Sunday, 7 May 2017.
Hi all,
Welcome to the sixth and final newsletter before CRIMEFEST 2017 takes place in just under two weeks. The newsletter announcing the winners of this year’s CRIMEFEST Awards and next year’s dates will be sent out shortly after the convention.
(For previous newsletters visit the ARCHIVE page.)
In this newsletter:
– DAY PASSES AND INTERVIEW TICKETS NOW ON SALE
– CRIMEFEST AWARDS SHORTLISTS
* Audible Sounds of Crime Award
* eDunnit Award
* H.R.F. Keating Award
* Last Laugh Award
* Best Crime Novel for Children (aged 8-12)
* Best Crime Novel for Young Adults (12-16)
– CRIME WRITING DAY
– PETER JAMES COMPETITION
DAY PASSES AND INTERVIEW TICKETS NOW ON SALE
Day passes for Friday and Saturday, as well as tickets for interviews with our Featured Guest Authors, are now available at TICKETS.
CRIMEFEST AWARDS SHORTLISTS
The CRIMEFEST organisers are pleased to announce the shortlists for this year’s awards.
Audible Sounds Of Crime
The Audible Sounds of Crime Award is for the best unabridged crime audiobook first published in the UK in 2016 in both printed and audio formats, and available for download from audible.co.uk, Britain’s largest provider of downloadable audiobooks. Courtesy of sponsor Audible UK, the winning author and audiobook reader(s) share the £1,000 prize equally and each receives a Bristol Blue Glass commemorative award.
The nominees are:
– Ben Aaronovitch for The Hanging Tree, read by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith (Orion Publishing Group)
– Rachel Abbott for Kill Me Again, read by Lisa Coleman (Audible / Bolinda)
– Fiona Barton for The Widow, read by Clare Corbett (Audible / Bolinda)
– Lee Child for Night School, read by Jeff Harding (Transworld Digital / Soundings)
– Anthony Horowitz for Magpie Murders, read by Allan Corduner & Samantha Bond (Orion Publishing Group)
– Clare Mackintosh for I See You, read by Rachel Atkins (Hachette Audio / Isis)
– Peter May for Coffin Road, read by Peter Forbes (Riverrun / Jammer)
– Holly Seddon for Try Not to Breathe, read by Jot Davies, Lucy Middleweek & Katy Sobey (Bolinda)
Eligible titles were submitted by publishers, and Audible UK listeners established the shortlist and the winning title.
eDunnit Award
The eDunnit Award is for the best crime fiction ebook first published in both hardcopy and in electronic format in the British Isles in 2016. The winning author receives a Bristol Blue Glass commemorative award.
The nominees are:
– Linwood Barclay for The Twenty-Three (Orion Publishing Group)
– Steph Broadribb for Deep Down Dead (Orenda Books)
– Michael Connelly for The Wrong Side of Goodbye (Orion Publishing Group)
– Ragnar Jonasson for Blackout (Orenda Books)
– Laura Lippman for Wilde Lake (Faber & Faber)
– Ian Rankin for Rather Be the Devil (Orion Publishing Group)
– Andrew Taylor for The Ashes of London (HarperFiction)
– L.C. Tyler for Cat Among the Herrings (Allison & Busby)
Eligible titles were submitted by publishers, and a team of British crime fiction reviewers voted to establish the shortlist and the winning title.
H.R.F. Keating Award
The H.R.F. Keating Award is for the best biographical or critical book related to crime fiction first published in the British Isles in 2016. H.R.F. ‘Harry’ Keating was one of Britain’s most esteemed crime novelists, and a renowned reviewer and writer of books about crime fiction. The winning author receives a commemorative Bristol Blue Glass award.
The nominees are:
– Mark Aldridge for Agatha Christie on Screen (Palgrave Macmillan)
– J.C. Berthnal for Queering Agatha Christie (Palgrave Macmillan)
– Barry Forshaw for Brit Noir (No Exit Press)
– Rachel Franks & Alistair Rolls for Crime Uncovered: Private Investigator (Intellect)
– Katharina Hall for Crime Fiction in German: Der Krimi (University of Wales Press)
– Megan Hoffman for Gender and Representation in British ‘Golden Age’ Crime Fiction (Palgrave Macmillan)
– Elizabeth Mannion for The Contemporary Irish Detective Novel (Palgrave Macmillan)
Eligible titles were submitted by publishers, and a team of British crime fiction reviewers voted to establish the shortlist and the winning title.
Last Laugh Award
The Last Laugh Award is for the best humorous crime novel first published in the British Isles in 2016. The winner receives a Bristol Blue Glass commemorative award.
The nominees are:
– Ken Bruen & Jason Starr for PIMP (Hardcase Crime)
– John Dufresne for I Don’t Like Where This Is Going (Serpent’s Tail)
– Judith Flanders for A Cast of Vultures (Allison & Busby)
– Mick Herron for Real Tigers (John Murray)
– Carl Hiaasen for Razor Girl (Little, Brown Book Group)
– Vaseem Khan for The Perplexing Theft of the Jewel in the Crown (Hodder & Stoughton)
– L.C. Tyler for Cat Among the Herrings (Allison & Busby)
– Chris Whitaker for Tall Oaks (Twenty7)
Eligible titles were submitted by publishers, and a team of British crime fiction reviewers voted to establish the shortlist and the winning title.
Best Crime Novel For Children (Aged 8-12)
CRIMEFEST is pleased to introduce a new award recognising the outstanding contribution that crime novels for children make to the genre, as well as celebrating the burgeoning interest of children in fiction as a whole. The winning author receives a commemorative Bristol Blue Glass award.
