Newsletter Archive

Thursday, 1 May 2025.

Hi all,

As this is the last newsletter before the final CrimeFest takes place in Bristol, the CrimeFest team hope each word is treated with the reverence such an occasion deserves 🙂

Firstly, some housekeeping


CrimeFest is two weeks away, and we will stop taking online reservations at the close of business on Wednesday, 7 May. After that, full passes and Friday and Saturday Day tickets will be available at the CrimeFest registration desk at the convention hotel.

But why wait? Get your TICKETS now!

For those who have booked already, authors and delegates will be receiving further information in the coming days.

In this newsletter:
– CRIMEFEST AWARDS SHORTLISTS
– MYSTERY PEOPLE PANEL PROMOS

CRIMEFEST AWARDS SHORTLISTS
One of the highlights of organising CrimeFest is contacting authors and publishers with the news that they have been shortlisted for our awards. The excited responses are one of the aspects that make it all worthwhile.

And, just to keep the suspense going a bit longer, may we point out that, to our knowledge, our awards are the only ones for a major event that do not require a participation fee at any stage of the process!

We do this so that publishers who don’t have the budget to enter awards, can do so. It means the CrimeFest Awards will always have entries that you will not see on other award long or shortlists.

With that said, here we go!

Eligible titles were submitted by publishers, and a team of British crime fiction reviewers voted to establish the shortlist and the winning title.

All winners receive a commemorative Bristol Blue Glass Award.

Drumroll please


SPECSAVERS DEBUT CRIME NOVEL AWARD
In association with headline sponsor, the Specsavers Debut Crime Novel Award is for debut authors first published in the United Kingdom in 2024. The winning author receives a ÂŁ1,000 prize.

The nominees are:

– Tom Baragwanath for Paper Cage (Baskerville)
– Tasha Coryell for Love Letters to a Serial Killer (Orion Fiction)
– C. L. Miller for The Antique Hunter’s Guide to Murder (Pan Macmillan)
– Akira Otani (and translator Sam Bett) for The Night of Baba Yaga (Faber & Faber)
– Tracy Sierra for Nightwatching (Viking)
– Claire Wilson for Five by Five (Michael Joseph)

eDUNNIT AWARD
For the best crime fiction ebook first published in both hardcopy and in electronic format in the United Kingdom in 2024.

The nominees are:

– Martin Edwards for Hemlock Bay (Head of Zeus)
– Laurie R. King for The Lantern’s Dance (Allison & Busby)
– Jean Hanff Korelitz for The Sequel (Faber & Faber)
– Bella Mackie for What A Way To Go (The Borough Press)
– Liz Moore for The God of the Woods (The Borough Press)
– Peter Swanson for A Talent for Murder (Faber & Faber)

H.R.F. KEATING AWARD
The H.R.F. Keating Award is for the best biographical or critical book related to crime fiction first published in the United Kingdom in 2024. The award is named after H.R.F. ‘Harry’ Keating, one of Britain’s most esteemed crime novelists, crime reviewers and writer of books about crime fiction.

The nominees are:

– Mark Aldridge for Agatha Christie’s Marple: Expert in Wickedness (HarperCollins)
– Jem Bloomfield for Allusion in Detective Fiction (Palgrave Macmillan)
– Ashley Bowden for Female Detectives in Early Crime Fiction 1841-1920 (Fabula Mysterium Press)
– Dan Coxon & Richard V. Hirst for Writing the Murder: Essays in Crafting Crime Fiction (Dead Ink)
– Sara Lodge for The Mysterious Case of the Victorian Female (Yale University Press)
– Lynda La Plante for Getting Away With Murder: My Unexpected Life on Page, Stage and Screen (Zaffre)


LAST LAUGH AWARD
The Last Laugh Award is for the best humorous crime novel first published in the United Kingdom in 2024.

The nominees are:

– Cathy Ace for The Case of the Secretive Secretary (Four Tails Publishing Ltd.)
– DG Coutinho for The Light and Shade of Ellen Swithin (Harvill Secker)
– Bella Mackie for What A Way To Go (The Borough Press)
– Orlando Murrin for Knife Skills for Beginners (Transworld)
– Mike Ripley for Mr Campion’s Christmas (Severn House)
– Antti Tuomianen (and translator David Hackston) for The Burning Stones (Orenda Books)

CRIMEFEST AWARDS FOR BEST CRIME NOVEL FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULTS
Eligible titles were submitted by publishers, and reviewers of fiction for children and young adults voted alongside volunteering members of the School Library Association (SLA) to establish the shortlist and the winning title.

