Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival
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Event included in Friday Rover
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Old Peculier
Thursday 19th July 2012
Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year and Festival Opening Party
8.00pm | Tickets £15
Welcome to the crime-writing world’s answer to the Oscars with host, Mark Lawson. It’s easy to let the glamour and the glitz go to your head but a pint of Yorkshire’s finest ale, Theakstons Old Peculier, will help you keep your feet firmly on the glorious northern ground. The anticipation is worthy of the best nail-biting thriller – which of the line-up of likely suspects will be taking home crime fiction’s most hotly-contended award? Watch the winner kill off the competition, and then continue the celebrations and commiserations at the Festival opening party.
Box Office: 01423 502 116
John Connolly
Friday 20th July 2012
SPECIAL GUEST EVENT: John Connolly
9am | Tickets £12
No writer could open a festival any better than the bestselling author of the Charlie Parker novels. Since exploding on to the scene with Every Dead Thing in 1999, the Dublin-born John Connolly, who seamlessly mixes crime and horror, has scooped countless awards and won thousands of adoring fans all over the world. Not content with being a giant of the crime genre, Connolly is also a hugely entertaining speaker and will be talking about his work with festival Programming Chair Mark Billingham.
Box Office: 01423 502 116
Stuart MacBride
Sponsored by
PANEL DISCUSSION: Crime in Another Dimension
10.30am | Tickets £9.50
Recent years have seen a huge increase in the popularity of crime fiction with a science fiction or urban fantasy setting. Four amazing authors, each of whom has successfully married these different fields talk about the benefits and difficulties of working within two or sometimes three well-established genres. Ben Aaronovitch, Christopher Fowler, Stuart MacBride and Charles Stross will be discussing detectives, darkness, demons and Doctor Who with journalist and connoisseur of the strange, David Quantick.
Box Office: 01423 502 116
NJ Cooper
PANEL DISCUSSION: Drawing The Line
12pm | Tickets £9.50
When it comes to making moral choices, how far should a writer go? Do they worry about titillating those who may be tempted to emulate the terrible crimes they read about? And do writers ever fear for their own psyches when coming up with ideas which push the envelope of acceptability? Describing their own struggles with morality, Tim Weaver, Margie Orford, Penny Hancock and Gregg Hurwitz will be telling NJ Cooper where and if they draw their lines in the sand.
Box Office: 01423 502 116
Mark Lawson
PANEL DISCUSSION: Wanted For Murder: The e-book
2pm | Tickets £9.50
While some claim the printed book is dead, others argue that the e-bubble will soon burst. In what is sure to be a highly-charged discussion, speakers from either side of the e-divide will talk about what the future holds for both readers and writers. Have books been devalued? How will we be reading our crime fiction ten years from now? Writers Steve Mosby and Stephen Leather are joined on the jury by agent Philip Patterson, bookseller Patrick Neale and VP of the Publisher’s Association, Ursula Mackenzie, while BBC Radio 4 Front Row’s Mark Lawson will attempt to elicit a verdict.
Box Office: 01423 502 116
Charles Cumming
PANEL DISCUSSION: Writing For Your Life
3.30pm| Tickets £9.50
Writers are often told to ‘write what you know’, but what if that knowledge could cost you your life? This is a unique opportunity to hear former intelligence agents and investigative journalists talk about revealing the secrets that some people want kept hidden. From the safety of their cosy offices, most crime writers routinely knock off tales of murder, but David Hosp, Chris Morgan Jones, Tony Thompson and Boris Starling tell Charles Cumming what it’s like when the writing itself is a matter of life and death?
Box Office: 01423 502 116
Megan Abbott
PANEL DISCUSSION: America’s Got Talent
5pm | Tickets £9.50
We are thrilled to showcase four of the most acclaimed new crime writers in America. Ryan David Jahn’s Acts Of Violence won the New Blood Dagger while Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn picked up not only the New Blood award but also the Ian Fleming Steel Dagger. Chris Mooney has received rave reviews from the likes of Michael Connelly and Dennis Lehane and Megan Abbott’s hugely praised The End Of Everything was a Richard and Judy Book Club pick. These four will be talking to one of this year’s special guests, John Connolly.
