Guilty Secrets with Martin Edwards

 Martin Edwards is an award-wining novelist and short-story writer. He is also a well-known editor of numerous anthologies. He is a former Chair of the Crime Writers Association and current President of the Detection Club. Aside for awards for his books, in 2011 he was awarded the CWA Red Herring Award in recognition of his services to the Association. In 2018 he was awarded the Dagger in the Library and in 2020 he was awarded the CWA Diamond Dagger. The most recent anthology he edited is the CWA Guilty Secrets.

Ayo:- Congratulations on editing Guilty Secrets which is of course the latest CWA Anthology. How many anthologies have you now edited and does it get any easier?

Martin:- I just counted, and this one is my sixtieth anthology. As with most things, experience does help, in that you get a better sense of which stories work together to form an appealing mix, and you feel a bit more confident about your selection judgments. 

Ayo:- Guilty Secrets is about folklore and mythology with the emphasis on the Supernatural, science and speculative fiction along with the mysterious. How did you decide on the theme?

Martin:- I like to devise anthologies of stories with fairly broad themes that can be interpreted creatively and perhaps in unexpected ways. My general approach as an editor is to have a fairly light touch on the tiller, so that the contributors have the freedom to exercise the full range of their talents. I chose this particular theme because it seemed to me to offer lots of interesting possibilities.

Ayo:- You clearly like writing short stories as you have written so many, what made you want to write short stories?

Martin:- I love reading short stories and I love writing them. When I was about thirteen, I was given a CWA anthology as a Christmas present, and it fascinated me. At that point I’d never heard of the CWA, but I already knew I wanted to be a crime writer and I felt I’d love to join an organisation full of people who did what I yearned to do. Of course, I never dreamed that I’d become Chair of the CWA, or win CWA awards, or edit the CWA anthology for thirty years. So I’ve been very lucky. And a constant element during all that time has been my enthusiasm for writing short stories, partly inspired by that first CWA book. And there’s no doubt that some ideas work better in short stories than in novels. Also, you can take risks in a short story, and experiment in ways that would be difficult, perhaps impossible, in a full-length novel. Which I find very exciting. 

Ayo:- Can you remember the very first short story that you wrote and your feelings about it once you had written it

Martin:- Definitely. It was a story called ‘Are You Sitting Comfortably?’ and it won first prize in a Southport Writers’ Seminar competition. It felt absolutely thrilling, an unforgettable joy! The judge was the fiction editor of Bella and she published the story in the magazine. At that time, I hadn’t had a novel accepted, so it really was a breakthrough moment. What’s more, Robert Barnard was in the audience, and he recommended the story to the editor of Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine¸ with which I’ve had a long and happy association. This was a wonderful start to my career as a published author of crime fiction and despite my extreme inexperience at the time, I still feel that it was a good story and ‘different’ from the norm. And I still like to try to be inventive and not follow a predictable path with my writing. This approach possibly has its downsides in commercial terms, but I believe it has kept me fresh as a writer, and perhaps it is why I can honestly say that I take at least as much pleasure in my writing now as I have ever done.

Ayo:- Is there a theme you would like to put together for an anthology.

Martin:- For years, I’ve had the idea of editing a book of mysteries inspired by the music of Burt Bacharach, who for me is pop music’s equivalent to Agatha Christie (i.e. ground-breaking and subtly sophisticated, under-estimated by some, but loved by many more). And I’m pleased to say that What the World Needs Now will soon be published, and that proceeds will go to autism charities in the UK and US. A worthy project, in my opinion, and it’s a book I’m extremely proud of, with great stories by the likes of Mark Billingham, Charles Todd, Sarah Hilary, and Ragnar Jonasson. And a foreword by Rupert Holmes, ace crime writer and composer of ‘The Pina Colada Song’!

Ayo:- Since short stories are compact, every element must work hard to build a specific world do you find this difficult?

Martin:- Not really. Writing short stories seems to come fairly naturally to me. I love writing novels as well, but I find them harder work, simply because the scale is much larger.

Ayo:- Short stories force you to omit more than you include. Have you ever written a short story that you would like to expand to a novel.

Martin:- Not exactly, but when I created the character of Rachel Savernake, and had the idea of writing a very different kind of novel about her, I was conscious that she was a very unorthodox individual, not really like anyone else in the crime genre. So I wrote a short story about her, just to see how much I enjoyed writing the character. I never tried to get that story published, but I proved to my own satisfaction, at least, that she was a strong character who would sustain an intricate novel. This gave me the confidence to write Gallows Court and the next five (so far) Rachel Savernake novels. And I still love writing about her. 

Ayo:- Short stories often end on a lingering note rather than a neat resolution. How do you know when a story is truly finished? 

Martin:- I sometimes wonder if any good piece of writing is ever truly finished. You can always try to improve what you’ve written (or what someone else has written - I did have the temerity to write a new ending for Anthony Berkeley’s brilliant classic mystery The Poisoned Chocolates Case!). I am very, very committed to revision and making my work better. But realistically, you have to draw a line somewhere, with both novels and short stories, or you’d never publish anything. I must admit, though, that five minutes after I submit something to a publisher, I have an idea about how I could have improved what I’ve written! And it’s this quest for constant improvement that helps to keep me energised and enthused as a writer.