Best Crime Fiction Novel For Children
This award is for the best crime novel for children (aged 8-12) first published in the United Kingdom in 2024.

The nominees are:

– Sufiya Ahmed for Rosie Raja: Undercover Codebreaker (Bloomsbury Education)
– Natasha Farrant for The Secret of Golden Island (Faber & Faber)
– A.M. Howell for Mysteries at Sea: The Hollywood Kidnap Case (Usborne Publishing)
– M. G. Leonard for The Twitchers: Feather (Walker Books)
– Beth Lincoln for The Swifts: A Gallery of Rogues (Penguin Random House Children’s UK)
– Nicki Thornton for The Floating Witch Mystery (Faber & Faber)

Best Crime Fiction Novel For Young Adults
This award is for the best crime novel for young adults (aged 12-16) first published in the United Kingdom in 2024.

The nominees are:

– H.F. Askwith for A Cruel Twist of Fate (Penguin Random House Children’s UK)
– Denise Brown for It All Started With a Lie (Hashtag Press)
– A.J. Clack for Lie or Die (Firefly Press)
– Amie  Jordan for All the Hidden Monsters (Chicken House)
– Kayvion Lewis for Heist Royale (Simon & Schuster Children’s Books)
– Karen M. McManus for Such Charming Liars (Penguin Random House Children’s UK)

THALIA PROCTOR MEMORIAL AWARD for BEST ADAPTED TV CRIME DRAMA
This award is for the best television crime drama based on a book and first screened in the UK in 2024.

Eligible titles were collated from the Radio Times and CrimeFest newsletter readers established the shortlist and the winning title. The winning author and production company each receive a Bristol Blue Glass commemorative award.

The award is named after Thalia Proctor, a true fan of crime fiction and drama. Thalia worked in specialist bookshops, and went on to work with many crime writers in publishing. She was a much loved and valued member of the CrimeFest team, and known and loved by many members of the crime writing community.

The nominees are:

– Bad Monkey, based on the book by Carl Hiaasen (Apple TV+)
– Dalgliesh (series 3), based on the Inspector Dalgliesh books by P.D. James (Channel 5)
– Lady in the Lake based on the book by Laura Lippman (Apple TV+)
– Moonflower Murders based on the book by Anthony Horowitz (BBC)
– Slow Horses (series 4), based on the Slough House books by Mick Herron (Apple TV+)
– The Turkish Detective, based on the Inspector Ikmen books by Barbara Nadel (BBC)

Visit the website for a list of all the submitted entries for the CrimeFest Awards.

Congratulations to all the nominees! Find out the winners on Saturday night at CrimeFest!

MYSTERY PEOPLE PANEL PROMOS

A shout-out of thanks to Lizzie Sirett and the Mystery People website for promoting all the CrimeFest panels in detail!

The full itinerary is up on the CrimeFest website, do dig out your virtual highlighter pen and start planning.

So, why come to CrimeFest? It is the most friendly convention or festival (you say potato, I say…) in UK. We have a fabulous line up of authors and a wonderful programme of interviews and panels. Full Pass Holders receive a canvas delegate bag with a selection of crime novels, a programme book, access to all the panels, interviews, a reception, two quizzes (with the final quiz offering the opportunity to win a pair of tickets to this November’s Iceland Noir in Reykjavik as an audience participation prize). And (don’t worry) for those who can’t live without it, there will be a screening of the Eurovision Song Contest Final on a big screen.

Saving the best till last – Full Pass Holders receive a complimentary copy of Leaving the Scene â€“ our celebratory CrimeFest anthology, with contributions from 21 marvellous authors.

Get your TICKETS now, and be part of the last CrimeFest!

We look forward to welcoming you next month.

With best wishes,

Donna Moore & Adrian Muller,
CrimeFest co-hosts.

Wednesday, 9 April 2025.

Hi all,

We hope this finds you well and looking forward to CrimeFest next month! The plotting is almost complete:

Donna has completed the itinerary, and it includes some cracking panels (see further down for more details).

Adrian is tying up bits and bobs, such as compiling material for the programme book, etc. Speaking of, none other than Jack Reacher himself has given a world-exclusive interview (to author Reed Farrel Coleman), offering his insights and appreciation of our Featured Guests, Andrew and Lee Child. Read it only in our CrimeFest programme book!

And delegate bag liaison Mike Stotter is approaching publishers for books for delegate bags and, among other titles, has secured a number of proofs of Denise Mina’s upcoming The Good Liar.

Don’t forget there’s a chance to get hold of CrimeFest history! The first 450 Full Delegate Passholders will receive a complimentary, advance copy of Leaving the Scene, the anthology celebrating the sixteen years of CrimeFest. (See the newsletter archive for more info, such as the names of the twenty-one contributors.)

