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Sufferance: Charles Palliser on his new novel
Given the six million murders, what business has a novelist with the killing of a single child during the horror that unfolded from 1942 to 1945? And yet I thought I had a justification for focusing on only one death. Perhaps because there is no arithmetic in the realm of ethics. Perhaps because one murder can be understood but six million is beyond the imagination. But is that where it should remain? Unimagined? Since we have so many harrowing accounts of the Holocaust by survivors (and some perpetrators or collaborators) what right has a novelist to offer an invented account?
Finding Sophie: Imran Mahmood talks to Crime Time
Grief is one of those paths that sooner or later we all traverse. Though some will experience it sooner and more often than others we will also suffer it if we haven’t already. The measure of grief, is in direct proportion to the depth of the love. In some ways then, grief is just the testimony of love – its evidence, its mirror.
Death on the Thames: Alan Johnson talks to Crime Time
I don’t know about other crime writers but one of my biggest problems is determining a title. When I wrote about my life it was easy. Given that I was 13 when Beatlemania spread like a virulent epidemic, This Boy (the ‘B’ side of I Wanna Hold Your Hand if you’re interested) was the obvious title for my childhood memoir, particularly as it was the song I had to sing and play when I auditioned (unsuccessfully) for a well-known 60s pop band called Peter Jay and the Jaywalkers when I was 16. Please, Mister Postman, The Long and Winding Road and In My Life followed naturally. Whilst a publisher would have to pay through the nose to quote a Beatles lyric, titles can’t be copyrighted.
Vuelos de la Muerte: New Crime fiction on the Argentinian ‘Disappeared’
Two newly published novels, Sarah Sultoon’s Death Flight and Elsa Drucaroff’s Rodolfo Walsh’s Last Case, reflect on Argentina’s troubled past and throw light on the country’s current disastrous political extremism and economic ruin.
Bird Spotting in a Small Town: Sophie Morton-Thomas talks to Crime Time
The story of Bird Spotting came about as I knew I had always wanted to write a chilling literary thriller in the vein of Daphne Du Maurier’s Rebecca, which I read when I was twelve or thirteen. I had been a keen bird spotter as a child (my dad bought me a small illustrated manual called Spotting Birds) and I knew I wanted to tie the two elements – a chilling thriller and spotting birds – together. After spending several holidays on the North Norfolk coast, I knew I had found the exact location I wanted to set the story in. Settings are hugely important to me, and I knew I couldn’t begin writing the story until I had found the right location. The characters, to me, have to somehow link with the setting, and I cannot work on them until I feel everything is laid out geographically!
Baskerville’s Birthday
In January 2024, we celebrated Baskerville’s second birthday! It’s been a whirlwind two years for our list of ‘books that haunt the imagination’ and we have been so thrilled with the support we have received from readers, booksellers and reviewers. The very talented Mick Herron has gone from strength to strength, claiming his first Sunday Times hardback number one with Bad Actors (Slough House series), and we were delighted to see his latest standalone thriller – The Secret Hours – receive rave reviews and be selected as a book of the year by the likes of The Times, Observer and Daily Telegraph. The Secret Hours will be published in paperback on 14/03/24.
Crime Writers Association 2025 Daggers Open for Submission
The new and expanded 2025 CWA Dagger awards are now open for entries. The Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) Daggers are considered a marker of excellence in the industry and have been synonymous with quality crime writing for over half a century. The awards are judged by independent expert panels.
THEAKSTON OLD PECULIER FESTIVAL REVEALS GUEST AUTHORS FOR 2024
Harrogate International Festivals has announced the Special Guests for the 2024 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival 18 – 21 July 2024, the world’s largest and most prestigious celebration of crime fiction. Curated by bestselling crime writer and 2024 Festival Programming Chair Ruth Ware, with the programming committee, the Special Guests on this year’s programme include global bestsellers and fan favourites Chris Carter, Jane Casey, Elly Griffiths, Erin Kelly, Vaseem Khan, Dorothy Koomson, Shari Lapena, Abir Mukherjee, Liz Nugent and Richard Osman. Returning to Harrogate for its 21st year, the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival (18–21 July 2024) is a highlight of the crime fiction year,
To the Max: February Crime
Definitely a month of hits and notable misses. Coincidentally, very few of this batch of new novels have any ambition to innovate, harking back to personal memories of the authors, their civilian professions or, in a fashion gathering steam, reverting quite shamelessly to Golden Age crime themes and situations, some with surprising allure and success, others repetitiously. But the best also demonstrate you can entertain or evoke deeply-buried souvenirs while respecting the joys of the genre and no more.
Miss Austen Investigates: Jessica Bull talks to Crime Time
Could the Regency be the golden age for ‘cosy’ crime? In writing my debut novel, Miss Austen Investigates, I found the Regency was the perfect period in which to set ‘cosy’ crime. For me, this sometimes-contentious label applies to mysteries featuring an amateur, rather than a professional, sleuth. The cosiness comes from the knowledge that, no matter how dark the story turns, the protagonist – in my case, the sharply observant and indefatigable young Jane Austen – will eventually swoop in and save the day. Reading a ‘cosy’ is a cathartic experience: you can have a good cry about the fate of the victim but, as so rarely happens in real life, trust that justice will ultimately be served.
