Thursday, 4 April 2024

April Books from Bookouture

The Nowhere Girls is by Dana Perry. My kid sister was murdered fifteen years ago. Now the killer has struck again. And this time, I’m going to take my revenge… On the anniversary of her sister’s death, FBI agent Nikki Cassidy takes a call that has her heart pounding in her chest, the image of her beautiful sister Caitlin etched in her mind. Another girl has been taken. Days later, the lifeless body of twelve-year-old Natalie Jarvis is found in a remote patch of woodland, a crown of roses delicately placed on her head. Just like Caitlin. The killer is back. Nikki rushes to her small hometown of Groveton, Ohio. She will do anything to stop another young girl dying, but she soon realises that nothing is what it seems—everyone in her hometown is keeping a secret. And when a note is discovered near Natalie’s body addressed to Nikki, it’s clear what the murderer really wants: her… She’s caught killers before, but this time it’s personal. And Nikki will risk everything—even her own life—to get justice for every victim. It’s time to stop this twisted killer, once and for all…

Ten days ago, straight-A student Jessica Stanley ran away from home. Now her lifeless body lies pale and still in an empty parking lot, her unblinking brown eyes staring up to the night sky… FBI agent Nikki Cassidy’s heart pounds as she takes in the short, dark hair and delicate features of fourteen-year-old schoolgirl Jessica Stanley. It’s another unsolved murder in Groveton, Ohio, just like her sister, Caitlin, fifteen years before. Her family beg her to keep her distance, but Nikki knows she can’t walk away. What if her sister’s killer is back? Talking to Jessica’s heartbroken family, Nikki learns that she wasn’t happy at home. Just days ago, she packed a few belongings into her school backpack and left, never to be seen alive again. Determined to give Jessica’s family the answers she never found for herself, Nikki works around the clock, trawling hours of CCTV footage from the scene. And just when she thinks she’s close to uncovering the truth, a chilling email arrives that confirms her deepest fear. There are more victims, Nikki. Can you ever stop me? This killer is playing a dangerous game, and he has Nikki in his sights now—one wrong move and she could be his next victim. She’s determined to unmask the monster who has tortured her hometown for decades. But what if the killer is someone close to her? What if it’s someone she loves?  The Last One to Die is by Dana Perry.

The Lost Ones is by Dana Perry. As dawn breaks over a small gas station on the outskirts of Groveton, Ohio, the body of a teenage girl lies totally still. Long blonde hair covers her face, and a length of frayed rope hangs loosely around her neck. It’s only a matter of time before someone finds her, just like her killer intended… When FBI agent Nikki Cassidy receives a call from Groveton’s Chief of Police, her heart pounds. A young girl just knocked on the door of Nikki’s old family home, claiming to be Nikki’s kid sister, Caitlin. But Caitlin was murdered fifteen years ago. Who is the girl and what does she want? Nikki thinks the impersonator could finally lead her to her sister’s twisted killer. But her hope is shattered when the girl’s lifeless body is found strangled at a local service stop. If the girl knew about Caitlin, could she have known the identity of the killer? Was she murdered before she could unmask them? Going against her boss’s orders to stay away, Nikki traces the girl’s last known steps to her best friend, Shirley. Nikki learns that the girl was last seen meeting with a stranger at the mall. Could it have been her killer? Closer than ever to uncovering the truth, Nikki can’t give up now. But when Shirley’s body is found at another service station, a length of rope wound around her neck, her heart shatters. Another young life has been lost. Nikki vows that this will be the last. When an intruder breaks into her old home, Nikki knows it’s the killer sending her a sign. As she walks into the familiar old house in the dead of night, will she finally get justice and catch her sister’s killer, or did she just walk into a deadly trap?

After I'm Gone is by Clare Boyd.A grieving family. A sister’s promise. A secret that will tear them apart… My husband Olly and I share a perfect life, our evenings spent curled in our candlelit flat talking about all the places we’ll travel. But my world is shattered with the news that my sister has died in a tragic accident, leaving her two girls Hayley and Mia behind. The secret I’ve buried deep in my heart means I was never meant to be a mother – but I made a promise to my sister. I’m all the girls have now. I give them everything – school on time in clean uniforms, our family’s favourite chocolate-laced chilli bubbling on the stove when they get home – but I never imagined being a mother would be this hard. Hayley and I used to be so close, but now she’s a ball of rage, screaming and lashing out wildly. Olly and I are reaching breaking point. Then I find a Polaroid picture hidden in one of the girl’s rooms: Hayley is lying about the night her mother died.  I need to find the truth – before anyone else does. Even if it means digging up the secrets that have held this family together for years. Even if it means revealing my own… But when I do, will there be anything left of this fragile family to save? 

The young girl trembles with fear as she stares at the gun pointed in her direction. She knows there’s no point in screaming. No one will hear her on the mountain. As thunder breaks overhead, she silently prays that someone will at least find her body so she can be returned to her parents. Detective Madison Harper’s heart aches when she attends a local support group for families of missing people in Lost Creek, Colorado. She wishes she could help them all, but one cold case in particular captures her attention. Five years ago, close friends Becky, Tasha and Stuart hiked the infamous Grave Mountain. But only Stuart returned. He claims they were separated by a storm, but the town has never believed him. Convinced Stuart is hiding something, Madison vows to find out what really happened. Just as Madison reopens the case, her blood runs cold when remains are discovered on the trail where the women were last seen. And when more bodies are discovered, Madison suspects she’s dealing with a serial killer who has used Grave Mountain as a dumping ground for years. How many more bodies are they about to unearth? Then, the case takes an agonizing turn when someone close to Madison is found brutally murdered. As she gets closer to cracking the case, a tip-off leads her back to the mountain, and she knows that if she’s going to catch the killer, she has to hike it alone. But as another storm closes in, Madison realizes she may have just walked into a trap that means she’ll never make it off the mountain alive… Grave Mountain is by Wendy Dranfield.

Bride and Groom is by Rona Halsall. Walking down the aisle in the packed church, sunlight glints off my ivory silk gown. This should be the happiest day of my life. But as I carefully lift my veil and greet my husband-to-be, my heart is pounding with fear. Does someone out there know what we’ve done? Ethan gently squeezes my hand as he slides the golden ring onto my finger. But I know we aren’t worthy of happiness. As I look down at my wedding ring, in a blistering flash, I suddenly remember another piece of that pitch-black, rainy night… but I try to focus on Ethan’s gorgeous blue eyes. I know exactly what he’s thinking. We can never tell. All our family, friends and loved ones smile as they watch Ethan and I promise to be together until death us do part. But only we know what that really means… Because we have already killed someone. My dear, sweet new husband isn’t quite all he seems… But then again, neither am I.