The nominees are:
– Lyn Gardner for Rose Campion and The Stolen Secret (Nosy Crow)
– Fleur Hitchcock for Murder In Midwinter (Nosy Crow)
– Gareth P. Jones for The Thornthwaite Betrayal (Piccadilly Press)
– Tom McLaughlin for The Accidental Secret Agent (Oxford University Press)
– Robin Stevens for Murder Most Unladylike: Jolly Foul Play (Puffin)
– Robin Stevens for Murder Most Unladylike: Mistletoe and Murder (Puffin)
– Harriet Whitehorn for Violet and the Smugglers (Simon & Schuster)
– Katherine Woodfine for The Mystery of the Jewelled Moth (Egmont)
Eligible titles were submitted by publishers, and a team of British reviewers of children’s fiction voted to establish the shortlist and the winning title.
Best Crime Novel For Young Adults (12-16)
CRIMEFEST is pleased to introduce a new award recognising the outstanding contribution that crime novels for young adults make to the genre, as well as celebrating the burgeoning interest of young adults in fiction as a whole. The winning author receives a commemorative Bristol Blue Glass award.
The nominees are:
– Leigh Bardugo for Crooked Kingdom (Hachette Children’s Group)
– Kerry Drewery for Cell 7 (Hot Key Books)
– John Grisham for Theodore Boone: The Scandal (Hodder & Stoughton)
– Erin Lange for Rebel, Bully, Geek, Pariah (Faber & Faber)
– Patrice Lawrence for Orangeboy (Hachette Children’s Group)
– Simon Mason for Kid Got Shot (David Fickling Books)
– Simon Mayo for Blame (Penguin)
– Eliza Wass for In The Dark, In The Woods (Hachette Children’s Group)
Eligible titles were submitted by publishers, and a team of British reviewers of young adult fiction voted to establish the shortlist and the winning title.
Also presented at CRIMEFEST will be:
– CRIMEFEST’s Flashbang Award
for best original short crime story in 150 words. The long and shortlisted entries can be viewed on the website.
and
– the Petrona Award
CRIMEFEST is honoured to host the presentation of the Petrona Award which was created in the memory of Maxine Clarke by her friends and colleagues. The award celebrates the best of translated Scandinavian crime fiction.
GALA AWARDS DINNER
TICKETS to the three-course Gala Awards Dinner, with our Featured Guests, Toastmaster and awards presentations are still available.
CRIME WRITING DAY
As in previous years, tickets to Pitch an Agent and 1-on-1 Assessments have sold out, but a few places are still available for Crime Writing Day. The daylong event is made up out of the following sessions: How To Self Publish In eBook And Print, with Joanna Penn; Agents And Editors—Who Does What For Authors?, with representatives from the Darley Anderson and DHH Literary agencies, and editors from Bonnier and Quercus; and the writing workshop Constructing Character and Plot presented by the Professional Writing Academy, with Tom Bromley and Julia Crouch. Go to TICKETS to register for one of the few remaining spaces.
PETER JAMES COMPETITION
To celebrate the publication of Peter James’ latest Roy Grace novel, Need You Dead (18 May), we have five signed copies to give away. All you need to do to win a copy is email us with the name of the seaside location that Roy is most associated with. The deadline to do so is this coming Friday, 12 May.
That’s it for now. We look forward to seeing you in Bristol soon!
Best wishes,
Myles Allfrey, Donna Moore and Adrian Muller,
CRIMEFEST co-hosts.
Tuesday, 28 February 2017.
Hi all,
Welcome to the fifth newsletter for CRIMEFEST 2017.
The itinerary is now up on the PROGRAMME page!
A packed newsletter with exciting news:
– ANN CLEEVES JOINS CRIMEFEST LINE-UP
– 10TH ANNIVERSARY ANTHOLOGY / WIN AN ALL-INCLUSIVE 2018 CRIMEFEST PACKAGE
– FORENSIC CRIME SCENE HOUSE EXCURSION
– NEW CRIMEFEST AWARDS
– GALA DINNER TICKET ERROR
– CRIME WRITING DAY / PITCH AN AGENT / 1-ON-1 ASSESSMENT
– LAST CALL FOR CRIMEFEST’S FLASHBANG COMPETITION
– GET PAID TO WRITE FLASH FICTION FOR A READING APP
ANN CLEEVES JOINS CRIMEFEST LINE-UP
As announced in the previous newsletter, the 2017 recipient of the Crime Writers’ Association Diamond Dagger Award will be joining the headlining authors. This year that is Ann Cleeves! Best known for her Vera and Shetland series, Ann has championed the genre and industry in many ways (some of them low profile), and the team are delighted to welcome her back to CRIMEFEST in such a well deserved capacity!
10TH ANNIVERSARY ANTHOLOGY / WIN AN ALL-INCLUSIVE 2018 CRIMEFEST PACKAGE
Yes, it is still a year away, but we’re already working on ways to celebrate our 10th anniversary in 2018. Thanks to devoted CRIMEFEST delegate Jane Burfield, who wished to sponsor something special to mark the occasion, we have commissioned an anthology of new stories, with all the proceeds going to CRIMEFEST’s longstanding charity of choice: the reading library of the RNIB. Any delegate attending this year, and who also signs up to celebrate our anniversary in 2018, is guaranteed a complimentary copy of the anthology with a foreword by Peter James and contributions from:
- Bill Beverly
- Simon Brett
- Lee Child
- Ann Cleeves
- Jeffery Deaver
- Martin Edwards (editor)
- Kate Ellis
- Peter Guttridge
- Sophie Hannah
- John Harvey
- Mick Herron
- Donna Moore
- Caro Ramsay
- Ian Rankin
- James Sallis
- Zoë Sharp
- Yrsa Sigurðardóttir
- Maj Sjöwall (translated by Catherine Edwards)
- Michael Stanley
- Andrew Taylor
So, BUY TICKETS now (and next year) to guarantee your complimentary copy.
