2017 marks the fifth annual ‘Slaughter in Southwold’ festival featuring talks by a number of top crime writers as well as other crime themed activities. This year’s packed programme features Elly Griffiths, M.J. Arlidge, Isabelle Grey, Harry Brett, Guy Fraser-Sampson, John Nightingale, Paul Harrison and Ruth Dugdall.

About the authors:

Elly Griffiths is a bestselling author of two series – the Ruth Galloway series set in present day Norfolk and the Stephens and Mephisto books set in 1950’s Brighton. Last year she won the Crime Writers’ Association Dagger in the Library award.

M.J. Arlidge and Isabelle Grey have both come from a background as TV screenwriters. M.J. Arlidge wrote for prime time TV series like ‘Silent Witness’ and is now known for his bestselling Helen Grace series, which started with ‘Eeny Meeny’ in 2014 , the UK’s best-selling crime debut that year. Isabelle Gray wrote screenplays for well-loved TV series like ‘Wycliffe’ and ‘Midsomer Murders’ and has now created two psychological thrillers and the DI Grace Fisher series.

Harry Brett is a pseudonym for Henry Sutton, a Senior Lecturer in creative writing at UEA who helped create the Noirwich crime festival. His new crime fiction series has been described as Raymond Chandler meets The Sopranos in Great Yarmouth.

Guy Fraser-Sampson’s style harks back to the Golden Age of Crime and the second in The Hampstead Murders series stars Agatha Christie herself.

Local crime author John Nightingale has teamed up with Professor of English Literature at UCL John Sutherland to discuss whether crime fiction can ever be seen as great literature.

Retired police officer Paul Harrison has largely written true crime books up to this point but has now written his first foray into crime fiction.

Ex Suffolk probation officer Ruth Dugdall has returned to Suffolk after a period living in Luxembourg and her fiction has also returned to Suffolk with her latest domestic noir thriller set in Felixstowe and Ipswich.

The festival programme also includes an opportunity to have lunch with the authors. There is also a raffle and a ‘whodunnit’ puzzle sheet with a chance to win prizes. Tickets can be bought for individual author talks, each day or the whole weekend.

Full details of the programme and ticketing information is available from www.suffolklibraries.co.uk/slaughter

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