It feels like all the air has been knocked out of me. My best friend is dead, killed at her own daughter’s birthday party. All I want to do is run into my husband’s loving arms. But he’s in handcuffs, covered in her blood. His voice quivers, almost sobbing as officers put him in the police car. ‘You don’t think I did this, do you? I was trying to save her.’ At first, I’m sure he couldn’t have done it. The man I love wouldn’t hurt anyone. But as I try to prove that he didn’t murder Lucy, secrets begin unravelling… It starts with the messages between the two of them. Initially, they seem innocent enough. But the more I look, the more I become convinced they were having an affair. Then I find out about his divorce lawyer… Suddenly my whole life feels like a lie. If he was hiding his plan to leave me for Lucy, can I believe his protests that he is innocent? And if he really did murder his lover, what else is he capable of? My Perfect Marriage (AKA How Can I Trust You) is by A J Campbell.

A Body at The Dance Hall is by Marty Wingate. 1922. Amateur sleuth Mabel Canning is surrounded by the bright lights of London as she chaperones a young American woman to a dance. But when someone is murdered, a deadly tango begins… Meet plucky woman-about-town Mabel Canning, leader of the London Ladies’ Murder Club and trusted assistant to gentlewomen. When she is tasked with accompanying Roxy, a fun-loving heiress, on a glamorous night out, Mabel can’t wait to sip champagne and practice the foxtrot. But just as Roxy sashays out of sight, a mysterious man warns Mabel that the feisty young redhead is in danger. And someone is dead before the music stops... Roxy was the last person to see the victim alive, and she stumbles into Mabel’s arms with her daffodil-yellow dress splashed with blood. Determined to protect her ward, Mabel gathers her dashing beau Winstone and her pals from the murder club. Together they trace the weapon back to the ballroom, but when its twin goes missing, it is clear time is running out to prevent another murder on the dance floor… The police conclude the killer is in Roxy’s family, but Mabel finds herself spinning between a motley troupe of suspects. Mr Bryars, the anxious ballroom manager, is constantly tripping over himself to hide his secrets. But would he kill to protect his reputation? And young Ned Kettle may have looked dashing while waltzing around with Roxy, but he was once a notorious thief. Is the sticky-fingered rogue also a dab hand at murder? Just as Mabel and her murder club friends quickstep closer to the truth, Roxy is kidnapped, and Mabel comes cheek to cheek with the killer. Can she save poor Roxy and herself? Or has she danced her last dance?

My Husband's Affair is by Ruth Heald. We promised forever. But only one of us will leave this marriage alive… I thought I had the perfect marriage. But as our beautiful children sleep soundly in the next room, I stare at the messages between my husband Rob and another woman, their promises to run away together bringing tears to my eyes. My heart stops when I see the latest one: ‘Leave my wife to me. I’ll get rid of her.’ My blood runs cold. I know this woman. I’ve let her into my home, where she’s bounced my rosy-cheeked baby on her knee. She could ruin my life in moments – she knows things about me even Rob doesn’t… They think they can get rid of me so easily. They think they can just tear apart the perfect life we’ve built. But they've made a mistake underestimating me. He doesn't know I've uncovered his secrets. And now I know just enough to destroy him. I can play the perfect wife for just a little longer. I’ll do anything to protect my children and my life. And he has no idea just how far I’ll go…

Her body was found close to the university. She was on her way home after a night out. Just like in the story I wrote…  Every Monday, I meet my writing group in a warm, lively bar to drink a glass of wine or two. It’s the highlight of my week. But now something terrible is happening. At first, it didn’t seem like a big deal. My tires were slashed. A woman was hit by a car outside my apartment. Then, yesterday, someone was murdered. And all the details are copied from the stories we shared. Am I going mad, or is someone in my group a killer? I thought they were the only people I could trust, since what happened ten years ago. But now I’m terrified one of them knows the truth that lies buried in all my work—the secret I’ve tried so hard to hide. And they want to make me pay for it. I have to know who’s bringing my stories to life… but will the answer cost me everything?  The Writer is by Miranda Smith.

The Call is by Kerry Wilkinson. Your fiancĂ© calls. ‘A little girl needs help.’ Then they both disappear… Melody gazes across the rippling lake to the trees on the shore, waiting for her fiancĂ© Evan to arrive so their family holiday can begin. Here in this cabin in a small Canadian island town, there’s so much space for their son to play. It’s going to be perfect – just like the first time Melody visited as a child. But then a call from Evan shatters her world. ‘There’s someone in the road. I think it’s a little girl. She’s covered in mud. Or… is it blood?’ His voice becomes distant. ‘Are you OK? What’s your name?’ Then there’s a thud. Evan never arrives to the holiday cabin. Melody, and her son, are terrified and desperate for answers. But with miles of endless, empty forest, and no reports of a missing girl, what hope is there of finding Evan? The more questions Melody asks of the locals, the more she fears a terrible secret hides just out of sight. And the closer she gets to the truth, the more danger she is in…

The Anniversary is by Cole Baxter. I gaze across the candlelit table into the eyes of the man I love. It’s our anniversary dinner, a celebration of our marriage, of how far we’ve come. But within hours our romantic date has ended in murder… When I wake in a hospital bed, blinking under the blinding white lights, I hear someone saying there has been an accident. My heart misses a beat when I recognize my husband’s voice. He says I was driving the car. He says I’ve killed someone. I can’t breathe. I know I wasn’t the one behind the wheel. Tom was. The love of my life — the handsome, clever man I’ve been married to for five years — has betrayed me. But why? And on the anniversary of our wedding day… I need to uncover the secrets he’s been keeping. Before I lose my freedom — or my life…The Anniversary is by Cole Baxter. I gaze across the candlelit table into the eyes of the man I love. It’s our anniversary dinner, a celebration of our marriage, of how far we’ve come. But within hours our romantic date has ended in murder… When I wake in a hospital bed, blinking under the blinding white lights, I hear someone saying there has been an accident. My heart misses a beat when I recognize my husband’s voice. He says I was driving the car. He says I’ve killed someone. I can’t breathe. I know I wasn’t the one behind the wheel. Tom was. The love of my life — the handsome, clever man I’ve been married to for five years — has betrayed me. But why? And on the anniversary of our wedding day… I need to uncover the secrets he’s been keeping. Before I lose my freedom — or my life…

The harsh light streams into the living room. On the worn rug sits an out-of-place wooden drawer and swaddled inside, with rosy cheeks and large round eyes, a baby looks up at me. A shiver runs through me. It’s all I’ve ever wanted, but this baby is not mine. Rocking the small bundle in my arms, I’m reminded of a time when I’d pictured tiny booties in every version of my future. The day I was told I’d never have a baby, the ground fell from beneath me. Could this be my one chance to become a mother? As the sun sets, the baby begins to stir. His peaceful sleep disturbed by the sound of keys rattling against the front door. Frozen in panic, and with my heart pounding in my chest, I don’t have time to think before my husband, Miles, appears in the doorway. His face contorts in shock glimpsing the child cradled against my chest. I hear his questions, but I can’t answer them. The truth is, I really don’t know what happened. Did I steal the baby from a loving mother, or did I do it to protect him? And when dawn breaks, will I give him back? The Baby is by A J McDine.

