Well that’s another year done and it flew by so quickly! As I sit here with my steaming cup of coffee and a head full of memories, I’m going to be real and share my thoughts on my experience at this year’s Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival in Harrogate. This was a strange post to write because as much as I love this festival, I came away wondering about the things I wished were there, rather than those things that actually were. So let’s get into it! And remember this is only MY experience from someone who has attended every year since 2016. Me on my way:  The festival kicked ..read more

Stop Press! Sneaky Programme Peek Ahead of Next Week’s Launch Authors released as part of the festival’s inaugural ‘sneaky peek’ include: Richard Armitage – Headlining the opening night on Friday 13th September, one of the UK’s most popular actors will be at The Albert Halls in Stirling to talk about his debut thriller, Geneva. His string of acting credits include The Hobbit, North and South, Into the Storm and Spooks. Ann Cleeves – The creator of three outstanding crime series, two much-loved television dramas in Vera and Shetland and 26 novels translated in ..read more

In case you missed it… THE SHORTLISTS HAVE BEEN REVEALED! Festival Dates: 18 – 21 July 2024 www.harrogateinternationalfestivals.com Harrogate International Festivals has announced the shortlists for the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2024, the UK and Ireland’s most prestigious crime fiction award, and the inaugural McDermid Debut Award for new writers. The winners of both awards will be revealed on the opening night of the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival, Thursday 18 July. The six books shortlisted for the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year, now in it ..read more

If you follow my reviews or accounts on social media you will know that I’m a huge fan of M.W. Craven and the Washington Poe series so it will come as no surprise when I say I loved The Mercy Chair. In fact, I was lucky enough to receive a proof (I may have begged #noshame) so I’ve been sitting on my thoughts for some time. If you want the blurb, click the book image above and it will take you to amazon… and don’t worry, it’s not an affiliate link, just saves you having to search! *** Holy friggin shizzle… THIS BOOK was epic! Set in the U.K. you will be faced with a hella bunch of trauma, ext ..read more

HOT OFF THE PRESSES National Crime Reading Month Returns this June This June, readers are being encouraged to #PickUpAPageTurner and delve into the nation’s favourite genre: crime fiction – and feel better about life. National Crime Reading Month (NCRM) is a month-long festival of reading hosted by the Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) in partnership with the national charity, The Reading Agency. Research from The Reading Agency, the national charity who work across the UK to empower people of all ages to read, shows that just 30 minutes of reading a week helps adults to report greater life ..read more

It’s surreal to think that it has been five years since Dead Inside hit the shelves, a book that marked the beginning of an unexpected journey into the world of crime writing for me… I went from avid reader/reviewer to writer. Whaaat?! If someone had told me a decade ago that I would be a published author, I would have laughed at the idea, I mean I just about wrote my 30K dissertation for my MA in Criminology. The struggle was real! Yet, here I am, with seven books written. How the heck did that happen? Writing Dead Inside was never just about putting pen to paper; it was a deeply personal, o ..read more

YOU’RE INVITED TO THE OFFICIAL PROGRAMME LAUNCH FOR BLOODY SCOTLAND INTERNATIONAL CRIME WRITING FESTIVAL 2024 WHERE & WHEN: AT THE GOLDEN LION IN STIRLING AT 12 NOON ON THURSDAY 20 JUNE FOLLOWED BY AN EXCLUSIVE EVENT WITH THE QUEEN OF CRIME, VAL McDERMID Bloody Scotland will officially launch its 2024 programme in Stirling on Thursday 20 June at noon in the Golden Lion Hotel. Festival Director Bob McDevitt will reveal the names of over a hundred authors taking part over the festival weekend which will run from Friday 13 September – Sunday 15 September 2024. The vari ..read more

OMG IT’S HAPPENING! Delighted to share the press release announcing WHO will be appearing in Harrogate at the THEAKSTON OLD PECULIER CRIME WRITING FESTIVAL 2024! Festival Dates: 18 – 21 July 2024 www.harrogateinternationalfestivals.com Harrogate International Festivals tonight revealed the full programme for this year’s 21* Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival, the world’s most prestigious celebration of crime fiction and thriller writing, at a special reception at Hachette in London. The Festival, which takes place at Harrogate’s Old Swan Hotel from 18-21 July, has been curated by 2 ..read more

No crime today! Instead it’s all about making memories with Kim Nash’s latest book in the Cornish Cove series! After five husbands and five broken hearts, Lydia feels like she’s always been chasing something. But now she’s found her purpose, and having moved to Driftwood Bay to spend more time with her daughter Meredith, she’s happier than ever. But there’s still life in these old bones yet! With her newfound sense of identity, she’s keen to re-explore the things that made her happy as a younger person. Lydia’s passion was dancing – she used to compete in her younger years, and ther ..read more

Excited that CrimeBookJunkie (me ) gets to be one of many people to share the 2024 longlists for the prestigious Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) Dagger awards, which honour the very best in the crime-writing genre. Here’s a snippet of history about these awards before I delve right in to sharing the list with you! Created in 1955, the world-famous CWA Daggers are the oldest awards in the genre and have been synonymous with quality crime writing for over half a century. A huge #crimebookjunkie congratulations to all The Longlists in Full:   GOLD DAGGER   Maz Evans Over My Dead ..read more