Also, one lucky newsletter subscriber could win an all-inclusive CRIMEFEST 2018 package for two including accommodation, weekend passes, and tickets to the Gala Dinner (travel and other meals not included). All you need to do is come up with the perfect title for the celebratory anthology! Entries should be sent to competition@crimefest.com with ANTHOLOGY TITLE in the subject line and your entry in the body of the message. THE DEADLINE IS 15 MARCH.
FORENSIC CRIME SCENE HOUSE EXCURSION
The CRIMEFEST team continuously try to add new events to the programme, and this year we have something unique: in association with the University of the West of England (UWE) delegates are being offered special access to their Crime Scene House, which is used for training Forensic Science students and police. Each room in the house is set up to show specific aspects of a crime scene (minus the dead body). Participants will be briefed and be able to walk through the house identifying clues and getting hands-on experience of searching for evidence, testing for fingerprints, identifying blood and other substances and getting to use mysterious pieces of forensic kit. For more information, and how to apply visit the FORENSIC CRIME SCENE HOUSE EXCURSION section on the PROGRAMME page
NEW CRIMEFEST AWARDS
The CRIMEFEST organisers have become increasingly aware that there are some great authors who are writing brilliant, age-appropriate crime fiction for children and young adults. They are making an outstanding contribution to the genre, as well as celebrating the burgeoning interest of children in fiction as a whole, and we felt these efforts should not go unrecognised. The two new awards are for:
– Best Crime Novel For Children (Ages 8–12)
– Best Crime Novel For Young Adults (Ages 12–16)
As with our other awards, the winners will be announced at the Gala Awards Dinner on 20 May. All the submitted titles received to date are up on the website, and the deadlines for all awards have been extended until the end of the week to meet those for the newly introduced ones. Please see the SUBMISSION GUIDELINES, 2017 AWARD ENTRIES and/or visit the AWARDS page for more information.
GALA AWARDS DINNER TICKET ERROR
Some delegates may have had a problem in buying tickets for the Gala Awards Dinner – the online system temporarily only allowed purchases of five tickets or more. This issue has been resolved, and it is again possible to BUY TICKETS, as little as one – or more.
CRIME WRITING DAY / 1-ON-1 ASSESSMENT / PITCH AN AGENT
Tickets for Crime Writing Day, Pitch an Agent and the 1-on-1 assessment service are going fast. Crime Writing Day is an all-you-need-to-know, day-long event for aspiring crime writers that includes a practical workshop for those seeking to unlock the secrets of successful crime fiction and start developing original ideas; a session with two agents and two editors, revealing all you need to know on how to perfectly pitch your manuscript; as well as a presentation on how to self-publish a print edition or eBook. Fledgling writers in search of advice on how to perfect their manuscript need look no further than the 1-on-1 Manuscript Assessment Service. And the Pitch an Agent strand allows aspiring authors to avoid the slush pile and pitch a completed manuscript to three top literary agents. For more information visit the PROGRAMME page, or BUY TICKETS as only limited places remain.
LAST CALL FOR CRIMEFEST’S FLASHBANG COMPETITION
The deadline for entries is 3 March – this coming Friday. So, if you fancy winning two passes to next year’s CRIMEFEST, and think you can write a crime story in 150 words or less, visit the FLASHBANG page and enter soon!
GET PAID TO WRITE FLASH FICTION FOR A READING APP
HOOKED – a flash fiction app with millions of readers – is looking for super-short, flash fiction mysteries of up to 120 words that end on a cliff-hanger. They will pay $500 per accepted piece. Email jasmine@hooked.co for submission guidelines, with subject heading ‘CRIMEFEST: Flash Fiction Submission’. Include your bio and a writing sample. Please do not submit stories before receiving their submission guidelines as the HOOKED writing format is very specific. They are looking forward to hearing from you!
Please help us make this year’s convention the the biggest and best attended yet and help us promote CRIMEFEST on social media. Our details are www.facebook.com/crimefest.bristol and, on Twitter, @CrimeFest.
That’s it for now. Look out for the CRIMEFEST award shortlists in the next newsletter!
Best wishes,
Myles Allfrey, Donna Moore and Adrian Muller,
CRIMEFEST co-hosts.
Thursday, 19 January 2017.
Hi all,
Welcome to the fourth newsletter – well, mostly more of a reminder really – for CRIMEFEST 2017.
(For previous newsletters visit the ARCHIVE page.)
Please help us make this year’s convention the the biggest and best attended yet and help us promote CRIMEFEST on social media. Our details are www.facebook.com/crimefest.bristol and, for Twitter, @CrimeFest.
In this newsletter:
– CWA DIAMOND DAGGER RECIPIENT TO BE FEATURED GUEST AUTHOR
– BEAT THE FEBRUARY PRICE INCREASES
– HOTEL CODES
– CRIMEFEST INDIE VOICES PANEL
CWA DIAMOND DAGGER RECIPIENT TO BE FEATURED GUEST AUTHOR
CRIMEFEST is delighted that the 2017 recipient of the Crime Writers’ Association Diamond Dagger Award will be joining the headlining authors in May. If you haven’t already discovered who it is by the time we send out the next newsletter – we are waiting for the official CWA announcement – we will reveal the name then.
