Newcastle Noir 2021

 

The panels for Newcastle Noir have been announced. 

Panel 1 - 10.00 – 10.45 In the Line of Duty

Robert Scragg, Howard Linskey and Tariq Ashkanani

There’s something about a police procedural that takes the reader to the heart of the crime and up close and personal with those bringing law and order to dark, disturbed places. With three authors who set their investigations locally, nationally and a bit further afield, we kick off NN2021 by examining what makes a successful fictional detective and why we’re ever drawn to watching them uncover the truth.

Panel 2 - 11.15 – 12.00pm Murder She Wrote… and So Much More!

LJ Ross, Judith O’Reilly and Fiona Erskine

Creating protagonists that linger long after the last page is turned, capturing the essence of place, bringing us plots that keep us twisting and turning, but what if an author’s crime writing was not their first calling? These best-selling authors all had a life before thrilling us with their gloriously dark tales and this session will look at how these earlier experiences may have influenced the text and why crime fiction is now so important to them.

Panel 3 - 12.30 – 1.15pm From Whitley Bay to Blackwood Bay

Ann Cleeves and SJ Watson

The crime scene is an integral part of crime fiction and the impact of the evil committed there is even greater when it happens right on our doorstep. In this panel we’ll discuss writing home or away, creating fictional close-knit communities, and portraying ordinary lives turned upside down by unexpected, shocking events. Oh, and if we’ve time, we’ll ask these highly acclaimed authors what happens when your gripping page-turner of a novel becomes all-important viewing. Not to be missed!

Panel 4 - 1.45 – 2.30pm North by Northwest

Rob Parker and SE Moorhead

From across the Pennines, we bring you crime writing that packs more of a punch than Tyson Fury. An ex-soldier and ex-convict on one last mission for an old friend, a detective sergeant with the heart of a lion, and a neuropsychologist whose new technology might just catch a menacing serial killer. No, we’re not talking about the authors, but rather the protagonists they have created who are willing to risk everything to see justice served.

Panel 5 - 3.00 – 3.45pm Will We Ever Get Out of Here?

Chris McGeorge and DL Marshall

Edgar Allen Poe, Agatha Christie and Gaston Leroux first showed us the criminally delicious tension and intrigue that was to be found in the locked-room mystery. Fast forward 80 years and our authors on this panel will demonstrate the tremendous flexibility of this mystery subgenre. Nowadays the scene of the crime has grown to encompass actual areas, like houses or islands. The suspense lies in knowing that you may be next!

Panel 6 - 4.15 – 5.00pm Don’t Look Away!

Michael J Malone, Louise Beech and Sarah Sultoon

Writing stories that dare us to consider what we often prefer to ignore takes great skill and sensitivity. Given the overwhelming success of a similar panel at previous NN festivals, we wanted to explore further how fact informs fiction when treating such highly sensitive issues. To that end we have brought together three thought-provoking authors who are highly accomplished in bringing the reader face to face with the shocking and unthinkable.

Panel 7 - 5.30 – 6.15pm Something Wicked this Way Comes!

Matt Wesolowski and ES Thomson

What do a curious Victorian apothecary and an elusive contemporary podcaster have in common? With their darkly atmospheric and chilling tales, we’ll hear how these authors have written award-winning and critically acclaimed crime fiction with a grippingly Gothic touch. We’ll also consider how the creepy, the macabre and the sinister continue to fascinate and resonate down through the centuries. Not for the faint hearted, dare you join us?!

Panel 8 - 7.00 – 7.45pm Daring to be Different

Mari Hannah, Trevor Wood and Harriet Tyce

Crime fiction is often thought to be a highly predictable and formula-driven genre, yet our closing panel brings together authors whose writing has proved this is not always the case. Every so often a voice comes along daring to break the mould, offering us award-winning, critically acclaimed stories with a refreshing edge. Come celebrate Northern crime writing with us in the company of three authors who write with the courage of their convictions.

Tickets can be bought here.

Date:- 

Sunday 5^th December 2021

Time:-

10:00am – 20:00

Location:-

Newcastle City Library

33 New Bridge Street West

Newcastle upon Tyne

NE1 8AX

2015 Ned Kelly Award Winners

The 20th anniversary of The Ned Kelly Awards was celebrated in Melbourne at a star-studded gathering of past winners and international crime-writing guests of honour, including S.J. Watson whose thriller ‘Before I Go To Sleep’ became an international phenomenon both as a book and film.

