2017 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival Event Guide

HARROGATE INTERNATIONAL FESTIVALS

Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival 20-23 July 2017 | Harrogate | home of crime

“FICTION IS THE TRUTH INSIDE THE LIE” Featuring:

Lee Child Arne Dahl Joseph Finder Dennis Lehane Stuart MacBride Peter May Ian Rankin Kathy Reichs

20-23 July ‘17

The Old Swan Hotel, Harrogate Box Office: 01423 562 303

harrogateinternationalfestivals.com

home of crime 2017 | festival programme | at a glance Thursday 20 July

9.00am – 5.30pm

Creative Thursday: Crime Fiction Writing Workshop (see P33) 8.00pm Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year

& Festival Opening Party

Friday 21 July

9.00am Special Guest: Lee Child 10.30am Double Indemnity 12.00pm The Dark Side 1.00pm Readers’ Book Group with Mari Hannah 2.00pm Ashes To Ashes 3.30pm Endearing Monsters 5.00pm TV Panel: Grantchester 6.00pm Dead Good Readers Award 8.30pm Special Guest: Kathy Reichs 10.00pm Where The Bodies Are Buried

FREE

Saturday 22 July

9.00am Special Guests: Arne Dahl In Conversation with Joseph Finder 10.30am Special Guest: Ian Rankin 12.00pm New Blood 2.00pm Where Do Your Crimes Come From?

3.30pm Carrying The Torch 5.00pm Special Guest: Dennis Lehane 6.00pm Author Dinner: Digging up the Past 8.30pm Special Guests: Stuart MacBride In Conversation with Peter May 10.00pm Late Night Quiz

Sunday 23 July 10.00am 11.30am

TV Panel: Vera Stranger Than Fiction

Key: event included in Weekend Rover ticket,

event included in Friday Rover ticket,

event included in Saturday Rover ticket.

See p7 for Rover ticket details. *All events take place at The Old Swan Hotel | Swan Road | Harrogate | HG1 2SR

2

harrogateinternationalfestivals.com

Welcome

home of crime

At this year’s Festival we look back to our past and forward to our future. From its genteel setting in The Old Swan Hotel in Harrogate the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival delves into the very darkest realms of the human heart whilst somehow remaining an incredibly cheery, life-affirming occasion. This year we celebrate thirty years of Rebus and welcome such giants as Lee Child, Kathy Reichs and Dennis Lehane. We’ll also be chilling with the casts of Vera and Grantchester. A unique display of the Agatha Christie archive will remind us of our roots and the New Blood panel will celebrate the new shoots of talent. There will be forensic archaeologists, anthropologists and detectives galore. It’ll be a party to remember!

Elly Griffiths | 2017 Festival Programming Chair

2017 is the 15th Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival. It seems highly appropriate - with the passing years - that the overarching theme of this year’s gathering is ‘Generations’.

It’s a theme that Programming Chair, Elly Griffiths, has incorporated into her brilliant line-up, digging deep into the history of the genre in a nod to her own crime series, which features the forensic archaeologist, Dr Ruth Galloway.

Generationally speaking, we have the New Bloods with Val McDermid’s hand-picked debuts at one end, and at the other, what can only be considered The Establishment - writers who shape the genre.

This year, the King of Crime, Ian Rankin celebrates a remarkable 30 years of Rebus. A global phenomenon, Lee Child, launches his 22nd Jack Reacher title in 2017. Our Special Guests, joining Lee and Ian as you’ll see in this programme, are all remarkable – we are thrilled to welcome them to Harrogate, alongside all the authors who make the Festival so special.

It’s a privilege that we’ve all been able to witness over the 15 years of our Festival the stars of writers rise – and rise. It’s also sad that, as time passes, we have lost some remarkable names who have appeared in Harrogate: PD James, Ruth Rendell, and of course, this year, Colin Dexter, who was in fact our very first Special Guest at the very first Festival in 2003.

And so in memory to them and to the future I invite you to raise a glass, to celebrate the best things in life – there can be fewer things finer than a good book (and glass of Theakston Old Peculier!) but there’s really nothing that compares to celebrating books, beer and friends, right here – with you - in the grounds of The Old Swan Hotel.

Cheers!

Simon Theakston | Executive Director T&R Theakston

harrogateinternationalfestivals.com

3

Plotted by Harrogate International Festivals home of festivals

January - April

Harrogate International Sunday Series: Chamber music concerts and coffee in the magnificent surroundings of The Old Swan Hotel.

The Big Read:

June

Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival: World class, award-winning programme of events celebrating the very best in crime fiction.

October

Encouraging as many people as possible to read a classic work of crime fiction, increasing links across the region between libraries and reading groups, and inspiring new readers.

July

Raworths Harrogate Literature Festival: Bringing bestselling authors, influential politicians and stars of the stage to share their stories.

HIF+

Berwins Salon North:

Harrogate Music Festival: Featuring the best of international musical talent spanning classical, jazz and folk and including the prestigious Young Musicians Series.

Three fascinating expert speakers are brought together to present one-off events exploring the most stimulating ideas in art, science and psychology.

The Big Write:

Musical Mums:

An exciting opportunity for young writers across the Harrogate District to participate in a giant day of writing at the iconic Royal Hall, working with literacy partners Pobble.

Free weekly music-making sessions where young parents and their babies can learn together, developing skills, confidence and positive bonds.

Presented in partnership with NYMAZ.