BEAT THE FEBRUARY PRICE INCREASES
At the end of this month the ticket prices for the Gala Award Dinner tickets and Full Weekend Pass go up to £50 and £195 respectively. (Dinner ticket holders will be sent an email in late April inviting them to nominate up to two people they would like to sit with.) Buy TICKETS now to avoid the price increases.
HOTEL CODES
If you are thinking about registering for CRIMEFEST and would like to stay at the convention hotel, then register soon as rooms are running out!
(To ensure that only delegates benefit from the discounted rates, the codes are only provided upon registration. If you are registered for next year’s convention and have not received the email, then please contact us as soon as possible.)
CRIMEFEST INDIE VOICES PANEL
This is a last call for self-published crime writers interested in appearing on CRIMEFEST’s Indie Voices panel. Click here for more information or to sign up.
That’s it until next time.
Best wishes,
Myles Allfrey, Donna Moore and Adrian Muller,
CRIMEFEST co-hosts.
Wednesday, 21 December 2016.
Hi all,
Welcome to the third newsletter for CRIMEFEST 2017.
(For previous newsletters visit the ARCHIVE page.)
In this newsletter:
– PETER LOVESEY JOINS AS FEATURED GUEST AUTHOR
– GIVE THE GIFT OF CRIME(FEST) AND BEAT THE PRICE INCREASES
– HOTEL CODES
– CRIMEFEST AWARDS
– CRIMEFEST EVENTS FOR ASPIRING AUTHORS
* PITCH AN AGENT
* CRIME WRITING DAY
* MANUSCRIPT ASSESSMENT
– INDIE VOICES PANEL
– 150 WORD FLASHBANG WRITING COMPETITION
– RECOMMENDED CHRISTMAS READS
PETER LOVESEY JOINS AS FEATURED GUEST AUTHOR
CRIMEFEST is honoured to announce Peter Lovesey, one of the most loved and respected crime novelists, as one of its headline authors for 2017. There are plenty of good reasons for inviting him: apart from the many (award-winning) crime novels – including the Cribb, Bertie and Diamond series – he is also a former recipient of the prestigious Diamond Dagger, and this year he celebrates his 80th birthday. To mark the occasion, the Detection Club, Britain’s oldest club for crime writers, has honoured Peter with Motives for Murder, a collection of short stories by current members. CRIMEFEST joins the celebrations by welcoming Peter to next year’s convention!
GIVE THE GIFT OF CRIME(FEST) AND BEAT THE PRICE INCREASES
Still looking for a Christmas gift for family, a friend or yourself? What about a pass or tickets to CRIMEFEST? Beat January’s price increases for the Full Weekend Pass and Gala Dinner tickets at BUY TICKETS now. The ticket prices for the dinner tickets and pass go up to £50 and £195 respectively towards the end of January. The menu options for the Gala Dinner are now available as part of the booking process, and delegates who have already purchased tickets will be sent an email asking them to state their main course preference. In the month running up to next year’s convention, dinner ticket holders will be sent an email inviting them to nominate up to two people they would like to sit with.
HOTEL CODES
By now all delegates should have received an email with the discount codes for the convention hotel and the four-star overspill hotel. (The CRIMEFEST website also lists nearby budget hotels which do not require a booking code.) If you are registered for next year’s convention and have not received the email, then please contact us as soon as possible. If you are thinking about registering for CRIMEFEST and would like to stay at the convention hotel, then register soon as rooms are running out! (To ensure that only delegates benefit from the discounted rates, the codes are only provided upon registration.)
CRIMEFEST AWARDS
Most of the entries for the various CRIMEFEST Awards categories have come in, and to see who has been submitted visit the list of submitted titles for the Audible Sounds of Crime Award, the eDunnit Award, the Last Laugh Award and the H.R.F. Keating Award. If you are an author and your book meets the submission guidelines, then it is not to late to request that your publisher submits your title. There is no cost for doing so, but only publishers are able to submit entries.
CRIMEFEST EVENTS FOR ASPIRING AUTHORS
The three CRIMEFEST events for aspiring authors are once again included as part of the convention’s programme.
Skip the dreaded slush piles and secure a guaranteed meeting with top agents. Sign up for PITCH AN AGENT with Pitch originator Camilla Wray (Darley Anderson Literary TV & Film Agency) and Broo Doherty (DHH Literary Agency). Joining them for the popular ‘speed-dating for an agent’ event will be Philip Patterson (Marjacq Scripts Ltd). Participants will be able to pitch their work in a private session to all three agents simultaneously.
CRIME WRITING DAY provides aspiring writers with tools to write (and even publish) their own crime novel. The speakers include Joanna Penn (How To Self Publish in eBook And Print), a number of leading agents and editors (Agents And Editors — Who Does What For Authors?) and a writing workshop. The latter is organised by the Professional Writing Academy with Tom Bromley and joining him is bestselling crime writer Julia Crouch.
Finally, for those who are looking for feedback on a finished (or almost completed) manuscript, CRIMEFEST is hosting a one-on-one MANUSCRIPT ASSESSMENT service with Janet Laurence. Based on submitted sample writing, Janet will provide constructive comments on how to improve characterisation, dialogue and/or plot, allowing manuscripts to be submitted in the best possible format to agents and/or editors.
Past participants have gone on to be published by major commercial publishing houses, and appeared on CRIMEFEST panels. For more information, click on the links in the text above. Or BUY TICKETS to register.