Best Australian Crime Fiction – Eden by Candice Fox

Best First Fiction – Quota by Jock Serong

Best True Crime – This House of Grief – The Story of a Murder Trial by Helen Garner

The Ned Kelly Awards are Australia’s oldest and most prestigious prizes for crime fiction and true crime writing. First established in 1995, the list of previous winners includes, Peter Temple, Shane Maloney, Gabrielle Lord, Garry Disher and Kerry Greenwood.

The complete shortlist can be found here.

Chipping Norton Literary Festival (Chip Lit Fest) – 23 – 26 April 2015

As part of the Chipping Norton Literary Festival there is a mini “Crime Festival”.  For crime lovers, visitors to the festival will be treated to talks by M.C Beaton and international bestselling author S.J Watson, who will discuss his new novel, Second Life, and showcase a film version of his debut thriller, Before I Go To Sleep. (More info below)

There are also a number of other crime fiction events taking place and these are –

Lee Child in conversation with Mark Billingham

When - Saturday 25 April 2015

Time - 10:00 – 11:00

Where – The Theatre

Breaking Through - Mel Sherratt, Mark Edwards and C L Taylor

When – Saturday 25 April 2015

Time – 12:00 – 13:00

Where – Chipping Norton Town Hall

Find out from three bestselling novelists what it takes to become a published author.

Amanda Jennings - Creating Believable Characters

When - Saturday 25 April 2015

Time - 12:00 – 13:00

Where – Chipping Norton Town Hall

Workshop on creating believable characters with crime writer Amanda Jennings.

Nordic Noir - Sara Blaedel and Sander Jakobsen

When – Saturday 25 April 2015

Time – 14:00 – 15:00

Where – The Methodist Church

Three of Denmark’s most exciting writers, Sara Blaedel, Kenneth Degnbol and Dagmar Winther, discuss the phenomenon of Nodic Noir and the British appetite for it.

Village Crime – M C Beaton in conversation with Simon Brett

When – Sunday 26 April 2015

Time – 14:00 – 15:00

Where – The Theatre

Lloyd Shepherd - Researching Your Novel

When – Saturday 25 April 2015

Time – 16:00 – 17:00

Where – Chipping Norton Town Hall

Workshop on researching your novel with crime writer Amanda Jennings.

For booking information, please visit the festival website, www.chiplitfest.com  or call the box office on 01608 642350.  To receive regular festival updates, follow them on Twitter @ChipLitFest, ♯ChipLitFest find them on Facebook /ChipLitFest or sign up for the newsletter. 

Chipping Norton Literary Festival takes place from 23rd-26th April 2015 in partnership with The Theatre, Chipping Norton, and Jaffe & Neale Bookshop & Cafe.  

The festival is entirely run by volunteers, and is the only festival in the UK to work cooperatively with its speakers, splitting any profits equally between the authors involved in the event. In 2014 the festival received the Cultural Events and Tourism Award in the Oxfordshire Business Awards. 

A two-day creative writing workshop held at Hotel du Vin Harrogate, 20th & 21st September 2013

 

 

PLOTTING AND WRITING

CRIME FICTION 

Crime fiction is the most popular literary genre on the planet. The fascination with murder on the page has long been recognised by authors and critics, and has been demonstrated by the stratospheric sales of many crime novels.  But how do the successful crime novelists create plot, structure and pace? How do they create believable victims, perpetrators and investigators? How do they get in the head of a killer?

The Writers’ Academy from Random House are holding a creative writing workshop at the beautiful Hotel du Vin Harrogate (home to the famous Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival) to aid participants in the writing process.  Over the course of two days, Henry Sutton, crime author, Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing and Co-Director of UEA’s flagship MA in Prose Fiction, will draw on the past and the present, critics and authors, to teach the key skills needed to create gripping plots, convincing characters, sharp dialogue, startling settings, and suspense. From the police procedural to the psychological thriller, what’s always crucial is the writing – exactly how you tell the story.

Participants will be taught, through a series of examples and exercises, how to control the flow of information and develop pace, how to create cliff-hangers, how to structure their novel, how and where to break convention, when to deploy unreliable narration and devices to tease the reader, what research needs to be done and how, understanding the uses and abuses of violence, humour, and sympathy, and ways of avoiding cliché and being original.