Box Office: 01423 502 116
Kate Mosse
SPECIAL GUEST EVENT: Kate Mosse
8.30pm | Tickets £12
The author of the international phenomenon, Labyrinth – which was voted the Richard & Judy Best Book at the British Book Awards 2006 – Kate Mosse makes a welcome return to the festival. Not only a global bestseller, Mosse is also a renowned playwright and broadcaster and co-founder of the Orange Prize for fiction. She will be talking to BBC Radio 4’s Jenni Murray about the eagerly awaited Citadel (the final book in her Languedoc trilogy), the enduring appeal of historical adventure and the forthcoming film adaptation of Labyrinth.
Box Office: 01423 502 116
Ian Rankin
Special Guests Late Night in Conversation: Ian Rankin and Peter Robinson
10pm | Tickets £12
For many, the highlight of our inaugural festival in 2003 was the conversation between crime-writing giants Ian Rankin and Peter Robinson. Now, ten years on, we are delighted to welcome this dangerous duo back for a special late-night session. Since their previous appearance, Rankin has created a wonderful new character in Malcolm Fox, while Robinson has seen his series transfer with great success to the small screen. Join the creators of Rebus and Banks as they set the world of crime-fiction to rights over a glass or two of Old Peculier.
Box Office: 01423 502 116
Peter James
Saturday 21st July 2012
SPECIAL GUEST EVENT: Peter James
9am | Tickets £12
The bestselling author of the Roy Grace series, Peter James had a successful career as a film and TV producer and a less well-known one as Orson Welles’ cleaner! It is with his compelling and meticulously researched series of crime novels however, that James has found international success. He will be talking to journalist and broadcaster Paul Blezard about what makes Roy Grace so popular and why he spends quite so much time in police custody.
Box Office: 01423 502 116
Stuart Neville
PANEL DISCUSSION: The Golden Age?
10.30am | Tickets £9.50
For many, the Golden Age of British crime fiction was the 1920s and 1930s, when writers such as Christie, Allingham, and Sayers were at their peaks. Others would argue that we are currently living through crime fiction’s true Golden Age and that contemporary writers are more than a match for the Golden Oldies. Banging the drum for the here and now are Stuart Neville and Robert Wilson, while Nicola Upson and David Roberts will be talking up the cosies. Chairman, Paul Johnston will do his best not to take sides.
Box Office: 01423 502 116
Val McDermid
Sponsored by
PANEL DISCUSSION: New Blood
12pm | Tickets £9.50
Always a festival ‘must see’. Queen of Crime Val McDermid has hand-picked four of the hottest new talents on the scene and invited them to discuss their debut novels. Eager readers on the lookout for the next big thing will be spoiled for choice as Val introduces Elizabeth Haynes (Into The Darkest Corner), David Mark (The Dark Winter), Oliver Harris (The Hollow Man) and Kate Rhodes (Crossbones Yard).
Box Office: 01423 502 116
Amanda Kyle Williams
Sponsored by
PANEL DISCUSSION: Deadlier Than The Male
2pm | Tickets £9.50
Is it women who write the most graphically violent crime fiction? Or has this simply become a myth that should be nailed once and for all? And whether written by men or women, why is it that the majority of this fiction is bought by female readers? Journalist Danuta Kean puts some uncomfortable questions to Jilliane Hoffman, Julia Crouch, Amanda Kyle Williams and Tania Carver who (as a man writing as a woman) has a stiletto in both camps.
Box Office: 01423 502 116
Laura Lippman
PANEL DISCUSSION: ‘A Donkey In The Grand National’
3.30pm | Tickets £9.50
This was how literary critic John Sutherland described the prospect of a crime novel on the Booker Prize shortlist. AD Miller achieved this feat last year with Snowdrops, so now is the perfect time to discuss just how justified this apparent literary snobbery really is. Does crime fiction deserve proper literary recognition or are some crime writers whingeing unnecessarily? Literary editor Henry Sutton will be moderating the fiercely held opinions of John Harvey, Laura Lippman, Simon Lelic and Val McDermid.