To be kept up-to-date visit harrogateinternationalfestivals.com

4

Box Office: 01423 562 303

ONE OF 2017’S MOST ANTICIPATED CRIME NOVELS According to the Daily Express and inews.co.uk (& a few people besides)

‘Sensational . . .

If you only read one thriller this year, make it The Marsh King’s Daughter’

WIN A SIGNED COPY

AND READ A FREE EXTRACT THECRIMEVAULT.COM

CLARE MACKINTOSH ‘This gorgeously written eerie suspense novel gave me chills . . . I loved it’

KARIN SLAUGHTER ‘Sensationally good psychological suspense – I loved this book’

LEE CHILD

OUT NOW IN HARDBACK, EBOOK AND ON AUDIO DOWNLOAD

The Old Swan at Harrogate Delighted to be hosting the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival 2017

MORE TWISTS AND TURNS AHEAD...

and that’s just getting into the carpark!

Famous as being the place where crime writing queen, Agatha Christie, chose to escape to, The Old Swan exudes the romance and mystery of its past. With its stunning ballroom and Wedgwood Restaurant, it is perfect for all types of meetings and events, from large weddings and receptions, to board meetings, conferences and product launches. Enjoy comfortable, contemporary bedrooms, excellent dining, and all the atmosphere, style and attentive service that befits this elegant and historic Harrogate hotel.

THE OLD SWAN HO T E L

Ha r r og a t e

Swan Road, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, HG1 2SR | classiclodges.co.uk | events.oldswan@classiclodges.co.uk

home of crime Weekend Break Packages - the perfect getaway Treat yourself to a weekend at the crime hot spot of the summer by booking a combined ticket and accommodation package.

Stay in one of our specially selected Festival hotels (subject to availability) and join over 80 of the world’s most celebrated crime authors in conversation, in action and in the bar! If you’re not sure which option will best suit your needs the Festival team will be happy to help and advise.

Weekend Break Packages include:

3 nights bed and breakfast accommodation (20, 21 & 22 July)

Weekend Rover ticket (see below for full details)

• •

Prices start from just £429 per person.

Tailor-made packages for 1, 2 or 4 nights stay are also available.

Rooms are always in demand during the Festival Weekend; don’t miss out!

To book or talk through options, call the Festivals Office on tel: 01423 562 303 or email: crime@harrogate-festival.org.uk

Indulge your criminal tendencies and get great value for money with a Festival Rover ticket: Weekend Rovers include:

Access to all Festival events* from 8pm on Thursday 20 July to 12.30pm on Sunday 23 July. Look out for the Weekend Rover symbol next to the events included in your Weekend Rover ticket.

Delicious lunches at The Old Swan Hotel on Friday and Saturday

A complimentary Festival goody bag

Price: £225 per person (19 events in total)

• • •

Friday Rover

(21 July) and Saturday Rover

(22 July) tickets are available.

Day Rovers include:

Access to all Festival events* throughout the day. Look out for the Friday Rover & Saturday Rover symbols denoting which events are included in your day rover ticket.

A delicious lunch at The Old Swan Hotel

A complimentary Festival goody bag

Price: Friday Rover £90 per person (8 events in total)

and Saturday Rover £90 per person (8 events in total)

• • •

How To Book Rover Tickets Box Office, tel: 01423 562 303 | Book Online: harrogateinternationalfestivals.com * Rover tickets DO NOT include the following: Creative Thursday (Thu 20 July), Dead Good Readers Award (Fri 21 July) and Dinner event (Sat 22 July). These events must be booked separately, please check event listings for details.

harrogateinternationalfestivals.com

7

Come and meet your favourite authors for book signings, special offers and a great range of crime novels.

Please visit the WHSmith Bookshop located in the Papakata tents at The Old Swan Hotel.

Special offer...

Buy all 6 shortlisted books in the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award for ÂŁ35, saving over 25%.

2017 Crime Novel of the Year Crime writing’s most wanted accolade, the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award, returns to highlight the cream of the crop of crime novels published by British and Irish authors over the last year.

In partnership with

2017 Long List Announcement The names of the 18 longlist titles will be announced on 17 April at: harrogateinternationalfestivals.com and through our social media.

Who do you think will be on the list?

Shortlist Announcement The names of the six shortlisted titles will be announced on 20 May and YOU the readers – will be able to help decide which of the six short-listed authors will take home the most coveted title in crime fiction, a prize of £3,000 and a hand-carved Theakstons cask, by casting your vote online at: www.theakstons.co.uk Voting open 1-14 July.

The result of the online vote will be counted alongside the votes of the expert judging panel in order to determine the 2017 winner who will be announced at the awards ceremony on Thursday July 20. Book your ticket now.

Outstanding Contribution Award The Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival’s Outstanding Contribution to Crime Fiction Award is presented annually. This award honours writers who have made a lasting and distinct impression on the genre over the span of their careers and are often people who have provided inspiration for other great authors who have followed in their wake.

Previous winners include:

• • • • • • •

Reginald Hill PD James Colin Dexter Ruth Rendell Val McDermid Lynda La Plante Sara Paretsky

Box Office: 01423 562 303 | Booking Fees Apply

9

Fo r tho s e who like thei r b o oks with a touch of the da rk side

ng C omi r e b o t Oc 2017

When the adventure of a lifeti me becomes a fi ght to stay alive...