The course is open to people who have made a start on their novel, or are about to. Henry Sutton will read a 1000 words of each participants’ work ahead of the course in order to familiarise himself with each participant’s writing style.  Up-to-date market information will also be highlighted, and advice given on the best next steps to publication.

Henry will be aided by guest tutor S J Watson, author of the bestselling thriller Before I Go to Sleep.  

Places on the course are limited to 14 and cost £375 each to include Hotel du Vin Bistro lunch and refreshments over the two days and a rewarding glass of wine!  Preferential rates at Hotel du Vin Harrogate are offered for the dates of the course alongside the purchase of a place.

For further information please contact

Chloë Johnson-Hill on 020 7840 8490 or cjohnson-hill@randomhouse.co.uk

Notes to Editors:

Event details:

Date:                     Friday 20^th and Saturday 21^st September 2013

Time:                     10am to 5pm daily

Venue:                 Hotel du Vin Harrogate

Tickets:                 £375 (limited to 14 places)

Website:              www.thewritersacademy.co.uk

Tel:                  020 7840 8490

My Criminal World by Henry Sutton is published by Harvill Secker, price £12.99. Henry Sutton is Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing at UEA and Co-Director of UEA’s flagship MA in Prose Fiction.

Before I Go To Sleep by S J Watson is published by Black Swan, price £7.99.  The book was the bestselling literary debut of 2012 and spent 10 weeks at number one.  It has been translated into over 30 languages and a film of the book, starring Nicole Kidman and Colin Firth and directed by Rowan Joffe, will be released in March 2014.  

Harvill Secker is an imprint of Vintage Publishing and Black Swan is an imprint of Transworld Publishers, both divisions of the Random House Group.

Harvill Secker and the Telegraph are currently running a competition to find an unpublished crime writing star. The winner will receive a book deal and a £5000 advance.   Deadline 30^th November.  Full details can be found at: www.telegraph.co.uk/crimecomp

CWA Dagger Awards and the Crime Thriller Awards

The Specsavers Crime Thriller Awards 2011 in conjunction with the CWA took place on Friday 7 October in the ballroom of the Grosvenor House Hotel along Park Lane. In attendance were a number of crime writers and shortlisted authors. These included authors David Baldacci, Mark Billingham, Lee Child, Peter James and Peter Robinson who were not only inducted into the International Hall of Fame but were also on the shortlist for the ITV3 People’s Bestseller Dagger which is voted on by the public. Once again the host for the evening was Marcus Brigstocke.

(Lee Child and Ayo Onatade ( © Pictures Ayo Onatade))

The first award that was given was the TV Dagger. The shortlist was made up of the following –

Case Histories (Ruby Films, BBC One)

Luther: Series 2 (BBC One)

The Shadow Line Company Pictures, BBC Two)

Vera (ITV Studios, ITV) and

Zen (Left Bank Pictures, BBC One).

The TV Dagger was awarded to Case Histories.

The first of the three CWA Daggers that was due to be given was the CWA John Creasey (New Blood Dagger). The nominated books were –

The Dead Women of Juarez by Sam Hawken (Serpent’s Tail)

Kiss Me Quick by Danny Miller (His blog post about writing the book can be found here) (Constable & Robinson)

Before I Go To Sleep by S J Watson (Doubleday)

The Dogs of Rome by Conor FitzGerald (Bloomsbury)

It was not really a surprise that the winner was S J Watson’s Before I go To Sleep. Since it has been published Before I Go To Sleep has been receiving rave reviews from both sides of the Atlantic amongst readers, reviewers and bloggers.

The second Specsavers Award to be given out was the Film Dagger. The shortlisted films were -

Brighton Rock (Optimum Releasing)

Source Code (Optimum Releasing)

True Grit (Paramount Pictures) and

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest (Momentum Pictures)

The film that in my opinion was the odd one out also ended up being the winner. This was of course True Grit!

The Killing started off what was a good evening for them by winning the Best Supporting Actress Dagger. The nominees were –

Amanda Abbington for Case Histories (Ruby Films, BBC One)

Ann Eleonara Jørgensen for The Killing (Arrow Films BBC4)

Tara Fitzgerald for Waking the Dead (BBC One)

Kelly Macdonald for Boardwalk Empire (HBO/Sky Atlantic)

And Ruth Wilson for Luther (BBC One)

The Best Supporting Actor Dagger nominees were –

Aidan Gillen for Thorne (Company Pictures, BBC Two)

Bjarne Henriksen for The Killing (Arrow Films, BBC 4)

Rafe Spall for The Shadow Line (Stagereel / Cité Amérique, Sky One)

John Lithgow for Dexter (Showtime Networks, FX Channel)

Søren Malling for The Killing (Arrow Films, BBC 4)

The winner was Rafe Spall for The Shadow Line.

