If you were staying at the Bristol Marriott Hotel over the weekend, you could be forgiven for thinking you were a delegate at a Star Wars convention, such were the throngs of people bustling through the hotel, each armed with name badges and looking wildly enthusiastic. But it wasn’t Star Wars, it was Crimefest, the international crime fiction convention held in Bristol every May. With record numbers this year, the festival attracted writers, readers, editors,...

THE GUARDS  (2 Part Series- RTE ) Produced by Barry O Kelly –  Zucca Films   The Guards opens with the sound of police sirens in Dublin city, quickly followed by the breaking down of a door by Garda officers who repeatedly roar, ‘Gardaí, open up,’ to no avail. The target is a flat in the inner city. Behind the door are suspected drug dealers. The gambit for the programme is the reality of policing in...

A collective of women crime writers in London and the South East are launching London’s first ever female-led crime festival. The Killer Women festival, sponsored by audiobook giant Audible, and accountancy firm HW Fisher, will be a celebration of women’s crime writing, held at the Council Room in Shoreditch Town Hall, home of the inquest into the murder of Jack the Ripper’s last victim, Mary Kelly, in 1888. It will take place on 15th October...

CRIMEFEST is a convention which takes place in Bristol UK for people who like to read an occasional crime novel as well as for die-hard fanatics. Drawing top crime novelists, readers, editors, publishers and reviewers from around the world, it gives all delegates the opportunity to celebrate the genre in a friendly, informal and inclusive atmosphere. The CRIMEFEST programme consists of interviews with its featured and highlighted guest authors; over forty panels with more than...

The great variety and number of Irish Crime Fiction novels published since the start of 2016 continues for April and May!! ALL THINGS NICE by Sheila Bugler (April 4th) Charlotte Gleeson is living the life she always dreamed of, but it’s nothing like she imagined. Her daughter hates her, her husband is having an affair, her drinking is out of control. And now she’s the prime suspect in a murder investigation …For DI Ellen Kelly,...

Val McDermid’s 2016 New Blood authors have been announced as Martin Holmen for Clinch, JS Law for Tenacity, Beth Lewis for The Wolf Road and Abir Mukherjee, author of A Rising Man.   Gemma Rowland, Literature Festivals Manager at Harrogate International Festivals – the arts charity that delivers the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival – said: “As well as celebrating the best crime writers around, the Festival is also about introducing new writers to crime fans.” Last week, Theakstons...

  Known as the friendliest festival with its feet firmly on Yorkshire ground, the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival guarantees thrills, and a few spills at the hotel bar, as thousands descend for one long summer weekend. Heading to Harrogate for the 14th festival are Jeffery Deaver, Martina Cole, Neil Cross, Linwood Barclay, Tess Gerritsen, Val McDermid and Gerald Seymour, and over 80 more fantastic authors. Readers and authors alike meet their heroes, as well as the Next Big...

Louise Phillips talks Making A Murderer with Ireland Today By Laura Lynott Queen of Irish crime fiction Louise Phillips said Steven Avery from Making A Murderer’s guilt is “questionable” – as she reveals her latest book has similarities to the hit Netflix show. Phillips – who is offering three Ireland Today readers her latest book The Game Changer – spoke about Avery, imprisoned for the murder of Teresa Halbach in 2007, as his legal team claimed he will be...

There was a terrific Book Event with Penguin Ireland at 37 Dawson Street this month. The idea behind the evening was for authors with novels coming out this year, to connect with book bloggers. I saw many familiar faces there, and it was terrific to be in a room with writers and book lovers. I caught up with three Irish Crime Writers, all female, and two of which are debut novelists. The first, was Vanessa...

Sophie Hannah in conversation with Declan Hughes Date: Thursday March 10th Venue: Pavilion Theatre Time: 8.30 pm Cost: €12 / €10 Concession Age: Adults BOOK NOW Sophie Hannah is an unstoppable force in psychological crime writing and a stalwart defender of the genre. Of its detractors, she has said ‘There are people who think a crime novel can’t be proper literature, mainly because they are prejudiced against genre fiction. Personally, I’ve always thought crime fiction...