THEAKSTON OLD PECULIER CRIME WRITING FESTIVAL 2024
LOOKS TO THE FUTURE AS IT REVEALS 21ST ANNIVERSARY PROGRAMME LINE-UP
CELEBRATING NEWCOMERS AND TITANS OF THE GENRE
Festival Dates: 18 – 21 July 2024

On Tuesday 14th May Harrogate International Festivals revealed the full programme for this year’s 21st Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival, the world’s most prestigious celebration of crime fiction and thriller writing, at a special reception at Hachette in London.

It was my absolute pleasure to attend the launch of the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival for 2024. Not only was it a fantastic evening with wonderful authors, but the full programme for the festival was announced. As tickets for individual sessions go on sale at 10AM today, Thursday 16th May, it’s my pleasure to share the following press release.

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The Festival, which takes place at Harrogate’s Old Swan Hotel from 18-21 July, has been curated by 2024’s Festival Chair, bestselling crime novelist Ruth Ware, and reflects a Festival looking firmly to the future while celebrating the rich heritage of the crime fiction world. From cutting edge AI and technology’s impact on criminal investigation, to the complexities and capabilities of neurodivergent
sleuths; from the shadowy world of spies and twisty whodunnits, to boundary-pushing psychological thrillers, there is plenty to surprise and thrill in this year’s programme.

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Programme highlights include an all-star lineup of acclaimed writers and global bestsellers including Mick Herron, Louise Candlish, M.W. Craven, James Comey, Lucy Foley, Femi Kayode and Saima Mir joining Special Guest headliners Chris Carter, Jane Casey, Elly Griffiths, Peter James, Erin Kelly, Vaseem Khan, Dorothy Koomson, Shari Lapena, Abir Mukherjee, Liz Nugent and Richard Osman,
the crowning of the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year and the much anticipated Critics’ New Blood panel which showcases four talented debut novelists. This year’s cohort, selected by a panel of the UK’s leading crime fiction critics, are Jonny Sweet, Martta Kaukonen, Claire Coughlan and Colin Walsh.

For aspiring writers, Creative Thursday offers an immersive day of workshops and talks led by bestselling writers and industry experts, with the unique opportunity to pitch work in the ‘Dragon’s Pen’.

A Festival for everyone, the evening events offer a host of opportunities for readers to engage with their favourite writers and include the hotly contested Late Night Quiz hosted by Val McDermid and Mark Billingham and the highly anticipated Confessions of a Crime Writer where well-known authors disclose deliciously dreadful secrets from their past and the audience decide if they should be forgiven, or not.

Two hot-ticket Author Dinners will see readers join forces with crime writers Kia Abdullah, Chris Brookmyre, Sunny Singh, Imran Mahmood, Lesley Thomson, Syd Moore, John Sutherland, Trevor Wood, Araminta Hall and many more to solve a murder mystery with a twist.

Ruth Ware, bestselling author and 2024 Festival Programming Chair said:
“After so many months of plotting and planning, I’m thrilled with the incredible showcase of crime writing talent the Festival committee has put together. From newcomers to titans of the genre, from cosy crime to hard-boiled whodunnits, from psychological thrillers to forensic procedurals, there really is something for everyone at this year’s Festival. But for me the true joy of the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival has always come down to one thing: the sheer pleasure of being among so many fellow book lovers, in a festival that puts the reader at the heart of everything. If you’re a booklover, this Festival is for you.”

Simon Theakston, Chairman of T&R Theakston Ltd, said:
“This year’s Festival celebrates crime fiction’s rich heritage while looking firmly to the future of the genre, with extraordinary debut writers appearing alongside legends of their craft, and boundary pushing events exploring bold new ideas. As an avid crime fiction fan and reader, as well as headline sponsor, I am looking forward to an unforgettable Festival.”

Sharon Canavar, Chief Executive of Harrogate International Festivals, said:
“The Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival marks its twenty-first anniversary this year and we are incredibly proud of this world class event which is so warmly anticipated by authors, visitors and locals alike. Ruth has put readers at the centre of her brilliant programme and there is so much for everyone to discover and enjoy. Whether you are a reader or a writer we look forward to
welcoming you to the Festival in July.”

Tickets for individual events are on general sale from 10am on Thursday 16 May. Classic Weekend Break Packages, Author Dinners and tickets for Creative Thursday are on sale now. To book tickets, please call +44(0)1423 562 303 or email info@harrogate-festival.org.uk.

PROGRAMME HIGHLIGHTS

THURSDAY 18th JULY

Creative Thursday: Crime Fiction Writing Workshops
An immersive day of workshops and talks for aspiring crime writers with bestselling authors including Isabel Ashdown, Penny Batchelor, Mark Billingham, Adele Parks, William Shaw, K.L. Slater, Ruth Ware, Russell Wate, and publishing experts including N.J. Cooper, Sam Eades, Francesca Pathak, Phoebe Morgan, Jon Wood and Madeleine Milburn.

Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award
A celebratory event as the winner of crime fiction’s most prestigious prize is announced, with the inaugural McDermid Award for debut fiction and the Outstanding Contribution to Crime Fiction Award also presented.

FRIDAY 19TH JULY

Special Guests in Conversation: Abir Mukherjee and Vaseem Khan
Crime fiction authors Vaseem Khan and Abir Mukherjee talk about their latest novels, Vaseem’s insightful thriller Death of a Lesser God, and Abir’s gripping stand-alone Hunted.

PANEL: The Past is a Foreign Country
Authors S.J. Parris, Ambrose Parry, Amy Chua and Anna Mazzola discuss murder most horrid – and historical – with chair Laura Shepherd-Robinson.

PANEL: Welcome to the Mind Palace
Authors Stef Penney, Nita Prose, Joanna Wallace and Sarah Hilary celebrate neurodivergence and the complexities and capabilities of minds build differently, chaired by N.J. Cooper.