An unsettling gothic ghost story that will send shivers down your spine

9781408886564 £7.99, PB

9781408888094 £12.99, HB

Join our conspi racy of ravens for a cri minally go od game of Crokill (croquet for those with killer instincts)

Saturday 2–4.30 pm on the front lawn of the Old Swan Hotel

win

Plus the chance to a Betty’s Tearo om Ilkley Hamper worth £100

home of crime Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year and Festival Opening Party Thu 20 July, 8pm | Tickets £17 It’s time to go all La La Land with the crime writing fraternity’s equivalent of the Oscars with host, Mark Lawson. In this ultimate test of nerves, find out Who Won It for the Best Whodunnit as six shortlisted authors battle it out for supremacy in one of crime fiction’s most hotly contested and prestigious awards.

What’s more, an icon of the genre will be honoured with the Outstanding Contribution accolade. Steady the nerves with a pint of Yorkshire’s finest ale, then continue the celebrations, and commiserations, after the presentation at the Festival Opening Party.

Special Guest: Lee Child Fri 21 July, 9am | Tickets £14

The world, more than ever, needs a hero. To win fights, charm women and outsmart the baddies. We’re not talking the debonair, charismatic Lee Child, of course, but his creation, who made the author a ‘billion-dollar brand’.

Lee named his hero after his own ability to reach the top shelf in supermarkets for little old ladies: Jack Reacher.

At 6 foot 5, the giant dude propelled Lee to the top of bestseller lists worldwide’, with a jaw-dropping 100 million books sold worldwide. The press dubbed Reacher ‘both Schwarzenegger and Socrates’. Throw in Tom Cruise and you have a massive film success though those top shelves are probably safe.

Pack your pocket toothbrush, and get ready to experience the genre’s blockbusting phenomenon, as Lee celebrates his 21st Reacher thriller, The Night School.

Sponsored by

Double Indemnity Fri 21 July, 10.30am | Tickets £11

Order!! Why are lawyers, allegedly, so good at murder? (In the pages of fiction of course). Legal eagles turned literary high-flyers are in the dock.

Alafair Burke grew up in the shadow of a neighbourhood serial killer and found justice in the pages of crime books. Her novels were born of her experience as a prosecutor in America’s courts. Guilty as charged, Denise Mina studied at Glasgow University Law School before becoming an award-winning novelist. She has twice been the winner of the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award. Belfast’s Steve Cavanagh was an investigator for a large law firm, before moving to focus on civil rights law.

His debut novel, The Defence, was the subject of an international bidding war.

continued p13

harrogateinternationalfestivals.com

11

Listen up, crime fans . . .

For new releases, audio sneak peeks & criminally good chat Broadcasting ‘live’ from Harrogate, featuring behind-the-scenes chat and daily highlights Available on SoundCloud and iTunes

Brought to you by Hodder & Stoughton, Headline and Quercus crimefiles.co.uk

@crimefilesbooks

/crimefiles

home of crime A prolific screenwriter and novelist, Matthew Hall practised as a barrister before becoming a full-time writer, starting with episodes of Kavanagh QC. Order is restored by chair, the solicitor and author, Martin Edwards.

Sponsored by

The Dark Side Fri 21 July, 12pm | Tickets £11

How do you write believable crime fiction that also features the unknown? Putting the peculiar into Theakston Old Peculier, crime gets creepy as authors explore how the supernatural pushes boundaries.

Holding hands and peeking under the covers is author of the bone-chilling Ruth Galloway novels, Elly Griffiths. She’ll dig through the graveyard with James Oswald, who pens the Detective Inspector McLean series. Simon Toyne enters the mystical realm with his thrillers, the Sancti Trilogy and Solomon Creed series. And will we finally find out what is behind Sarah Pinborough’s eyes, #wtfthatending? Trusting no-one is chair and author of the Detective Jane Bennett and Mike Lockyer series, Clare Donoghue.

Sponsored by

Readers’ Book Group Fri 21 July, 1pm | FREE

Join Mari Hannah at this year’s Festival for a foray into 2017’s chosen Big Read title and discover this classic novel for yourself.

Mari is inviting readers to discover Ian Rankin’s Black and Blue.

Sponsored by

Ashes To Ashes Fri 21 July, 2pm | Tickets £11

Why is the past so fashionable again? Historical crime novelists explore timeless questions.

Super sleuth of the past is music journo-turned-crime author, William Shaw, who sets his Breen and Tozer books in the swinging sixties. Antonia Hodgson (who was born the year Hunky Dory was released) won the CWA Historical Dagger for her first novel, The Devil in the Marshalsea. SG MacLean has a PhD in history and a growing New Model Army of fans for her Seeker series set in Oliver Cromwell’s London. Graeme Macrae Burnet is one of Scotland’s brightest literary talents. His Bloody Project was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2016. Master of the past’s dark secrets, Robert Goddard, chairs.

Box Office: 01423 562 303 | Booking Fees Apply

13

MOST WANTED DON’T MISS OUR KILLER LINE-UP AT THIS YEAR’S FESTIVAL

STUART MACBRIDE

SI M O N TO Y N E

ST EL LA D U FF Y

(SPECIAL GUEST)

SOPHI E HANN AH

S PINB ARAH ORO UGH

WWW.KILLERREADS.COM • FIND US ON / KILLERREADS FOLLOW US ON @KILLERREADS

home of crime Endearing Monsters Fri 21 July, 3.30pm | Tickets £11

Being liked is so over-rated. “Give Paul a comb-over, and we could be talking Donald Trump,” says Richard and Judy of Sabine Durrant’s ‘slimy lead’ protagonist in Lie with Me. Stav Sherez says, ‘cruelty, horror and atrocity obsess me’. His latest, The Intrusions, was dubbed

by Ian Rankin as ‘A Silence of the Lambs for the internet age.’

