Killer Women Crime Event
The Killer Women travelled to South Shields at the weekend – to visit The Word, National Centre for the Written Word. They were there for two days and brought some criminally good thoughts and books with them!
So, who was there?
Kate Rhodes – Author of the Alice Quentin crime series set in London
Erin Kelly – writer of The Poison Tree and Broadchurch
Helen Smith – Emily Castles mysteries are comedies featuring an amateur sleuth.
Three women who have killed quite a few people in their time – fictionally of course but still! They write a range of crime and psychological thrillers and have come up with some very unique methods of killing someone and interesting places to kill them in their time. The first room we were in was just like one out of Cluedo – it had two entrances ( a secret door at the back as a few of us didn’t even know it was there until the end).
The day was spilt into three parts – first a talk about crime fiction, the Killer Women spoke about their books, how they chose their settings and planned their crimes. Then there was a quiz about crime fiction on television, true life crime and crime fiction past and present. Now I think I’m not too bad at quizzes but well, the fiction I knew but the TV and real life crime I didn’t know much about!
A few sample questions:
In which novel did Miss Jane Marple make her final appearance?
What is the hometown of James Lee Burke’s detective Dave Robicheaux?
Who is the Killer Woman in the picture?
The third part of the day was another Cluedo type scenario – a man had been found dead in a swimming pool and a cast of characters all gave their version of events. A journalist, the ex-wife, the daughter and current wife all had their say. The policeman on the case read out the evidence found. Did I guess the culprit? Nope, but it felt very Agatha Christie and I only wish I had a cigar to hand and a monocle so I could take it off and squint at people whilst pondering the evidence.
Even the end of the day had a crime edge to it. The library had actually closed at 4pm but the event ran until after five. Well, my dream of being locked inside a library had come true but then I realised that I was in fact trapped with three Killer Women! There are so many nooks and crannies to explore in this place plus a very high balcony….Would this not be the ideal place for a fictional murder mystery? As I looked over the balcony, there was a man in dark clothes standing beside the door, looking up with something like a hammer in his hand but he turned out to be the man who was locking the doors and shutting up shop but even as we walked out, I looked back and wondered….
These Killer women had turned my brain. Reader, I ran…
Answers to the killer quiz A Sleeping Murder B Iberia Parish, Louisiana C Lizzie Borden
Don’t forget to vist The Word, National Centre for the Written Word
