A Guide to Newcastle Noir
This week and weekend sees a series of criminally good bookish events happening in Newcastle -Newcastle Noir is the North East’s crime-fiction festival which brings authors from across the country, from Europe and further afield….there’s an author from Quebec this year!
So, what’s happening? Quite a lot actually:There’s fringe events all week and the big event starts on Friday…..
Festival Launch – Friday 4th May – 7pm Stuart Macbride
Stuart MacBride has written some great crime books set in Scotland so he knows a thing or two about where to hide the bodies! He’s going to be opening the ceremony by one of the following:
1 – Performing a traditional Scottish dance
2 – Raising a glass of something Scottish whilst reciting a Robbie Burns poem
3 – Talking great crime fiction and celebrating what is good about festivals like Newcastle Noir
*Option three the most likely at time of going to press….
What’s happening with the other authors you ask? Well there’s a few locals kicking things off so what happens on Saturday at 9.30am is anyone’s guess. Mari Hannah, LJ Ross and Matt Wesolowksi are first through the doors to talk all things Northumberland Noir.
Northumberland Noir Saturday 9.30
Mari Hannah – writes three series, all set in the North East. Winner of Danger in the Library 2017 – all round lovely lady
LJ Ross – seventh novel in the DCI Ryan series recently released – also lovely lady and chocolate lover
Matt Wesolowksi – two novels under his belt, written in the form of podcasts…several interviews with potential suspects. Mindblowing on audio books in particular!
New Blood – Saturday 11am
These are the new guys and gals in town, readers who are now readers AND writers. They’ve all brought out books recently. Four new authors to devour…well not literarally of course.
Vicky Newham – Turn a Blind Eye set in London – DCI Maya Rahman who emigrated aged four. If there’s anyone to understand the ethnic tensions in London, it’s her
Robert Scragg – What Falls Beneath the Cracks? Rob’s the man to tell you – London set thriller
Sandra Ireland and GB Williams also star.
Crime in Translation – Saturday 1pm
ICELAND – Meet Lilja Sigudardottir – writer of Rekyavik Noir – SNARE
ICELAND – Translator and author Quentin Bates writes his own Gunnhilder series and helps brings Icelandic books to English speakers
QUEBEC – Roxanne Bouchard hails from Quebec and weaves the unique landscape and history of Quebec into her novels. We Were the Salt of the Sea is the first translated in English
QUEBEC – David Warriner is that translator
We were the salt of the sea
Crime and humour – Saturday 4pm – The dark humour of crime
FINLAND – Antti Tuomainen is the proof. He writes books with plenty of dark humour. He also wins the award for wearing some of the most memorable shirts ever seen on a crime writer.
LIVERPOOL – Luca Veste is of Italian and Liverpudlian descent – he sets his novels in Liverpool which have a dark, wicked sense of humour. He does too. Could be trouble….;)
Antti Tuomainen in the middle…
NORDIC NOIR – Saturday 7pm
NORWAY – Thomas Enger – His main character Henning Juul is a journalist not a detective. Thomas is a musician as well. May well be a contender to knock Anti from his sartorial pedestal!
NORWAY – Kjell Ola Dahl – One of the Fathers of Nordic Noir – might be needed to keep the three previous authors in line ; )
Then along comes someone to keep them ALL in line – VERA! Well Ann Cleeves,her creator, and the creator of created Jimmy Perez. Both have to keep their teams in line! Ann is talking with Martha Hillier who brought Vera to our screens ( as well as many other top dramas!) Not to be missed!
Seagull Beer (c) TheBookTrail
And if that’s not enough, there’s Sunday still to come….