His Last Wife is by Ruhi Choudhary. “Do not go in there, Anna. Never go in there.” The words ring in my head as I pick the lock to the only room in the house that the man I love tells me I’m not allowed to enter. Trembling as I step inside, I’m about to finally find out what happened to his last wife… Everyone thinks my life is bliss. The love of my life, Cary, and I live in our dream home and we have a beautiful little girl, Harper. I may not have given birth to her, but I’m her mommy now. But there’s one thing we never talk about… Cary’s wife before me, Presley, was perfect in every way. But she went missing a long time ago. Cary was distraught when he told me how she was abducted from her car, leaving behind a pool of blood. No one saw a thing. The neighbors are always gossiping about Presley. I try to ignore them, but one day I hear something that makes my stomach flip. Presley was abducted from her home. The home I now live in. Cary lied to me about the car. But why? As I search our beautiful home for answers, I stumble across Presley’s diary. My heart thunders in my chest as I discover the truth: Cary had something to do with his wife’s disappearance. And I’m terrified I might be next. But Cary doesn’t know that I have a secret too. He doesn’t know how far I’ve gone to get this perfect life, and how much further I’ll go to keep it…

The Honourable Cressida Fawcett is expecting the cathedral crypt to be full of dry old bones. But when she finds a body murdered just moments before, she’ll need divine inspiration to solve her most mysterious case yet… Winchester, 1925. When heiress and amateur sleuth Cressida Fawcett is invited to her aunt’s mansion on Cloister Close, she is looking forward to a quiet stay in the historic town. The views of the cathedral are heavenly – and her aunt’s maid, Nancy, makes devilishly good ginger biscuits! But it seems Cressy and her pug Ruby won’t be allowed to rest in peace… On a tour of the crypt, they are shocked to stumble across the body of Anthony, the gentle, devoted verger. And a wild-eyed Nancy is standing over him, bloodied candlestick in hand… Since Nancy was caught red-handed and the only other suspect is the Silent Friar, the legendary local ghost, Detective Andrews of Scotland Yard thinks the case is closed. But Nancy swears she would never have killed Anthony; they were in love. And while Cressy may not believe in ghosts, she does believe Nancy. So, whose soul is full of murder most foul? And will they strike again? As she digs through parishioner gossip, Cressy discovers that for a man of the cloth, the verger had a surprising number of enemies. Was a local antiques dealer driven to murder over an illegal trade in holy relics? Would the head bellringer kill to achieve his musical ambitions? Or is the saintly Dean, whose black-cloaked figure resembles the Silent Friar and whose wife recently drowned, hiding a deadly sin? The cathedral conceals many secrets, and it seems Cressy will need a miracle to uncover the truth. But then Cressy finds a hidden passageway to the crypt. Is this how the murderer escaped? The sceptical police lack faith in her theories, but can she catch the killer and save Nancy from the hangman’s noose? Or will she be too late to prevent another funeral march? Death in the Crypt is by Fliss Chester.

The moment she sees Caitlyn, wearing her ‘bride-to-be’ sash and brimming with excitement, it hits her. She hates Caitlyn. She knows who Little Miss Perfect really is – what she’s really hiding. And the temptation to do something about it is too strong to resist…  When the first bottle of prosecco pops open I breathe a sigh of relief. As maid-of-honour, I’ve worked so hard to organise my best friend Caitlyn’s big celebration before her wedding. Even though her schoolfriends are jealous they aren’t bridesmaids like me, and her sisters won’t make eye contact, I plaster a fake smile on my face and top up everyone’s glasses. Nothing will spoil this special weekend. But as we begin the cute husband-and-wife games, Caitlyn’s sister-in-law reveals something shockingly cruel. In the silence that follows, the little question cards I’d made drop, forgotten, to the floor. We’re supposed to be celebrating her upcoming wedding but Caitlyn’s lied to me for years. Her relationship is far from the magical dream she’d made it out to be. Suddenly, everyone in the room is arguing. All of our secrets and lies are exposed. It’s clear that none of us really know each other – or Caitlyn. The next morning I find Caitlyn, beautiful, pale and unmoving in her bed. The bride is dead. One of us killed her. But which devastating truth was dangerous enough to kill for? And with us all stuck here until the murderer is found, how long will it be until someone else gets hurt…?  The Bridal Party is by Maria Frankland.

Black Crow Cabin is by Peggy Webb. Rachel wakes up, gasping for breath, and immediately knows her children are in danger. The scent of magnolias is heavy in the air, which means the Collector is coming… Schoolteacher Rachel Logan is living an ordinary life in a small community at the foot of the Rocky Mountains. As a single mother still reeling from the sudden death of her husband, she refuses to allow her life to be shaken by whispers of a local thief called the Collector. But when a little boy and girl are taken, everything changes. On her isolated ranch on the edge of the forest, Rachel feels someone is watching her. The scent of magnolias clings to her bedsheets each morning, which her family’s gift tells her is a bad omen. And when a photograph is stolen from her house with a tarot card left in its place—the Collector’s twisted signature—she knows her children will be his next victims. Terrified, Rachel is relieved when her husband’s best friend Hank offers to move in to protect her family. Especially because she can feel something dark stirring in the woods just beyond her ranch. But it soon becomes clear that the Collector isn’t after her children, and has instead set his sights on Rachel… Can Rachel outwit an unimaginable evil before time runs out for two innocent children? And even if she does manage to save their lives, can a monster like the Collector ever be stopped?




Wednesday, 3 April 2024

CrimeFest Announce 2024 Programme

 

CrimeFest, the UK's leading crime fiction convention hosted at Bristol’s Mercure Bristol Grand Hotel has announced its full programme, with tickets now on sale.

As well as the Full CrimeFest pass, which gives access to the entire event, a limited number of Day Passes for the Friday and Saturday of the four-day convention, have now gone on sale.

CrimeFest, which runs from 9-12 May, opens with a special Murdle live event, hosted by the creator of the international crime puzzle series hit, G.T. Karber, in one of just a handful of UK appearances.

The opening day also sees panels on topics including pace and tension, landscape and setting, plotting, and the appeal of the genre to all ages.

Thursday’s panels feature authors including Ajay Chowdhury, whose first novel in the acclaimed series featuring Detective Kamil Rahman, The Waiter, is being adapted for television, the Welsh-Canadian mystery writer Cathy Ace, the international bestselling author Alex North, and the award-winning, Kate Ellis.

Friday then welcomes 25 author panels, including 2024’s featured guests: Laura Lippman, Denise Mina, and G.T. Karber.

Lippman is best known for her novels set in Baltimore featuring reporter turned investigator, Tess Monaghan. Her novel Lady in the Lake was adapted into a series for Apple. She will appear on a panel of superfans of the iconic TV series, Columbo, alongside chair of the Crime Writers’ Association, Vaseem Khan, and Murdle’s G.T. Karber.