Death on the Lusitania: RL Graham talks to Crime Time
If you like a lighter tone and golden age riffs in your historical crime fiction this novel might be right up your alley. A murder mystery set on the fateful last voyage of the luxury liner RMS Lusitania in 1915. Shortly after the ship sets sail from New York a passenger is found dead from a single gunshot wound in his locked cabin, probably suicide Among the passengers is Patrick Gallagher, a British civil servant escorting an errant British diplomat back to England. The captain invites Gallagher to investigating the death – one crucial detail doesn’t fit, could this be murder? Gallagher believes so. One of the passengers is a killer who could strike again at any moment. And all the while, the ship sails on towards Europe, where German submarines lie in wait.
The Hidden Storyteller: Mandy Robotham talks to Crime Time
Balancing the Baubles of Historical Fiction… search is a principal joy of writing historical fiction – the chance to delve into peoples lives and discover little morsel of facts that help to illuminate any narrative. What did people eat, where did they shop, get a haircut, or drink coffee? There are further benefits to writing historical crime, in that police forces are generally good at keeping records, and newspapers of old fascinated by villainous wrongdoing, as they are no
Nick Louth on The Two Deaths of Ruth Lyle
Sixteen-year-old Ruth Lyle was brutally murdered on April Fools’ Day 1973 in the Devon town of Ilfracombe. It was a shocking and brutal crime for the residents of this picturesque seaside resort, with the gory detail that the pretty and vivacious girl had been stabbed with a sharpened crucifix in a disused church not far from the harbour.
STILL SEE YOU EVERYWHERE: Lisa Gardner talks to Crime Time
Two years ago, I had the opportunity of a lifetime to visit the crazy isolated and impossibly beautiful Palmyra atoll, 1,600 km off the coast of Hawaii. I’d spend five days at a rustic research camp on this miniscule island (only 10 square km in size!) learning about the ecological reclamation of coral reefs. I’ve always had a personal interest in the subject, let alone the chance to spend a week with waving palm trees, white sandy beaches and tropical blue waters? Sign me up!
Up-to-date with Crime Time FM
Don Winslow, James Grady, Laura Lippmann, Femi Kayode, Nicola Upson, Walter Mosley, Kia Abdullah – For me the CTFM podcast is a great chance to ask authors about their novels. I get it – that’s obvious, but breaking it down a bit, when I read a book, when I’m fully engaged, the questions seem to spring from the page. Sometimes about plot and style but more often character, landscape and the social context; the history and the political and cultural setting. It’s always a thrill when an author shares something new and I’m grateful for the patience and openness of my guests. You’ll have heard it before but crime writers are a lovely bunch.
New Crime Blu-rays from Second Sight, Radiance & Indicator
Why is Casablanca (directed by Michael Curtiz in 1942) generally considered to be the greatest product of the golden age of the Hollywood’s studios? At the time it was simply considered to be another in a long line of Humphrey Bogart vehicles, with the actor backed up (as usual) by a solid supporting cast. And the director was one of the most respected of expat filmmaker professionals. But it was the remarkable coming together of a variety of elements that makes Casablanca so special. As a Bogart vehicle, it’s the best possible showcase for the actor – tough, charismatic and (underneath the surface) sentimental, with one of the most luminous of female stars, Swedish import Ingrid Bergman, as the woman he has lost to another man. And then there is the wonderfully witty and razor-sharp dialogue by the Epstein brothers – no film in the history of Hollywood has more quotable lines than those provided by the brothers for Casablanca
HOTEL ARCADIA: Sunny Singh talks to Crime Time
Hotel Arcadia follows two very different people, from very different worlds, brought together by a terrorist siege of a luxury hotel. Sam is a war photographer staying at the hotel who copes by reverting to what she does best – taking photographs of an unfolding crisis. Abhi, the hotel manager, is simply trying to keep as many people alive and safe as possible. I began the novel because I realised that while we hear and talk about terrorism a lot, much of our news tends to focus on the bad guys (terrorists) and the good guys (cops or soldiers). We don’t hear enough about ordinary people who find themselves in extraordinary circumstances and do extraordinary things. I wanted to explore how humans not only survive in the most horrific circumstances but care for each other. It’s not a story about the horrors of our world but rather the human ability to overcome it. It really is a book about finding love, courage, and hope in ourselves and each other.
Lone Wolf: Greg Hurwitz talks to Crime Time
‘Evan Evan is the culmination of decades of writing and research. It took a lotta years for me to find my way to him. And fair enough. He’s a hard guy to find. He was yanked out of a foster home at the age of twelve, raised in a covert black assassin program buried so deep within the U.S. government that virtually no one knows it exists. I didn’t want this to feel like nonsense Hollywood training where he’s catching flies with chopsticks…’
Paper Cage: Tom Baragwanath talks to Crime Time
Paper Cage is the impressive debut novel from New Zealand writer Tom Baragwanath. The protagonist, Lorraine, is a proto-detective like you’ve not seen before and the themes couldn’t be more relevant. This literary thriller is both a satisfying mystery and biting social critique; racism, victim blaming, misogyny, policing and generational differences all in focus. This is a dark, troubling and yet enriching read.
To The Dogs: Louise Welsh talks to Crime Time
To the Dogs is the new stand alone crime thriller from top Scottish author Louise Welsh. It’s the 11th since her dazzling debut novel The Cutting Room in 2002. As ever her portrait of her home, Glasgow, is colourful and authentic. The perfect backdrop for a tale delving into the city’s underbelly and academic life. Welsh’s dark, gritty tale of personal and institutional corruption revels in her wicked, subversive sense of humour.
Ajay Close on What Doesn’t Kill Us
Confessions of a crime writer who hates the sight of blood: In a Sheffield primary school, a teacher warns her class not to play with fireworks, describing terrible injuries, amputations and skin grafts. A nine year old falls off her chair and comes to on the floor, screaming.