PANEL: Cops and Robbers  

Writers of detective fiction M.W. Craven, Simon Mason, Christie J. Newport and Nadine Matheson put the police under the microscope with chair Mark Billingham.

PANEL: The Letter of the Law
From courtroom wrangles to breathless whodunnits, some of today’s best crime writers have their roots in the legal system. James Comey, Harriet Tyce, Kia Abdullah and Tony Kent will discuss what makes lawyers great storytellers with chair Imran Mahmood.

Special Guests in Conversation: Shari Lapena and Liz Nugent
Internationally bestselling authors Shari Lapena from Canada and Liz Nugent from Ireland reveal the tricks to crafting twisty thrillers and creating uniquely memorable characters.

Author Dinner
A unique opportunity for crime fans to take part in a murder mystery with host crime writers Kia Abdullah, Heidi Amsinck, M.J. Arlidge, Penny Batchelor, Katherine Faulkner, Heather J. Fitt, Dugald Bruce Lockhart, Louise Hare, Jackie Kabler, Simon Marlowe, John Marrs, Rachel North, Nadine Matheson, Imran Mahmood, Helen Phifer, Rod Reynolds, Tim Sullivan, Lesley Thomson, B.P.
Walter, Bridget Walsh.

Special Guest: Peter James
Celebrating his milestone twentieth Roy Grace book One Of Us Is Dead, Peter James will be in conversation with TV presenter Louise Minchin.

Confessions of a Crime Writer

Favourite crime writers including, Mark Billingham, Gytha Lodge, Val McDermid, Richard Osman and Luca Veste, confess dark and dreadful secrets from their past as the audience decides if they should be forgiven – or not!

SATURDAY 20TH JULY

Special Guest: Chris Carter

Former clinical psychologist and professional musician Chris Carter, bestselling author of the Robert Hunter series, will be interviewed by crime fiction critic Lisa Howells.

Psycho Thrillers 

Explore the genre that keeps getting darker and more ingenious, with boundary-pushing psychological thriller writers A.A. Chaudhuri, Abigail Dean, C.M. Ewan and T.M. Logan, interviewed by Luca Veste.

Critics’ New Blood
Showcasing four outstanding debut novelists, selected this year by a panel of the UK’s top crime fiction critics, actor and writer Jonny Sweet, Finnish bestseller Martta Kaukonen and Irish writers Claire Coughlan and Colin Walsh will be in conversation with Festival Programming Chair Ruth Ware.

I Spy
Masters of the genre Mick Herron, Ava Glass, Terry Hayes and Kim Sherwood will discuss all things espionage with chair Charlotte Philby.

From AI to PI: Detectives in a ChatGPT World
Explore mind-bending innovation, AI and post-apocalyptic worlds with writers putting the ‘tech’ into ‘detection’, Sarah Moorhead, Helen Fields, Jo Callaghan and Stuart Turton, with chair Ajay Chowdhury.

Special Guest: Dorothy Koomson
Bestselling thriller writer and ‘Queen of the Big Reveal,’ Dorothy Koomson will be interviewed about her latest novel Every Smile You Fake by Magic FM’s Bookworm Natasha Knight.

Author Dinner
‘Who dunnit?’ A second murder mystery dinner with authors Suzy Aspley, Kate Bendelow, Lauren Beukes, Chris Brookmyre, Emily Freud, Araminta Hall, Peter Hanington, David Hewson, Jane Jesmond, Alex Kane, Ruth Kelly, Bonnie MacBird, Syd Moore, Kristina Perez, Sunny Singh, John Sutherland, Russ Thomas, M.J. White, Michael Wood and Trevor Wood.

The Tangled Web
Plotters extraordinaire Lucy Foley, Louise Candlish, Catherine Ryan Howard and Jack Jordan reveal how they craft the perfect whodunnit and what makes for a truly killer reveal. Chaired by C.L. Taylor.

Special Guest: Richard Osman
Global bestseller Richard Osman will discuss his much-loved Thursday Murder Club novels and previews his new series We Solve Murders, interviewed by Festival Programming Chair Ruth Ware.

Late Night Quiz
Join popular quizmasters Val McDermid and Mark Billingham as teams of authors and readers go head-to-head in a battle of crime fiction wits.

SUNDAY 21ST JULY

Special Guests in Conversation: Erin Kelly and Jane Casey
Jane Casey introduces her new Maeve Kerrigan novel After the Fire in conversation with Erin Kelly, whose latest thriller is The House of Mirrors, as they discuss crafting addictive mysteries and creating compelling characters.

The Lie of the Land
Saima Mir, Ian Moore, Femi Kayode and Chris Whitaker discuss the importance of place and identity in crime fiction, with chair C.S. Robertson.

Special Guest: Elly Griffiths
Festival favourite Elly Griffiths discuss her new standalone mystery The Last Word with Stig Abell.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE THEAKSTON OLD PECULIER CRIME WRITING FESTIVAL VISIT
Harrogate International Festivals

About the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival

The Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival is the world’s largest event dedicated to the celebration of crime fiction. Taking place annually over four days each July at the Old Swan Hotel in Harrogate, the Festival programmes over 100 best-selling UK and international crime authors and over 30 events. It is delivered by the north of England’s leading arts Festival organisation, Harrogate
International Festivals. The event features the prestigious Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Awards.

Get involved on Twitter/X @HarrogateFest with #TheakstonsCrime #TheakstonsAwards

About T & R Theakston Ltd

Festival sponsor since 2004, Theakston Old Peculier beer is a world-famous, multi-award winning beer brewed by T & R Theakston Ltd. The company is one of the UK’s most famous and highly regarded traditional beer brewers. Theakston was established in Masham, North Yorkshire in 1827 by Robert Theakston and today is still controlled and managed by his direct descendants. Theakston Old Peculier is one of several, nationally available beer brands in their portfolio. The Company is renowned for its support in the community in cultural, sports and legacy activity, of which the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival is the most prominent.
For further information, visit the Theakstons website.