In this newsletter:

In this newsletter:
– BOOKISH CRIME DRAMA PANEL WITH MARK GATISS AND MATTHEW SWEET
– CHRIS CHIBNALL
– RECEPTIONS
– GALA AWARDS DINNER
– THALIA PROCTOR MEMORIAL AWARD FOR BEST ADAPTED TV CRIME DRAMA
– CRIMEFEST ITINERARY
– STARTER FOR TEN – WIN A PAIR OF TICKETS TO ICELAND NOIR
– DAY TICKETS
– LAST CALL FOR CRIMEFEST DELEGATE RATES AT HOTELS
– YOUR DATA
– WE’RE NOT GONE YET!

BOOKISH CRIME DRAMA PANEL WITH MARK GATISS AND MATTHEW SWEET
Never heard of Bookish? Don’t worry, you will soon! After co-creating Sherlock with Steven Moffat (their appearance at CrimeFest is still one of the highlights!) Mark Gatiss has come up with a new stylish detective drama, which everyone will be talking about when it airs on UKTV’s U&Alibi this summer.

With thanks to interviewer Nev Fountain, CrimeFest delegates are getting a head-start with creator Gatiss and co-writer Matthew Sweet. Sweet is also writing the novel based on the show, which is due to be published in July.

A sneak preview? Here you go: set in 1946 London, Gatiss stars as the whip-smart and debonair Gabriel Book: a maverick consultant detective to the local police. The thousands of books that line the shelves of his shop provide him with all the knowledge he needs to solve even the most puzzling of crimes. Be the first to find out more and book TICKETS now! 

(As Whovians know, Mark, Matthew and Nev have worked on a series about a certain Doctor, which might get a mention too
)

CHRIS CHIBNALL
A last minute, but very welcome addition to the CrimeFest author line-up is Chris Chibnall, creator of that landmark crime drama Broadchurch. (Visit nearby Clevedon to see the Broadchurch high street!)

Chris’s debut crime novel, Death at the White Hart, has just been published, and he makes his one and only appearance on Sunday when he joins Participating Moderator Lee Child (Reacher), Barbara Nadel (The Turkish Detective), Barry Ryan (Agatha Raisin) and Matthew Sweet (Bookish) for Sunday’s ‘Lights! Camera! Murder: Adapting For and From Film and TV’.

RECEPTIONS
In 2010, CrimeFest was delighted to host the first reception for the Crime Writers’ Association to announce their Dagger Awards shortlists. This year the CWA has decided to announce the nominations online instead. We very much hope a live presentation will be reintroduced elsewhere in the near future, and thank the association for the privilege of hosting the reception all these years.

To fill the space – and what a filler it is! – we will be organising a mass signing of both Ten Year Stretch (the tenth anniversary anthology, available to buy at the convention) and Leaving the Scene with the twenty-five attending contributors of both books. No drinks, just books at this one, but you can clink your glasses at the pre-Gala Awards Dinner reception which is open to all Full Pass holders!

GALA AWARDS DINNER
We recently announced the three main course options to attending delegates, and if you are an attendee and you haven’t registered yet, now is the time to buy your ticket. With delicious vegan starters and desserts (we know because we had a full tasting of fifteen options for all three courses!), the ticket holders get to choose one of the following three mains:
– Feather blade of beef, dauphinoise potatoes, and onions
– Butter poached sea bass, ratatouille of spring vegetables, samphire, and green salsa
– Butternut squash wellington, olive oil mash, garlic beans, and oat sauce

Vaseem Khan is the Toastmaster and, after last year’s joyous inclusive after dinner speech, Cathy Ace returns to offer the evening’s rousing closing words.

And then, of course, there are the awards. We’ll be announcing the shortlists shortly, but in the meantime you can vote for


THALIA PROCTOR MEMORIAL AWARD FOR BEST ADAPTED TV CRIME DRAMA
This award is for the best television crime drama based on a book and first screened in the UK in 2024.

Eligible titles were collated from the Radio Times and CrimeFest newsletter readers establish the shortlist and the winning title. The winning author and production company each receive a Bristol Blue Glass commemorative award.

The award is named after Thalia Proctor, a true fan of crime fiction and drama. Thalia worked in specialist bookshops, and went on to work with many crime writers in publishing. She was a much-loved and valued member of the CrimeFest team, and known and loved by many members of the crime writing community.

Please visit the voting page with the list of eligible titles and help us in coming up with a shortlist and winner by selecting up to three of your favourite crime dramas. The deadline is the close of 18 April.