Ayo:- With all the short stories that you have written, do you have a favourite?

Martin:- There are quite a lot that I’m very fond of, including some that never attracted a great deal of attention, perhaps because the books they appeared in didn’t get much publicity. The stories that have won or been shortlisted for prizes, such as ‘Murder and its Motives’, ‘Acknowledgements’ and ‘The Bookbinder’s Apprentice’, are all stories I’m proud of, but there are others, such as ‘Squeaky’, ‘InDex’, ‘The Woman Who Never Was’, and perhaps especially ‘The Outsider’, that I think are just as good. And I’m pleased with my two recent reverse chronology stories, ‘Don’t Look Back’ and ‘The Scares’; the former just got a great review in Publisher’s Weekly and the latter is in Guilty Secrets.

Ayo:- Writing short stories is incredibly difficult would you rather write a short story or a novel?

Martin:- I love writing both, but of course short stories take less time, which is a point in their favour! I enjoy subverting readers’ expectations, and a good short story can do that – so can a good novel, of course. I suppose writing a novel that works really well is especially satisfying – in my case, books like The Crooked Shore or Hemlock Bay would, at least in my opinion, fall into that category, as would the novel I’m doing edits on right now, Fever Island.

Ayo:- What would you say to someone who is considering writing a short story but is hesitant.

Martin:- As with so many things in life, I think that one should ask oneself what one really wants to do, and be clear about that, before wondering how to go about doing it. If you really want to write a short story, then I’d say: definitely go for it, and the chances are, you’ll find the experience very rewarding, in artistic if not necessarily financial terms. If you’re not sure you really want to do it, perhaps find something else you feel really enthused about instead. For me, commitment is a very important thing for a writer. There’s nothing whatsoever wrong with being committed to writing a story that sells, either. But I think being committed to writing a story that has that precious element of difference and is not like lots of other stories is even more appealing.

Ayo:- When can we expect to read your next short story.

Martin:- What the World Needs Now is due out soon, and it includes my story ‘Who Gets The Guy?’, inspired by a rather lovely if little-known song by the great Dionne Warwick. It’s a tale about the music business in the 60s and I really enjoyed writing it.

Guilty Secrets: From the Crime Writers Association - Beyond and Within (Flame Tree Publishing) Out Now

Editor Martin Edwards has commissioned an entertaining range of stories from the membership of the world's most celebrated group of crime and mystery writers, the Crime Writers' Association (CWA). Founded over 70 years ago by John Creasey, the Crime Writers’ Association supports, promotes and celebrates this most durable, adaptable and successful of genres, while supporting writers of every kind of crime fiction and non-fiction. In this new collection, enjoy 23 original, thrilling mysteries packed full of enthralling characters, drama and intrigue, by the following authors: Martine Bailey, Christine Poulson, Dea Parkin, Martin Edwards, C.J. Carver, Kate Ellis, Shawn Reilly Simmons, Phil Lecomber, L.C. Tyler, Glenda Young, Antony Johnston, Simon Dinsdale, Renita D’Silva, Paul Gitsham, Yvonne Eve Walus, Brian Price, Pam Plumb, Nick Guthrie, Margaret Holbrook, Andy Sykes, Cath Staincliffe, Roland Moore and Rachel Amphlett.

The Flame Tree Beyond and Within short story collections bring together tales of myth and imagination by modern and contemporary writers, carefully selected by anthologists, and sometimes featuring short stories from a single author. Overall, the series presents a wide range of diverse and inclusive voices with myth, folkloric-inflected short fiction, and an emphasis on the supernatural, science fiction, the mysterious and the speculative.

Bloody Barnes - It's Murder on The Green

 Friday 6th February to Sunday 8th February 2026

Bloody Barnes is a brand-new crime writers' festival in London. From 6-8th February this year, southwest London will play host to a fabulous array of authors, including Mark Billingham, Sophie Hannah and Vaseem Khan. There is also the announcement of the inaugural Cob and Pen Award for the crime book of the year.

The Programme

Friday 6th February

18.00 to 19.00: Death is Scent Amanda Carr with Sarah McCartney.

Find out how fragrance has been used to kill and get to sniff some deadly ingredients!

20.00 – 21.00: The Talk is all of Murder! Mark Billingham and Graham Bartlett.

Award winning author, Mark Billingham, creator of iconic homicide detective Tom Thorne in discussion with fellow author and ex-homicide detective Graham Bartlett.

Saturday 7th Feb

10.00 to 11.00: Who poisoned Bad Boy Bob? Hilary Whitehall .

Bob is a handsome, very naughty dog living on Barnes Common. Everybody loves him. Or do they? Listen to Hilary’s story, solve the clues and help Hilary and police dog Zippy uncover the poisoner. For 5+ year olds.