My enormous thanks to Ajay Tegala for sending me a copy of his new book Wetland Diaries: Ranger Life and Rewilding of Wicken Fen. I was supposed to be interviewing Ajay with Lev Parikian at the Deepings Literary Festival on Sunday 5th May but was devastated when I was hit by Covid and couldn’t make any of the festival sessions. I was, however, able to send across my questions to Kelham Cooke who stood in for me and, I’m told, did a brilliant job. At least I’ve been able to read Wetland Diaries by way of compensation and I’m delighted to share my review today.

Wetland Diaries was published by The History Press on 2nd May 2024 and is available for purchase here.

Wetland Diaries

‘Ajay’s passion for conservation and his encyclopaedic knowledge of Wicken Fen ooze out of every single page’ – Iolo Williams

Tucked away in the flat lands of rural East Anglia lies Wicken Fen, so loved for its big skies and tiny creatures, boasting over 9,000 recorded species. For 125 years, this wildlife sanctuary has been cared for by the National Trust. A dedicated team look after this precious wetland of international importance, working with herds of free-roaming horses and cattle and weathering the elements to cope creatively with the dramas of a life outdoors at the cutting edge of conservation.

Wetland Diaries is a seasonal account of ranger life on Wicken Fen, saving a once widespread landscape and revealing the spectrum of emotions experienced in the process. Ajay shares the spirit and atmosphere of the Fens, offering an insight into the privileges and pressures of managing semi-wild animals in one of the country’s first wetland restoration projects, creating precious breathing space for nature and people alike.

My Review of Wetland Diaries

An account of the life of ranger Ajay Tegala at Wicken Fen.

Now, I might be biased because I live quite close to Wicken Fen, this book has references to the Deeping area where I live and Ajay Tegala grew up in the next street along from my home, just beyond the small primary school, but I absolutely loved Wetland Diaries. It’s written with such honesty and compassion, mixed with humour and knowledge, so that I think I fell a little bit in love with the author and his dog Oakley.

Wetland Diaries is carefully illustrated with photographs, line drawings and an iterative cattle image. Initially I wished some of these aspects had been presented in colour but grew to understand that the black and white nature reflects to perfection the starkness of the landscape, the occasional harshness of life at Wicken Fen and the ethereal quality of fenland countryside. I went from a hesitancy about the images to feeling they were quite wonderful. I also thoroughly appreciated the bibliography and appendices as they add to the sense of authority and authenticity present throughout Wetland Diaries.

The text is smashing. The author’s first person tone is warm, accessible and conversational and Ajay Tegala incorporates everything from facts to the supernatural in a diffident, thoroughly engaging and often simultaneously poetic and pragmatic style. Reading Wetland Diaries feels as if the author is chatting personally with the reader, confiding all manner of things from the pressures of being part of the television Springwatch team to the potentially unsettling effect a phallic shaped Shiva Lingam stone might have on an unruly cockerel. Indeed, when chapter subheadings contain everything from a first day as a ranger through dung sampling to vasectomies there’s a real sense of the eclectic nature of Wetland Diaries.

And it is the natural world that glues this book together. There’s everything here from flora to fauna, climate change to animal husbandry, weather to walking, in a glorious celebration and appreciation of nature. It’s no exaggeration to say that reading Wetland Diaries has changed my life. Prior to this book, when asked where I come from I would usually reply, ‘Nowhere. Just flat, boring fenland.’ Now, I have an enlightened understanding of what a diverse and important area I live in. As Wicken Fen, the setting for the majority of the book, celebrates its 125th birthday, Ajay Tegala has written it a passionate love letter – but a love letter that encompasses and includes us all.

Wetland Diaries is a triumph. It’s engaging. It’s educational. It’s entertaining. It is also the kind of book that makes the reader feel as if the world has not gone to Hell in a handcart after all, but rather is filled with a varied and important natural world and wonderful people – like the author –  who care about it. I found Wetland Diaries uplifting, hopeful, witty and warm. I loved it.

About Ajay

Ajay Tegala is a Wildlife Presenter, Conservationist, Countryside Ranger, Naturalist, Author and Voice-Over Artist. He has a degree in Environmental Conservation and has worked in nature conservation for over a decade. A natural communicator, his enthusiasm is infectious.

He presented BBC Two’s groundbreaking documentary ‘Inside the Bat Cave’ (BBC Two, 2020) alongside Lucy Cooke, sharing his passion for bats, citizen science and public engagement. His five-minute ‘Springwatch’ 2021 film about the comeback of the common crane received fantastic reviews.

Ajay has chalked-up well over 20 television appearances across the five main channels, including the popular BBC nature programmes ‘Countryfile’, ‘Coast’, ‘Winterwatch’ and a live appearance on ‘Springwatch: Unsprung’ alongside Chris Packham and Will Young. He also featured on ‘Walking Through History’ with Tony Robinson for Channel Four. Ajay took part in the BBC animal quiz show hosted by Kate Humble, ‘Curious Creatures’, appearing on a winning team with Chris Packham. He also took on the BBC ‘Celebrity Eggheads’ as part of a science team, winning his head-to-head round.

Ajay is a regular contributor on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire’s ‘Wildlife Wednesdays’, complimenting his own #WildWednesday TikTok videos. Other radio appearances include ‘Living World’ and Clare Balding’s popular ‘Ramblings’ (both Radio Four).

As a Countryside Ranger, Ajay has earned respect as the ranger on Britain’s first coastal reserve, Blakeney Point in north Norfolk. This is the subject of his first book, which gives an insight into his unique experiences protecting seabirds and seals on a remote stretch of England’s east coast. Ajay has previously worked as reserve manager at Lindisfarne in Northumberland and currently works at Wicken Fen, Britain’s very first nature reserve, alongside 100 Konik ponies and 50 Highland cattle.

