entry

Booking essential

Saturday 2nd November

Things that Go Bump in the Night: CJ Tudor & Stuart Turton in conversation

with Sinéad Crowley

If you loved The Chalk Man and The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, this is the event for you.  Taking crime fiction in new directions, two incredible authors discuss inspiration, outstanding debuts and spine tingling goings on with bestselling crime author, RTE’s Sinéad Crowley. C.J. Tudor’s debut novel, The Chalk Man, was published by Penguin in January 2018 and was a Sunday Times Bestseller. Her second novel, The Taking of Annie Thorne, was published in February 2019. Stuart Turton’s The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle won the Books Are My Bag Readers Award for Best Novel and the Costa First Novel Award 2018.

Smock Alley Main Space
Saturday 2 November
11.00am -12.00 pm | €12/€10

Destination Murder: Alex Barclay and Lucy Foley with WC Ryan

From a luxury inn on a remote west coast peninsula in Ireland, to a Scottish hunting lodge, these dark stories are told by two of crimes leading female voices. Chaired by WC Ryan, author of House of Ghosts, a man who knows a thing or two about dangerous, lonely places. Lucy Foley’s departure to the dark side is her fourth bestseller, and Alex Barclay, the first lady of Irish crime, brings us her first Irish set standalone in a gripping event that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Smock Alley Main Space
Saturday 2 November
12.30pm-1.30pm | €12/€10

Untold Stories: The Five. Hallie Rubenhold with Joseph O’Connor

Polly, Annie, Elizabeth, Catherine and Mary-Jane are famous for the same thing, though

they never met. They came from Fleet Street, Knightsbridge, Wolverhampton, Sweden and Wales. They wrote ballads, ran coffee houses, lived on country estates, they breathed ink-dust from printing presses and escaped people-traffickers. What they had in common was the year of their murders – 1888 – and their murderer, the man known as Jack the Ripper. Historian Hallie Rubenhold talks to Joseph O’Connor and sets the record straight, giving these women back their stories. Set just ten years previously, in his latest novel Shadowplay, O’Connor reveals the hidden stories of Bram Stoker’s life. Enter the dark world of Victorian London with two eminent authors.

Smock Alley Main Space
Saturday 2 November
2.00pm-3.00pm | €12/€10

Sam Blake’s Fresh Blood Meet three stunning debut authors: Holly Jackson, Catherine Kirwan and James Delargy

Three completely different stories, three completely different books but one passion. Find out how these authors got their break and what made the difference for them. How did they get their ideas and how long did it take to go from idea to bookshelf? From ingenious premise, to writing what you know, do good girls really get away with murder?

Smock Alley Main Space
Saturday 2 November                                                                               

3.30pm-4.30pm | €12/€10

Past Crimes: Jess Kidd, Henrietta McKervey and Paddy Hirsch with Declan Burke

From Things in Jars to Violet Hill, London’s only female detective, via Hudson’s Kill and the Irish gangs of New York, three novelists use the past as a backdrop to their page-turning adventures of deception, danger – and detection. Declan Burke, previously Dublin City of Literature’s Writer in Residence is an award winning author whose latest book is due soon from No Alibi’s Press.

Smock Alley Main Space
Saturday 2 November
5.00pm-6.00pm | €12/€10

Martina Cole in conversation with Breda Brown

Martina Cole’s first novel Dangerous Lady caused a sensation when it was published, and launched one of the bestselling fiction writers of her generation. Twenty-seven years later, Martina has gone on to have more No.1 original fiction bestsellers than any other author. She won the British Book Award for Crime Thriller of the Year with The Take, which then went on to be a hit TV series for Sky 1.  Her new novel No Mercy was published by Headline in October.

Smock Alley Main Space
Saturday 2 November
7.00pm-8.00pm | €12/€10

Sunday 3rd November

All About Agatha: John Curran and Andrew Wilson with Anna Carey

John Curran is one of the world’s leading experts on Agatha Christie and author of Agatha Christie’s Complete Secret Notebooks; Andrew Wilson brings her to life as the protagonist in his fiendishly plotted 1920’s mysteries – as AJ Finn put it, ‘Andrew Wilson’s Christie novels do Dame Agatha proud’. The latest, Death in a Desert Land takes Christie to 1928 Baghdad. Journalist and author Anna Carey discusses the living legend that is Agatha Christie, one of the world’s greatest crime writers with two authors whose lives she has influenced.

Smock Alley Main Space
Sunday 3 November
11.00am-12.00pm | €12/€10

Steve Cavanagh in Conversation with Andrea Carter

Multi award winning author of the phenomenal international bestseller Thirteen, Steve Cavanagh is back this year with Twisted. Barrister turned bestselling crime writer Andrea Carter discusses life, the law and stunning plot twists with one of Ireland’s most brilliant writers.

Smock Alley Main Space
Sunday 3 November
12.30pm-1.30pm | €12/€10

Watching the Detectives: John Banville, Jane Casey and Roz Watkins with

Brian Cliff

Creating brilliant detectives is never easy, especially when so many great writers have left their mark on history. Mutli award winning authors John Banville (Benjamin Black), Jane Casey and Roz Watkins reveal who their fictional favourites are and why, and how they make their own characters stand out.  Brian Cliff is an Assistant Professor of English at Trinity College, Dublin. His most recent book is Irish Crime Fiction (2018), and he has published essays on authors including Emma Donoghue, John Connolly, Tana French, Paul Muldoon, and Deirdre Madden.

Smock Alley Main Space
Sunday 3 November
2.00pm-3.00pm | €12/€10

Staring Death in the Eye: Unnatural Causes, Pathologist Dr Richard Shepherd in conversation with Paul Carson

As the UK’s leading forensic pathologist, Dr Richard Shepherd has faced serial killers, natural disaster, ‘perfect murders’and freak accidents, all in the pursuit of the truth. And while he’s been involved in some of the most high-profile cases of recent times, it’s often the less well-known encounters that prove the most perplexing, intriguing and even bizarre. In or out of the public eye, his evidence has put killers behind bars, freed the innocent and turned open-and-shut cases on their heads. In his bestselling memoir, Richard Shepherd gives a unique insight into a remarkable profession, and above all a powerful and reassuring testament to lives cut short. In conversation with international bestselling crime writer Dr Paul Carson, Shepherd will take you into his world where he stares death in the eye.

Smock Alley Main Space
Sunday 3 November
3.30pm-4.30pm | €12/€10

The Killer Pitch with Literary Agent Simon Trewin

Sam Blake chats to Simon Trewin about what catches an agent’s eye, famous hits and misses and his top ten tips for writing a killer pitch. Giving examples of pitches that worked, find out how to make your book irresistible to a literary agent.

Smock Alley Main Space
Sunday 3 November
5.00pm-6.00pm | €12/€10

CrimeHawks: Three Must-Reads Before You Die

Rick O’Shea quizzes bestselling authors Catherine Ryan Howard, Louise Phillips and Liz Nugent on the three books they each recommend as lifetime must reads, bring your notebooks!

Smock Alley Main Space
Sunday 3 November
6.30pm-7.30pm | €12/€10

More information and how to buy tickets can be found here.