12.00pm to 13.00pm. Criminal Minds Martin Edwards, Antony Johnston with Victoria Dowd.

Victoria in forensic examination of two of our most thrilling, multi-award-winning authors.

14.00 to 15.00: A Party to Murder Trevor Wood, Graham Bartlett, Bernard O’Keefe.

Get together with these doyens of detection. It will be killing!

16.00 – 17.00: Abracdabra -it’s murder! Tom Mead with Victoria Dowd

Join these wizards of the locked room mystery to find out how they dunnit!

18.00 19.00: Dying in Place Mark Ellis, Barbara Nadel, Vaseem Khan with Anne Mullins

Anne will find that from London to Istanbul to Mumbai its murder all the way with these incomparable writers

20.00 to 21.00 : There is nothing like a dame! Sophie Hannah & Victoria Dowd.

Two award winning writers on murder at its trickiest.

Sunday 8th Feb

10.00 to 11.00 Crime for the young Sophie Cleverley with Sam Blake

‘Girls - and boys - just wanna have fun’ - and that’s what they get solving crimes with these two brilliant writers for the young.

12.00 to 13.00: What lurks beneath Bernard O’Keefe.

Find out just how bloody Barnes can be with O’Keefe’s DI Garibaldi.

14.00 to 15.00 Right Royal Murder S.J. Bennet & Sam Blake with Tom Mead

Tom Mead in discussion with the kick ass queens of detection.

16.00 to 17.00: The Trial for Murder Nick Waring.

Nick reads Charles Dickens’ spine-chilling short story.

18.00 to 19.00 Murder Most Noir Johana Gustawsson & Thomas Enger with Harriett Gilbert

Feel the chill as Harriet Gilbert talks to the scions of Scandi murder

20.00 to 21.00 I Spy Frank Gardner with Vaseem Khan

It’s live and let die! with Gardner’s spy Luke Carlton and Vaseem’s first of the Q mysteries.

Tickets are on sale now and can be bought here.

Short Stories: a personal perspective - Martin Edwards

My first published fiction was a short story. ‘Are You Sitting Comfortably?’ won a competition at a seminar organised by a writers’ circle, and was duly published in a national magazine, and then in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine in the US. After that, there was no stopping me. Although my next published work was my debut novel, All the Lonely People, I’ve kept writing short stories, as well as editing anthologies of short crime fiction. I don’t keep count, but the tally at the moment is about seventy stories and forty collections, so you could certainly say that I’m as committed to the short form as I am to the novel.

Where did this love of the short story come from? It goes back a long way, that’s for sure. I can remember asking for, and being given as a Christmas present, a Crime Writers’ Association anthology when I was about thirteen. That book contained stories by great names of the genre such as John Dickson Carr and Edmund Crispin, and it fired my imagination. So did an anthology of ‘tales of terror’ edited by Crispin, which includes one of my all-time favourite short stories, the wonderfully haunting and enigmatic ‘Three Miles Up’ by Elizabeth Jane Howard.

Later, as I began to write fiction for publication, I found the short story liberating. You can do almost anything with it. ‘Are You Sitting Comfortably?’ was an unorthodox type of mystery, and from time to time I’ve tried further experiments with the form. So ‘An Index’ is a crime story which takes the form of a short extract from an index to a book. ‘Acknowledgments’, which won the inaugural CWA Margery Allingham Prize, is a skit on those sections in books where the author acknowledges help received. For an American anthology with a Sherlock Holmes theme, I wrote ‘The Observance of Trifles’, a story in the form of a blog post, and accompanying comments.

Even if you’re not in the mood to push the boundaries in structural terms, the short form offers endless possibilities of subject, theme, and mood. There are ideas which, to my mind, suit a short story but not a novel. One day I went for a test drive in a car. The chatter of the showroom salesman gave me the idea for a story, but it was clear from the outset that it would only make a short piece, rather than a novel. The result was ‘Test Drive’, which was shortlisted for the CWA Short Story Dagger. Occasionally, I read novels which seem to me to be just expanded short stories; an example I came across the other day is Miles Tripp’s A Man Without Friends, published in 1970, which contains a brilliant central idea connected with the vagaries of justice, but not quite enough (in my opinion, anyway) for a truly satisfactory full-length book. 

A particular setting often inspires me to write a short story. Typically, a trip on holiday or to a festival (in pre-pandemic days, of course!) might introduce me to an interesting location that I’d like to write about. Not knowing the place in depth, I wouldn’t want to produce a novel with that setting. Maintaining authenticity for, say, five thousand words is much easier than in a book of ninety thousand words. So I’ve written stories set in places as varied as Hartlepool (‘Lucky Liam’) and Hawaii (‘Catch of the Day’). Wandering the darkened streets of Venice one night, I lingered in front of a shop window and a rather macabre thought sprang to mind. The upshot was a story called ‘The Bookbinder’s Apprentice’, which won the CWA Short Story Dagger, and represented a real breakthrough in my crime writing career. And when I was hired to give a series of lectures about crime fiction to passengers on the Queen Mary 2, I read about the history of the ship while on board. This gave me the idea of writing a story set on the original Queen Mary: the eventual result was ‘The Locked Cabin’. 

