The Crime Writers’ Association

National Crime Reading Month 2018 Underway

National Crime Reading Month, an initiative promoted by the CWA, is now underway, with libraries, bookshops and writing festivals throughout the country hosting events and talks this month with authors speaking about their books and the world of crime writing.

As figures released by the London Book Fair last month prove the crime genre is now the most popular in fiction. With sales of crime novels and thrillers having increased by 19% since 2015, the CWA is confident that the month will be a big success and that their members, crime authors, will see further benefits as a result.

While the number of events way surpasses those listed on the website, there are plenty listed there too with authors such as Kate Ellis, Martin Edwards, Jeffery Deaver, Peter James, Bill Kitson, Rachel Abbott, Sharon Bolton, James Dean… the list goes on. There are events taking place from one end of the country to the other so whether crime fiction fans live in Ilfracombe or Wigtown, Hastings or Warrington, Norwich or Lincoln, Bushey or Newcastle they should find something local to interest and entertain. The website with the listings – and they’re by no means the full story, as not all venues send their events through – is www.crimereading.month.co.uk. Otherwise, readers are recommended to contact their local library or bookshop for details of events local to them.

National Crime Reading Month is also being celebrated in a very special way this year with a Big Library Crime Book Giveaway, organised by the UK’s biggest crime fiction convention CrimeFest, which takes place in Bristol May 17-20.

Teaming up with the CWA as well as publishers, Goldsboro Books and libraries in Bristol, Birmingham, Glasgow and South Tyneside up to 4,000 books are going to be given away from named libraries on Saturday 5 May. The libraries are:

Birmingham

Bristol

Glasgow

South Tyneside

The authors and publishers taking part in the giveaway are:

The CWA’s Daggers Reception will take place at CrimeFest on Friday 18 May at 6.30pm where the longlists for the CWA Daggers for 2018 will be announced, together with the winner of the CWA Margery Allingham Short Story competition. Everyone attending CrimeFest is invited!

The Daggers Shortlist reception this year will be held in London on 26 July and the Dagger Awards at a glamorous ceremony at the Grange City Hotel on Thursday 25 October. The speaker will be Jude Tindall and the MC crime fiction critic Barry Forshaw. For more info: admin@thecwa.co.uk

More National Crime Reading Month events throughout the country are being added all the time to the website – for listings by region visit:

www.crimereadingmonth.co.uk

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