Friday also sees the bestselling authors Holly Jackson and Abir Mukherjee discussing books that take readers on a ‘road trip,’ and former detective turned crime author, Graham Bartlett, exploring misconduct in crime fiction.

There will also be a panel celebrating Alfred Hitchcock moderated by Doctor Who writer, and author of the Hitchcock Murders, Gavin Collinson. He’ll be joined by the seminal Scottish author Denise Mina, and Barry Ryan, MD of Free@LastTV which created the TV hit series, Agatha Raisin.

A homage to PD James will feature the author Frances Fyfield, the Sunday Times chief fiction critic Peter Kemp, playwright and crime author, Simon Brett, and PD James’ granddaughter, Dr Beatrice Groves.

On Saturday 11 May, featured guest events include Denise Mina interviewed by Abir

Mukherjee, Laura Lippman interviewed by Ayo Onatade, Lynda La Plante interviewed by Maxim Jakubowski, and James Lee Burke in a live Zoom interview with Vaseem Khan.

Saturday also features panels on debut authors, an exploration of ‘partners in crime’ with Ruth Dudley Edwards, and a focus on historical fiction with Martin Edwards and Abir Mukherjee.

The CrimeFest Awards are also announced at a gala dinner event on Saturday evening.

On Sunday, highlights include an interview with the Welsh-Canadian author Cathy Ace by Free@Last TV’s Barry Ryan, who is currently adapting her Cait Morgan Mysteries for television. It also features the annual Criminal Mastermind quiz, conducted by the literary polymath, Maxim Jakubowski.

Sponsored by Specsavers, CrimeFest has been hosted in buzzing Bristol, which topped Time Out’s Best Places to Visit, since it began in 2008.

For Full Pass, Friday, or Saturday Pass tickets, visit crimefest.com 

 



Wednesday, 27 March 2024

2024 Capital Crime Programme


 LEONARDO ST PAUL’S, LONDON

30 MAY - 1 JUNE 2024

WWW.CAPITALCRIME.ORG    

THURSDAY 30TH MAY

Registration for Capital Crime 2024 12:00 - 18:00

Goldsboro Bookshop open from 12:30 – 19:30

LONDON STAGE

    1. The Anatomy of a Crime: From Crime to Conviction. A factual, entertainment driven, account of the timeline from crime to conviction presented to you by specialists in their field live on stage. Experience crime scene briefings to bitesize trial and have your say in whether the accused is guilty or should walk free!

    Perfect for: Those writing crime novels looking for a factual representation of the events from crime to conviction; Those who want to see some of their favourite authors execute their day jobs including: Senior Investigating Officer, Detective, Crime Scene Investigator, Judge and Barristers. 

    With 

    Judge - Nicola Williams 

    Barrister - Helen Fields 

    Barrister - Nadine Matheson 

    Senior Investigating Officer - Graham Bartlett 

          Crime Scene Manager - Kate Bendelow 

          Detective Inspector - Kate London 

SIGNINGS FROM EVENT 1 in the Goldsboro Books on-site book shop 

2. Whose Crime is it Anyway? Capital Crime’s Debut Quiz Show Two teams (made up of five debut authors on each team) test their knowledge of each other’s books. The game show style event will be presented by actor Paul Clayton who will guide the teams through the rounds in the following format. The aim of our quiz is to stage an engaging, entertaining event for both audience and authors, and help welcome debut authors to the crime community with their peers. 

Team 'Moguls of Mystery' Katrin Juliusdottir, T. M. Payne, Suzy Aspley, Roxie Key and Claire Coughlan vs. 

Team 'Thoroughbreds of Thrillers' Claire Wilson, Liza North, Tom Baragwanath, Fiona McPhillips and Ellie Keel 

SIGNINGS FROM EVENT 2 in the Goldsboro Books on-site book shop 

3. Goldsboro Books’ 2024 Class of Debut Authors with Jennie Godfrey, Sarah Brooks and Samuel Burr moderated by David Headley 

SIGNINGS FROM EVENT 3 in the Goldsboro Books on-site book shop 

4. Rob Rinder’s SUSPECT Authors: A Game of Two Truths and A Lie where nothing is quite as it seems... with Claire McGowan, Joseph Knox and Louise Candlish 

SIGNINGS FROM EVENT 4 in the Goldsboro Books on-site book shop 

5. Breaking the Fourth Wall: Prolific Powerhouses Anthony Horowitz and Elly Griffiths talk about writing authors as fictional characters, creating impossible puzzles, and making improbable stories probable! 

SIGNINGS FROM EVENT 5 in the Goldsboro Books on-site book shop 

6. LEADING WOMEN: TENNISON AND VERA MEET Lynda La Plante and Ann Cleeves in conversation with Lisa Howells on shattering the glass ceiling in male dominated worlds, creating internationally-loved characters with longevity, and would Tennison and Vera work well together on a case? 

SIGNINGS FROM EVENT 6 in the Goldsboro Books on-site book shop 


PUBLIC EVENTS OUTSIDE OF THE SCHEDULE: All WEEKEND & DAY TICKET HOLDERS WELCOME 


12:00 – 13:45 DHH Pitch An Agent Session

19:30 – 21:00 The Annual Capital Crime Fingerprint Award Ceremony. Hosted by Paul Clayton. Taking place on the London Stage, Category finalists will be announced on 4 April 2024.

FRIDAY 31ST MAY 2024 

Registration for Capital Crime 2023 9:30 - 17:30 

Goldsboro Bookshop open from 10:00 - 19:30 


Time

LONDON STAGE

GOLDSBORO BOOKS STAGE



10:00-10:50

1. Classic Crime for the Modern Age with C. L. Miller, Tom Hindle and Paula Sutton in conversation with participating moderator Ian Moore

2. Sins of the Past: Historical Crime with L. C. Tyler, Laura Shepherd-Robinson, Sally Smith with participating moderator S. J. Parris


SIGNINGS FROM EVENT 1 & 2 in the Goldsboro Books on-site book shop

SIGNINGS FROM EVENT 1 & 2 in the Goldsboro Books on-site bookshop

11:05 – 11:55

3. The Art of Revenge with Steve Cavanagh, Nilesha Chauvet, Saima Mir and participating moderator Araminta Hall 

4. The Following Books are Based on a True Story with Hallie Rubenhold, Linda Calvey, Eleni Kyriacou 

and participating moderator Matt Nixson 


SIGNINGS FROM EVENT 3 & 4in the Goldsboro Books on-site book shop

SIGNINGS FROM EVENT 3 & 4in the Goldsboro Books on-site book shop

12:10 – 13:00

5. Finding A Balance: Combining Social Tensions, Morality and ‘Entertainment Factor’ in Crime Fiction with Kellye Garratt and Vaseem Khan in conversation with participating moderator Ed James 