‘The Locked Cabin’ wasn’t an easy story to write. I began with the idea of a crime taking place on the ship, but couldn’t figure out what to do with it. I left it for a while, and then started thinking about the possibility of writing a short ‘locked room mystery’. The two ideas coalesced, and I was able to start work on it in earnest.

Something of the same kind happened after I visited Bletchley Park. I had an idea for a story about war-time code breakers, but somehow it didn’t come to life, so again I left it to simmer. Months later, I visited Jersey to give some talks about writing. Whilst on the island, I visited Gorey on a lovely sunny day, and thought that I’d like to use the resort as a setting. I came up with a way of combining this backdrop with the code breaking story. The result was ‘The Sound of Secrecy’.

There’s something else you can do with a short story. You can treat it as a professional exercise. When I first dreamed up the idea for the novel that became Gallows Court, I was very taken with it. The concept involved an extremely ruthless and fabulously rich young woman called Rachel Savernake, who arrives in London in 1930, and becomes involved in a series of bizarre murder mysteries. My thinking was that I’d try something fresh as a novelist, writing a book very different from my other work: an attempt to ‘break out’, so to speak. It was bound to be a gamble, especially given that I didn’t know how the novel would develop. So I decided to write a short story featuring Rachel, to see if I enjoyed writing about her and if I felt I could ‘soak’ myself in this rather unusual character for a year or two. I wrote the story, and found that I loved writing about Rachel. This encouraged me to crack on with the novel. One thing led to another, and the Rachel books have become my most successful novels. I never tried to publish the short story – it was simple a trial run, a way of acclimatising myself to a new type of crime writing. But I have recently written a story which features Jacob Flint, another key character in the series, although Rachel does not appear.

As a reader, I love a short story that has something special about it. Preferably an ingredient that would be difficult or impossible to replicate in a novel. So my favourite short story is Shirley Jackson’s ‘The Lottery’. In the crime genre, you can’t go far wrong with the likes of the Jackson’s fellow American Fredric Brown or, in Britain, three authors who contributed to several of my anthologies: Ruth Rendell, Reginald Hill, and Peter Lovesey. Among contemporary writers, the American Art Taylor has won many awards and is a master of the form.

These days, we’re also frequently told that we live in an age of shortening attention spans. If that is true, then it’s one more good reason to relish short stories. They may not take long to read, but the best examples give lasting pleasure. 

And Then There Were More Edited by Martin Edwards (Flame Tree Publishing) Out 23 August 2025

A CWA anthology celebrating members' fiction from over the years, Then There Were More is a delightful compilation of stories from some of the best crime writers of the last century. The first CWA anthology, Butcher’s Dozen, appeared in 1956, and was co-edited by Julian Symons, Michael Gilbert, and Josephine Bell. The anthology has been edited by Martin Edwards since 1996, and has yielded many award-winning and nominated stories in the UK and overseas. Founded over 70 years ago by John Creasey, the Crime Writers’ Association supports, promotes and celebrates this most durable, adaptable and successful of genres, while supporting writers of every kind of crime fiction and non-fiction.  The full list of featured authors in this book is: Anne Perry, Christine Poulson, Andrew Taylor, Amy Myers, Judith Cutler, Gillian Linscott, Martin Edwards, Bernie Crosthwaite, Catherine Aird, Simon Brett, Yvonne Eve Walus, John Harvey, Kate Ellis, Zoe Sharp, Bill Knox, Cath Staincliffe, Liza Cody, Ann Cleeves, and Peter Lovesey.

More information about Martin Edwards can be found on his website. You can also find him on Facebook, at X @medwardsbooks and on Instagram @medwardsbooks. You can also sign up to his newsletter on his website. Information about the CWA can be found here and the Crime Readers can be found here.

Icon of Genre Announced for Final CrimeFest

 CrimeFest has announced an icon of the genre, Lee Child, will take part in its final convention in May 2025.

One of the UK’s leading crime fiction conventions, which is hosted in Bristol supported by title sponsor Specsavers, CrimeFest announced 2025 will be its final event after 16 years.

Organisers have said they are putting all their energy into making the final event one to remember.

The celebratory finale features a record number of Diamond Dagger recipients in attendance.

Alongside Lee, fellow Diamond Dagger recipients confirmed are Peter Lovesey, Simon Brett, Lindsey Davis, Martin Edwards, and John Harvey, as well as in spirit, John le Carré (with his two sons) and Dick Francis (as represented by his son, the crime writer Felix Francis). 

Le Carré’s sons are the film producer Simon Cornwell, who is behind adaptations of his father’s work, including The Night Manager for the BBC starring Tom Hiddleston and Olivia Colman; and Nick Harkaway who, to much acclaim, recently brought back his father’s famous literary creation, George Smiley, with his novel, Karla’s Choice.