Mick Herron’s anti-hero, Jackson Lamb, has been compared to Reginald Hill’s Andy Dalziel, as ‘crime fiction’s Falstaff, a glorious Rabelaisian monster.’ Shari Lapena’s, strapline for her thriller, The Couple Next Door, asks, ‘What would you be capable of, when pushed past your limit?’

Chair Julia Crouch, keeps the lid on proceedings; Her Husband’s Lover left readers constantly wrong-footed in deciding which of her characters deserved sympathy.

When it comes to murderously good crime writing, it’s the monsters we love to hate.

Sponsored by

TV Panel: Grantchester Fri 21 July, 5pm | Tickets £14

James Runcie is a director, documentary film-maker, literary curator, founder member of The Late Show and author of the fifties-set crime drama, The Grantchester Mysteries, inspired by his father, the late Archbishop of Canterbury.

Fittingly, Grantchester is a thoughtful, handsome moral meditation on life, subverted by gentle comedy, old fashioned romance and the dark psychology of murder. Sidney Chambers is a man of the cloth, with a taste for whisky, jazz and pretty parishioners, who solves crimes with Detective Inspector Geordie Keating, played by Robson Green.

Green, with eyes so blue, is known to a certain generation for the singing-duo Robson and Jerome and to younger ones, for Extreme Fishing. The crime genre has given him his finest acting roles, firstly as Dr Tony Hill in Val McDermid’s Wire in the Blood and now in ITV’s adaptation of Grantchester.

Sponsored by

Dead Good Reader Awards Fri 21 July, 6pm | Tickets £12 (please note this event lasts 90 minutes) Join Dead Good for drinks as they present the Reader Awards as voted for by you. Best Police Procedural, Unreliable Narrator and Fearless Female Character are up for grabs with all attendees walking away with a goody bag full of this season’s best crime novels.

harrogateinternationalfestivals.com

15

Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival Special Guest: Kathy Reichs Fri 21 July, 8.30pm | Tickets £14 From teaching FBI agents how to detect and recover human remains to separating and identifying commingled body parts in her Montreal lab, as one of only seventy-seven forensic anthropologists ever certified by the American Board of Forensic Anthropology, Dr Kathy Reichs has brought her own dramatic work experience to her mesmerising forensic thrillers. Kathy has travelled to Rwanda to testify at the UN Tribunal on Genocide, and helped exhume a mass grave in Guatemala. She has also worked on the identification of war dead from World War II, Korea and Southeast Asia.

Her novel Déjà Dead catapulted her to fame when it became a New York Times bestseller. She is also a producer of the chilling hit TV series Bones. Kathy has written seventeen bestsellers featuring Dr Temperance Brennan, the most recent being Bones Never Lie. She has also written four bestsellers featuring Tory Brennan: Virals, Seizure, Code and Exposure.

Sponsored by

Where The Bodies Are Buried Fri 21 July, 10pm | Tickets £11 Let’s get some guests on!!! This late-night event has been described as a Graham Norton style chat, with guests Val McDermid, Mark Billingham and Lee Child. You won’t want to miss the gossip and stories of the good, bad and mad with star of BBC 1’s quiz show, Pointless - Richard Osman. Expect plenty of erm, pointless answers, frivolity and a LOT of fun. (Will there be a Big Red Chair?)

Sponsored by

Special Guests: Arne Dahl in conversation with Joseph Finder Sat 22 July, 9am | Tickets £14

Regarded as one of the finest literary crime writers in Scandinavia, celebrated author Jan Arnald is the man behind the bestselling Intercrime series which has been made into a BBC TV series, written under the pen name of Arne Dahl. His books have sold over three million copies and been translated into 32 languages.

The crime genre is ‘about the search for the truth that we are all constantly involved in,’ he says. “The question I’m asking is really always the same: What’s life really about?

What is this short flash of light between two eternities of darkness? How do we use this all too fleeting time in the most decent and enjoyable way? And why do we have such trouble doing it?”

After Joseph Finder completed his master’s degree at the Harvard Russian Research Centre, he was recruited to the Central Intelligence Agency... His plan was to become a

18

Box Office: 01423 562 303 | Booking Fees Apply

home of crime spy. Instead he became an award-winning bestselling thriller writer, hailed as ‘the CEO of suspense’.

Finder’s Private Spy Nick Heller is the best lie detector you’ll ever meet. Between these two internationally-acclaimed authors the truth is out there… Mark Lawson goes undercover to prise out the facts.

Sponsored by

Special Guest: Ian Rankin

Sat 22 July, 10.30am | Tickets £14 2017 marks the thirtieth anniversary of one of crime fiction’s greatest characters, John Rebus, created by one of the world’s leading crime writers, Ian Rankin.

Rebus returned from retirement in 2012 to star in Standing in Another Man’s Grave. One of crime fiction’s most enduring heroes is heading for immortality, even though he’s apparently drinking himself into an early grave.

Ian’s work is translated into 36 languages as Rebus resonates with readers around the world. The books have twice been dramatised for TV (starring John Hannah and Ken Stott) with rumours of another TV outing on the horizon. “I had no idea when I published Knots and Crosses in 1987 that Rebus would still be sharing his adventures – and misadventures – with me thirty years later,” Rankin says. “It’s a thrill to be spending 2017 celebrating the man, his legacy and his taste in music.”

