The Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival is back at Agatha Christie’s old haunt: the Old Swan Hotel, Harrogate, Thursday 21 – Sunday 24 July. It promises to be one sizzler of a weekend.

The 2022 Festival guarantees thrills, and perhaps a few spills at the hotel bar, at the gathering of crime writing professionals and enthusiasts, authors and readers. Grab a pint of Yorkshire’s finest ale, relax in the hotel gardens, and dip into an intoxicating mix of comedy, cabaret, heated debate, and scintillating socialising. It would be a murderous misdemeanour to miss it.

As always, there is a world class line-up of crime writers, brought to you by this year’s Festival curator, award-winning novelist Denise Mina. Some highlights include:

A series of crime-writing workshops (including one by Vice Chair Vaseem Khan) on Creative Thursday, culminating in the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel Awards. On Friday, CWA Diamond Dagger recipient 2018 Michael Connelly will be interviewed by this year’s Dagger in the Library winner, Mark Billingham. On Saturday, you are spoilt for choice for a host of panels and workshops, including ‘Chortling Experts’ where a panel of police procedural and forensic experts (including the CWA’s Graham Bartlett) discuss some of the bloopers they’ve come across in crime stories. Finally, on Sunday, don’t miss the legendary Lynda La Plante interviewed by Denise Mina.

For the full festival line up and to snap up any last-minute tickets visit the festival website here.