John Harvey has written over 100 books, including his series of jazz-influenced Charlie Resnick novels. Harvey has a number of short stories due for publication this year, including his story Criss-Cross in Playing Dead, a new collection of stories written by members of the Detection Club, edited by Martin Edwards, and published in March. Also out in March is his new poetry collection, Blue in Green, published by Shoestring Press.

Also confirmed is the Icelandic author known as the Queen of Nordic thrillers, Yrsa Sigurdardottir, who is also a regular face at CrimeFest and will return to help celebrate CrimeFest’s sixteen years.

Also attending is the award-winning author Barbara Nadel, author of the much-loved Inspector Cetin Ikmen series, adapted for TV as The Turkish Detective starring Haluk Bilginer, which aired on BBC2 in June 2024. Trained as an actress, Barbara Nadel used to work in mental health services. She now writes full time and has been a visitor to Turkey for over twenty years. The latest in her Cetin Ikmen series, The Wooden Library, is out in May. She also has a new title in her Hakim and Arnold series, The East Ham Golem, out this February.

Adrian Muller, co-host of CrimeFest, said: “Lee Child, alongside American author Jeffery Deaver, has played a very special role in our history. Both were special guests at our very first CrimeFest, they were there for our fifth anniversary, and for our tenth anniversary. Jeffery has prior commitments; however, we’re working on him participating in CrimeFest remotely, and we're thrilled Lee will be there in person to help celebrate our final year.”

The Jack Reacher creator, whose books have been adapted to the big and small screen by Tom Cruise and for Amazon Prime, will attend with his brother and co-writer, Andrew, who has taken over writing the series. 

Lee Child said: "Sadly all good things come to an end - and Adrian Muller's Bristol CrimeFest is one of the very best things ever. It is a warm, friendly, relaxed, and inclusive festival, hugely enjoyable for authors and readers alike. Myles, Liz, Donna and Adrian, their team of volunteers - and Dame Mary from Specsavers - have my sincere thanks for many delightful weekends over the years."

Already announced for the long-weekend [15 – 18 May] at Bristol’s Mercure Grand Hotel is the author and CWA chair, Vaseem Khan, who will be Toastmaster at the CrimeFest Awards night. Vaseem is author of the Malabar House historical crime series set in Bombay. Upcoming is his continuation of the James Bond franchise with Quantum of Menace, the first in a series featuring Q.

2025 also welcomes the return of author Cathy Ace, who will close the Gala Dinner event. Cathy's Cait Morgan Mysteries have been optioned for TV by the production company, Free@Last TV, which is behind the hit series, Agatha Raisin.

CrimeFest was created following the hugely successful one-off visit to Bristol in 2006 of the American Left Coast Crime convention, and CrimeFest runs on the US model. The first CrimeFest was organised in June 2008. 

Unlike other major crime fiction events in the UK, any commercially published author who signs up can feature on a panel. In this way, CrimeFest has provided many authors with a platform they would not have been offered elsewhere in the UK. 

Donna Moore, author and co-host of CrimeFest, said: “We’re proud to be a unique and perhaps the most democratic crime fiction event in the UK. Readers have discovered and met writers they otherwise may never have heard of. All delegates – be they authors, readers, from the book trade, or aspiring writers – come together as equals to celebrate the genre they love. We very much appreciate the talent and ongoing support of much-loved regulars, along with first-time attendees.”

The convention also continues its Community Outreach Programme. In partnership with the independent Max Minerva’s Bookshop and participating publishers, CrimeFest gifts thousands of pounds of crime fiction books for children and young adults to school libraries.

With thanks to Specsavers, librarians, students, and those on benefits are offered significantly discounted tickets.

To find out more, or to book your spot as a delegate, go to: https://www.crimefest.com/

CrimeFest Awards Short Lists Announced

CrimeFest, one of Europe’s leading crime writing conventions, has announced the shortlists for its annual awards.

The awards began 16 years ago when CrimeFest launched in 2008; they honour the best crime books released in the UK in the last year, and feature the hotly-contended Specsavers Debut Crime Novel Award which offers a £1,000 cash prize.

Authors in contention for the £1k prize include the Times Radio presenter and former editor of the Times Literary Supplement, Stig Abell, for his fiction debut, Death Under a Little Sky. Jo Callaghan is nominated for her BBC Between the Covers Book Club pick, In the Blink of An Eye, a daring, original debut featuring an AI detective. Jo Callaghan works as a senior strategist researching the future impact of AI and geonomics. 

Also, up for the debut award are Megan Davis described by Waterstones as an ‘eclectic, cut throat new voice in thriller writing’ with The Messenger; Jenny Lund Madsen with her darkly funny Thirty Days of Darkness, the critically acclaimed historical crime debut Needless Alley by Natalie Marlow; and the pitch-black Death of a Bookseller, by Alice Slater.

Adrian Muller, Co-host of CrimeFest, said: “The Specsavers Debut Novel Award has become one of the most highly anticipated awards of the genre, and we’d like to thank Specsavers for their on-going support in celebrating new talent.”

