Creative Thursday

Following on from this year’s highly successful Creative Thursday, held for aspiring writers in 2006, we can confirm that this exclusive day of interactive seminars, and workshops with leading authors, publishers and agents will be held on Thursday 19th July from 9am - 5.30pm.

Day rates are £100.00 per person including lunch.

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Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year

Start the 2007 Festival with a bang and join the panel and short-listed authors for the announcement of this year’s Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year, hosted by BBC presenter and author Jenni Murray. Be there for the announcement of the 2007 winner of the only crime award chosen by you, the reader.

Thursday
Combined Ticket £13

Festival Opening Party

After the excitement of the presentation of the Award join authors, publishers and fellow crime-lovers at the annual party to celebrate the opening of the Festival. Price includes canapés and a complimentary glass of wine or Old Peculier.

Thursday
Combined Ticket £13

Special Guest Val McDermid

Celebrated and bestselling author of over 20 novels, winner of the Gold Dagger, the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2006 and many other international prizes, Val McDermid was the first chair of this Festival and a prime mover in creating it. Now you will have the chance to learn much more about her as she discusses her life and work with Jenni Murray.

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Country Matters

Why does murder in the countryside seem so much more shocking than inner city violence? Four of the best exponents of rural crime discuss the contrasts between the ravishing locations they’ve chosen and the mayhem they set there. Ann Cleeves won the 2006 Duncan Lawrie Dagger, Stephen Booth and Jim Kelly have both won the Dagger in the Library, and Aline Templeton is a regular on the Scottish bestseller list. Author Richard Burke chairs.

New Blood

A Festival must if you want to know who is up-and-coming in the genre. A quartet of exceptionally talented authors will introduce you to their very different first novels. Nick Stone’s Mr Clarinet is a noir tour-de-force set in Haiti, Tom Cain’s The Accident Man features action hero Daniel Carver, Caro Ramsay’s atmospheric and emotionally intelligent thriller, Absolution, is set in Glasgow, and Nicola Monaghan won a Betty Trask award for her darkly moving, twisty debut, The Killing Jar. Joanna Hines, novelist and paperback crime reviewer for the Guardian, chairs.

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PENGUIN

Snobbery with Violence

Get a ringside seat for another big crime debate: where does the best crime fiction belong - in the mean streets or the drawing room? Sheila Quigley and Martyn Waites take on Laura Wilson and David Roberts. Mark Billingham umpires.

Plumbing the Depths

Practising clinical psychologist Frank Tallis and ex-head of the Florence flying squad, Michele Giuttari, join Stella Duffy and John Lawton in exploring the psychology of violent crime and the way it informs the novels all four write with such success. Lindsay Ashford chairs this fascinating panel.

Daphne du Maurier Centenary Panel

The centenary of her birth provides the perfect opportunity to reassess the work of this remarkable author. She wrote over 20 novels and numerous short stories, brilliantly portraying the mental states that can lead to crime. Probably best known for Rebecca and Jamaica Inn, both of which have been made and remade into successful films, she also wrote such enduring classics as The Birds and Don’t Look Now. Du Maurier fans Philip Gooden, Kate Saunders, James Twining and Laura Wilson, four very different writers, come together to discuss the many facets of her talent with senior lecturer Margaret Kinsman.

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Special Guest Lee Child

Fired from Granada TV in 1995 during their corporate restructuring, Lee Child decided to turn this crisis into an opportunity. He spent six dollars on paper and pencils and wrote his first novel Killing Floor. This introduced the American, former Military Policeman Jack Reacher to the world. Since then, he has delighted and thrilled millions of readers with a further ten novels. His latest, Bad Luck and Trouble, was released in April. Interviewed by radio journalist Paul Blezard, Lee Child is an entertaining speaker so book early!

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Foul Play - The Corpse Who Stayed Out In The Cold

No Festival would be complete without an hysterical special edition of Foul Play. Following the format of his popular Radio 4 show, Simon Brett hosts with Laura Lippman and Stuart MacBride as his sleuths. Mark Billingham and Stella Duffy play everyone else. We challenge you to stop laughing for long enough to work out whodunnit!

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Here Come the Cops

Legal expert, broadcaster and crime critic of The Times, Marcel Berlins leads a discussion with four stars of the police genre. Peter James has just won France’s Prix Polar International, Alex Gray’s DCI Lorimer novels have been described as ‘a real threat to Inspector Rebus’, Cath Staincliffe is not only a highly regarded novelist but also the creator of the television series Blue Murder, and Elena Forbes, whose first police procedural novel, Die With Me, is published in July.

