This event takes place in the British Library Pigott Theatre and is also available to watch online. Tickets may be booked to attend in person, or to watch on our platform either live or during the next 7 days on catch up. Viewing links for the online version will be sent out in the confirmation email you receive after booking. 

Deadly is a day-long celebration of the very best in contemporary crime writing by women. This inaugural festival features non-fiction as well as fiction, with brand-new work from celebrated authors as well as lively exploration of themes and perceptions relating to the genre. There will also be ‘opening acts’ from the hottest literary newcomers to the scene, and plenty of criminally good fun...

Two legends of British crime fiction, Ann Cleeves and Denise Mina (AKA the Godmothers of Crime) reveal the inside track on their craft, and The Five author Hallie Rubenhold launches her highly anticipated new book, Story of a Murder: The Wives, the Mistress and Dr Crippen.

Get stuck into a forensic analysis of plot twists at the Killer Endings panel with Saima Mir, Sam Blake and Sophie Hannah in conversation with Abir Mukherjee; and explore works confronting cliches and pushing boundaries in The Politics of Crime with Kate Summerscale, Kia Abdullah and Bee Rowlatt in conversation with Ayesha Hazarika. 

There will also be special showcases of the hottest literary newcomers to the crime scene: Maha Khan Phillips, Blessin Adams, Busayo Matuluko and Mary Watson, as well as a chance to pit your wits against some of the field’s leading luminaries in The Deadly Sleuth-Off, where Team Vera will take on Team Marple in a literary death match. 

 

Programme

11:00 –1230 The Politics of Crime 

Crime writing is a space to examine moral dilemmas, changing attitudes, and the place of the individual within - or against - society. The Deadly festival opening session leads us straight to the heart of today’s political landscape. With Kate Summerscale, whose new work The Peepshow is unsparing on complicity in ‘true crime’ exploitation of women; Kia Abdullah with Those People Next Door, her brilliant take on racism and microaggressions in a suburban setting, and Bee Rowlatt with One Woman Crime Wave, tackling class and the arms-race tendencies of middle-class parents.
 
Kate Summerscale, Kia Abdullah and Bee Rowlatt are in conversation with Ayesha Hazarika 
 

13.00-14.30 Story of a Murder with Hallie Rubenhold

Opening act: hottest literary newcomers to the crime scene, Part 1: Blessin Adams 

No murderer should ever be the keeper of their victim's story… When music hall performer Belle Elmore suddenly vanished from her north London home, her circle of female friends, the entertainers of the Music Hall Ladies’ Guild, demanded an immediate investigation. They could not have known what they would provoke: the unearthing of a gruesome secret, followed by a fevered manhunt for the prime suspect: Belle’s husband, medical fraudster, Dr Hawley Harvey Crippen. 

In this epic examination of one of the most infamous murders of the twentieth century, prizewinning social historian Hallie Rubenhold gives voice to those who have never properly been heard – the women. Featuring a carnival cast of eccentric entertainers, glamorous lawyers, zealous detectives, medics and liars, STORY OF A MURDER is meticulously researched and multi-layered, offering the reader an electrifying snapshot of Britain and America at the dawn of the modern era.  

Hallie Rubenhold is in conversation with Nicola Williams.  

 
15:00-16:30 The Godmothers of Crime 

Opening act: hottest literary newcomers to the crime scene, Part 2: Maha Khan Phillips 

The Godmothers of Crime discuss their work, inspirations and writing lives; the shape-shifting nature of the genre, and the changes they’ve seen in the writing landscape. Between them, their work spans decades, media, and creative formats, and both have created much-loved and unforgettable characters. 

Step inside the creative process with Ann Cleeves and Denise Mina, two of the most influential and inspiring writers of our times, in conversation with Saima Mir. 

 
17.00-18:30 The Deadly Sleuth-Off 

Opening act: hottest literary newcomers to the crime scene, Part 3: Busayo Matuluko 

A chance to pit your wits against some of the field’s leading luminaries in The Deadly Sleuth-Off, where Team Vera takes on Team Marple in a literary death match. 

Team Marple is headed by the legendary Martin Edwards, with the British Library’s own Lucy Rowland and ‘Adapting Agatha’ author Victoria Dowd. Team Vera is led by the redoubtable Professor Henry Sutton, our resident ‘Expert in Murder’ Nicola Upson and supersleuth Sam Blake. The crime-loving mayhem is overseen by the Deadly quiz master, Sarah “bloody adaptation” Phelps.  

  
19.00-20:30 Killer Endings - with Sam Blake, Saima Mir and Sophie Hannah   
 
Opening act: hottest literary newcomers to the crime scene, Part 4: Mary Watson 

What makes a killer ending? Agatha Christie famously signed The Detection Club’s oath, foreswearing the use of “jiggery-pokery” and “feminine intuition”. So what are the crucial elements to an exquisitely-honed plot that delivers some form of justice? And what does it take to create the twists and turns that build a panic-inducing finale to take the breath away? 

Three queens of the killer ending, Sam Blake, Saima Mir and Sophie Hannah, take us on a heart-stopping ride inside their craft, in conversation with award-winning crime author Abir Mukherjee.  There will be Q&A if you survive the suspense...

Venue open 10:30, the first session begins at 11:00.

Sessions will be followed with a book signing. All featured books will be on sale plus a special selection from the British Library Crime Classics series. 

Reduced price tickets available for British Library Members, and half price tickets for students, under 26 and other concession groups. If you have specific access requirements please email customer@bl.uk

Discover a special event to launch Deadly: The Festival of Women Writing Crime here.

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