Daggers drawn at crime lit festival

ONE of Europe’s biggest crime fiction conventions is to be held in Bristol this summer.

CrimeFest is returning to the city after a two-year hiatus in May, and will feature up to 150 authors over 50 panels.

Ann Cleeves, the author behind ITV series Vera, and Andrew Child, co-author of the Jack Reacher series, are among the stellar lineup.

The event will take place on May 12 to May 15 at the Mecure Bristol Grand Hotel, with tickets available to buy now. It will also feature two past winners of the Crime Writers’ Association’s highest accolade – the CWA Diamond Dagger. Robert Goddard received the Dagger, awarded for a lifetime contribution to the genre, in 2019, and Martin Edwards in 2020.

As well as drawing in readers, organisers say the convention attracts editors, publishers and reviewers.

CrimeFest director and co-founder, Adrian Muller, said: “We pride ourselves on being open to all authors, which makes it a diverse and democratic celebration of the genre.

A ‘from page to screen’ panel includes Icelandic writer Yrsa Sigurdardottir and Sarah Pinborough, the author behind Netflix hit Behind Her Eyes. Other authors attending include Holly Watt, Matt Wesolowski, C.L. Taylor, Lynne Truss, Barry Forshaw, Simon Brett, Vaseem Khan, Helen FitzGerald, Ruth Dudley Edwards and Michael Ridpath.