28 March 2015

CrimeFest 2015: an agenda to die for


CrimeFest is Bristol's annual convention for people who like to read the occasional crime novel as well as for die-hard fanatics.

Among the many highlights of this year's festival in May, Maj Sjöwall (who with husband Per Wahlöö created the Martin Beck series) is interviewed by Jack Reacher author Lee Child. Other big names include Sophie Hannah, Yrsa Sigurdardottir and our own Stuart Neville.

A sample of session titles in the provisional programme includes:
  • Debut Authors: An Infusion Of Fresh Blood
  • A Woman In A Man’s World?
  • Nordic Noir Panel: Crime At The Borders Of The Arctic
  • Heroes And Antiheroes
  • The Pleasures And Pitfalls Of Writing Historical Crime
  • Detective Duos
  • Private Eyes And Lone Wolves: Lacking The Backing Of The Law
  • How Realistic Is Crime Fiction?
  • Strange Bedfellows: Sex In Crime Fiction
  • Psychopaths: Not Very Nice, Or Just Misunderstood?
  • War Crimes
  • Got Demons: Does A Crime Fiction Protagonist Need To Have Added Angst?
  • It’s A Fair Cop, Guv: Women Police Officer
  • Spies: When Snooping Is Your Business
  • Mean Streets And Small Towns: Crime In City Or Countryside
  • Wrong Side Of The Law: When Your Protagonists Aren’t Paragons Of Virtue
  • 125 Years Of Agatha Christie
  • Gritty Or Gratuitous?
  • Social And Political Life In Crime Fiction
CrimeFest 2015, Bristol
Dates: 14-17 May 2015
Official website: crimefest.com