INDIE VOICES PANEL
Another successful feature returning next year will be the Indie Voices panel. Increasingly authors are going it alone and self-publishing their books because the financial rewards can be significantly greater than the traditional path. Also, publishing houses are now using the sales figures of self-published authors as a tool to seek out new talent. Recognising this development, CRIMEFEST is organising a panel to give four independently published authors a chance to discuss their work at next year’s convention. Helping us organise the panel is Joanna Penn, an independent author herself, writing fiction under J.F. Penn, as well as a contributor on the subject of self-(e)publishing to national publications such as the Bookseller and the Guardian. If you are a self-published crime writer and are interested in participating on this panel then visit the EMERGING INDIE VOICES page for more information or to sign up.
150 WORD FLASHBANG WRITING COMPETITION
With thanks to Sarah Hilary, CRIMEFEST once again presents the Flashbang short fiction competition. Can you write a crime story in 150 words or less? If so, and you are successful, then you might win a Full Weekend Pass to CRIMEFEST. For more information, and this year’s shortlisted and winning entries, visit FLASHBANG.
RECOMMENDED CHRISTMAS READS
With the Christmas holidays coming up, we thought readers of the CRIMEFEST newsletter might appreciate some suggestions for criminally good reading. We approached some of Britain’s top reviewers with the request for one of their favourite recent titles, as well as a much-loved classic.
Maxim Jakubowski recommends:
New book: Smoke by Dan Vyleta
Mix Harry Potter in a noir vein with the darker shores of cyberpunk and you get one of the best historical thrillers I’ve read in ages. It’s a Victorian London with echoes of Dickens, but not a world as we know it as it is the present day and all technology is absent in the UK (but exists in Europe). Magic, the nature of evil, a truly unsettling cloud of questions and a madcap set of adventures: quite possibly my crime book of the year. Overlook this future classic at your peril.
Classic read: The Face on The Cutting Room Floor by Cameron McCabe
Written in the 1930s this is the crime puzzle to end all puzzles. Still as readable now as then. Cod US noir language litters a tale of London film land and crime where the main protagonist is both the author and maybe also the killer. A dazzling exercise in trompe l’oeil, where every chapter almost negates the previous one and triggers further mysteries. Tongue in cheek in its treatment of Golden Age mysteries; postmodern to the max; and with an epilogue which puts the whole crazy plot back in the ring and begs you to reread what came before for clues and misdirection. Amazing to think this was written in early Agatha Christie days!
(Maxim, the former owner of the Murder One bookshop, writes and edits fiction and non-fiction, and also reviews for lovereading.co.uk.)
Jake Kerridge recommends:
New book: The Crime Writer by Jill Dawson
For those of us who are Patricia Highsmith addicts, the sad thought that we will never read a new Highsmith book is compensated for by Jill Dawson’s novel. The book imagines that Highsmith gets involved in a murder while living in Suffolk in 1963, and abounds with delicious pastiches of Highsmith’s greatest hits.
Classis title: Envious Casca by Georgette Heyer
The contemporary crime novels by the author better known for her historical romances have a wonderfully acidic wit. This classic from 1941 (lamely retitled A Christmas Party in a recent reissue) is about the Christmas gathering of a family who all clearly loathe each other, and the characterisations are bitingly hilarious.
(Jake is the crime fiction reviewer for the Telegraph.)
Mike Ripley recommends:
New title: Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz
The perfect end-of-year treat for any fan of the traditional English ‘cosy’ mystery – and also for those who don’t take them too seriously. Full of surprises, great fun and too clever by three-quarters, it features the best-named detective in crime fiction: Atticus Pűnd – and yes, that is an anagram and, yes, it is a very rude one!
Classic title: Red Christmas by Patrick Ruell
For a seasonal classic, or at least an old favourite from 1972, try Red Christmas by Patrick Ruell, if you can find a copy. A fancy-dress Christmas party at an isolated country house, a blizzard, a gang of cut-throats and, of course, murders. Wonderful stuff all written with the breezy lightness-of-touch worthy of Michael Innes in his pomp; which is not surprising if you know that ‘Patrick Ruell’ was one of the pen-names used by the much-missed Reginald Hill.
(Mike is the author of the award-winning Fitzroy Maclean Angel series, as well as the successful new books featuring Margery Allingham’s Albert Campion. He writes a regular column for Shots.)
Karen Robinson recommends:
New title: Thin Ice by Quentin Bates
This is the fifth in Bates’ Gunna Gisladottir series. The Reykjavik detective’s own convoluted family life (or maybe it’s normal for Iceland) dovetails with a cleverly plotted caper-gone-wrong featuring two clueless accidental kidnappers and their feisty mother and daughter captives, snowed in at a remote deserted hotel.
Classic title: The Night of Wenceslas by Lionel Davidson
Graham Greene and Rebecca West were fans of Davidson’s spy novels, which build tension through intricate and shadowy plotting. This elegant thriller from 1960 sends the perilously unworldly Nicolas Winter into the heart of Cold War Prague. Witty and smart, it crackles with serious menace. Faber is republishing a selection of Davidson’s distinctive spy adventures, including this one.
(Karen is editor of the Times/Sunday Times Crime Club, a great monthly bulletin for crime and thriller fans.)
That’s it until 2017.
Season’s Greetings,
Myles Allfrey, Donna Moore and Adrian Muller,
CRIMEFEST co-hosts.
Saturday, 01 October 2016.
Welcome to the second newsletter for CRIMEFEST 2017.
Please be aware that the price for a Full Weekend Pass goes up to £175 on 7 October, so BUY TICKETS now to avoid the increase.
