Programme 2023

You can find the full brochure here

Wednesday 6 December

2.30 – 3.30 Committing Bloody Murdle with Dr Noir (aka Dr Jacky Collins) (FREE)

4.00-5.00 Guy Hale & the Kangaroo Court (FREE) 

We’ll carry on with our criminal fun and games in the capable hands of author Guy Hale as we aim to discover why one top crime author would want to do away with another! Do you have what it takes to see the culprit apprehended and justice served?!  

Thursday 7 December

5.00-5.45 – Crafting Crime Fiction with Robert Rutherford, Christie J Newport & Henry Sutton (Moderator: Jacky Collins) 

What makes a successful crime story? What elements do authors need to consider as they create stories that hold us captive? Come join us as we discuss the choices these authors have made in their writing so far and what lies ahead for 2024. 

6.00-6.45 Under the Microscope with Helen Pepper & Lorna Dawson (Moderator: Rosie White)

So many of our favourite authors turn to real-life forensic and scientific experts for invaluable advice to ensure their fictional crime tales are realistic and convincing. Our speakers here have worked with none other than Northeast crime-fiction royalty Ann Cleeves. Come along and delight in their expertise!  

7.00-7.45 Designing Women with Jean Kwok, Louise Swanson & Helen Erichsen (Moderator: Judith O’Reilly)

Devoted mothers, a dystopian hero and a reworked femme fatale, Our authors here have fashioned intriguing, engaging and mesmerising female characters who win our or hearts or who chill us to the core. What do these characters mean to the women who created them?  

Friday 8 December

5.00-5.45 Bloody Murder with Sam Holland, Michael Wood and Alison Belsham (Moderator: Frances Walker)

What darkness can be found in the human heart? And what continues to draw us crime fiction fans to the singular character of the serial killer. These authors who have explored the dark and macabre offer us the embodiment of evil and those who strive to stop them. Join us if you dare! 

6.00 – 6.45 Bloody Scotland with Callum McSorely, Fulton Ross, Heather Critchlow, Kate Foster (Moderator: Emma Christie)

Every September, Scotland celebrates its internationally renowned crime fiction festival Bloody Scotland. For NN2023 we are delighted to welcome a group of debut prize-winning or shortlisted authors whose recent work has been received with critical acclaim. Dr Noir thinks you should get to know them and their work too. 

7.00-7.45 In conversation: Ann Cleeves and Marsali Taylor (Moderator: Jacky Collins)

For NN2023, our ‘in conversation’ sessions bring together our Northeast crime-writing celebrities with authors that are special to them. We round of our Friday evening sessions with two authors who share a love for writing Shetland and a passion for connecting noir authors and readers. With so many shared memories and tales to be told, this event is not to be missed! 

Saturday 9 December

9.30-10.15 In conversation: Mari Hannah & Kate London (Moderator: Jacky Collins)

Continuing our ‘in conversation’ sessions bringing together our Northeast crime-writing celebrities with authors that are special to them, we start our Saturday programme with two authors whose novels have given us a deeper understanding of police work and a host of characters we hold so dear. What a way to start the day! 

10.30 – 11.15 Writing Elsewhere with Philip Gwynne Jones, Chris Lloyd, B E Jones (Moderator: Alis Hawkins)

Write what you know, they say, but sometimes the pull of elsewhere tugs at a writer’s imagination to create criminally fine tales that transport us far from home in time and space. Our authors here, from the Crime Cymru Welsh Crime Writing Collective, take us to the murky canals of Venice, the vast expanses of USA National Parks and 1940’s Paris. Come explore the darkness with us!

11.30-12.15 Caledonian Crime Collective with Emma Christie, Marion Todd, Andrew James Greig, Allan Martin  (Moderator: Suzy Aspley)

For NN2023, we are thrilled to host members of the Caledonian Crime Collective. With writing that encompasses tense police procedurals, psychological thrillers, cosy mysteries and ecocrime novels, this group of authors shows what an incredible range of criminally fine tales the Scottish crime writing scene has to offer. 

12.30-1.15 – Feel the Chill with Liam Bell, Michael J Malone, Essie Fox, Katrín Júlíusdóttir  (Moderator: Frances Walker)

f you like your crime fiction with a gothic twist and an icy chill, then this session is for you! Sinister cults and commune, a family curse, and a collector of disturbing curiosities provide the backdrop to the battle between humanity and the dark forces found within the pages of these authors latest novels. Dare you peek between the pages?! 

1.30 – 2.30 Creative Writing Workshop – Creating killer settings with Sandra Ireland 

“Scenery can be a violent stimulant” ~ Margaret Drabble. In this workshop, we’ll look at how we can ‘violently stimulate’ the reader with the most uncanny, atmospheric and creepiest settings imaginable. Whether you’re writing crime, the supernatural or even dark fantasy, join Sandra on a sensory and emotional journey into the landscapes of the imagination.

2.00-2.45 In conversation: Trevor Wood & Doug Johnstone (Moderator: Liam Bell)

Our final ‘in-conversation’ session brings together two of the most exciting voices of contemporary crime writing. Both authors offer us very different crime solving perspectives with their highly acclaimed series – Trevor Wood with Jimmy Mullen and Doug Johnstone with the Skelfs. Be sure to book your ticket for this criminally fine highlight of NN2023! 

3.00-3.45 Spooks and Sleuths with Chris Merritt, Mick Finlay and Robert Craven (Moderator: Jacky Collins)

This panel bring crime fiction fans a fusion of crime writing wonderment. The authors here transport us back in time, immerse us in the dangerous world of espionage and enable us to understand the psychology of the characters they create. Dr Noir invites you to be mesmerised not only by the flexibility of crime fiction but also by the authors’ multifaceted skills. 

4.00-4.45 Darkness Falls with Bridget Walsh, Kate Griffin, Fiona Veitch Smith (Moderator: Fiona Erskine)

A brutally murdered music-hall performer, deadly family secrets and evil doings at the local picture house. With such deliciously wicked tales, our authors here take us on an exploration of the darkness found in Victorian London, the wilds of Derbyshire and 1920’s Newcastle. A fine historical crime fiction panel for your delight and delectation!  

6.00-6.45 Criminal Diversity with Antonia Lassa, Kitty Murphy, D V Bishop, Emma Styles (Moderator: Jacky Collins)

A gender-fluid French private investigator, a reluctant sleuth from the Dublin Drag community, young women finding their power in the Outback and a 16^th century Venice court officer with a dangerous private life – the flexibility of the genre that is crime fiction can be seen in the work of the writers assembled for this panel focussing on the power of diverse voices.   

7.00-7.45 Too Close to Home with Lisa Gray, Victoria Selman & LV Matthews (Moderator: Frances Walker)

How often do we expect danger to lurk beyond the safety of our own home and circle of friends and colleagues? Yet when evil emerges among those closest to us, we’re left asking the questions is blood thicker than water and who can you really trust. With three incredibly twisty tales, our authors here show us that we can never truly know! 

8.00-8.45 Festival close Criminal Visions with Paul Hardisty, Eve Smith (Moderator: Sarah Sultoon)

To bring NN2023 to a close, we wanted to showcase powerful crime fiction that speaks of up-to-date global trends and transformations. Climate change and international tensions form the basis of these breathtaking thrillers. Come listen to the authors who created these informed, engaging tales and go away with a changed perspective. Not to be missed!