Currently the UNESCO City of Literature Visiting Professor at the University of East Anglia, Rankin has made a meteoric rise to international bestseller. Rather Be the Devil is Rebus’ 21st adventure.

Sponsored by

New Blood

Sat 22 July, 12pm | Tickets £11 It’s the panel dedicated to showcasing the year’s most dazzling debut authors! Always a sell-out, this event sees Queen of Crime Val McDermid in the hot seat to hand-pick four of the brightest new talents ready for a new crime wave. Over the past ten years Val has proved her knack for spotting the Next Big Thing; previous New Bloods include SJ Watson, Stuart MacBride, Dreda Say Mitchell and Clare Mackintosh.

The Class of 2017 are: Fiona Cummins - Rattle; Jane Harper - The Dry; Joseph Knox Sirens; Kristen Lepionka - The Last Place You Look. It’s a sure-fire list of ‘ones to watch’.

Not to be missed!

Sponsored by

harrogateinternationalfestivals.com

19

We won’t just take a stab in the dark Andrew Subramaniam and Barry Kernon have vast knowledge in advising authors on accounting and tax issues and creating bespoke solutions for all your financial concerns.

Please contact Andrew Subramaniam for a free consultation.

T. 020 7380 4947 E. asubs@hwfisher.co.uk W: hwfisher.co.uk @HWFWriters

home of crime Where Do Your Crimes Come From?

Sat 22 July, 2pm | Tickets £11 How did they think of THAT…? Unpick the criminal masterminds behind the bestsellers.

Known for being an all-round lovely chap, Festival favourite Mark Billingham chairs a panel who are also rather lovely. So what inspires their murderous meanderings? Unpick the ‘dark mind’ behind the charming façade of Sarah Hilary, whose brutal but deeply moral books have garnered awards and acclaim.

Steve Mosby, the tattoo’d crusader, does disturbing brilliantly. He studied philosophy and did a series of admin jobs (Excel spreadsheets can drive you to murder) before writing full time. The Independent said of award-winning Belinda Bauer that she took ‘the psychological thriller into new territory’. That says something in a well-trod ground.

Where does she get her ideas? Finally, get ensnared with Melanie Raabe; the unique premise of her in-demand debut The Trap caused a stir amongst Hollywood producers.

Sponsored by

Carrying The Torch

Sat 22 July, 3.30pm | Tickets £11 It isn’t just here at the Old Swan Hotel that the spirit of the woman who gave butlers a bad rep lingers. Agatha Christie’s famous detective Poirot is reincarnated by Sophie Hannah, with critics praising her for doing the ‘grande dame of crime proud’. The New York Times and Sunday Times top ten bestseller, Ruth Ware, was inspired by Christie, watching Poirot and Miss Marple as a child, before devouring Christie’s books.

Switching the focus from Cumberbatch’s Sherlock reboot Michelle Birkby focuses on The Women of Baker Street, with her Mrs Hudson and Mary Watson investigations series.

Awarded an OBE for her services to the arts, award-winning novelist, playwright, actress and theatre-maker Stella Duffy, who spent her childhood in New Zealand, is completing an unfinished novel by New Zealand’s Queen of Crime, Ngaio Marsh.

Rounding up the suspects and checking their alibis is chair Andrew Wilson who has A Talent for Murder - his compelling series with Agatha Christie at its heart.

Sponsored by

Special Guest: Dennis Lehane

Sat 22 July, 5pm | Tickets £14 The Guardian wrote ‘he can barely write a shopping list without Hollywood optioning it.’ From working-class Boston, Lehane has achieved high literary acclaim with his New York Times bestsellers, his New York Times bestsellers include Gone, Baby, Gone, Mystic River, Shutter Island, and The Drop - all made into award-winning movies.

continued on p23

Box Office: 01423 562 303 | Booking Fees Apply

21

R E D R U M E T O R WE W JOIN OUR EVER EXPANDING LIST OF AWARD-WINNING WRITERS AND DISCOVER YOUR OWN VOICE IN THE MOST POPULAR LITERARY GENRE IN THE WORLD. HOW WILL YOUR PLOT UNFOLD? WWW.UEA.AC.UK/STUDY/MA-CREATIVE-WRITING-CRIME-FICTION UEA.AC.UK

MA CREATIVE WRITING CRIME FICTION LOW-RESIDENCY We are seeking writers and readers with an interest in exploring the particularly broad and dynamic crime fiction genre.

Our new part-time course provides the opportunity to create a full-length novel under the guidance of award-winning crime writers and experienced creative writing tutors – without having to relocate or give up work.

The course is delivered over two years via a specifically designed distance learning online platform, and three short residential periods per year, in September, January and May. Students can stay at UEA’s on-campus hotel.

HOW TO APPLY The course will commence in September each year. Applications close on July 31 each year, however it is advisable to apply well before then, as offers are made throughout the year and spaces are limited.

CONTACT FOR MORE INFORMATION SEARCH ‘UEA CRIME FICTION’ OR CONTACT THE COURSE DIRECTOR, HENRY SUTTONBY E-MAIL: HENRY.SUTTON@UEA.AC.UK OR TELEPHONE: 01603 592738.

home of crime Leonardo DiCaprio, Ben Affleck and Tom Hardy lined up to star in his adaptations. To add to his too-cool-for-school status, he was a staff writer on the acclaimed HBO series, The Wire. His latest, Since We Fell, is considered one of his best, a novel of profound psychological insight. Before becoming a full-time writer, Lehane worked as a counsellor with mentally handicapped and abused children, waited tables, parked cars, drove limos, worked in bookstores and loaded tractor-trailers. Mystic River prompted Elmore Leonard to declare: ‘Boy does he know how to write’ and Michael Connolly dubbed him the ‘heir apparent’. Don’t miss your chance to get an insight into one of the most electrifying writers of the genre.

