May will be a time for murder and mayhem as National Crime Reading Month (NCRM) makes a welcome return – and the organisers are urging writers and venues to become involved.

NCRM, which has run for a number of years, is a unique literary festival that is held throughout the UK in May to celebrate the crime genre, both fiction and non-fiction.

The festival, which is organised by the Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) and the Crime Readers’ Association (CRA), sees authors staging events including talks, recitals and ‘in conversation’ evenings in venues ranging from libraries to pubs, theatres to town halls.

CWA Chair Martin Edwards said: “National Crime Reading Month is an exciting event, which is designed to bring together writers and readers in order to promote the genre as a whole and individual crime writers specifically.”

Members of the public interested in crime fiction and non-fiction are encouraged to visit the National Crime Reading Month website https://crimereadingmonth.co.uk/to see what events are on in their area.

Libraries, booksellers, book groups and festivals wishing to organise an event and seeking crime writers to participate should contact admin@thecwa.co.uk.

The CWA undertakes to add all events of which they’re informed and in which their members are participating to the website.

The Crime Writers’ Association was founded in 1953 by prolific author John Creasey and continues to grow. Dynamic and innovative, it enjoys a prestigious reputation – as well as organising the renowned Dagger awards and co-ordinating National Crime Writing Month, the CWA also runs a sister organisation, the Crime Readers’ Association. The Crime Readers’ Association offers a unique perspective on the largest community of crime writers in the world and provides informative newsletters and ezines to over 10,000 members.

The CWA provides practical support to libraries, booksellers and festivals not only in May but also throughout the year with the help of its Library and Booksellers’ Champions and Festival Liaison Officers. For more details, see https://thecwa.co.uk/libraries or email secretary@thecwa.co.uk.