The second CWA Dagger to be announced was the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger. The nominees were -

Cold Rain by Craig Smith (Myrmidon)

The Lock Artist by Steve Hamilton (Orion)

The Good Son by Michael Gruber (Corvus) His blog post for Shots can be found here, and

Before I go To Sleep by S J Watson (Doubleday)

The International TV Dagger award was also handed out and the nominations were -

The Killing (Arrow Films, BBC4)

Boardwalk Empire (HBO)

Castle (Beacon Pictures/Experimental Pictures/ ABC Studios)

Dexter: Season 5 (Showtime Networks, FX Channel)

Spiral: Series 3 (Son Et Lumiere)

The winner was The Killing

The Dagger for the Best Actor went to Idris Elba for Luther (BBC) and the other nominees were –

Steve Buscemi for Boardwalk Empire (HBO)

Jason Isaacs for Case Histories (Ruby Films/BBC)

Lars Mikkelsen for The Killing (NRK/SVT/Arrow Films) and

Rufus Sewell for Zen (Left Bank Pictures)

The Best Actress Dagger nominations were as follows –

Brenda Blethyn for Vera (ITV Studios)

Sofie Gråbøl for The Killing (NRK/SVT/Arrow Films)

Sue Johnston for Waking The Dead (BBC)

Maxine Peake for Silk (BBC)

Kelly Reilly for Above Suspicion (La Plante Productions/ITV)

Olivia Williams for Case Sensitive (Hat Trick Productions/ITV)

The winner was Sofie Gråbøl for The Killing. The Killing walked away with 3 Dagger Awards at the ceremony.

The final CWA Dagger Award that was given out was the CWA Gold Dagger and the nominees were –

Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin

Snowdrops by A D Miller

The End of the Wasp Season by Denise Mina and

The Lock Artist by Steve Hamilton

The Gold Dagger was won by Tom Franklin’s and his novel Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter.

(Mike Stotter and Peter Robinson ( © Pictures Ayo Onatade))

The final award was the ITV3 People’s Bestseller Dagger, which was of course voted upon by the public. The winner was Peter James, which of course did not surprise many of us in the room. So all of those people that voted for Peter James will surely be expecting their promised fish and chips on Brighton Pier which he promised to buy if he won the award.

The Award ceremony will be televised in the UK on Tuesday 11 October at 9pm on ITV3

New books to look forward to from Transworld

In the cathedral tower lives a strange boy with a limp who talks about bells. In a luxury penthouse lives a high class prostitute who is in mortal danger. And in a low-rent hotel lives a private investigator who has no idea how she got there. Jay Harper finds himself in Switzerland on the trail of a missing Olympic athlete. A hard drinker he is unsure why he accepted the job. But when he meets the stunning Katherine a high-class hooker he realises that he is not the only one for hire. In the meantime Marc Rochat spends his time in the belfry talking to the statutes, his cat and the occasional ghost. When he sees Katherine as he watches over Lausanne at night he believes that she is the angel that his mother told him that one day he will save, but not in a good way. The Watchers is by Jon Steele and is due to be published in June 2011.

Seven days. Three killings. And one woman who knows too much. Crime reporter Annika Bengtzon is woken by a phonecall in the early hours of a wintry morning. An explosion has ripped apart the Olympic Stadium. And a victim has been blown to pieces. As Annika delves into the details of the bombing and the background of the victim, there is a second explosion. These chilling crimes could be her biggest news story yet. When her police source reveals they are hot on the heels of the bomber, Annika is guaranteed an exclusive with her name on it. But she is uncovering too much, and soon finds herself the target of a deranged serial killer. The Bomber is by Liza Marklund and is due to be published in June 2011.

2010 CWA International Dagger Award winner Johan Theorin returns with his latest novel A Place of Blood. 81 year old Gerlof Davidsson has moved back to his summer cottage at the old quarry but his peace is soon disturbed when he discovers his wife's diaries and discovers secrets from the past that have never been told before. Per Morner also lives at the old quarry with his ill daughter but when his estranged father turns up suddenly asking for help Per is determined to find out who would want to kill his father. Along the way he makes some rather disturbing discoveries. A Place of Blood is due to be published in May 2011.