We know you’ve been waiting for it and – trumpet chorus – here it is


CRIMEFEST ITINERARY
The full itinerary is available here but, yes, your favourites are back:
– Authors Remembered: featuring authors included in Martin Edwards’ new Detection Club Anthology
– Thursday’s CrimeFest Pub Quiz: Peter Guttridge will be the inQuizitor (there are prizes to be won!)
– two helpings of Debut Authors: An Infusion Of Fresh Blood
– Ghost of Honour: JOHN LE CARRÉ remembered by family and ghost-host Simon Brett
– Panels on every possible topic related to crime fiction
– The Indie Alternative

And for the closing panel? See below!

STARTER FOR TEN – WIN A PAIR OF TICKETS TO ICELAND NOIR
After years of putting crime writers under the Criminal Mastermind spotlight, Inquizitor Maxim Jakubowski is challenging CrimeFest team members to take the plunge into taking part in the closing panel.

Because it is the final panel, there is a twist: instead of one hot-seat, two teams will face off to each other in our version of University Challenge. Myles Allfrey, retired co-host, makes his return as CrimeFest team captain with Gianna Faccenda, Adrian, and Mike Stotter. Crime Writers team captain is Lee Child with Cathy Ace, Peter Guttridge and Yrsa SigurĂ°ardĂłttir. The latter is generously providing a pair of tickets to Iceland Noir as the attending audience participation prize!

So, if you fancy yourself as a bit of a Inquizitor yourself, Maxim Jakubowski is inviting you to submit a starter for ten, together with ten follow-up questions. Naturally the questions must be crime fiction and crime drama related. Send them (and the answers!) to Maxim with CrimeFest Quiz Challenge in the subject line, and your name and questions in the body of the email. We may even give a prize for the best set of questions! (Please note that Maxim may use individual questions rather than the whole set you provide.) The deadline is 2 May.

CRIMEFEST TICKETS
Haven’t got your tickets yet?

The Full Pass to CrimeFest is ÂŁ200 (Thursday through Sunday), and it gives you access to all events. Only the Gala Dinner is extra, which is ÂŁ65 for a scrumptious three-course meal, the CrimeFest Awards, and delectable speeches from Vaseem Khan, Cathy Ace, and the attending winners and Featured Guests.

Thanks to our title sponsor, Specsavers, we can also offer discounted passes as below:
– Community Pass for UK school and public librarians: ÂŁ50
– Community Pass for full-time UK students: ÂŁ50
– Community Pass for recipients of Jobseekers Allowance, Income Support, Employment Support Allowance, Universal Credit, DLA/PIP: ÂŁ25

All Full and Community Passes include a delegate bag and programme book.

It is a crime of course to miss any minute of the final CrimeFest. However, we have just launched a number of flexible ticket options to suit budgets and busy schedules:
– Friday Pass: ÂŁ100
– Saturday Pass: ÂŁ100
– Bookish (Mark Gatiss and Matthew Sweet) ticket: ÂŁ15
– Lee and Andrew Child in conversation: ÂŁ15

(Please note: the Bookish and Child events are included in all Full, Saturday and Community Passes.)

No extras for individual tickets, but Day passes include a programme book.

Visit the CrimeFest TICKETS page to get yours now!

LAST CALL FOR CRIMEFEST DELEGATE RATES AT HOTELS
Just a heads up that the discounted delegate hotel rates are about to end. So, if you want to stay at the Mercure Bristol Grand, the convention hotel, or the Bristol Clayton, the suggested overspill hotel (less than a minute down the road), book your tickets now. Only registered delegates are sent the discount codes. Details of nearby budget hotels are listed on the site.

(Already registered and need to hotel discount codes? Just drop us an email.)

YOUR DATA
We have received a number of details from newsletter subscribers saying they have been contacted with the offer to buy CrimeFest’s mailing list. Apparently, this is a known web crawling/phishing scam that targets exhibitions, conferences, and conventions. Please rest assured: we will never, ever knowingly part with your personal data without obtaining your permission first.

And finally


WE’RE NOT GONE YET!
To paraphrase Monty Python, “Where not gone yet!” and, until we are, we’re holding on to the title of ‘friendliest’ (and most inclusive) crime fiction event in the UK 😉

We look forward to welcoming you to CrimeFest next month.

With best wishes,

Donna Moore & Adrian Muller,
CrimeFest co-hosts.

Tuesday, 25 March 2025.

Hi all,

We hope this finds you well and looking forward to the upcoming CrimeFest!