6. A Violent Heart: Deadly Relationships with Lily Samson, Kristina Perez, David Fennell and participating moderator Fiona Cummins 


SIGNINGS FROM EVENT 5 & 6 in the Goldsboro Books on-site book shop

SIGNINGS FROM EVENT 5 & 6 in the Goldsboro Books on-site book shop


Lunch

Lunch

14:00 – 14:50

7. Bingeable Series: The beauty of falling in love with a series with Stig Abell, Will Dean, Erin Young and participating moderator Tariq Ashkanani 

8. Dissecting Science’s Impact on Crime Fiction with Jo Callaghan, Marie Tierney, Jack Anderson and participating moderator Dr Shahed Yousaf


SIGNINGS FROM EVENT 7 & 8 in the Goldsboro Books on-site book shop

SIGNINGS FROM EVENT 7 & 8 in the Goldsboro Books on-site book shop

15:05 – 15:55

9. Argylle: Authors of Mystery Tammy Cohen and Terry Hayes in conversation with Jake Kerridge 

10. Playing with Ghosts: Haunting pasts and not-so-hidden horrors with Natalie Marlow, Kaaron Warren, Syd Moore and participating moderator Anita Frank 


SIGNINGS FROM EVENT 9 & 10 in the Goldsboro Books on-site book shop

SIGNINGS FROM EVENT 9 & 10 in the Goldsboro Books on-site book shop

16:10 -17:00

11. The Locked In Feast with Alex Michaelides and participating moderator Lucy Foley A succulent conversation that will quench your appetite for all things ‘locked in’ - from isolated islands to dinner parties gone wrong these bestselling authors spill the beans on creating the perfect cast of characters and that authors that have influenced them. 


SIGNINGS FROM EVENT 11 in the Goldsboro Books on-site book shop

17:15 – 18:05

12.A Culture of Armchair Detectives: A J Finn & Lisa Jewell interviewed by Nadine Matheson Discussing the appeal of catching 'detective fever', and when the police get it wrong can only authors, podcasters and armchair detectives save us? 


SIGNINGS FROM EVENT 12 in the Goldsboro Books on-site book shop

18:15 – 19:10

13. Compulsive Crime: Mass consuming your favourite books and TV shows is not a new phenomenon, but it is certainly more popular than ever before. These bestselling authors reveal their secret to creating compelling characters and stories that we just can't get enough of and what it's like keeping up with demand. With A. A. Dhand, M. W. Craven & Jane Casey and participating moderator S J Watson 




PUBLIC EVENTS OUTSIDE OF THE SCHEDULE: All WEEKEND & DAY TICKET HOLDERS WELCOME 


LAUNCH PARTY ANNOUNCEMENT COMING SOON 

20:30 – 22:00

CRIME QUIZ hosted by A. J. West on the London Stage Are you ready to put your crime knowledge to the test in this hilarious quiz night? 


SATURDAY 1ST JUNE 2024 

Registration for Capital Crime 2023 

9:30 - 17:00 Goldsboro Bookshop open from 10:00 - 19:00 


Time

LONDON STAGE

GOLDSBORO BOOKS STAGE

10:00 – 10:50

1. Setting the Pace: A masterclass in adding fuel to high octane thrillers with Kim Sherwood, Sarah Pearse, Eva Björg Ægisdottir, T. M. Logan and participating moderator Abir Mukherjee 

2. Murderous Medicine with Christie Watson, Eleanor Barker-White, Ambrose Parry and participating moderator Suzie Edge 

SIGNINGS FROM EVENT 1 & 2 in the Goldsboro Books on-site book shop 

11:05 – 11:55

3. Funny Fiction: Crime and comedy, a match made in heaven! With Suk Pannu, Andrew Hunter Murray and Rev Richard Coles with participating moderator A. J. West 

4. From Space to the Psychological: The universal appeal of thrillers with Doug Johnstone , Luca Veste, Becca Day and participating moderator C. M. Ewan 

SIGNINGS FROM EVENT 3 & 4 in the Goldsboro Books on-site book shop

12:10 – 13:00 

5. Tales That Bind: The art of creating multi-layered narratives, settings and characters that will rip your heart out with Chris Whitaker, Vanessa Walters & Erin Kelly moderated by Victoria Selman 

6. More Than Meets the Eye: Supernatural Sleuthing with Alice Bell and Kristen Perrin with participating moderator Stuart Neville 

SIGNINGS FROM EVENT 5 & 6 in the Goldsboro Books on-site book shop

LUNCH

14:00 – 14:50

7. SPECIAL EVENT TO BE ANNOUNCED IN THE COMING 


8. One Sitting Reads: What’s the secret to writing books that you just can’t put down? With Ruth Mancini, Greg Mosse, Emma Christie and participating moderator Robert Rutherford 

SIGNINGS FROM EVENT 7 & 8 in the Goldsboro Books on-site book shop

15:05 – 15:55

9. John Connolly and Mark Billingham in conversation 

SIGNINGS FROM EVENT 9 in the Goldsboro Books on-site book shop

16:10 -17:00

10. History in the Making with Val McDermid & Kate Mosse in conversation 

SIGNINGS FROM EVENT 10 in the Goldsboro Books on-site book shop

17:15 – 18:05

11. The Scottish Masters: Ian Rankin and Irvine Welsh interviewed by Harriet Tyce 

SIGNINGS FROM EVENT 11 in the Goldsboro Books on-site book shop

PUBLIC EVENTS OUTSIDE OF THE SCHEDULE: All WEEKEND & DAY TICKET HOLDERS WELCOME 

18:30 – 19:30

The CWA Launch National Crime Writing Month at Capital Crime Lineup coming soon 

21:00 – 23:00

FUN LOVIN’ CRIME WRITERS Val McDermid, Mark Billingham, Chris Brookmyre, Stuart Neville, Luca Veste and Doug Johnstone Rock the London Stage at Capital Crime 2024! (Individual event tickets on sale) 



Capital Crime Announces Full Line up!


    

London’s Capital Crime Festival Announces Full Lineup With 50% Of Tickets Already Gone

London’s highly anticipated Capital Crime Festival is back this May 30th to June 1st, with an impressive 50% of weekend tickets already sold before the full schedule was announced this week. Industry giants are set to reveal all at this year's festival, giving guests the unprecedented opportunity to delve into the secrets behind their favourite mysteries, and even meet their crime fiction heroes face to face in this three day crime spectacular.

Included in the mega line up this year is Hugh Howey, the brilliant mind behind Apple TV’s Silo, Elly Griffiths, the creative force driving the Dr. Ruth Galloway series, Val McDermid, whose literary works served as the inspiration for Wire In The Blood, and Ann Cleeves, the genius behind beloved characters Vera and Jimmy Perez from Shetland. And that’s not all, fan favourite band, Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers, will be playing their first show in London for several years.