Growing up in the East Anglian Fens, Ajay became interested in wetland birds. As a teenager, he volunteered at his local nature reserves, which inspired him to follow a career in nature conservation. Through his career, Ajay went on to work with seabirds, in particular terns; studying their breeding behaviour and contributing to national monitoring programmes. He has also studied wildflowers and seals; managing England’s largest Grey Seal rookery during a period of rapid population growth.

In his spare time, Ajay conducts wildlife surveys on farmland in the Norfolk Broads, championing and monitoring the success of habitat creation for nature on farms.

For further information follow Ajay o Twitter/X @AjayTegala, find him on Facebook and Instagram and be sure to watch Ajay on TikTok and YouTube.

My enormous thanks to Becky Hunter for sending me a copy of The Second Chance by Charlotte Butterfield in return for an honest review. Slightly later than intended, I’m delighted finally to share that review today.

It’s just over two years since Charlotte provided Linda’s Book Bag with a wonderful guest post in celebration of By This Time Tomorrow in a post you’ll find here.

Published by Harper Collins imprint Avon on 9th May 2024, The Second Chance is available for purchase here.

The Second Chance

Nell has always known her expiry date.

After a psychic predicted her death date twenty years ago, she has lived life accepting she would never see forty – embracing adventure and travelling the world, choosing fun over commitment and laying down roots.

So, when the fateful day comes, Nell feels ready. She sends five excruciatingly honest confessions to her sister, parents and past loves, knowing she won’t be around to face the consequences. Then, with her heart laid bare, all that’s left to do is check into a glamorous hotel and wait for the inevitable…

But when Nell unexpectedly wakes up the next morning broke, single and very much alive, she must figure out exactly how to seize this second chance at life. And then it also hits her:

What on earth happens now that everyone knows how she really feels?

My Review of The Second Chance

Nell is preparing to die.

The Second Chance is a super story of what is truly important in life and I enjoyed every moment of reading it.

The plot races along as Nell’s expected demise doesn’t occur and she has to come to terms with the consequences of her past life and her recent actions. There are relatively few truly dramatic moments and that is the absolute strength of the novel because it is in the ordinary and prosaic that Nell discovers the truth about life and herself. I loved the way Charlotte Butterfield mixed both humour and emotion in a pitch perfect balance. There’s a super thread of Nell’s relationships with Tom and Greg that adds a frisson of excitement and great romantic interest too.

Nell is fantastic. At times I loathed her for her selfish and unthinking attitude, at times I admired her vivacity and her ability to find the best in the most desperate of situations, and by the end of The Second Chance I loved and appreciated her unreservedly.

However, it was Juno who appealed to me most. She is the living embodiment of Jenny Joseph’s poem Warning. I loved her unconventional attire, her outrageous stories, her incisive intuition and her vulnerability as dementia affected her. She is so sensitively and authentically developed that I found her quite wonderful.

There’s a great balance too in the men in the story with Greg and Tom contrasting brilliantly with Tony and Ray so that The Second Chance feels populated with real people rather than mere characters in a story.

Add in thought provoking themes of family and friendship, the impact of the past on our present lives, the way fate has an ability to intervene in our lives and scupper our plans and Charlotte Butterfield shows us how life is for living, doing our best but not forgetting those we love. I thought her story was fabulous. 

The Second Chance is a brilliant escapist read. It’s filled with warmth, human understanding and humour. Reading it I was completely absorbed and transported away from the trials of my own life. I have certainly been convinced that we need to be more Nell – and more Juno! 

About Charlotte Butterfield

A former magazine editor, Charlie Butterfield was born in Bristol and studied English at Royal Holloway. She moved to Dubai by herself on a one-way ticket with one suitcase in 2005 and left twelve years later with a husband, three children and a 40ft shipping container. She now lives in the Cotswolds, where she is a freelance writer and novelist.

For more information, follow Charlotte on Twitter @CharlieJayneB and find her on Facebook and Instagram.

Given how much I’ve loved meeting and interviewing Elly Griffiths in the past and how much I enjoy her writing, I really have read far too few of her books. Today I’m rectifying that slightly by sharing my review of The Stranger Diaries which is the choice of my U3A book group this month. It’s almost five years since Hannah Robinson from Quercus sent me a surprise copy of The Stranger Diaries and I’d like to extend my apologies that it has taken so long to review!

The Stranger Diaries is published by Quercus and is available for purchase here. 

The Stranger Diaries

Clare Cassidy is no stranger to tales of murder. As a literature teacher specialising in the Gothic writer R.M. Holland, she teaches a short course on them every year. Then Clare’s life and work collide tragically when one of her colleagues is found dead, a line from an R.M. Holland story by her body. The investigating police detective is convinced the writer’s works somehow hold the key to the case.

Not knowing who to trust, and afraid that the killer is someone she knows, Clare confides her darkest suspicions and fears about the case to her journal. Then one day she notices some other writing in the diary. Writing that isn’t hers…

My Review of The Stranger Diaries

Teacher Ella has been murdered.

I so enjoyed The Stranger Diaries. It’s a fast paced, entertaining read with a touch of the supernatural and smashing smatterings of overt and subtle literary references that are a real pleasure to identify. It’s that frisson of otherworldliness created by the tales of the woman in white at the school and Bryony’s white witch persona that gets under the reader’s skin and makes them wonder ‘What if?’ so that even the most sceptical amongst them is hooked. There’s just the right level of creepiness and tension. 

I thought the way the present day story of Clare et al echoed the story told by the stranger in R.M. Holland’s tale was cleverly and entertainingly crafted. The Stranger Diaries fits the concept of spooky Halloween tales brilliantly and would make a fabulous television series for winter nights. This is a murder mystery, a police procedural, a ghost story and it has touches of a quest as Clare is researching R.M. Holland so that not only can The Stranger Diaries be read and enjoyed on many levels, it has something for every reader. 