In Now You See Me Lacey Flint is a London Policewoman with a secret past and an unusual social life. She also has a morbid fascination about serial killers. One evening she finds a woman fatally stabbed beside her car and finds herself taken in for questioning. But when a letter is hand delivered it appears the killer's focus is in fact Lacey. She soon finds herself in the middle of a rather dangerous murder hunt with a smart but damaged Detective Inspector Tulloch and DI Mark Joesbury whose interest in her she is wary of. Will Lacey be able to cope with the limelight and will the team be able to track down a nasty serial killer. Now You See Me is by S J Bolton and is due to be published in May 2011.

It is AD65 and Sebastos Pantera spy to the Emperor Nero has undertaken his most dangerous mission. He must find Saulos who is considered to be the most dangerous person in the Roman Empire and bring him to justice. Saulos has only one thought in mind and that is to bring about the destruction of the Roman Empire. He is not bothered about the devastation and death that it will bring along the way. Standing between them is the huntress Ikshara who must decide which of the two men she will support if she is to avenge her father's death. Rome: The Coming of the King is by M C Scott and is due to be published in May 2011.

Detective Jo Birmingham returns in Between the Lies the second novel by Niamh O'Connor. Thinking that she is attending a routine domestic murder in an upscale part of Dublin Detective Jo Birminghamgets a shock when she recognises the murder victim. A sex tape had recently been delivered to Birmingham with the victim on the tape. However, there is also an anonymous note with the tape implicating her boss the Justice Minister as the unidentified male also on the tape. As she investigates the matter results point to the victim's husband but she can't ignore the letter and it looks as if the cover-up goes right to the top. Between the Lies is due for publication in April 2011.

Before I go to Sleep is the debut novel by S J Watson and it is due to be published in April 2011.

'As I sleep, my mind will erase everything that I did today. I will wake up tomorrow as I did this morning. Thinking I'm still a

child. Thinking I have a whole lifetime of choices ahead of me..' Memories define us. So what if you lost yours every time you went to sleep and the one person you trust may only be telling you half the story? Welcome to Christine's life. Before I go to Sleep has also been acquired for film by Ridley Scott's production company with filming scheduled to start in 2011.

Summertime is the fifth book in the series by Mari Jungstedt to feature Inspector Anders Knutas. The murder of a young jogger on the beach at Faro - executed with a single bullet to the back of the head is an opportunity for Anders Knuta's newly appointed deputy Jacobsson to prove her worth whilst her boss is away on holiday. But when a second body is discovered, murdered in the same way, Jacobsson's investigation point to a horrifying conclusion. Summertime is due to be published in April 2011.

Cal, married to a successful businessman has always been a bit of a dreamer and has never had to worry about anything until her teenage daughter gets into difficulty and she needs to get her hands on some cash fast. Zoe (the sister) on the other hand is a detective inspector with a good career but a secret that goes back twenty years and if revealed could destroy everything that she has built up. Two sisters bent on survival until one of them does something terrifying that there is no way back. Hanging Hill is by Mo Hayder and is due to be published in April 2011.

Thirteen years ago surgeon Edward Hammond performed a life saving operation on Serbian gangster Dragan Gazi. Gazi is now standing trial for

war crimes and his family want Hammond's help in exchange for keeping his secret. They want Hammond to find the man who

has the mone

y that has been salted away. But Marco Piravani does not want to be found by anyone especially not Hammond. Tracking him takes

Gazi to the Hague, Milan and on to Belgrade where

everything started. It is there were where he must confront his decisions he once took so easily. Blood Count is by Robert Goddard and is due to be published in March 2011.

Charles Webster i

s an improverished photographer working for the famed actor-manager Henry Irving at the Lyceum Theatre. He finds himself sucked into a shadowy demi-monde which exists beneath the surface of civilised society. It is a world of pornographers and prostitutes where Webster is unwittingly being manipulated by the sinister Marlow. The knowledge of this enterprise comes to the attention of Lyceum's upright theatre manager Bram Stoker who suspects Webster's involvement. As the net tightens around Marlow and his cohorts, a member of the aristocracy is accused of killing a child prostitute and public outrage sweeps the capital. It is not the best time for Webster's wife to become a professional medium. The London Satyr is due to be published in March 2011 and is by Robert Edric.