Festival Director Lizzie Curle commented: “The uptake in tickets this year has been phenomenal. 50% of weekend tickets were sold out before the complete schedule was unveiled, underscoring the escalating demand for crime fiction. It's evident that people are seeking escapism in the current climate, and this heightened interest is substantiated by the data on Google Trends - searches for terms like 'murder mystery books' have surged by an impressive 350% in the last year!

Featuring over 100 renowned writers of crime and thriller, the festival will host over 30 different events, from exclusive launch parties, thought-provoking talks and panels, interactive quiz shows and book signings throughout three jam-packed days. Huge notable names confirmed include:

  • Ian Rankin, creator of Inspector Rebus

  • Trainspotting author Irvine Welsh

  • Ann Cleeves, author of the Vera and Shetland series

  • Rising star of US crime fiction Kellye Garrett

  • Author and barrister Rob Rinder

  • Alex Michaelides, author of the global bestseller The Silent Patient

  • And bestselling author and screenwriter Anthony Horowitz

Also returning are the festival’s Fingerprint Awards, which this year saw authors including Erin Kelly and Adele Parks celebrated; and the social outreach initiative, which aims to demystify the industry for young Londoners considering a career in publishing.

Standard weekend and day tickets are on sale now whilst stocks last, along with individual event tickets at a limited capacity. Due to the increased demand for tickets this year those interested in attending are encouraged to book early to avoid disappointment.

Tuesday, 19 March 2024

Hostile Environments by Slava Faybysh

Anyone who has spent time in a leftist organisation has probably had a lot of haters. I myself was knee deep in a radical union for a while, and there was a guy once who wrote a full thirty pages detailing why I sucked. Then he went through the trouble of making copies of his screed and passing it out to everyone. A committee had to be put together to read the charges, and they decided it was “just a misunderstanding.”

That was only one example of the uphill battle I faced when I tried to dedicate my life to the left. Sometimes the left, despite its claim to be building a better world, can feel like a hostile place where everyone criticizes everyone over minor differences of opinion. For some reason, I had willingly placed myself in that environment. (I should note, though, that the other issue is that I can be a dick at times.)

These days, it seems like the whole world has become a more hostile place. Right-wing parties seem to be gaining ground everywhere. Like the newly elected president of Argentina, a real piece of work. This is a guy whose symbol is the chainsaw. He wants to take a chainsaw to anything even remotely smacking of socialism. He’s also a denialist who claims that upwards of 30,000 people weren’t killed and tortured and disappeared during the 1976–1983 dictatorship, that the number was less than 10,000.

Milei was only six years old at the time of the coup, and luckily there are still people around who have firsthand knowledge of what happened. Elsa Drucaroff is one of those people. She was eighteen at the time, working at a leftist magazine, when she heard the news that this guy named Rodolfo Walsh had been ambushed by the Argentine Army. Rodolfo Walsh against the full force of the Argentine Army, alone, armed with a measly .22 calibre pistol. He didn’t stand a chance. But he went down fighting.

After he was killed, Elsa Drucaroff went on to become a literature professor at the University of Buenos Aires, where one of the authors she taught classes on was this self-same Rodolfo Walsh. And decades later she went on to write a book about him, too, called Rodolfo Walsh’s Last Case. It’s a fictionalized account of the end of his life, pieced together with the few facts available and packaged in the form of a fast-paced thriller. When I got the opportunity to translate the novel, I jumped on it. I knew very little about the Argentine Dirty War before I read the novel, and I had never even heard the name Rodolfo Walsh, though he was an incredibly important figure in Argentine history.

Rodolfo Walsh was a journalist and a writer of fiction, and he was the first to write true crime. Written almost a decade before Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood, Walsh’s Operation Massacre is a work of investigative journalism about some Peronist workers killed at a garbage dump outside Buenos Aires. Walsh also wrote detective novels and short stories. 

One of his stories, called “That Woman,” was exceedingly bizarre, but based on real events. In 1955, Evita PerĂłn’s dead body was stolen by the military dictatorship and whisked away to an anonymous gravesite in an undisclosed location in Italy. The military had the bright idea this would come as a blow to PerĂłn’s supporters.

Elsa took the character of Colonel König from this story written by Walsh. In Elsa’s version, the man who had been in charge of stealing Evita’s body in 1955 “has grown bulky, but cannot yet be called elderly.” He’s also a bit of a blunderer (endearing, though) and while he’s dedicated his life to the Argentine military, he’s not quite comfortable with all the torture and raping and killing, and he decides to help Walsh figure out what happened to his daughter. 

Both Walsh and his daughter (in the book and in real life) were members of an armed guerrilla group called Montoneros. People did not know this at the time, but Walsh was the head of intelligence for this group. Rodolfo Walsh’s Last Case centres around Rodolfo’s search for his daughter. After a standoff between the five militants at Vicki’s house and 150 troops, there are conflicting accounts as to whether she was killed along with the other four, or taken alive, which would have meant she’d be tortured, pumped for information, and eventually killed anyway.

But for me, it’s about a guy who’s struggling, nearly completely isolated, against a vicious dictatorship that’s consolidating power. A guy who tries to reason with his own organization, and they won’t take him seriously. A guy stuck between loved ones who are in danger and disappearing and an organization that’s being decimated. It’s about what a man does when things go to shit, and I mean really go to shit, on a personal level and all over the country. Luckily, I don’t think we’ve reached that point yet in the present day, but it sometimes feels like we’re moving in that direction.


Rodolof's Walsh's Last Case by Elsa Drucaroff (Corylus Books) Out Now. Translated by Slava Faybysh

A key figure in the politics and literature of Argentina, Rodolfo Walsh wrote his iconic Letter to my Friends in December 1976, recounting the murder of his daughter Victoria by the military dictatorship. Just a few months later, he was killed in a shoot-out - just one of the Junta's many thousands of victims. What if this complex figure - a father, militant, and writer who delved the regime's political crimes - had also sought to reveal the truth of his own daughter's death?  Elsa Drucaroff's imagining of Rodolfo Walsh undertaking the most personal investigation of his life is an electrifying, suspense-filled drama in which love and life decisions are inseparable from political convictions as he investigates the mystery of what happened to his own daughter.

The head of intelligence for Montoneros, a clandestine Peronist organisation co-ordinating armed resistance against the dictatorship, Rodolfo Walsh was also a prolific writer and journalist, seen as the forerunner of the true crime genre with his 1957 book Operation Massacre.

What if beneath the surface of his Letter to my Friends lay a gripping story lost to history?

A key figure in the politics and literature of Argentina, Rodolfo Walsh wrote his iconic Letter to my Friends in December 1976, recounting the murder of his daughter Victoria by the military dictatorship. Just a few months later, he was killed in a shoot-out - just one of the Junta's many thousands of victims.

What if this complex figure - a father, militant, and writer who delved the regime's political crimes - had also sought to reveal the truth of his own daughter's death? 