The characters are great. We don’t get huge psychological depth for any of them, but each is distinct and, more importantly, has the possibility to be the murderer. I confess I suspected (wrongly) every one of them, including even the investigating policeman Neil, because Elly Griffiths does sleight of hand so brilliantly. I actually exclaimed aloud when the perpetrator was revealed. I loved the potential for Detective Harbinder Kaur to develop too.

As well as being absorbed by the story I thoroughly enjoyed the author’s take on creative writing and teaching, given her own background. It felt as if I were being a little glimpse behind the curtain of who she is. Add in themes of marriage and relationships, obsession and rivalry, and ethnicity and sexuality and I found The Stranger Diaries an all round satisfying, engaging and entertaining read. Once I started it, I was totally rapt and I thoroughly, thoroughly enjoyed it – even if it did make me rather glad I don’t write a diary of my own! It’s a cracking read.

About Elly Griffiths

Elly Griffiths is the bestselling author of the Dr Ruth Galloway Mysteries and the Brighton Mysteries. She has won the CWA Dagger in the Library, has been shortlisted five times for the Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year, and longlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger for The Lantern Men. Her new series featuring Detective Harbinder Kaur began with The Stranger Diaries, which was a Richard and Judy book club pick and won the Edgar Award for Best Novel in the USA. It was followed by The Postscript Murders, shortlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger and Bleeding Heart Yard. Elly has two grown-up children and lives near Brighton with her archaeologist husband.

You can follow Elly on Twitter/X @ellygriffiths, find her on Instagram and Facebook or visit her website for more information.

It’s almost six years since Glenn Bryant stayed in with me here on Linda’s Book Bag to chat about his first book, A Quiet Genocide. Now Glenn is back with a highly personal and affecting guest post to celebrate the recent publication of his latest book Darkness Does Not Come At Once. As soon as I read the blurb of Darkness Does Not Come At Once, I had to invite Glenn back to the blog

Darkness Does Not Come At Once was published by The Book Guild on 28th April 2024 and is available for purchase here.

Darkness Does Not Come At Once

Meike is seventeen and she uses a wheelchair. Already in life she’s accepted that she’ll always somehow be ‘different’. But overnight, different becomes dangerous after the government announces disabled youngsters under the age of eighteen must spend the war in specially designated institutions.

Suddenly Meike is on the run in the rural lanes she calls home, bordering Berlin. It is 1939 and the whole of Germany, it seems, wants to fight the world.

Quietly, members of Meike’s family distance themselves, but two unlikely allies stand by her. One is an elderly woman and a lifelong Catholic, forced to question her faith; the other is a fifteen-year-old boy Meike hardly knows. They begin a search for answers as they scramble to find Meike and, in a country they no longer recognise, themselves.

Talking about the world’s largest minority of people.

Why are we still afraid?

A Guest Post by Glenn Bryant

I have a question for you, if I may. Please do not worry. It is simply a, ‘Did you know?’ question. Okay.

Did you know that, from 1941-45, the government of Germany murdered some six million members of Europe’s Jewish community? Yes? Yes.

A second question. Did you know that, from 1939-41, the perpetrators of the above were effectively in training? As a commentator of the time described, they ‘made murder their profession’, killing an estimated 300,000 people with growing efficiency. Yes? No?

Hopefully, some of you are still answering, ‘Yes,’ but, from experience, I expect that there will be many more answers, ‘No.’

Okay.

Today, 85 years on, perhaps the real question should unpack, ‘Why don’t we know?’ The answer is that it’s because those 300,000 victims had a mental or a physical impairment. For the purposes of this piece, they were ‘disabled’.

Disability has not been a topic which has been discussed as frequently, for example, as women’s rights, or civil rights, or gay rights, which, thank goodness, are happily debated pretty openly today. Long may that conversation continue to happen even more openly. And yet disability rights has always lagged behind. Why? It’s a good question.

Honestly, I don’t have an answer, or certainly not an easy one. Two overarching thoughts. One, do both the public and private sectors deem physical access too much time and effort? If yes, at what greater cost to society? What kind of society do we want to share?

Second, perhaps we, societally, find ‘disability’ too unpalatable. It’s one foot in the grave, but perhaps we then quickly return to the above issue, ‘What kind of society do we want to share?’

It’s very easy to think ‘disability’ will never happen to us. And absolutely, it may not. But let’s look at the evidence. Today, in countries where life expectancy tops 70 years, we can each of us, on average, expect to spend eight years as ‘disabled’, or 12% of our life.

‘Disabled’ people today form the largest minority globally, 15% of us or one in six, some one billion people. Recently here in the UK, it was one in five. Today in the UK, it’s one in four. Again, we can look in the mirror and consider, ‘What kind of world together do we want to live in?’ A great question, albeit an almost infinite one.

The way my brain has always been wired, in search of a big answer, is to distil it down to the simplest terms. The world I want to live in is one of happy acceptance. A world of inclusion. Where everyone can get involved, or not. It’s their choice. But. I don’t want the world, in any way, to take that choice away from the individual.

From 1933-45, Hitler and his National Socialist government wanted to remove that choice so entirely from Germany’s ‘disabled’ community, that he wanted to remove them entirely from this world. From 1939-41, he was very successful. He oversaw the murder of 300,000 members of that community. We will never know the precise number.

Today, people with an impairment can expect to have ‘poorer’ outcomes in life, next to somebody without an impairment, in key areas: health, education, work, prosperity. In August 2023, a UK report by the House of Commons found that ‘disabled’ people scored themselves 6 out of 10 for ‘Happiness’, next to 8 out of 10 for people who identified as able-bodied. They regularly felt lonely, 13% next to 3%. And they were far less likely to be in employment, 54% next to 83%.