In this newsletter:
– ANTHONY HOROWITZ, 2017 FEATURED GUEST AUTHOR
– TOM ADAMS & JOHN CURRAN, HIGHLIGHTED GUEST AUTHORS
– TRANSLATED AUTHORS
– CRIME WRITING DAY / PITCH AN AGENT / ONE-ON-ONE MANUSCRIPT ASSESSMENT SERVICE
– CRIMEFEST HOTEL
– PLEASE CHECK YOUR LISTING
– CRIME WRITERS’ ASSOCIATION DAGGER AWARDS
– DEBUT DAGGER FOR ASPIRING AUTHORS
– UPCOMING EVENTS
* Killer Women
* All About Agatha
* First Monday
CRIMEFEST is delighted to announce the first of its headlining authors for 2017.
ANTHONY HOROWITZ, 2017 FEATURED GUEST AUTHOR
One of the most prolific and successful writers working in the UK, Anthony Horowitz is probably best known as the author of the young adult Alex Rider books and the creator and writer of the beloved crime drama Foyle’s War. However, Anthony has also written other children and young adult novels, plays, episodes of Midsomer Murders and Poirot, and the recent BBC hit series New Blood. He is also the author of estate-authorised Sherlock Holmes (The House of Silk and Moriarty) and James Bond (Trigger Mortis) novels. If that isn’t enough to qualify him as a Featured Guest, then we are particularly looking forward to his new book Magpie Murders which promises to be a deliciously dark take on cosy crime, brought bang-up-to-date with a fiendish modern twist. We look forward to welcoming him at next year’s CRIMEFEST.
TOM ADAMS & JOHN CURRAN, HIGHLIGHTED GUEST AUTHORS
In what we hope will become a regular event, CRIMEFEST is excited to present its first ever showcase looking at the art of book covers. An artist in his own right, Tom Adams has also created artwork for records (you remember: the predecessors to CDs), books by the likes of Raymond Chandler, John Fowles, etc. Yet, he may be best known for the classic covers of crime novels by Agatha Christie. Joining Tom is Christie specialist John Curran who provided text for the illustrations in their book The Art of Agatha Christie and Beyond. Please join us in discovering the secrets of designing book covers.
TRANSLATED AUTHORS
CRIMEFEST has built a reputation for showcasing translated authors, and the 2017 convention continues to do so: Stefan Ahnhem, Samuel Bjørk, K.O. Dahl, Thomas Enger, Malin Persson Giolito (daughter of Leif Persson), Johana Gustawsson, Kati Hiekkapelto, Jørn Lier Horst, Ragnar Jonasson, Agnes Ravatn, Gunnar Staalesen and Antti Tuomainen to name but a few. And we’ll be putting Iceland’s top female crime writers – Jónína Leósdóttir, Sólveig Pálsdóttir, Lilja Sigurðardóttir and CRIMEFEST veteran Yrsa Sigurðardóttir – in a spotlight panel tentatively titled ‘The Ice Queens Cometh’.
Visit PARTICIPATING AUTHORS for a complete line-up.
CRIME WRITING DAY / PITCH AN AGENT / ONE-ON-ONE MANUSCRIPT ASSESSMENT SERVICE
As mentioned in the previous newsletter, PITCH AN AGENT returns next year, and joining Broo Doherty (DHH Literary Agency) and Pitch originator Camilla Wray (Darley Anderson Literary TV & Film Agency) for the popular ‘speed-dating for an agent’ event will be Philip Patterson (Marjacq Scripts Ltd). This is a rare opportunity for aspiring authors to skip the dreaded slush piles and secure a guaranteed meeting with top agents.
Also returning next year will be CRIME WRITING DAY, providing aspiring writers with tools to write (and even publish) their own crime novel. The speakers include Joanna Penn (How To Self Publish in eBook And Print), a number of leading agents and editors (Agents And Editors — Who Does What For Authors?) and a writing workshop organised by the Professional Writing Academy with Tom Bromley and featuring a surprise crime writer (to be announced soon). Finally, for those who are looking for feedback on a finished (or almost completed) manuscript, CRIMEFEST is hosting a ONE-ON-ONE MANUSCRIPT ASSESSMENT SERVICE with Janet Laurence. Based on submitted sample writing, Janet will provide constructive comments on how to improve characterisation, dialogue and/or plot, allowing manuscripts to be submitted in the best possible format to agents and/or editors.
Past participants have gone on to be published by major commercial publishing houses, and appeared on CRIMEFEST panels. For more information, click on the links in the text above. Or BUY TICKETS to register.
CRIMEFEST HOTEL
We anticipate contacting registered delegates in order of registration with discount details for the convention and four-star overspill hotels later this month. To ensure that delegates are able to reserve discounted rooms, the information is only sent to those who have registered. The four-star hotels have sold out in previous years, so BUY TICKETS soon if you wish to stay at the convention hotel. Those intending to stay at the suggested budget hotels, the earlier you book the better the rates. Visit BUDGET HOTELS for more information.
PLEASE CHECK YOUR LISTING
Due to a slight glitch at Eventbrite, some of the registration confirmations may not have been forwarded to CRIMEFEST correctly. If you have registered for next year’s convention, then please visit and check that you are listed. If this is not the case, or if your name is does not appear the way you wish it to shown on your pass, then please notify us at info@crimefest.com.
CRIME WRITERS’ ASSOCIATION DAGGER AWARDS
At last count, CRIMEFEST will be welcoming ten long- and shortlisted nominees for this year’s British Crime Writers’ Association’s Dagger Awards (check PARTICIPATING AUTHORS for names accompanied by daggers). As part of our association with the CWA, and to highlight their awards, winners of the Daggers are offered a panel at next year’s CRIMEFEST. Visit the CWA website on 12 October to find out who the lucky recipients are.
