Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads and Lasses

Val McDermid’s New Blood was the Holy Grail of debut panels, the crime de la crime, and much sought after by authors and publishers alike. Starry-eyed hopefuls, fresh faced and innocent, were called to the stage for their first moment in the spotlight. Years later, they are grizzled veterans of the crime world with a trail of bloodied bodies in their wake. So how did it go?

Four stellar graduates of Val’s academy return to talk about how their careers have flourished or floundered (Spoiler Alert: they flourished) since their daunting debuts. Fiona Cummins, Chris Hammer, Abir Mukherjee and Stuart Neville will return to the scene of the crime armed with a shelf-load of awards, acclaim and anecdotes.

This event will be chaired, of course, by Val McDermid.