But if we never embrace this imbalance, how will we redress it? That’s my question.

Attitudes have improved, in my experience, in the past 20 years. And I privately wonder how vital the London 2012 Paralympics were, even if only subconsciously, in helping change attitudes. But ignorance, even if polite, and misapprehension can still be commonplace, so breaking that vicious circle through the continued sharing of knowledge and understanding remains so important.

Let’s end with a personal experience. Some 20 years ago. I went for a working pub lunch with my then boss. And he was more than my boss. We were good friends. We spoke a lot.

I told him I had started seeing someone, a girl. Maybe she wasn’t quite yet my girlfriend, but it felt that one day she really might be. I liked her. I hoped she liked me.

I added that she used a wheelchair. I wasn’t really sure why she used a wheelchair. We hadn’t talked about it. After all, at that point, we were only dating.

‘Well…’ my boss said, searching in his face for a reply. ‘She’s like half a girlfriend.’

What? Is he joking? 

Tell me you’re joking?

He’s not joking, I realised.

I only ever saw him once after that.

And by the way, the girl did happily become ‘my girlfriend’ and today super happily remains my wife. The world I want to live in is one where she is free to shine.

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Thank you so much Glenn – for your wonderful post, your humanity and being prepared to share your story with us alongside history. Having experienced just one afternoon in a wheelchair recently following an operation on my foot, I can only begin to understand the difficulties of those living permanently this way. Doors were impossible to open at the same time as pushing me. I became invisible or a nuisance. In my case it was physical doors causing an issue very briefly. I have a horrible feeling that we still have some way to go to achieve a world where we are all free to shine but I’m right with you in the aspiration.

About Glenn Bryant

Glenn Bryant is a former daily news journalist who today works as a senior copywriter for a financial technology company. Darkness Does Not Come at Once is his second novel, following A Quiet Genocide, published in 2018.

He is a registered carer for his wife, Juliet, who has a spinal cord injury. They live happily in South Oxfordshire.

For further information, follow Glenn on Twitter/X @glennmbryant and find Glenn on Facebook and Instagram.

It’s an absolute pleasure to share details of my latest online review for My Weekly magazine, because this time it’s of Estella’s Revenge by Barbara Havelocke which is one of my most anticipated reads of 2024!

I can’t believe how long it is since I featured Barbara here on Linda’s Book Bag, writing under the name Barbara Copperthwaite.

Published by Hera today, 9th May 2024, Estella’s Revenge is available for purchase through the links here.

Estella’s Revenge

You know Miss Havisham.

The world’s most famous jilted bride.

This is her daughter’s story.

Raised in the darkness of Satis House where the clocks never tick, the beautiful Estella is bred to hate men and to keep her heart cold as the grave.

She knows she doesn’t feel things quite like other people do but is this just the result of her strange upbringing?

As she watches the brutal treatment of women around her, hatred hardens into a core of vengeance and when she finds herself married to the abusive Drummle, she is forced to make a deadly choice:

Should she embrace the darkness within her and exact her revenge?

A stunningly original, gripping Gothic read, perfect for fans of Stacey Halls, Madeline Miller and Jessie Burton.

My Review of Estella’s Revenge

My full review of Estella’s Revenge can be found on the My Weekly website here.

However, here I can say that Estella’s Revenge is a dark, gothic and wonderful reimagining of Estella, ranging over two equally compelling timescales in a story that hits right at the heart of who we are and how we are made. I loved it!

Do visit My Weekly to read my full review here.

About Barbara Havelocke

Barbara is an international bestselling author, whose psychological thrillers have topped Amazon and Kobo. Her writing career started in journalism, interviewing the real victims of crime – and the perpetrators. The realistic, complex characters who populate her fiction reflect this deep understanding. When not writing, Barbara is found walking her two dogs, Scamp and Buddy, or taking photos of wildlife.

You can find out more about Barbara by visiting her website and following her on Twitter/X @BCopperthwait. You’ll also find Barbara on Instagram and Facebook.

It’s such a pleasure to welcome Alice Hunter to Linda’s Book Bag today to chat about her brand new thriller, Bad Apple. My enormous thanks to Laura Sherlock for putting us in touch with one another and for sending me a copy of Bad Apple which is calling to me from my TBR!

Let’s see what Alice has to say:

Staying in with Alice Hunter

Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag Alice and thank you for agreeing to stay in with me.

I’m SO thrilled to be here, Linda – thank you for inviting me over!

It’s my pleasure! I know I already know, but tell me, which of your books have you brought along to share this evening and why have you chosen it?

I’ve brought along my new release, Bad Apple because it’s… well… new! This is the first of my novels outside of The Serial Killer’s family series and so I’m in equal parts excited and nervous about it!

How brilliant. Happy publication day. So tell me, what can we expect from an evening in with Bad Apple.

Bad Apple is a standalone, twisty, and suspenseful crime thriller tackling themes such as trust, abuse, power, corruption, and justice. One reader put it very succinctly, saying: “Bad Apple sheds light on the disturbing reality of corrupt authority figures exploiting their power, a theme all too familiar in today’s news.”

Ooo. That sounds so pertinent to today’s society. I can’t wait to read Bad Apple. Tell me more.

You can expect the same in-depth exploration of the psychological impact of a crime from the woman’s perspective as I’ve written in the previous novels: The Serial Killer’s Wife, The Serial Killer’s Daughter, and The Serial Killer’s Sister.
In Bad Apple we follow Becky, a former detective, as she embarks on her journey to gain justice after a system she believed in, the establishment she trusted, let women down – and she has a personal connection with the perpetrator…

I need to bump up Bad Apple to the top of my TBR don’t I? It sounds riveting.

I hope that once readers pick up Bad Apple, they are hooked and can’t possibly go anywhere, or do anything else until they’ve finished it!