If you are wondering why we haven’t posted the itinerary yet, then rest assured: the participating moderators are in place, and the vast majority of the authors have been contacted with details of their panels. Whilst waiting to finalise one or two events, we are crossing the ‘t’s and dotting the ‘i’s, so that we can announce the full programme next week.

This newsletter is to announce a very special ‘Thank you’. Donna and I (and the help of many wonderful contributors) have come up with to show our gratitude to the delegates – authors, readers, sponsors, and those in the publishing industry – who make up our CrimeFest family, and who have supported us throughout CrimeFest’s sixteen years.

The first 450 registered Full Pass holders will exclusively be gifted an advance copy of a new anthology celebrating sixteen years of CrimeFest:

CrimeFest: Leaving the Scene

CrimeFest: Leaving the Scene features twenty new stories by some of the many authors who have attended and supported CrimeFest since 2008.

With a foreword by Lee Child, the contributing authors in alphabetical order are: Cathy Ace, Simon Brett, Jane Burfield, Lindsey Davis, Jeffery Deaver, Martin Edwards, Ruth Dudley Edwards, Dolores Gordon-Smith, Peter Guttridge, JÞrn Lier Horst (with translator Anne Bruce), Samantha Lee Howe, Maxim Jakubowski, Vaseem Khan, Nadine Matheson, Donna Moore, David Penny, Mike Ripley, Leigh Russell, Zoë Sharp & John Lawton, and Sarah Ward.

As with Ten Year Stretch, our tenth anniversary anthology, CrimeFest: Leaving the Scene will be published by the wonderful No Exit Press (on 28 August), with proceeds once again going to the Royal National Institute of Blind (RNIB) library.

Both anthologies were made possible through the support of benefactor Jane Burfield, and Donna and I give our heartfelt thanks to Jane and the team at No Exit Press, including Ion Mills and Jamie Hodder-Williams.

During CrimeFest there will be a mass signing with the twenty-two attending authors of both anthologies. (Limited copies of Ten Year Stretch will be on sale during the convention.)

The convention has been a real labour of love over the years and Donna and I are thrilled to be able to go out in celebratory fashion with this anthology.

So, if you haven’t registered yet, please, do come and join us! Secure your complimentary copy of Leaving the Scene and buy your TICKETS now!

We look forward to seeing you in May,

Donna Moore and Adrian Muller,
CrimeFest co-chairs.

Friday, 20 December 2024.

Hi all,

Let us start by saying thank you for all the lovely messages we have been receiving following our announcement that next year’s CrimeFest will be the last one.

It was a very difficult and painful decision to make but, as we said, we are now focusing on using all our energy to make 2025’s CrimeFest one of the best!

So with that in mind:

SPECIAL GUESTS
We have already announced that the wonderful Vaseem Khan will be the Toastmaster at next year’s convention; and that we’re honoured by the panel celebrating John le CarrĂ©, our Ghost of Honour featuring his two talented sons.

However, a special CrimeFest would not be the same without the legends that are Lee Child and Jeffery Deaver! They were special guests at the Bristol Left Coast Crime (the inspiration for CrimeFest) in 2006; they were there for our fifth anniversary; and they were there for our tenth anniversary.

We’re absolutely thrilled to announce Lee Child makes his return and will be joining brother Andrew next year. Jeff may not be able to make it in person, but we’re doing our best to ensure that he too will be able to participate in some way. And our favourite Scandi author, Yrsa Sigurðardóttir, also returns to celebrate CrimeFest’s sixteen years.

In addition, after last year’s rousing, heartfelt, napkin waving, and inclusive speech as Leader of Toasts, we’ve invited the effervescent Cathy Ace back to be the closing speaker at the Gala Dinner. Napkins at the ready!

What’s more, if not mistaken, we’ll also have a record sleuth of Diamond Dagger recipients attending: Simon Brett, Lee Child, Lindsey Davis, Martin Edwards, John Harvey, and, in spirit, obviously, John le CarrĂ© and Dick Francis (as represented by son Felix). More to come? We’ll keep you posted.

And, as if all of that wasn’t enough, we very much appreciate the talent and ongoing support of much-loved regulars, along with first-time attendees. For the full, current line-up see our Authors & Delegates page (and see if you have finally been added to the list).

SPECIAL THANK YOU
Donna and I appreciate all the thanks we have received for organising CrimeFest (and those appreciations also include the rest of our wonderful team). But, ‘just organising another convention’ didn’t quite do it for us as a ‘thank you’ to all the delegates who have supported us over the years. So, we are working on something special to show our appreciation to the CrimeFest family. That’s all we’re saying for now


HOTEL DISCOUNT CODES
Due to a miscommunication between the organisers and the convention hotel, there was a delay in signing the contract for next year. We are pleased to announce this was fully resolved, and the hotel discount codes were sent to the first lot of delegates on the day the contract was signed. As of yesterday, all registered delegates should have received the codes. Please let us know if you did not.