Elsa Drucaroff's imagining of Rodolfo Walsh undertaking the most personal investigation of his life is an electrifying, suspense-filled drama in which love and life decisions are inseparable from political convictions as he investigates the mystery of what happened to his own daughter.

The head of intelligence for Montoneros, a clandestine Peronist organisation co-ordinating armed resistance against the dictatorship, Rodolfo Walsh was also a prolific writer and journalist, seen as the forerunner of the true crime genre with his 1957 book Operation Massacre.

What if beneath the surface of his Letter to my Friends lay a gripping story lost to history?

You can find Elsa Drucaroff on X at @Elsa_Drucaroff and on Instagram at @elsadrucaroff

Photo of Slava Faybysh photo by Acie Ferguson

Photo of Elsa Drucaroff by Héctor Piastri



Thursday, 14 March 2024

Inaugural McDermid Debut Award launched.

Harrogate International Festivals launches inaugural 

McDermid Debut Award 

to spotlight new generation of crime writing talent 


Festival Dates: 18 – 21 July 2024 

www.harrogateinternationalfestivals.com 

#Theakstons Awards 

14th March 2024 : Submissions have opened for Harrogate International Festivals ’ new award, the McDermid Debut Award for new writers, offering a unique opportunity to be recognised among the best in the crime fiction genre . The Award will be presented on the opening night of the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival ,the world’s largest and most prestigious celebration of crime fiction. 

Named in recognition of world-famous crime writer,Val McDermid, who co- founded the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival in 2003 and whose dedication to fostering new voices in crime fiction through the New Blood panel is legendary, this new Award seeks to continue her legacy, celebrating and platforming the best debut crime writers in the UK. 

Val McDermid said: ‘Curating the New Blood panel over twenty years exposed me to an extraordinary range of crime fiction I might otherwise have missed. I’m hoping that this new a ward will do the same for the army of avid readers out there looking for new talent.’ 

The McDermid Debut Award is open to full- length debut crime novels by UK and Irish authors published for the first time in hardback or paperback original between 1 May 2023 and 30 April 2024, with submission s closing on the 21st March . A shortlist of six titles, selected by an academy of established crime and thriller authors, will be announced on Thursday 13th June, with the winner determined by a judging panel of industry experts, including literary, broadcasting and media figures. All shortlisted authors will receive a full weekend pass to the Festival. The Award will be presented at the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Awards event on Thursday 18th July , the opening night of the Festival , with the winner receiving a £500 cash prize. 

Chief Executive of Harrogate International Festivals, Sharon Canavar, said: ‘We are delighted to announce this new award honouring Val McDermid, one of the icons of the genre, and we can’t wait to discover the stars of the future, be they writers of psychological thrillers or murder mysteries.’ 

Simon Theakston, Chairman of T&R Theakston Ltd, commented: ‘The Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival has always highlighted the best in crime fiction and the new McDermid Debut Award will help readers discover the next generation of crime fiction authors. I am sure this new award will attract even more of the best of crime writing talent and I very much looking forward to welcoming them along with all our friends t o this year’s Harrogate gathering.’ 

Submissions are also now open for the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year , the UK and Ireland’s most prestigious crime and thriller writing award. Previous winners include Mick Herron, Lee Child, Stef Penney, Val McDermid, Clare Mackintosh, Mark Billingham, Chris Brookmyre, Steve Cavanagh and Denise Mina. 

KEY AWARD DATES: 

• The McDermid Debut Award and the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year are currently open for submissions . The deadline for receipt of entries is 23.59 (GMT) Thursday, 21st March . 

•The Shortlists of the McDermid Debut Award and the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year will be announced on Thursday 13th June . 

• Both Awards, along with the Award for Outstanding Contribution to Crime Fiction will be presented at the opening n ight of the Festival on Thursday 18th July. 

The Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival , which celebrates its 21st year in 2024, is delivered by the north of England’s leading arts Festival organisation, Harrogate International Festivals, and forms part of their diverse year- round portfolio of events, which aims to bring immersive cultural experiences to as many people as possible. 

This year’s event is curated by bestselling crime writer and 2024 Festival Programming Chair Ruth Ware, with the programming committee, and Special Guests include global bestsellers and fan favourites Chris Carter, Jane Casey, Elly Griffiths, Erin Kelly, Vaseem Khan, Dorothy Koomson, Shari Lapena, Abir Mukherjee, Liz Nugent and Richard Osman. Classic Weekend Break Packages, Author Dinners and tickets for Creative Thursday are on sale now. 

To book tickets, please call +44(0)1423 562 303 or email:- info@harrogate- festival.org.uk . More information about tickets and packages can be found here. The full programme for this year’s Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival will be announced in April 2024 . 

Tuesday, 12 March 2024

Crime fiction: past, present and future with Simon Brett

 


The following talk is part of the launch of the Open University’s new Introduction to European Crime Fiction course

Wed, 17 Apr 2024 13:00 - 14:00 BST (online)

The team is delighted to welcome Simon Brett OBE, Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and author of over one hundred published books.

About the talk

Crime fiction is the most popular literary genre in Europe today. In conversation with the Open University’s Bill Alder, author Simon Brett will lead us on a journey of discovery of crime fiction’s past, present and future.

He will share his thoughts on different types of crime fiction from the “golden age” mystery to the “hardboiled” thriller, from the “police procedural” to “cosy crime”, looking at different types of plots, detectives and approaches, and reflecting on the growing influence of non-Anglophone crime fiction from the latter years of the twentieth century to the present.

About the speaker

Simon Brett is a British author of detective fiction, a playwright, and a producer-writer for television and radio. He is best known for his mystery series featuring Charles Paris, Mrs. Pargeter, Fethering, and Blotto & Twinks. His radio credits have included The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue and Just a Minute, and a number of his Charles Paris stories have been adapted for BBC radio, featuring the acclaimed actor Bill Nighy. Simon Brett is a former President of the Detection Club and a recipient of the Crime Writers’ Association Diamond Dagger award.

To attend the online talk/get the link, register here. 

Saturday, 2 March 2024

Why We Love The Bad Guy by Rachel Wolf

Why are we so obsessed with the bad guys? There are so many books and films where the antagonists are more compelling than the protagonists. From Satan in Paradise Lost to Tyler Durden in Fight Club, I do enjoy loving a baddie. 

Five Nights is a novel set on a cruise ship, where a billionaire and his family and guests sail from Portsmouth to New York. Over the course of the cruise, secrets spill out and someone will die. 

I wanted to write a novel about the hugely wealthy – particularly those who are selfish and entitled – and look at how badly they’d behave when something threatens their wealth and lifestyle. I also wanted to watch how characters change when tempted with great riches. Greed is a powerful motivator! 

In writing about these characters, I also wanted the novel to be one people enjoyed reading. Do we love bad guys? I decided we did. But why?