The shortlist for the CrimeFest H.R.F. Keating Award for the best biographical or critical book includes explorations of icons of the genre including Steven Powell for Love Me Fierce in Danger: The Life of James Ellroy; Nicholas Shakespeare for Ian Fleming: The Complete Man, and Adam Sisman for The Secret Life of John Le Carré. 

CrimeFest’s Last Laugh Award for best humorous crime novel sees bestselling authors in contention, including Mark Billingham for The Last Laugh; Mick Herron with The Secret Hours; and Elly Griffiths for The Great Deceiver. They’re joined by authors Mike Ripley, Jesse Sutanto and Antti Tuomianen.

Nominated for the best crime fiction e-book published in 2023 for the E-Dunnit Award are Rachel Abbott’s Don't Look Away; Jane Casey for The Close; Marin Edwards’ Sepulchre Street; Christina Koning for Murder at Bletchley Park; Laura Lippman’s Prom Mom; and The Devil's Playground by Craig Russell.

This nominees for the CrimeFest Best Crime Novel for Young Adults (aged 12-16) include Jennifer Lynn Barnes for her TikTok sensation, The Brothers Hawthorne, which combines puzzles, plot twists, and romance. 

She’s up against the bestselling author Ravena Guron, the ‘trailblazing’ blockbuster Promise Boys by Nick Brooks; the international bestseller Karen M. McManus for One of Us is Back; and Elizabeth Wein’s 1937 murder mystery featuring solo female pilot Stella North, Stateless. 

Adrian Muller said: “We are proud to be one of the few genre awards that recognise and celebrate children, and young adult crime fiction. This category has really boomed in recent years. The top-selling female author of crime fiction in the UK last year was Holly Jackson, and we’re thrilled to host Holly and fellow author, Robin Stevens, at talks for state schools in Bristol this May. The genre is a fantastic gateway into reading.”

Robin Stevens is also shortlisted for the CrimeFest Award for Best Crime Novel for Children (ages 8-12) for The Ministry of Unladylike Activity 2: The Body in the Blitz, published by Puffin, which celebrates the 10th anniversary of the bestselling series that has sold 2 million copies in the UK to date. 

She’s up against a strong shortlist that includes J.T. Williams, Lis Jardine, Beth Lincoln, and the footballer Marcus Rashford for The Breakfast Club Adventures: The Ghoul in the School, co-written by Alex Falase-Koya.

Leading British crime fiction reviewers and reviewers of fiction for children and young adults, alongside the members of the School Library Association (SLA), form the CrimeFest judging panels.

The winners of the 2024 CrimeFest Awards will be announced at a gala dinner hosted during CrimeFest on Saturday 11 May at the Mercure Bristol Grand Hotel.

Hosted in Bristol, CrimeFest is the biggest crime fiction convention in the UK, and one of the most popular dates in the international crime fiction calendar, with circa 60 panel events and 150 authors attending over four days, from 9-12 May.

This year also features the CrimeFest Best Adapted TV Crime Drama Award, which celebrate dramas based on a book screened in 2023. 

Shortlisted shows include Amazon’s Reacher, based on books by Lee Child; the BBC’s Shetland, and ITV’s Vera, based on the books by Ann Cleeves; Apple TV’s Slow Horses, adapted from Mick Herron’s series; The Serial Killer’s Wife on Paramount by Alice Hunter; and Dalgliesh, based on the books by P.D. James.

The convention will feature a panel that pays homage to P.D. James with author Frances Fyfield, the Sunday Times chief fiction critic Peter Kemp, playwright and crime author, Simon Brett, and PD James’ granddaughter, Dr Beatrice Groves. 

Featured Guests for 2024 are author of the international hit Murdle - G.T. Karber - who will host a live Murdle event in a rare UK appearance; Diamond Dagger winners James Lee Burke and Lynda La Plante, the acclaimed American author Laura Lippman; and the seminal Scottish author, Denise Mina. 

The line up also features Ajay Chowdhury, Cathy Ace, Janice Hallett, Abir Mukherjee, Vaseem Khan, Holly Jackson, Kate Ellis, Ruth Dudley Edwards, and Martin Edwards.

CrimeFest was created following the hugely successful one-off visit to Bristol in 2006 of the American Left Coast Crime convention. Established in 2008, it follows the egalitarian format of most US conventions, making it open to all commercially published authors and readers alike.

All category winners will receive a Bristol Blue Glass commemorative award.

The 2024 CrimeFest Award Shortlists in full:

SPECSAVERS DEBUT CRIME NOVEL AWARD

In association with headline sponsor, the Specsavers Debut Crime Novel Award is for debut authors first published in the United Kingdom in 2023. The winning author receives a £1,000 prize. 