CRIMEFEST GIFT TOKENS AND ‘MERCH’
2025 promises then to be a year to remember. So, if you still have gifts to buy, (and, no, a trip to the local garage will not suffice!) then last-minute shoppers can download CrimeFest gift tokens. Should you be unable to amend the details of the PDF file, let us know and we will do so for you. Just don’t forget to register the lucky recipient!

It’s too late to get any merchandise to you in time, but you can still order something from our MERCH SHOP and say it’s on its way. (If it helps you escape the recipient’s wrath, we won’t even mind if you blame us for the delay.)

YOUR DATA
Finally, we have received a number of details from newsletter subscribers saying they had been contacted with the offer to buy CrimeFest’s mailing list. Apparently, this is a known web crawling/phishing scam that targets exhibitions, conferences, and conventions. Please rest assured: we will never, ever knowingly part with your personal data without obtaining your permission first.

All that is left to do for this newsletter is to wish you season’s greetings and all the best for 2025. Be good to each other and gift (yourself) books.

We look forward to seeing you in the New Year.

Have a good one,

Donna and Adrian,
CrimeFest co-hosts.

Monday, 18 November 2024.

Hi all,

It has been a while, but that does not mean we have been making inroads on our to-read-pile! Gremlins have been causing havoc with the CrimeFest phone lines and internet. As a result, we are trawling through the various glitches this caused with the processing of registrations, but this should now be resolved.

All those who registered for CrimeFest 2025 should now be listed on the Authors & Delegates page. Have a look and – don’t panic if you are missing or the info is incorrect – just let us know if amendments are required.

Now, on with the newsletter!

GHOST OF HONOUR
We are absolutely thrilled to announce that CrimeFest’s 2025 Ghost of Honour is to be John le CarrĂ©. This event on one of the greatest post-war era novelists will be chaired by regular ‘ghost host’ Simon Brett, and joining him will be none other than le Carré’s sons, Simon Cornwell and Nick Harkaway. (Further guest(s) for the panel are to be announced. Watch this space!)

Following the hugely successful TV adaption (UK / US) of The Night Manager in 2016, CrimeFest approached Simon Cornwell about the possibility of an event at the convention. Simon is CEO and co-founder of The Ink Factory, the studio which adapts his father’s work. It came close, but all involved wanted it to be perfect. So, this year’s event will be all the better for it.

The sequels – yes, season 2 and 3 have been commissioned – are currently in production, with all the main actors, including Tom Hiddleston and Olivia Colman, returning. And what about Hugh Laurie? He is co-producing, but will he join the cast? And this le CarrĂ© adaptation is just one of many in the pipeline. Will we have clips? Too soon to tell, but we’re keeping our fingers crossed!

Nick Harkaway, who also writes as Aidan Truhen, is an acclaimed novelist in his own right, and no stranger to genre fiction. His Titanium Noir thrillers and stand-alone (futuristic) crime novels have earned him lots of plaudits. In the already acclaimed Karla’s Choice he takes on his father’s most famous creation – with the first of hopefully many George Smiley continuation novels.

The Ghost of Honour panels are always one of CrimeFest highlights, and we are very much looking forward to welcoming its participants.

Courtesy of publisher Viking, we have a hardback copy of Karla’s Choice as a prize draw for one lucky winner who can tell us who played this book’s title character in the BBC series. Please send your entries to competition@crimefest.com with Karla in the subject line and your answer in the body of the email. The deadline to do so is 29 November.

HOTEL DISCOUNT CODES
We have them! Both the Mercure Grand (the convention hotel) and the Clayton (the overspill hotel – less than a minute’s walk down the road), have provided discounts for delegate hotel stays. The codes will be emailed to registered delegates next week. So, if you want to stay at one of the ‘official’ CrimeFest hotels, but haven’t yet booked your TICKETS, do so now! (It will also let you avoid the upcoming price increases. See further down.)

Details of suggested budget hotels are already up on the CrimeFest WHERE TO STAY page.

PUBLISHERS CONTACTED FOR CRIMEFEST AWARD SUBMISSIONS
Last week British publishers were contacted and invited to submit titles for the CrimeFest Awards. Any commercially published author with books meeting the eligibility criteria can be entered, but only by their UK publisher. To avoid only the usual suspects being nominated, there is no cost for titles to be submitted, shortlisted or winning! We will be listing the submitted titles on the website. So, authors: check the eligibility guidelines, and nudge your publisher to enter your title!

