Starting on 28 October and lasting for three days, Quebec City is to host its first ever crime fiction festival. It’s called QuebeCrime and in addition to appearances by a range of top drawer mystery and thriller authors, the organisers have announced a special new attraction entitled CSI: Wrong Watson! Chemistry for Justice.
The CSI segment of QuebeCrime is included in the price of a regular ticket, and as part of a 12 person group you’ll learn how to solve crimes using forensic techniques just like real world crime labs do. “This part of the programme was designed by the Laval University chemistry department,” says co-founder of QuebeCrime Jacques Filippi. “The activities are as close as you can get to the real thing and you start by examining a crime scene and then move on to the lab to solve the mystery.”
It sounds completely Grissom-tastic, but wait til you see the list of authors who will be taking part in panel discussions, talking about their work and signing editions. These include some of our favourites such as Lawrence Block, Anne Emery, Ian Rankin, Denise Mina, Tom Henighan and several others. If you’re in Eastern Canada at the end of next week, why not scoot along? A ticket costs $50 for all access, while attending one event is just $20. Should you attend QuebeCrime, do let us know what you think.
Oh, someone’s copied us! We’re holding the second CSI Portsmouth (UK) on 5 November. Last year’s was hugely popular and this year’s is also looking good. We’ve got top crime authors, Mark Billingham, John Harvey and Michael Ridpath ( along with myself) police, crime scene experts, forensic psychologists and fingerprinting and more on this one day event, and I’m looking to expand it for next year. The public love it and it also helps to promote the crime fiction genre.Tickets cost £10 for the day, which includes £3 off the purchase of a book to encourage book buying and reading.
There you go folks, remember, remember the fifth of November. Be there in Portsmouth if you can. Thanks for the note on this Pauline.
Hi Pauline,
Sorry but we’re not copying anyone with the CSI aspect. It’s a project that was created by the department of chemistry at Laval University in Quebec City, and they’ve been presenting it in different variations at special events these last few years. At our festival it is only one crime scene. Much less elaborated than the activities you present and the professionals that you invite. I wish I could go, it seems like a great festival. I wish you success again this year.