I suppose one of the reasons we feel drawn to antagonists is because of a secret desire to release all the shackles on our own behaviour. It’s freeing to live vicariously through fictional characters, enjoying bad behaviour with no consequences. We spend so much of our lives trying to live well – obeying rules and being aware of the importance of trying to get things right. 

There are a few characters in Five Nights who don’t think twice about what they say. They never spend time considering the consequences of their behaviour and trying to get things right – and this was a lot of fun to write. They are rude, selfish, and they talk to other characters in ways I’d never speak to someone in real life. Sometimes when I write, I choose characteristics from people I know – certain tells or manners of speech that make someone distinct. I also put together mood boards with images of how they might dress, and things they may say, eat, watch or places they’d visit. I did this quite carefully for the Scarmardos because I just don’t have the usual pool of people in my day to day life for inspiration. I needed their terrible qualities to be exaggerated and inflated, as much as their wealth.

I think another aspect of the appeal of the ‘bad guy’ is confidence, although this runs a tight line with conceit. There’s nothing quite as attractive as a lack of self-doubt. People tend to be plagued by self-doubt. We question ourselves repeatedly, we play over scenes from our lives in our heads like a bad rehearsal. How wonderful if we never doubted ourselves at all! Characters who never question themselves, however, are often narcissistic and ultimately selfish and sometimes cruel. When Hugh Grant went from the bumbling Charlie of Five Weddings to the charming Daniel Cleaver of Bridget Jones, he’d never seemed more attractive. He never once pauses to stumble over his words or repeatedly apologise for his inadequacies. 

This is certainly true of some of the characters in Five Nights. They live a life focused on their own pleasure, no matter how it might affect others. They don’t second guess their decisions. This is as attractive as it is repellent and it was great fun to play with when writing the novel. No one wants to marry a Daniel Cleaver, but a mini-break could be a lot of fun.

Emily, my protagonist in Five Nights, finds herself briefly the object of some love-bombing by the Scarmardos. Adoration and flattery can be very appealing – these men certainly know how to turn on the charm when they need to. In practice, love-bombing can be a very selfish tactic. It’s often done in order to deflect, or to get someone on side and to reel them in, so that you can behave badly later and get away with it! Yet to be the object of love-bombing, bombarded with charm and attention, does have its moment. Emily needs to be on her toes. She is out of her comfort zone, surrounded by threatening letters, mysterious happenings and threatening behaviour. 

Attention, and its sudden withdrawal, can also make relationships seem more exciting. The on/off element, the will he call question. Reliable, steadfast partners might be what we want in real life, but on the page, we want something a little more exciting. We go on rollercoasters to feel our sense of balance upended, and we search for fictional bad guys for much the same reason. 

Writing Five Nights gave me ample opportunity to study bad behaviour and to try to work out why it can seem so appealing. I hope readers enjoy reading about my entitled characters. They are certainly characters you love to hate!

Five Nights by Rachel Wolf (Head of Zeus) out now at £9.99 as a paperback original 

A powerful family. A luxury cruise. A killer on board… You're invited to join the infamous Scarmardo family on a five night voyage aboard their glamorous new ship. It's a chance to see your best friend, Belle, newly married to Mattia Scarmardo. You haven't seen her in years. Five - On the first night, you'll be wrapped up in the glamour of the ship. Four - On the second night, you'll wonder who is sending you threatening notes. Three - On the third night, someone will die. Two - On the fourth night, you'll discover that someone knows the truth of what you did. One - On the last night, you'll be left for dead. Will you make it back to shore alive.


Friday, 1 March 2024

International Thriller Awards Nominees Announced

 

The International Thriller Writers announced the Nominees for the Thriller Awards. 


BEST HARDCOVER NOVEL  

All The Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby (Flatiron Books) 

Her Deadly Game by Robert Dugoni (Thomas & Mercer) 

It's One of Us by J.T. Ellison (Harlequin – MIRA Books) 

The Secret Hours by Mick Herron (Soho Crime) 

Fixit by Joe Ide (Mulholland Books) 

The Drift by C.J. Tudor (Ballantine Books) 

 

BEST AUDIOBOOK 

The Peacock and the Sparrow by I.S. Berry (Atria) Narrated by Pete Simonelli 

The Last Orphan by Gregg Hurwitz (Macmillan) Narrated by Scott Brick 

The Housemaid's Secret by Freida McFadden (Bookouture) Narrated by Lauryn Allman 

The House of Wolves by James Patterson, Mike Lupica (Hachette Audio) Narrated by Ellen Archer 

Bad Summer People by Emma Rosenblum (Macmillan) Narrated by January LaVoy 


BEST FIRST NOVEL 

The Peacock and the Sparrow by I.S. Berry (Atria) 

The Golden Gate by Amy Chua (Minotaur) 

Scorched Grace by Margot Douaihy (Zando) 

Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder by Kerryn Mayne (Bantam Books) 

Perfect Shot: A Thriller by Steve Urszenyi (Minotaur) 


BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL NOVEL 

Hide by Tracy Clark (Thomas & Mercer) 

The Paleontologist by Luke Dumas (Atria) 

The Spy Coast by Tess Gerritsen (Thomas & Mercer) 

To Die For by Lisa Gray (Thomas & Mercer) 

Cave 13: A Joe Ledger and Rogue Team International Novel by Jonathan Maberry (St. Martin’s Griffin) 

Call the Dark by J. Todd Scott (Thomas & Mercer) 


BEST SHORT STORY 

Slot Machine Fever Dreams by Chris Bohjalian (Amazon Original Stories) 

These Cold Strangers by J.T. Ellison (Amazon Original Stories) 

An Honorable Choice by Smita Harish Jain (Wildside Press) 

Rush Hour by Richard Santos (Akashic Books) 

Unknown Caller by Lisa Unger (Amazon Original Stories) 

One Night in 1965 by Stacy Woodson (Down & Out Books) 


BEST YOUNG ADULT NOVEL 

Red as Blood by Sorboni Banerjee, Dominique Richardson (Wolfpack Publishing LLC) 

Where He Can't Find You by Darcy Coates (Sourcebooks Fire) 

Where Echoes Die by Courtney Gould (Wednesday Books) 

Where Darkness Blooms by Andrea Hannah (Wednesday Books) 

Stateless by Elizabeth Wein (Little, Brown & Co.) 


BEST E-BOOK ORIGINAL NOVEL 

The Vulture Fund by Jeff Buick (Self-published) 

The Bigamist by Rona Halsall (Bookouture) 

A Good Rush of Blood by Matt Phillips (RunAmok Books) 

Close Her Eyes by Lisa Regan (Bookouture) 

The Killing Room by Robert Swartwood (Blackstone Publishing) 

The In-Laws by Laura Wolfe (Bookouture) 


Congratulations to all the nominated authors.

ITW will announce the winners at ThrillerFest XIX on Saturday, June 1, 2024 at the Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel, New York City.