THALIA PROCTOR MEMORIAL AWARD
But wait, there is also the Thalia Proctor Memorial Award For Best Adapted TV Crime Drama. Named in honour of crime fiction champion and all-round good person Thalia Proctor, this award is for the best television crime drama based on a book, and first screened in the UK in 2024. Eligible titles are collated from the Radio Times, and CrimeFest newsletter readers establish the shortlist and the winning title.

Of course 2024 isn’t quite over (yet!), and there is still the bumper Christmas edition to plow through, but this is the opportunity for you to point out any titles we may have accidentally overlooked and omitted. Check the list of titles to date, and please let us know if there are any missing.

If you do think we have missed an eligible entry, then contact us before 29 November with Crime Drama in the subject of your email, and the relevant title(s) in the body. There will be a draw from correct entries, with the sender being sent a selection of crime drama DVDs.

Again: this award is for the best television crime drama based on a book, and first screened in the UK in 2024.

FINAL CALL FOR INDIE AUTHORS AND BURSARY APPLICANTS
CrimeFest prides itself on the diversity of both its delegates and the representation of the nominees for our awards.

Introduced in 2022, CrimeFest’s bursary for a crime fiction author of colour returns for a fourth year. The bursary covers the costs of a weekend pass to the convention, with a night’s accommodation and panel appearance.

Previous recipients were Saima Mir, Elizabeth Chakrabarty and Christie Newport.

To apply, send an email with ‘BURSARY’ in the subject line, and a brief description of what you hope to gain by applying. The deadline to apply is 29 November, so get your skates on!

We are proud to annually schedule the Indie Alternative panel. If not the first, then CrimeFest was one of the first major fiction events to recognise the high-quality of writing by many self-published authors.

The deadline to be considered as one of our four panellists is 29 November. So, again: skates! For more information visit the Indie Alternative info page.

PRICE INCREASES
December 1st will see the next Full Pass price increase from ÂŁ165 to ÂŁ185 (before the final rise to ÂŁ200, early next year).

Also going up in price are the Gala Dinner tickets: from ÂŁ60 to ÂŁ65 for a three-course meal. We will be contacting those who have registered for the Gala Dinner with three options for the main course (meat, fish and vegan). Both the starter and dessert are suitable for vegans and, as always, we aim to accommodate dietary requirements.

Delegates attending the dinner will be contacted shortly before the convention, offering them the option of nominating two people they would like to sit with. (The organisers aim to pair diners with one of them.)

So, once more: beat the price increases, and REGISTER now!

CRIMEFEST GIFT TOKENS
What can be more heart-warming, romantic and/or seasonal than to gift someone the joy of crime? Or CrimeFest to be precise! Available for both organised and last-minute gifters, you can download gift tokens. Should you be unable to amend the details of the PDF file, let us know and we will do so for you. Just don’t forget to register the lucky recipient!

CRIMEFEST ‘MERCH’ SHOP
A Full CrimeFest Pass to big a stab in your wallet? For shame
 But worry not, we have gifts for most budgets. Just have a look in our MERCH SHOP.

FAREWELL CRIMINAL MASTERMIND; HALLO

At this year’s convention closing event Criminal Mastermind inquizitor Maxim Jakubowski announced the (temporary?) retirement of the quiz. It was retired before when, as now, potential victims participants realised how hard it was. So, we’re letting it rest for another while, waiting for the next generation of unwitting contestants. (Ominous ‘Dun, dun, duuun’ sound!)

But how to bring the convention to a satisfying close? Well, you can’t put a good inquizitor down, and certainly not one as devilishly determined as Maxim! So Farewell Criminal Mastermind, hallo Criminal Challenge!

With more than a little resemblance to University Challenge, and trusting that vi contestants will feel safer in numbers, Maxim will now pitch two teams against each other. There is even talk that it may be the CrimeFest vs the CWA! Starter for ten anyone?

That is it for now. With the delegate list (mostly?) sorted, be sure to logon later this week for an updated home page!

Cheers,

Donna and Adrian,
CrimeFest co-hosts.

Friday, 2 August 2024.

Hi all,

Apologies for the extended radio silence. The organisers took a longer than usual break, but we are now raring to go!

Before we look forward we have to thank the Featured Guest Authors, authors, readers and industry professionals who helped make this year’s CrimeFest such a successful one! Thanks especially to Cathy Ace. Cathy was a truly fabulous Leader of Toasts. Her outstanding after-dinner speech beautifully encapsulated the inclusiveness we strive for when we organise CrimeFest!