I imagine they will… What else have you brought along and why have you brought it?

I’ve got an excellent selection of songs from my Spotify: Women’s Empowerment Playlist that we can listen to while chatting. It includes great hits such as Carole King’s ‘Beautiful’, Alicia Keys’ ‘Girl on Fire’, Aretha Franklin’s ‘Respect’ and Heather Mae’s ‘Warrior’. I think these encapsulate the overarching theme of Bad Apple.

Fantastic music choices Alice!

As coffee is my go-to fuel, I’ve brought us a posh latte each – it’s called a Becca-Double-Stamper! (You’ll have to read Bad Apple to get this reference – haha!) But, as a backup, in case latte isn’t your bag – I’ve a selection of pre-mixed G&T cans (found in Becky’s fridge!

Thank heavens for that. I’m not a coffee drinker. Gin, however, is always welcome!

Last, but not least, I’ve also brought Agatha the cat (virtually speaking – because she’s fictional) as she plays a significant role in the novel. She enters the story early on and as I wrote, I imagined my own cat. Sadly, as I neared the completion of the story, my 18-year-old cat, Chester passed away, so Agatha is quite poignant for me.

Oh no! I really miss our cats too – and if you look around you, you’ll find cat relates items everywhere!

It’s been lovely hearing about Bad Apple Alice. Thank you so much for spending part of publication day with me. I can’t wait to read Bad Apple. I think you’d better pour us a celebratory gin and I’ll give Linda’s Book Bag readers a few more details. 

Bad Apple

Trusted officer. Family man. Monster?

Prepare to be hooked by Alice Hunter’s addictive new novel – so shocking it should come with a warning…

What would you do if you found out the man you loved was rotten to the core?

Becky Lawson’s life has been shattered.

When she discovered her husband, John – a trusted policeman – was a monster, she reported him. But her faith in the system was crushed when it didn’t lead to any charges or consequences.

Now, John lives freely with a new girlfriend and her young daughter, while Becky battles guilt over missing the obvious signs.

Determined for justice, Becky hunts him down. But John wants her silenced – at any cost. Becky knows only one of them can survive, and she’ll do anything to make sure it’s her.

Becky must tread carefully though, because John isn’t the only bad apple lurking in the shadows…

A gripping heart-in-mouth psychological thriller. Perfect for fans of K.L. Slater, B.A. Paris and the Netflix hit TV series You.

Published today, 9th May 2024, by Harper Collins’ imprint Avon, Bad Apple is available for purchase through the links here.

About Alice Hunter

After completing a psychology degree, Alice Hunter became an interventions facilitator in a prison. There, she was part of a team offering rehabilitation programmes to men serving sentences for a wide range of offences, often working with prisoners who’d committed serious violent crimes. Previously, Alice had been a nurse, working in the NHS. She now puts her experiences to good use in fiction. Bad Apple, and her previous novels The Serial Killer’s Wife, The Serial Killer’s Daughter and The Serial Killer’s Sister all draw heavily on her knowledge of psychology and the criminal mind.

For further information sign up for Alice Hunter news, updates and competitions here. You’ll also find Alice on Twitter/X @Alice_Hunter_1, Facebook and Instagram.

My grateful thanks go to lovely Chloe Davies for a copy of The Stolen Hours by Karen Swan in return for an honest review. It’s my total pleasure to share that review today. I cannot believe I’m only now properly discovering this amazing author! I’m thrilled that I also have the next book in Karen’s Wild Isles series, The Lost Lover, waiting for me on my TBR too.

Already available in other formats, The Stolen Hours is released in paperback on 9th May 2024 by Pan Macmillan and is available for purchase through the links here.

The Stolen Hours

An Island full of secrets . . .

It’s the summer of 1929 and Mhairi MacKinnon is in need of a husband. As the eldest girl among nine children, her father has made it clear that he can’t support her past the coming winter. Options are limited on the island of St Kilda, but the MacKinnons’ neighbour, Donald, has a business acquaintance on Harris also in need of a spouse and offers to chaperone Mhairi there on his final crossing of the year.

She returns an engaged woman, but is in love with the wrong man – one who can never be hers. As she dreads the spring, when she will be sent from home to become a stranger’s wife, word arrives that St Kilda is to be evacuated.

The lovers are granted a few more stolen hours together, but those last days on St Kilda also bring heartache for Mhairi and her friends. And, when a dead body is discovered on the abandoned isle, they all find themselves under the shadow of suspicion . . .

The Stolen Hours is the second book in Karen Swan’s bestselling Wild Isle series, which began with The Last Summer.

My Review of The Stolen Hours

The second book in the Wild Isle series.

It doesn’t matter that The Stolen Hours is the second book in a series as it stands alone perfectly, but it is such a fantastic read that you’ll want to go back and read the first and by the end of The Stolen Hours you’ll be desperate for the next installment. 

The Stolen Hours is dramatic, captivating, sweeping and gorgeously crafted. The plot races along so that Karen Swan holds the reader entranced. I hated being taken away from the story as it’s one of those books where I genuinely thought about what might be happening when I wasn’t reading it, as if I might be missing out. Although the story is rooted in fascinating historical fact, there is an imaginative and mesmerising story here too. 

In addition, this meticulously researched, historical narrative is achingly beautifully written. The sense of place, the use of the senses, the weather, the sea, the everyday lives of the inhabitants of St Kilda – every aspect of the setting and historical detail is absolutely perfect. Writing with a painterly eye that is vivid and filmic Karen Swan places her reader alongside her characters as if they are also on St Kilda or on the Scottish mainland. Reading her descriptions is like looking at photographs. 

Equally wonderful are the characters. There’s a powerful focus on Mhairi’s perspective so that the story vibrates with passion, with true depth of feeling and with heartbreak and joy. I thought this feisty yet vulnerable young woman was depicted perfectly. Indeed all the characters were so multi-dimensional that I experienced strong feelings about them all. I’m desperate to say which characters I loved, to which I could happily have caused physical harm, which I mourned and which I celebrated, but to do so would give away too much of the plot. Suffice it to say that the microcosm of St Kilda holds everything and everybody a reader could want in a story.

