No Place Left by Sean Watkin
Since he arrived on the crime fiction scene last year with his debut Black Water Rising, Sean Watkin has swiftly cemented a place in the Liverpool canon as a writer of books that don’t pull their punches. As a Scouser myself, I also appreciate that…
Illicit Still by William McIntyre
Ask me my spirit of choice and it’ll be gin every time. Whisky? Not my tipple mate. But crime fiction has a way of altering perceptions and weakening prejudices – and William McIntyre’s Illicit Still is a case in point. It’ll come as no surprise…
Under the Cold Bright Lights by Garry Disher
At the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Festival held in Harrogate last month, I was lucky enough to get time to sit down and have a good old chinwag with a man described as Australia’s king of crime writing. Meeting Garry Disher was a pleasure; he’s…
Interview: Garry Disher
He’s known as Australia’s King of Crime, and in 2026 has made his first appearance on stage at the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival in Harrogate. After writing 60 books, Garry Disher has finally arrived! To add to the firsts, we caught up with…
Harrogate 2026: The crime of the century
Before The Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival made the Old Swan Hotel in Harrogate its home, the place was famous for another reason: It was where Agatha Christie retreated to in December 1926, reeling from the double blow of the death of her mother…
The Hollow Boys by Tariq Ashkanani
The Hollow Boys is a book that lives under a perpetual cloud. From the get go, this compelling example of Southern gothic is a darkly depressing read – but one that I found increasingly hard to let out of my clenched fingers. Forget cosy crime…