Sponsored by

Author Dinner: Digging up the Past Sat 22 July, 6.15pm | Tickets £35

How’s this for an appetiser?! A dead body on the marshes, an ancient curse and a buried secret. Elly Griffiths, author of the award-winning Ruth Galloway books, scripts an archaeological mystery, with a little help from Francis Pryor of Time Team fame.

Switch the wine glasses and double bluff in this delightfully devious dinner, with one of these devious authors seated at your table to help you deduce the mystery over dessert…

John Gordon Sinclair, Neil White, Leye Adenle, Rod Reynolds, Sarah Ward, Ruth Ware, Lesley Thomson, Mark Mills, Brian McGilloway, Steph Broadribb, Lin Anderson, Sue Wilkins, Martin Walker, Kaite Welsh, Paula Daly, AA Dhand, and Abir Mukherjee.

Includes 2 course dinner and a glass of wine.

Special Guests: Stuart MacBride In Conversation with Peter May

Sat 22 July, 8.30pm | Tickets £14 Great Scots!

Stuart MacBride has had a bash at studying architecture, working offshore, being a graphic designer, a professional actor, an undertaker, a web designer and finally circling the career drain by becoming a project manager for a huge IT company. MacBride has since gone on to become the bestselling author of the Logan McRae and Ash Henderson novels and has also published a near-future thriller, a short story collection, a couple of novellas, and a slightly twisted picture book for slightly twisted children.

Peter May is the multi award-winning author of the internationally bestselling Lewis Trilogy set in the Outer Hebrides, the China Thrillers, featuring Beijing detective Li Yan, as well as the critically-acclaimed Enzo Files, with Scottish forensic scientist Enzo MacLeod.

One of Scotland’s most prolific television dramatists, he garnered more than 1000 credits in 15 years as scriptwriter and script editor on prime-time British television drama, before quitting television to concentrate on his first love, writing novels.

harrogateinternationalfestivals.com

23

MEET A SELECTION OF ORION’S FINEST CRIME WRITERS

Friday 21st July 10.30am: Double Indemnity panel with Steve Cavanagh

Saturday 22nd July 10.30am: Ian Rankin celebrates 30 years of Rebus

Saturday 22nd July 2.00pm: Where do your crimes come from? panel with Steve Mosby

Friday and Saturday, The Old Swan Hotel: Join the Orion Crime team in THE INCIDENT ROOM for mischief, mayhem and murder... @orion_crime

/OrionCrime

Subscribe orionbooks.co.uk/articles/orion+crime.page

home of crime Late Night Quiz

Sat 22 July, 10pm | Tickets £11 It’s THE quiz that is the stuff of legends! Former champions taking home the coveted cup include The Wire’s David Simon and esteemed broadcaster Mark Lawson. It’s your chance to join such luminaries in the winner’s hall of fame with quizmasters Mark Billingham and Val McDermid. Both have built alternate careers in quiz-land flouncing Pointless, winning Celebrity Mastermind, beating The Eggheads and, gasp, Val even made a killing on University Challenge. No pressure. Remember, it’s the winning that counts! Fun, friendly and inclusive, join on your own, with a friend or as part of a team and we promise an evening of criminally good fun!

Sponsored by

TV Panel: Vera

Sun 23 July, 10am | Tickets £14 Now pet, not since Columbo has the trench coat been so in vogue, topped with a floppy fishing hat.

‘When I go shopping for Vera’s costume,’ Brenda Blethyn said, ‘if the shop assistant ever says, ‘That looks lovely on you madam’, I think, ‘Right, well, I’ll have to get something else then’.’ The unglamorous, shambolic but effective DCI Vera Stanhope has attracted a legion of fans with the flagship ITV drama starring the very glamorous, stylish and double Oscar-nominated actress.

Ann Cleeves - the visionary behind Vera – has sold over 1.5 million books worldwide.

She celebrates the publication of 30 books in 30 years with her latest, Cold Earth, part of her Shetland series - also a major TV series. Ann and Brenda will be joined on stage

by Kenny Doughty, who plays Vera’s right-hand man, DS Aiden Healy. Stomping metaphorically across the moor with cast and author, is BBC Breakfast and Watchdog’s Steph McGovern, who’ll dig deep into the heart of the nation’s much-loved Detective Inspector.

Sponsored by

Stranger Than Fiction

Sun 23 July, 11.30am | Tickets £11 Writers have an uncanny knack of predicting the future, exploring our dark fears; Val McDermid based a psycho on Jimmy Savile long before his guilt came to light. Probability analysis or crystal ball-gazing? Sometimes life is stranger than fiction – demonstrated by that episode of The Simpsons that jokingly predicted a Donald Trump presidency.