John Tanner is the wheelman, an undercover cop with an awesome driving ability. He earned his stripes racing stock cars through city streets and now he is the best in the business. But his legendary skills are about to be put to the ultimate test. Tanner must infiltrate the criminal under world of The Indian, the most feared gang leader in New Orleans - a man so terrifying that people claimed he has voodoo powers. But when a figure from his past appears, Tanner must face an even more deadly enemy. Driver is by Alex Sharp and is due to be published in February 2011.

In Safe Hands is by Abbie Taylor and is due to be published in February 2011. Nursing is everything to Dawn. Having lost her beloved grandmother to cancer, it breaks her heart to see a terminally ill patient suffering in the same way. So when an old lady begs Dawn to end her life, Dawns knows it is the kindest thing to do. What she does not realise is that someone in the

hospital is watching her. Someone who is intent on making her pay for what she has done. Wracked with guilt, dawn struggles to meet her tormentor's demands. But she is already way out of her depth. Things are about to take a very sinister turn.

Payback sees the return of Dennis Milne. A former cop, he's earned his living killing the bad guys - those who in his opinion deserve to die. For the last two days he has been in Manila waiting for his next target: a young woman who's made some bad life choices and enemies. DI Boyd is a woman on a mission. She is looking for the man she holds responsible for the death of her lover. She knows he is dangerous and he is in Manila. She is determined to find him and kill him before he kills her. These are two cops with pasts that haunt them and a present that could see them both dead. They are about to meet. Payback is by Simon Kernick and is due to be published in February 2011.

The Calling of the Grave is the latest book in the series to feature forensic anthropologist Dr David Hunter. Eight years ago a body was found buried on the moor. At the time it was certain that this was one of the victims of psychotic rapist and multiple murderer Jerome Monk. But that left two bodies to be found. The search ended badly with them gradually being forgotten and Monk is behind bars. However, Monk has managed to escape and seems to be targeting all those involved in the original investigation. Persuaded to go back to the moors, Hunter soon realises that neither the current events taking place nor the events that took place eight years ago are what they seem. The past is not really dead and buried. The Calling of the Grave is by Simon Beckett and is due to be published in February 2011.

The death of an unknown American in Stockholm, though tragic, should be an open-and-shut case, a simple. But when Superintendent Lars Martin Johansson begins to delve beneath the layers of corruption, incompetence and violence currently strangling the Stockholm police department, he

uncovers a complex web of treachery, politics and espionage. Johansson quickly realises that there is nothing routine about this little death as it quickly catapults him from mere domestic drama straight to the rotten heart of Sweden's government. Between Summer's Longing and Winter's End is by Leif G W Persson and is due to be published in February 2011.

First Frost is a prequel to the bestselling police procedural series by the late RD Wingfield. It is 1981 in Denton and Britain is in a recession, the IRA are becoming increasingly active and the country is on alert for an outbreak of rabies. Detective Sergeant Jack Frost is working under his mentor and inspiration DI Bert Williams whilst just about coping with his strained marriage. But when DI Williams cannot be found and DI Allen fails to return from his walking holiday, Superintendent Mullett whois trying to cope with depleted ranks finds himself putting DS Frost in charge when a 12 year-old girl goes missing. First Frost is by James Henry and will be published in January 2011.

Darkside is the second novel by CWA Gold Dagger winner by Belinda Bauer. Shipcott in bleak mid-winter: a close knit community where no stranger goes unnoticed. So when an elderly

woman is murdered in her bed, village policeman Jonas Holly is doubly shocked. How could someone have killed and left no trace. Jonas finds himself sidelined by an abrasive senior detective. But this is not the end for Jonas. Someone in the village is taunting him, blaming him for the tragedy, and watching every move that he makes. But when the killer claims another victim, the taunts turn into sinister threats. Darkside will be published in January 2011.

America in 1963 is a country at a crossroads: Vietnam, the civil rights movement, the Cuban missile crisis, the sexual revolution, FBI, CIA, LSD - and a promise of a change offered by a new president, John F Kennedy. Some people believe in the future. Other conspire to control it. Chandler Forrestal is a man whose life is changed for ever when he is unwittingly dragged into a CIA mind-control experiment. After being given a massive dose of LSD, Chandler develops a frightening array of mental powers. With his heightened perception he uncovers a plot to assassinate President Kennedy. Chased by the dark powers of world government, will Chandler be able to harness his 'shift' and rewrite history? Shift is by Tim Kring and Dale Peck and is due to be published in January 2011.