A celebration of some of the best crime writers in Manchester and the North. Including panel discussions and a Murder Mystery Night!

Manchester Central Library M2 5PD Book tickets: https://tinyurl.com/4y33kvbk

Wednesday 16th March

An author panel with Karen Woods, Cath Staincliffe, Joseph Knox and Rob Parker.

Rob Parker lives near Warrington, UK. The author of the Ben Bracken thrillers and the standalone post-Brexit country-noir Crook’s Hollow. Passionate about inspiring a love of the written word in young people, he spends a lot of time in schools across the North West, encouraging literacy, storytelling and creative writing. ​He is a co-host of the For Your Reconsideration film podcast, and a regular voice on the Blood Brothers crime book podcast.

Cath Staincliffe is a best-selling, award-winning novelist, radio playwright and creator of ITV’s hit series Blue Murder. Cath has been shortlisted for the CWA Daggers five times, winning 2012’s Short Story Dagger. Her debut series, the Sal Kilkenny mysteries launched single-parent PI Sal onto Manchester’s mean streets. The Girl in the Green Dress, her novel about a transgender hate crime, has been optioned for TV. Cath’s standalone titles examine the human impact of crime on ordinary families, giving a voice to victims, the bereaved, survivors and witnesses. The latest Running out of Road is a race against time playing out in the Derbyshire Peaks, when eleven-year-old Scarlett is abducted by her estranged father. It was written during lockdown and provided Cath with a welcome escape to the hills.

Joseph Knox was born and raised in and around Stoke-On-Trent and Manchester, where he worked in bars and bookshops before moving to London. He runs, writes and reads compulsively. Sirens, his debut novel, was a Sunday Times bestseller, and his work has now been translated into 18 languages. His latest novel True Crime Story was published in 2021. The Times described it as ‘Scandalously entertaining…Knox is a fantastic writer. His ambitious fourth novel satirises and celebrates the true-crime genre with glee … by turns horrific and hilarious’ – Mark Sanderson.

Karen Woods was born and raised in the City Of Manchester and is proud to be a Mancunian! Being raised within an inner city area inspired Karen to take an unorthodox and very well received approach within her writing. Karen left school without any formal qualifications and obtained her inspiration from attending an adult literacy course which was offered by her former employers.

Karen writes from the heart and always keeps it real to life, and she writes about subjects we can all relate too. Having lived a colourful life she uses her own experiences to write her books. Karen believes that everyone has the power to change their lives around with self belief and determination. “Life doesn’t give. We have to take what we can.”