This panel features crime authors who take the temperature of the body politic, check the patient has a fever, and make a case for the possible outcome. One of Britain’s leading crime novelists, Chris Brookmyre’s Want You Gone centres on online blackmail, and his next novel is a sci-fi/crime crossover, Places in the Dark.

continued on p27

harrogateinternationalfestivals.com

25

Visit the

Black Bull in Paradise TAKE A TOUR ROUND

Have a pint in our

BREWERY TAP

BUY A ‘PECULIER’ GIFT

Theakston Brewery Tap & Gift Shop, Masham, HG4 4YD W: theakstons.co.uk E: info@theakstons.co.uk T: 01765 680000 Theakston Brewery

Theakston1827

#THETALKOFTHEPUB

home of crime Kati Hiekkapelto is the punk singer/crime writer whose master’s thesis was on racist bullying. She explores social and political themes around immigration in her page-turning crime stories. Eva Dolan tackles similar territory in her novels featuring the Peterborough Hate Crimes Unit, which simmer with racial tensionher novels featuring the Peterborough Hate Crimes Unit. Screenwriter and novelist Sarah Lotz taps into the apocalyptic with The Three, in which US Bible Belt hysteria threatens to engulf the world. Her latest, The White Road, focuses on disaster at the summit of Everest.

Ex-publisher turned crime author, NJ Cooper keeps everyone calm as chair.

HARROGATE INTERNATIONAL FESTIVALS

Paula Hawkins

Thu 4 May 2017 | Crown Hotel | 7.30pm Tickets: £10 | home of crime Join award-winning Paula Hawkins, author of The Girl On A Train and one of the biggest debuts in crime fiction, as she launches her second novel Into The Water, here in Harrogate.

Into The Water is an addictive novel of psychological suspense about the slipperiness of the truth, and a family drowning in secrets. With the same propulsion that captivated millions of readers worldwide in her debut, The Girl On A Train, Paula Hawkins unfurls a gripping, twisting, layered story set in a small riverside town. Paula will be interviewed by Suzy Greaves, editor of Psychologies magazine for a special insight into her writing and storytelling.

Paula will also be signing books on the night. Redeem the cost of your ticket against Into The Water in our onsite bookshop provided by WHSmith and as an added bonus we are also offering a free copy of 2016 Special Guest Tess Gerritsen’s Die Again to collect at the event.

Presented by

The Story of Classic Crime in 100 Books Martin Edwards

The aim of detective stories is to entertain, but the best cast a light on human behaviour, and display both literary ambition and accomplishment.

Written by award-winning crime writer and president of the Detection Club, Martin Edwards, The Story of Classic Crime in 100 Books accompanies the British Library’s internationally acclaimed series of Crime Classics.

Hardback £25 ISBN 978 0 7123 5696 1 Publishing July 2017

Death Makes a Prophet

The Long Arm of the Law

John Bude

Classic Police Stories

Seven Dead J. Jefferson Farjeon

Edited by Martin Edwards

Paperback £8.99 ISBN 978 0 7123 5691 6 Publishing July 2017

Paperback £8.99 ISBN 978 0 7123 5687 9 Publishing August 2017

Paperback £8.99 ISBN 978 0 7123 5688 6 Publishing September 2017

Big Read

In association with

12-16 June | home of crime The Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival will be on tour this summer with the 9th Big Read. These free reading group events will be led by award-winning author Mari Hannah, delving into the world of Ian Rankin’s Inspector Rebus novel ‘Black and Blue’.

We’re encouraging as many people as possible to read this fantastic work of detective fiction. Come along, meet fellow readers and join in the lively debate!

Big Read 2017 Events Mon June 12 11am Blaydon Library Tue June 13 11am Northallerton Library

Wed 14 June 11am Wombwell Library Thu 15 June 11am Dewsbury Library Fri 16 June 11am Grove Hill Community Hub

3pm Ashington Library 3pm National Railway Museum 7pm Ripon Library 3pm Sheffield Central Library 3pm Bradford City Library 3pm Hartlepool Central Library

Pre-booking is advisable to ensure you don’t miss out on these fantastic free events. Visit harrogateinternationalfestivals.com to book.

Thanks to the generous support of our publishing partner Orion Books, the Festival will be distributing a limited number of free copies of the Big Read book via our partner library services. Reading groups wanting to take part in the Big Read should email crime@harrogate-festival.org.uk for more information

Don’t Miss

Raworths Harrogate Literature Festival 19-22 October 2017 | Crown Hotel | Harrogate home of literature

Line-up to be announced in July. Join the mailing list at harrogateinternationalfestivals.com for author and event announcements.

Exploring the who, what and why of real crime for over 10 years.

SKY 553 | VIRGIN 275 | BT 328 | TALKTALK 328

“BEST CHANNEL ON TV” DILLAN GANDHI

“GIVES YOU THE WHOLE STORY” NATALIE LOUISE DOLBY

“INTELLIGENT AND THOUGHT PROVOKING PROGRAMMES” FELICE VOLTE

CI UK

@CI

nd by a ck em W Ba ar d N O l pu O K

A GOOD

BO

YOU’D MAKE

po

THINK

DETECTIVE?

JOIN US FOR A FORENSICS AND CRIME SCENE EXPERIENCE WHERE: Library Room in the Old Swan Hotel WHEN:

Friday 22nd – Saturday 23rd July, 45 minute sessions on the hour from 10.00 until 17.00

Book a place at the Library Room on the day or at thinbluespine.eventbrite.co.uk (please note spaces are limited)

Brought to you by ThinBlueSpine.com Visit now for book release news, author interrogations (interviews), book club materials and more.

Creative Thursday Thu 20 July | 9am - 5.30pm | Tickets: £99

The Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival’s creative writing course for aspiring writers. Creative Thursday gives you the chance to hone your script writing skills with industry professionals and real-life crime experts.