With themes of physical and emotional isolation, family, trust, betrayal, survival and belonging, The Stolen Hours feels mature in its telling and understanding in its execution. 

It’s clear that I thought The Stolen Hours was quite, quite brilliant. I loved every aspect of reading this story – even when it was making me rage or breaking my heart. I can’t believe it has taken me so long to discover Karen Swan’s superb writing. What a pleasure to know I have such a back catalogue waiting for me. Karen Swan has a new fan and if you’ve yet to read The Stolen Hours, I cannot recommend it highly enough. 

About Karen Swan

Karen Swan is the Sunday Times top three bestselling author and her novels sell all over the world. She writes two books each year – one for the summer period and one for the Christmas season. Previous summer titles include The Spanish Promise, The Hidden Beach and The Secret Path and for winter, Christmas at Tiffany’s, The Christmas Secret and Together by Christmas.

Her books are known for their evocative locations and Karen sees travel as vital research for each story. She loves to set deep, complicated love stories within twisting plots.

Her historical series called The Wild Isle, is based upon the dramatic evacuation of the Scottish island St Kilda in the summer of 1930.

Foe further information, find Karen on Instagram @swannywrites, or Facebook, and follow her on Twitter/X @KarenSwan1.

I know. I know! I’m 63. The Boy The Witch & The Queen of Scots is a children’s book. But if, like me, you’ve read Barbara Henderson’s children’s books before, you’ll know what an amazing talent she is. I could not be more thrilled than to be closing the blog tour for her latest story. My post is a little out of synch as I was on holiday and then involved (albeit remotely as I caught Covid on holiday) in a literary festival, but I was determined to participate!

I’ve read many of Barbara’s books and you’ll find all my reviews here.

Published by Luath Press on 11th April, The Boy The Witch & The Queen of Scots is available for purchase in all the usual places but with classroom resources from the publisher here.

The Boy The Witch & The Queen of Scots

No.

Not the Palace.

Anywhere but the Palace.

12-year-old Alexander Buchan was once content, training as a falconer at Strathbogie Castle in Huntly. But when his Earl sends him to Edinburgh to the court of the newly arrived Mary, Queen of Scots, the boy finds himself lured into a world of intrigue, terror and treachery. Alexander knows right from wrong, but how can he hope to outwit his master’s murderous messenger? Surely no one can defy an Earl – especially one whose wife is rumoured to be a witch!

Soon, more than the boy’s own life is at stake: his friend Lizzie is arrested and the angry clouds of Reformation Scotland gather around the young Queen.

My Review of The Boy The Witch & The Queen of Scots

Alexander Buchan has a dilemma.

I have said it many times, but I struggle to find a children’s author who writes better than Barbara Henderson. I always have absurdly high expectations of her books and, as usual, The Boy, The Witch & The Queen of Scots exceeded them all. I thought it was fantastic. 

Jam packed with drama, danger, espionage, and the workings of a royal household, the story is totally gripping. There are villains and heroes, courtiers and minions and a fascinating smattering of falconry all blended into an historical narrative that is authoritative and compelling. Barbara Henderson mixes real and imagined characters with such dexterity that her story reverberates with genuine authenticity.

Given that Alexander is only twelve at the start of the story, he has a true relatability for young readers so that this story draws them in to appreciating history. I loved the feistiness of Lizzie too because she has a strength that children and adults alike can admire. Mary Queen of Scots is so well drawn that she brings the history of the era alive and this book provides a different facet to her personality than just that of the imprisoned and ultimately beheaded, historical figure. 

And that era is magnificently presented. Facts and people are incorporated so effortlessly through the smooth writing that Barbara Henderson must have conducted assiduous research in order to present such a flowing, exciting and appealing story. The Boy, The Witch & The Queen of Scots is education and entertainment in a perfect blend.

The Boy, The Witch & The Queen of Scots is a fast paced narrative filled with peril that youngsters will love. However, it is also fantastic for classroom use too. The historical aspect is self-evident and enhanced by a timeline of Mary Queen of Scots’ life at the end of the story. Add in a glossary of unfamiliar words to support literacy and a list of people and places that could be used for all manner of research projects and this is a book that provides huge scope for school use. There are also discussion questions that ensure The Boy, The Witch and The Queen of Scots will be an enduring and valuable class reader. I can envisage drama performances of the story as well as the excellent illustrations at the start of chapters being a prompt for art work.

The educational aspects of The Boy, The Witch and The Queen of Scots are a bonus, but the real strength in this fabulous story is the exciting way it brings history alive. With themes of loyalty, family, friendship, society, witchcraft and religion, there’s an aspect to engage any reader so that even the most demanding or reluctant readers will be entranced by the narrative. The book captivates the minds of young readers and illustrates for them that history isn’t just about the very famous, but is also about the Alexanders and Lizzies of the world – just like the young readers themselves. What could be better?

About Barbara Henderson

Barbara Henderson has lived in Scotland since 1991, somehow acquiring an MA in English Language and Literature, a husband, three children and a shaggy dog along the way. Having tried her hand at working as a puppeteer, relief librarian and receptionist, she now teaches Drama part-time at secondary school.

Writing predominantly for children, Barbara won the Nairn Festival Short Story Competition in 2012, the Creative Scotland Easter Monologue Competition in 2013 and was one of three writers shortlisted for the Kelpies Prize 2013. In 2015, wins include the US-based Pockets Magazine Fiction Contest and the Ballantrae Smuggler’s Story Competition.

Follow Barbara on Twitter @scattyscribbler or Instagram for more information, and read her blog. You’ll also find her author page on Facebook.

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