Death Under a Little Sky by Stig Abell (Hemlock Press/HarperCollins)

In The Blink Of An Eye  by Jo Callaghan (Simon & Schuster)

The Messenger by Megan Davis  (Zaffre)

Thirty Days of Darkness by Jenny Lund Madsen translated by Megan Turney (Orenda Books)

Needless Alley by Natalie Marlow (Baskerville)

Death of a Bookseller by Alice Slater  (Hodder & Stoughton)

H.R.F. KEATING AWARD

The H.R.F. Keating Award is for the best biographical or critical book related to crime fiction first published in the United Kingdom in 2023. The award is named after H.R.F. ‘Harry’ Keating, one of Britain’s most esteemed crime novelists, crime reviewers and writer of books about crime fiction.

Contemporary European Crime Fiction: Representing History and Politics by M, J, F & A Dall'Asta, Migozzi, Pagello & Pepper (Palgrave)

Ocular Proof and the Spectacled Detective in British Crime Fiction by Lisa Hopkins (Palgrave)

 How To Survive a Classic Crime Novel  by Kate Jackson (British Library Publishing)

Love Me Fierce In Danger: The Life of James Ellroy by Steven Powell (Bloomsbury Academic)

Ian Fleming: The Complete Man by Nicholas Shakespeare (Harvill Secker)

The Secret Life of John Le Carré by Adam Sisman (Profile Books)

LAST LAUGH AWARD

The Last Laugh Award is for the best humorous crime novel first published in the United Kingdom in 2023.

The Last Dance by Mark Billingham (Sphere)

The Great Deceiver by Elly Griffiths (Quercus)

The Secret Hours by Mick Herron  (Baskerville)

Mr Campion's Memory by Mike Ripley (Severn House)

Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Sutanto (HQ)

The Beaver Theory by Antti Tuomianen  (Orenda Books)

eDUNNIT AWARD 

For the best crime fiction ebook first published in both hardcopy and in electronic format in the United Kingdom in 2023.

Don't Look Away  by Rachel Abbott (Wildfire)

The Close by -Jane Casey (HarperCollins)

Sepulchre Street by Martin Edwards(Head of Zeus)

Murder at Bletchley Park by Christina Koning (Allison & Busby)

Prom Mom by Laura Lippman (Faber & Faber)

The Devil's Playground by Craig Russell (Constable)

BEST CRIME FICTION NOVEL FOR CHILDREN

This award is for the best crime novel for children (aged 8-12) first published in the United Kingdom in 2023.

Mysteries At Sea: Peril On The Atlantic by A.M. Howell  (Usborne Publishing)

The Detention Detectives by Lis Jardine  (Penguin Random House Children's UK)

The Swifts by Beth Lincoln (Penguin Random House Children's UK)

 The Breakfast Club Adventures: The Ghoul in the School by Marcus Rashford (with Alex Falase-Koya) (Macmillan Children's Books)

The Ministry of Unladylike Activity 2: The Body in the Blitz by Robin Stevens (Penguin Random House Children's UK)

The Lizzie and Belle Mysteries: Portraits and Poison by J.T. Williams (illustrated by Simone Douglas) (Farshore)

BEST CRIME FICTION NOVEL FOR YOUNG ADULTS

This award is for the best crime novel for young adults (aged 12-16) first published in the United Kingdom in 2023.

The Brothers Hawthorne by Jennifer Lynn Barnes  (Penguin Random House Children's UK)

Promise Boys by Nick Brooks (Macmillan Children's Books)

This Book Kills by Ravena Guron (Usborne Publishing)

Catch Your Death by Ravena Guron (Usborne Publishing)

One of Us is Back by Karen M. McManus (Penguin Random House Children's UK)

Stateless by Elizabeth Wein (Bloomsbury YA)

THALIA PROCTOR MEMORIAL AWARD FOR BEST ADAPTED TV CRIME DRAMA

This award is for the best television crime drama based on a book, and first screened in the UK in 2023. 

Dalgliesh (series 2), based on the Inspector Dalgliesh books by P.D. James (Channel 5)

Reacher (series 2), based on the Jack Reacher books by Lee Child (Amazon Prime)

Shetland (series 8), based on the Shetland books by Ann Cleeves (BBC)

Slow Horses (series 3), based on the Slough House books by Mick Herron (Apple)

The Serial Killer's Wife, based on the Serial Killer books by Alice Hunter (Paramount+)

Vera (series 12), based on the Vera Stanhope books by Ann Cleeves (ITV)

 

Programme for Bodies From the Library 2024

 

The programme for the conference has now been finalised and they are delighted to confirm the speakers and topics. 

9:30 Doors Open and Registration

9:55 Welcome

10.00 Simon and Lucy Brett: Lord Peter Wimsey on Radio 4

10.30 Martin Edwards and Christine Poulson discuss ‘John Bude and the British Library Crime Classics’

11.00 Mark Aldridge: Agatha Christie’s Marple: Expert on Wickedness  

11.30 COFFEE

12.00 Tony Medawar: The Man Who Lost His Head: The Life and Works of Edmund Crispin

12.30 Dolores Gordon-Smith and Jake Kerridge: True Crime influences on the Golden Age

1.00 – 2.00 LUNCH

2.00 Ronaldo Fagarazzi: BBC’s ‘Detective’: 1960s Golden Age TV Adaptations

2.45 Moira Redmond: Fancy Dressed to Kill: The Costume Party in the Golden Age

3.15 John Curran: Golden Age College Crimes

3.45 COFFEE

4.15 Jim Noy: Enid Blyton, Detective Novelist

4.45 Ask the Experts

The organisers reserve the right to amend the programme if necessary.

