KNOWN for its genteel vibe, Ilkley will be channelling Midsomer this autumn, when a wave of crime fiction writers heads to the spa town.
The dominance of crime fiction on TV and bestseller lists shows crime does pay - crime fiction, that is. This year Ilkley Literature Festival is on the case, with events from arresting debut authors, household names who’ve turned to a life of crime (writing) and bestselling masterminds of the genre.
Move over Agatha Christie - crime writing phenomenon Janice Hallett discusses her latest bestseller, The Examiner, and how she crafts her genre-busting whodunnits. Hallet took the crime fiction world by storm with debut novel The Appeal, which won the CWA Debut Dagger in 2021. The Examiner paints a gripping picture of an art course blighted by jealousy and violence among six mature students. When an external examiner arrives to assess their work, he becomes convinced that a student was killed on the course and that the others covered it up...Richard Osman called her “a modern Agatha Christie.” Find out what makes her tick.
Star of Countdown and Gyles Brandreth’s podcasting partner in crime Susie Dent introduces her debut novel, Guilty by Definition, and discusses its etymological inspiration. When a series of cryptic anonymous letters arrive at the offices of the Clarendon English Dictionary, editor Martha Thornhill suspects they may hold the answer to a long-unsolved disappearance. As Martha and her team of lexicographers scramble to unravel a thread of linguistic clues, other forces vie to keep it buried. Can they find the answer before the clock runs down?
Fans of Strictly Come Dancing knows it can be murder on the dancefloor. Join head judge Shirley Ballas as she cha-chats about her new murder mystery, Dance to the Death. After solving a series of murders at Blackpool Tower Ballroom, all dance legend Lily Richmond and private detective Susie Cooper want is a peaceful Christmas. But a rising ballroom star is found dead backstage at the Royal Albert Hall. As Lily and Susie investigate, they find greater danger may lurk behind the scenes.
Comedy legend Julian Clary introduces his new mystery novel, Curtain Call to Murder. It’s opening night at the London Palladium and tensions are running high among the feuding cast. When an on-stage accident forces an intermission, it’s clear to dresser Jayne that the drama has turned deadly. Will she step out of the wings and discover who’s behind the final curtain call?
Join bestselling authors Eleni Kyriacou and Saima Mir, a former Telegraph & Argus journalist, who discuss the art of crime writing and how themes of trust, justice, family dynamics and the powerful vs the powerless run through their work. Kyriacou’s compelling historical crime novel The Unspeakable Acts of Zina Pavlou follows a Cypriot grandmother in London accused of murder, forced to rely on a translator to plead her case.
Vengeance, Mir’s follow-up to The Khan, reunites readers with Jia Khan, running her late father’s organised crime syndicate in the North. Mir’s crime-writing workshop looks at plot twists, character creation and turning ideas into page-turners.
Interrogate what draws us to the genre, get caught red-handed with exciting new releases and do time with some of our most talented crime writers.
* Ilkley Literature Festival runs from October 4-20. Call (01943) 816714. Visit ilkleyliteraturefestival.org.uk
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