Box Office: 01423 502 116
Neil Cross
Sponsored by
SPECIAL EVENT: Luther
5pm | Tickets £10
The festival is delighted to highlight one of the most acclaimed and popular TV shows of recent years. Luther, which recently won Idris Elba a Golden Globe for his portrayal of the brilliant and tortured cop, has been a smash hit on both sides of the Atlantic and a third series is currently in production. In this unique event, journalist and broadcaster Miranda Sawyer will be discussing the show with its creator Neil Cross, producer Claire Bennett, police advisor Simon Morgan and two of the show’s stars, Michael Smiley (Benny) and Warren Brown (Ripley).
Box Office: 01423 502 116
Ann Cleeves
Sponsored by
Come Die With Me meets The Glass Room
6.15pm | Tickets £29
Join Ann Cleeves, the author behind the fantastically successful Vera Stanhope novels, and a host of other authors as Cleeves hosts a very special murder mystery dinner set in the universe of her latest novel, The Glass Room. She’ll be helped by a star-studded roster of crime writing talent who’ll be hosting the tables. Authors taking part include: David Belbin, Paul Cleave, JJ Connolly, Jason Dean, Chris Ewan, Elly Griffiths, Mari Hannah, Doug Johnstone, Howard Linskey, Brian McGilloway, SJ Parris, Emlyn Rees, Lynn Shepherd, Sara Sherdan, Simon Toyne and Jason Webster.
Box Office: 01423 502 116
Harlan Coben
Sponsored by
SPECIAL GUEST EVENT: Harlan Coben
8.30pm | Tickets £12
Guests do not come any more special than Harlan Coben. The American author of the much-loved Myron Bolitar novels and bestselling standalone thrillers such as Tell No One and his newest bestseller, Stay Close, Coben was the first writer to win the Edgar, Shamus and Anthony awards. In what is sure to be a hugely popular event, the master of the thriller with umpteen twists will discuss his work with friend and multi-award winning crime writer Laura Lippman.
Box Office: 01423 502 116
Mark Billingham
Sponsored by
CABARET EVENT: Late Night Quiz
10pm | Tickets £9.50
We’re not saying it gets deadly serious, but there are quizzes and then there’s the legendary Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival quiz. Former quiz champions include The Wire’s David Simon and George Pelecanos and esteemed broadcaster Mark Lawson! Test your team’s criminal knowledge with quiz masters Mark Billingham and Val McDermid and vie to get your hands on the coveted quiz cup!
Box Office: 01423 502 116
Camilla Lackberg
Sunday 22nd July 2012
PANEL DISCUSSION: 50 Different Words For Murder
10am | Tickets £9.50
With crime fiction from around the world as popular as ever, we ask four overseas authors what, if anything, is lost in translation. Writing originally in Swedish, Spanish and Afrikaans, Camilla Lackberg, Antonio Hill, Deon Meyer and Liza Marklund will tell Barry Forshaw just how much of their work is filtered or coloured by their translator. How much involvement do they have in the translations? And crucially…will we ever get tired of Scandinavian crime fiction?
Box Office: 01423 502 116
Jo Nesbo
Sponsored by
Vintage Books
SPECIAL GUEST EVENT: Jo Nesbo
11.30am | Tickets £12
Unarguably the star of the current Scandinavian crime scene, Norwegian Jo Nesbo has become one of the best-selling crime writers in the world, with two of his books selling every minute. This success can only increase with the latest Harry Hole thriller, Phantom and Martin Scorcese set to direct a film adaptation of his earlier bestseller The Snowman. There could be no better way to round off this year’s festival than with rock star and crime writing phenomenon Nesbo, in conversation with BBC Radio 4 Front Row’s Mark Lawson.
Box Office: 01423 502 116
All information is correct at the time of going to press. The Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival and Harrogate International Festivals reserve the right to make such alterations as may become necessary.