DEBUT DAGGER FOR ASPIRING AUTHORS
Are you an aspiring crime writer and would like a chance to win a Dagger? Then head over to the CWA Debut Dagger page and check in regularly because details for next year’s competition will be announced in early October. And even if you don’t win, then be comforted to know that shortlisted entrants have also gone on to success, gaining agents and commercial publishing contracts. For more information visit the Debut Facebook page or the CWA Debut page.
UPCOMING EVENTS
And last but not least, here are some upcoming events that might be of interest.
* Killer Women
London will host the first female-led crime fiction festival on 15 October 2016 at Shoreditch Town Hall. In addition to Killer Women members, the line-up will also include Martina Cole, Paula Hawkins, Val McDermid and Ann Cleeves. Panel topics range from historical crime to the state-of-the-art forensic psychology. For more info visit the Killer Women website.
* All About Agatha
On 11 October Heffers bookshop in Cambridge celebrates all things Agatha Christie in an evening event. Join expert and Agatha Christie’s Complete Secret Notebooks author John Curran; Julius Green, founder of The Agatha Christie Theatre Company (his book is Curtain Up: Agatha Christie – A Life in Theatre); and novelist Sophie Hannah, currently continuing Poirot’s adventures in The Monogram Murders and Closed Casket. For more information or tickets visit the All About Agatha ticket page.
* First Monday
And don’t forget London’s First Monday events. Presented by Goldsboro Books and City University London, First Monday is a regular crime fiction event taking place on the first Monday of each month. October 3rd’s instalment features Antonia Hodgson, Stuart Neville, William Ryan and SJ Watson. Moderating will be Karen Robinson, editor of the Times/Sunday Times Crime Club. Visit the Goldsboro Books website for tickets.
That’s it until next time.
With best wishes,
Myles Allfrey, Donna Moore and Adrian Muller,
CRIMEFEST co-hosts.
Thursday, 20 July 2016.
Hi all,
Welcome to the first newsletter for CRIMEFEST 2017.
We would like to start by thanking everyone who made this year’s convention a success and the best attended yet.
Thanks also to everyone who tweeted using our festival hashtag #crimefest16: during the weekend we were among the UK’s top trending topics, beaten only by #TheNextBond. Not bad!
In this newsletter:
– CRIMEFEST AWARD WINNERS
– 2017 TICKETS ON SALE
– PITCH AN AGENT
– FLASHBANG
– RECOMMENDED SUMMER READS
– BLOODY SCOTLAND 2-FOR-1 OFFER (ENDS 1 AUGUST)
– I’M SORRY I HAVEN’T A CLUEDO
CRIMEFEST AWARD WINNERS
Congratulations to all the winners of this years CRIMEFEST awards!
Audible Sounds of Crime Award:
– Paula Hawkins for The Girl on the Train, read by Clare Corbett, India Fisher & Louise Brealey (Random House Audiobooks)
Kobo eDunnit Award:
– Michael Connelly for The Crossing (Orion Publishing Group)
Last Laugh Award:
– Christopher Fowler for Bryant & May and the Burning Man (Transworld)
H.R.F. Keating Award:
– Martin Edwards for The Golden Age of Murder (HarperCollins)
For more information about the awards and nominees visit the 2016 AWARDS page.
Courtesy of Audible and Kobo the winners of the sponsored awards received a cash prize. All winners received a Bristol Blue Glass award and the offer of a panel at next year’s convention. So far Martin Edwards and Christopher Fowler have accepted and will be participants at CRIMEFEST 2017.
2017 TICKETS ON SALE
Tickets for next year’s CRIMEFEST are now on sale at BUY TICKETS. Currently the price for a Full Weekend Pass is £135, but please note that the price increases to £155 on 1 August. (The the cost will incrementally go up to £195.)
PITCH AN AGENT
Pitch an Agent sold out again this year, and we’re delighted to announce that Broo Doherty from DHH Literary Agency and Pitch originator Camilla Wray from the Darley Anderson Literary TV & Film Agency will return for this popular ‘speed-dating for an agent’ event at next year’s convention. This is a rare opportunity for aspiring authors to skip the dreaded slush piles and secure a guaranteed meeting with top agents. Past participants have gone on to be published by major commercial publishing houses, and have since appeared on CRIMEFEST panels. For more information, or to sign up, visit PITCH AN AGENT.
FLASHBANG
Also returning, courtesy of Sarah Hilary, is CRIMEFEST’s Flashbang short fiction competition. Can you write a crime story in 150 words or less? If so, and you are successful, then you might win a Full Weekend Pass to CRIMEFEST. For more information, and this year’s shortlisted and winning entries, visit FLASHBANG.
RECOMMENDED SUMMER READS
With the summer holidays coming up, we thought readers of the CRIMEFEST newsletter might appreciate some suggestions for criminally good reading. We approached some of Britain’s top reviewers with the request for one of their favourite recent titles, as well as a much-loved classic.
Maxim Jakubowski recommends
New book for the summer: Epiphany Jones by Michael Grothaus
A stunning hardboiled debut which is not for the faint-hearted: bloody to the max, scabrous, hilarious and also poignant, a combination that only an assured writing hand can achieve. A schizophrenic loser meets up with a goth girl who speaks to God against a background of Hollywood vice, the Cannes film festival and mighty dirty secrets. Fast-moving to the point of reaching cartoon Tarantino territory but always anchored in a strong sense of gritty reality. It will take your breath away. Grothaus is a UK-based London journalist with a strong investigative knowledge of the pornography and sex-trafficking industries.