 So, this is the first newsletter for CrimeFest 2025!

CRIMEFEST AWARD WINNERS
Congratulations to the winners of this year’s CrimeFest Awards!

Specsavers Debut Crime Novel Award:
– Stig Abell for Death Under a Little Sky (Hemlock Press/HarperCollins)
With thanks to headline sponsor Specsavers, who provided the ÂŁ1,000 in prize money.

eDunnit Award:
Laura Lippman for Prom Mom (Faber & Faber)

Last Laugh Award:
– Mick Herron for The Secret Hours (Baskerville)

H.R.F. Keating Award:
– Adam Sisman for The Secret Life of John Le CarrĂ© (Profile Books)

Thalia Proctor Memorial Award for Best Adapted TV Crime Drama:
– Slow Horses (series 3), based on the Slough House books by Mick Herron (Apple)

Best Crime Fiction Novel for Children:
– J.T. Williams for The Lizzie and Belle Mysteries: Portraits and Poison, illustrated by Simone Douglas (Farshore)

Best Crime Fiction Novel for Young Adults:
– Elizabeth Wein for Stateless (Bloomsbury YA)

Congratulations to all the winners. (See details for the nominees here.)

CRIMEFEST REGISTRATION (BOOK AND SAVE)
Unlike most other major crime writing events, our full pass prices have not gone up since 2018. Eight years on, and we are committed to keeping the cost of the full pass at ÂŁ200 for as long as possible! However, the earlier you book, the lower the price, and you have until midnight 16 August to register for the Early Bird rate of ÂŁ155. After that the price will incrementally go up to ÂŁ200. The Gala dinner is currently ÂŁ60 but will also go up later this year.

AND THE FIRST FEATURED GUEST TO BE ANNOUNCED IS

We are thrilled to announce that our first Featured Guest and Toastmaster is the fabulous Vaseem Khan! Vas must be one of the UK’s hardest working crime writers, juggling his role of Chair of the Crime Writers’ Association with two series: the Baby Ganesh Agency Investigations (featuring an elephant – surely a first in the crime fiction world!); and the historical Malabar House books, set in India. Next year will also see a stand-alone novel, The Girl in Cell A, and a new series that will expand the ‘00’ universe that will see gadget-master ‘Q’ take centre stage. We can’t wait to hear all the details!

CRIMEFEST BURSARY FOR A CRIME FICTION AUTHOR OF COLOUR
CrimeFest prides itself on the diversity of both its delegates and the representation of the nominees for our awards.

First introduced in 2022, CrimeFest’s bursary for a crime fiction author of colour returns for a third year. The bursary covers the costs of a weekend pass to the convention, with a night’s accommodation and panel appearance. Previous recipients were Saima Mir, Elizabeth Chakrabarty and Christie Newport. To apply, send an email with ‘BURSARY’ in the subject line, and a brief description of what you hope to gain by applying. The deadline to apply is 30 November, so get your skates on!

We’re thankful for the input of Ayo Onatade and Vaseem Khan, who help judge all applications. And to Ayo for her insightful comment on why bursaries are still important today. Read it here: The Bookseller – Comment – Why we need bursaries.

INDIE ALTERNATIVE PANEL
If not the first, then CrimeFest was one of the first major fiction events to recognise the high-quality of writing by many self-published authors. We are proud to annually schedule the Indie Alternative panel. The deadline to be considered as one of our four panellists is 30 November. So, again: skates! For more information visit the Indie Alternative info page.

RICHARD REYNOLDS – BOOKSELLER EXTRAORDINAIRE
Over the years crime readers have become increasingly aware of specialist booksellers. Maxim Jakubowski reigned over the first at Murder One on Charing Cross Road; then there was Crime in Store, in Covent Garden. Still going strong are David Headley, Daniel Gedeon and crew at Goldsboro Books. (The wonderful Thalia Proctor having worked at all three of these landmark shops!)

Heffers in Cambridge may not have been a specialist store, but its crime fiction buyer (and organiser of its ‘Bodies in the Bookshop’ event) Richard Reynolds was. Many readers were dealt a blow when he announced his retirement in 2022. But you can’t keep a good man down!

Richard, together with Oleander Press publisher Jon Gifford, have taken the ‘Bodies’ event and turned it into their own independent store: Bodies in the Bookshop. Located at 1A Botolph Lane, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire CB2 3RD, Bodies in the Bookshop can be contacted at info@bodiesinthebookshop.co.uk.

Please do support our highly valued Indie booksellers!

That’s it until the next newsletter!

Cheers,

Adrian & Donna,
CrimeFest Co-Hosts.