Plotting the Murder: How to Create an Engaging Crime Story- 2 hr Intensive Writing Workshop

Lesley Thomson and Greg Mosse will work with you to create an original collaborative plot, including a set of plausible suspects, a logical method of murder and a convincing wider world. In the process, they will illustrate the many ways a writer can create suspense and intrigue through the revelation of character and unexpected events.

How to Create Pace and Suspense – 2 hr Intensive Writing Workshop

Whether a procedural or a psychological thriller, crime fiction is enthused with craft.

All crime novels rely on key components, not least plot, character, events, setting and prose style. It’s how you mix them together and structure a novel that will determine reader engagement and entertainment. Henry Sutton and Louise Welsh take a close look at timelines and narrative perspective, and just when to turn a corner, the mysteries of generating suspense will be revealed.

How To Free Your Creativity and Get Started – 1 hr Writing Workshop

A unique seminar – part nuts-and-bolts talk, part creative workshop with exercises – from Stephen King’s British editor and Neuro-Linguistic Programming Coach, Philippa Pride.

Philippa is described by Hodder as having ‘a reputation as a talented spotter of new fiction, a creative editor with flair and vision, a nurturer of writers’ careers and a terrific champion of her authors both inside the business and to the outside world’.

The Dragons’ Pen

Four brilliant publishing professionals. Two minutes to convince them that your synopsis and first chapter are worth reading. One audience full of your fellow would-be writers.

Our literary version of the popular TV show, Dragons’ Den, is not for the faint-hearted.

Box Office: 01423 562 303 | Booking Fees Apply

33

ALL OF THESE BOOKS!

WWW.THECRIMEVAULT.COM

UNMISSABLE AUTHORS. UNBEATABLE WRITING

HARROGATE 2017

Booking Information home of crime How To Book

By Phone: Online: In Person:

Opening Times:

01423 562 303 harrogateinternationalfestivals.com Harrogate International Festivals, 32 Cheltenham Parade, Harrogate, HG1 1DB 10am - 5pm Monday - Friday

Payment: Harrogate International Festivals accept all major credit/debit cards (except American Express), cash or cheques. Cheques should be made payable to ‘HARROGATE INTERNATIONAL FESTIVALS’. In order to cover the cost of postage there is an additional £1 charge for postal orders, however, you can choose to collect your tickets on the door or at the Festival office prior to the event.

Booking Fee: Harrogate International Festivals charges a £1.75 transaction fee per booking.

Ticket sales alone do not cover the costs of our Box Office and booking fees are vital to the development, maintenance and running of our in-house Box Office.

For more information and for full Terms and Conditions please visit our website: harrogateinternationalfestivals.com Visitors with Disabilities: All Festival venues have wheelchair access and we offer free tickets for carers. For more information and to book wheelchair seating please call our Box Office.

Tickets on the door: Tickets will be available to purchase from the Festival desk in the foyer of the Old Swan Hotel from Thu 20 – Sun 23 July, subject to availability. Be aware events can sell out in advance. Early booking is recommended.

Returned Tickets: The Box Office cannot refund money or exchange tickets, except in the case of a cancelled performance. We are happy to try and re-sell returned tickets for sold-out events for a small charge.

Concessions: Concessions are available for under 18s, students in full time education and those receiving unemployment benefits.

Appropriate identification must be provided. May not be used in conjunction with any other offers.

A large print version of the event guide can be ordered by calling 01423 562 303.

Box Office: 01423 562 303 | Booking Fees Apply

35

Main Festival Venue address: The Old Swan Hotel, Swan Road, Harrogate, HG1 2SR Parking: Parking is available at The Old Swan Hotel on a first come first served basis. Please note, if using this car park a valid parking permit must be displayed and can be obtained for free from the hotel reception. There is also metered on street parking available nearby.

Festival Bookstore: WHSmith will provide the Festival bookstore at The Old Swan Hotel and will host book signings after each event. The bookshop will be located within the Papakata tents, on the lawn outside the hotel.

Seating: Seating for all events at the Old Swan Hotel is unreserved.

Customers with disabilities: All venues are accessible by wheelchair. Special provisions can be arranged for visitors with disabilities, please call the Festival Office on tel: 01423 562303.

Photography & Recording: The use of photographic, video or audio equipment is strictly prohibited.

All information shown in this event guide is correct at time of going to press. Harrogate International Festivals reserves the right to make such alterations as may become necessary.

Harrogate International Festivals is a registered charity, no. 244861

2017 | Sponsors and Supporters Title Sponsor

Crime Novel of the Year Partners:

Event Sponsors:

Premier Partners:

Special Projects

Supporters

Community Partner

Media Partners

harrogateinternationalfestivals.com

37

Q. What do Samuel Taylor Coleridge, James Joyce and Ivy Compton-Burnett have in common?

A. They all received grants from the Royal Literary Fund.

Royal Literary Fund

Helping authors since 1790.

What can we do for you?

Find out about what we do... rlf.org.uk eileen.gunn@rlf.org.uk 020 7353 7159

Registered Charity no. 219952

home of crime 2017 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival Major Sponsors

Managed and presented by Harrogate International Festivals. Charity No. 244861 Programming Committee: Elly Griffiths, 2017 Programming Chair.

Val McDermid | Jane Gregory | David Shelley | NJ Cooper | Steve Mosby | Mari Hannah

Save The Date

19-22 July 2018 | The Old Swan Hotel | Harrogate home of crime

Box Office: 01423 562 303 | Booking Fees Apply

39

Lising Evidence Theakston are proud to sponsor the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival

#theakstonscrime W: theakstons.co.uk

Theakston Brewery

Theakston1827