Classic for the summer: Last Night in Montreal by Emily St John Mandel
The stunning first novel by the author of the since-celebrated futuristic Station Eleven is a moving tale of lost souls travelling across the American wilderness, of daughters seeking fathers and vice versa, of lovers who can’t face the realities of love and, at the same time, an intricate tale of everyday mysteries subtly engineered to make your heartstrings ping. Truly a future classic, with echoes of Marc Behm’s Eye Of The Beholder (which Mandel had never read). Finally issued in the UK as a result of the success of Station Eleven, but until then badly overlooked by readers. Mandel is a young Canadian New York-based writer and the author of four novels and although her bestseller is not a crime book, her earlier novels definitely are.
(Maxim, the former owner of the Murder One bookshop, writes and edits fiction and non-fiction, and also reviews for lovereading.co.uk.)
Jake Kerridge recommends
New book for the summer: The Birdwatcher by William Shaw
This is the story of a bird-loving policeman whose troubled past long ago in Northern Ireland makes him keen to avoid murder cases, but he is forced to get involved when a neighbour and fellow twitcher is beaten to death. This is excellent character-driven, suspenseful crime writing with a memorably eerie Dungeness setting.
Classic for the summer: Beast In View by Margaret Millar
I’ve become a Millar addict recently, and this novel of 1955 is one of her best. A reclusive woman living in Hollywood asks her lawyer to get rid of the madwoman who is stalking her and things go badly awry in a truly terrifying but wickedly entertaining study of different types of evil.
(Jake is the crime fiction reviewer for the Telegraph.)
Mike Ripley recommends
New book for the summer: Auntie Poldi and the Sicilian Lions by Mario Giordano
Reading this delightful crime romp is the next best thing to actually being in Sicily picking lemons this summer.
Classic for the summer: SS-GB by Len Deighton
Be ahead of the mob who will soon be chattering about the TV adaptation and read the book! It is an excellent thriller with the twist that the Germans won the Battle of Britain and England is now occupied by the Nazis. The spying, however, must go on.
(Mike is the author of the award-winning Fitzroy Maclean Angel series, as well as the successful new books featuring Margery Allingham’s Albert Campion. He writes a regular column for Shots.)
Karen Robinson recommends
New book for the summer: Charcoal Joe by Walter Mosley
Mosley is a special genius of crime fiction, opening a too-rare window onto the African-American experience through his private investigator Easy Rawlins. There’s a rocking noir swagger to his style, real suspense in the plots and fizz in the dialogue – all within an unignorable picture of a society shot through with scandalous racism.
Classic for the summer: The World at Night by Alan Furst
It’s hard to single out one book from Furst’s beguiling series of second world war thrillers but this is probably it. Sybaritic Parisian film producer Jean is an iconic Furst hero, a good-enough man who has to find the courage to risk everything for the right side in occupied Paris. Thrilling, seductive, atmospheric gateway to the Furst world.
(Karen is editor of The Times/Sunday Times Crime Club, a great monthly bulletin for crime and thriller fans.)
CRIMEFEST thanks the contributors.
BLOODY SCOTLAND 2-FOR-1 OFFER
To mark the 5th anniversary of the Bloody Scotland Festival which runs 9-11 September in historic Stirling, CRIMEFEST has arranged an exclusive 2-for-1 ticket offer with its partner in crime across the border. This year’s Bloody Scotland festival features a fabulous line-up of authors with some of the very biggest names in the business including Ian Rankin, Nicci French, Peter Robinson, Martina Cole, Chris Brookmyre and Val McDermid.
For the 2-for-1 ticket offer, simply select your chosen event or multiple events from the featured list and then follow the how to book instructions: Stuart MacBride & Caro Ramsay * The Golden Age Renegade – Josephine Tey with Val McDermid * Eva Dolan, Mari Hannah & Ben McPherson * Rachel Abbott & Melanie Raabe * Scotland the Grave * Spies Like Us * Erwin James & Martina Cole * Sex & the Internet with Brooke Magnanti * Chris Brookmyre & Stuart Neville * Nicci French * Digging Up the Bodies: Lin Anderson * Pitch Perfect * Victorian Gothic * The Dying of the Light with Alex Gray * Writing in Exile * Writing Orkney * Into the Dark * Malcolm Mackay, James Oswald & Craig Robertson * Neil Mackay & Alexandra Sokoloff
To book, log onto Bloody Scotland and select your chosen event(s) and enter the CRIMEFEST promotional code: BSCF16
Offer valid until 1 August 2016. Terms and conditions apply. Online only. The offer is as stated and cannot be used in conjunction with any other ticket promotion. All tickets are strictly subject to availability. Please note: all 2-for-1 offer tickets are non-refundable.
I’M SORRY I HAVEN’T A CLUEDO
As mentioned at the start of this newsletter, this year was one of the most successful CRIMEFESTs. Thanks to the ingenious Ali Karim and Shots, there are some clips of the goings-on. (We hope to add them to the archive soon.) Closing this year’s convention – and now this newsletter – was Mike Ripley’s fabulous and hugely entertaining quiz ‘I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Cluedo’. See what you missed and BUY TICKETS now to make sure you don’t miss next year’s CRIMEFEST.
That’s it for now. Back with more news in a month or two. Enjoy the summer!
With best wishes,
Myles Allfrey, Donna Moore and Adrian Muller,
CRIMEFEST co-hosts.