Tickets can be bought here.

CrimeFest Announce 2024 Featured Guests

 

 

Laura Lippman and Denise Mina have been announced as the Featured Guests at one of Europe’s biggest crime fiction conventions in the spring.

CrimeFest, sponsored by Specsavers, is hosted from 9 to 12 May 2024 at the Mercure Bristol Grand Hotel. The biggest event of its kind in the UK, up to 150 authors will descend on Bristol appearing in over 50 panels. It attracts regular delegates from as far as Australia, the Far East, Canada, the United States and mainland Europe.

The Scottish novelist Denise Mina won the CWA John Creasy Dagger for Best First Crime Novel for her debut, Garnethill, published in 1998. Now, she is a seminal and multi-award-winning author, known for her DI Alex Morrow books, as well as adapting Steig Larsson’s Millennium Trilogy as graphic novels. Denise has made several TV and radio documentaries, as well as frequent media appearances. She is also the first woman asked to write a new novel featuring Raymond Chandler’s Philip Marlow; the paperback of The Second Murderer is out April 24. Denise last headlined CrimeFest in 2013, alongside the late admired Scottish author, William McIllvanney.

The acclaimed American author Laura Lippman and former reporter on The Baltimore Sun is best known for her novels set in Baltimore featuring reporter turned investigator, Tess Monaghan. She is a two-time CrimeFest eDunnit Award winner for Wild Lake (2017) and Sunburn (2019) and has won the Agatha, Anthony, and Edgar awards. Her novel, Every Secret Thing, was adapted into a 2014 film, starring Diane Lane, and Lady in the Lake was adapted into a series for Apple.

As a convention, CrimeFest is open to all published authors and known for its inclusive approach. The event is run by Adrian Muller, co-host Donna Moore, and a small team of committed volunteers.

The convention began in 2008 and attracts readers, fans, editors, publishers, and reviewers, and features the annual CrimeFest Awards.

Director and co-founder of CrimeFest, Adrian Muller, said: “It’s a real honour to be welcoming Laura and Denise to CrimeFest next year. They are both remarkable writers who generate huge amounts of respect and acclaim, in the publishing industry and with readers alike. We can’t wait to welcome them to Bristol.”

Canadian mystery writer Cathy Ace will be the Gala Dinner’s 'Leader of Toasts', toasting the authors nominated for the 2024 CrimeFest awards. Cathy's Cait Morgan Mysteries have been optioned for TV by the production company, Free@LastTV, which is behind the hit series, Agatha Raisin.

The convention has also announced a homage to PD James, the creator of Adam Dalgliesh, known as the Queen of crime fiction. The Ghost of Honour panel will feature the award-winning crime writer and lawyer, Frances Fyfield, the Sunday Times chief fiction critic, Peter Kemp, and the author, playwright, and writer and producer for TV and radio, Simon Brett.

Other acclaimed authors confirmed include chair of the Crime Writers’ Association, Vaseem Khan, the author of two award-winning crime series set in India. It also welcomes the award-winning Janice Hallett, best known for her phenomenally successful debut thriller, The Appeal.

Bristol will see some of the genre’s most established names descend, including the author, critic, and historian Martin Edwards, who returns to host one of CrimeFest’s most popular panels: Authors Remembered.

The convention also welcomes some of the newest talent, such as Abigail Dean, whose first novel Girl A in 2021 took the book world by storm. Donna Moore will be moderating a panel showcasing debut authors. 

Specsavers is the long-running sponsor of the convention. Dame Mary Perkins, who founded the national and international chain of opticians in Bristol, said: “I am an avid reader and fan of the genre, and I always look forward to CrimeFest, which is so friendly it feels like all who go are welcomed as part of a big family, connected by a love of books and reading. We are proud sponsors of the convention.”

Donna Moore, co-founder of CrimeFest, said: “Generally, the crime writing community is a very friendly one, and CrimeFest has always been a down to earth, welcoming convention open to all. We continue to work hard at creating an inclusive energy.”

First introduced in 2022, CrimeFest's bursary for a crime fiction author of colour returns for a third year. The bursary covers the costs of a weekend pass to the convention, with a night’s accommodation and panel appearance. Previous recipients were Saima Mir and Elizabeth Chakrabarty.

The convention also continues its Community Outreach Programme. In partnership with the independent Max Minerva’s Bookshop and participating publishers, CrimeFest gifts thousands of pounds of crime fiction books for children and young adults to school libraries.

Also, with thanks to Specsavers, librarians, students, and those on benefits are offered significantly discounted tickets.

 

https://www.crimefest.com/