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Getting It Right

How can you make a historical novel accurate in fact and atmosphere and yet appeal to a 21st-century audience accustomed to the fast moving investigations of today? Tom Harper chairs the discussion between Lindsey Davis, Jason Goodwin, Manda Scott and Andrew Taylor, who are four of the most knowledgeable writers working in the genre. Today, they reveal the secrets of their research and the way they weave fact and fiction together. Their novels span the world and the centuries since the Roman invasion of Britain.

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RANDOM HOUSE

Getting Vigorous

You need skill to pilot an unfamiliar aeroplane, catch a wild horse, fire complicated guns, escape ferocious pursuit and disable a heavily-armed assassin with no more than a bottle of olive oil and a random kitchen utensil. It is a very different skill to write compellingly about such scenes. C.J. Carver, Simon Kernick, Michael Marshall and Zoë Sharp, whose hobbies are almost as exciting as the novels they write, discuss the finer details with one of the wittiest Aberdonians of them all, Stuart MacBride.

Festival Book Group

This year we’re going traditional. Did the crime fiction of the Golden Age really glitter? Join Ann Cleeves for a discussion of the work of Allingham, Christie and Sayers - and some less familiar, but equally interesting authors of the period.

Crime in the City

What makes a certain city the perfect crime setting? Travel through Graham Hurley’s grim Portsmouth, the glamour of Venice and Rome as seen by David Hewson, and then on to Cambridge, Edinburgh, Athens and London, to which both Paul Johnston and Michelle Spring have turned in their latest novels. Paul Blezard finds out what drew the authors to their chosen cities.

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Reading the Crime Scene
with Forensic Scientists/CSIs Helen & Ian Pepper

How do the real investigators examine a crime scene? And what do they think of how this is portrayed in fiction? Registered forensic practitioner Helen Pepper has a wealth of experience in the investigation of all types of crime, from theft to murder and terrorism. Join her and Ian Pepper, ex-crime scene investigator and trainer, as they discuss how the professionals do it. True-life crime is always a popular part of the Festival; book now so you don’t miss out.

Secrets, Spies and Foriegn Affairs

Our world is built on secret wars about which we, the public, are not allowed to know very much. Most of our information comes from fiction, often written by foreign correspondents and retired spies, who know a great deal more than they can tell. Dan Fesperman, John Fullerton, C.J. Sansom and critic Barry Forshaw join Natasha Cooper in a discussion of the chilling and moving stories that have come out of these wars – and the price paid by the men and women who fight them.

Authors Dinner

You’ve seen the authors speak, you may even have had them sign your book – so don’t miss this opportunity to chat with fellow crime fans and your favourite authors over a delicious dinner. Among the guest authors this year are John Fullerton, Peter James and Nick Stone as well as many more. This sold out last year and there are limited places available so book now!

Special Guest Frederich Forsyth

The Festival is delighted to welcome the international master of intrigue, Frederick Forsyth. He has sold over 70 million books in thirty languages and his first three novels The Day of the Jackal, The Odessa File and The Dogs of War changed the face of the international thriller. His novels continue to be relevant to the political world of today with meticulous plotting based on detailed research; his latest novel The Afghan, deals with Islamic terrorism. His background is as colourful as his novels, and his strong opinions and detailed knowledge of subjects as diverse as gun-running and identity theft will make his conversation with Mark Lawson an evening to remember.

Late Night Quiz Show

Another Festival favourite. Natasha Cooper and Simon Kernick are your hosts and quizmasters for the evening as you pit your wits and knowledge against authors, publishers and other crime fans. Whether you know everything about crime writing or are new to the genre, this light-hearted evening is sure to have you in stitches. Sponsored by

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What Really Gets Me Going

A great opportunity to find out what authors love and hate about the genre in which they spend their working lives. This noisy and opinionated foursome certainly won’t miss this chance to tell us exactly what they think. Don’t miss Mark Billingham, Christopher Brookmyre, Natasha Cooper and Val McDermid; as they chat, discuss, rant and fight amongst themselves! Peter Guttridge will attempt to make sure no blood is spilled.

Special Guest Harlan Coben

The modern master of the roller coaster thriller, Harlan Coben is one of the most popular crime writers in the world, with his stand-alone books proving as successful as his Myron Bolitar series of novels. His latest novel, Promise Me, is released this year. Extremely funny and an entertaining speaker, he is a big man in every way. Interviewed by Laura Lippman, he will provide the perfect end to another great Festival.

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