Scotland's crime writing queen Val McDermid will be discussing the novel that had Nicola Sturgeon gripped at an award-winning writing festival that is now in its seventh year.
The Kircaldy-born author will be among the star attractions at Aberdeen’s Granite Noir, which will run from February 23-26 with a packed programme of author talks, music, exhibitions and workshops.
Her novel, 1989, the second in the Allie Burns series, was named on the First Minister’s best books of 2022 list.
This year’s festival will have a Gothic theme, darkening the doors of venues across the city including Aberdeen Arts Centre, St Nicholas Kirk, the Music Hall and Lemon Tree over four days.
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Fast Show star and best-selling author Charlie Higson will be introducing his new novel, Whatever Gets You Through the Night, while Louise Welsh and Alan Riach explore the rich seam of Tartan Noir, from Stevenson and Hogg through McIlvanney and Tey to the hugely successful writers in the genre today.
Three of these, Chris Brookmyre, Denzil Meyrick and Doug Johnstone, will be discussing the secrets of short story writing.
Other highlights include a talk by Wendy Joseph KC, only the third woman ever to hold a permanent position at the Old Bailey, who will be unpicking six extraordinary cases in Trials of the Old Bailey.
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Adding to the non-fiction offering, Francisco Garcia will be taking a deep dive into the story of Bible John, the notorious Glasgow serial killer, while science communicator and chemist Dr Kathryn Harkup returns with a look at the reality behind the silly, and not so silly, ways to die in the world of everybody’s favourite spy, James Bond.
Heal & Harrow, a new project by celebrated folk musicians Rachel Newton and Lauren MacColl, pays tribute to some of the 2,000 women who were executed as witches in Scotland in the 16th and 17th centuries, as they perform newly-composed music inspired by specially commissioned work by celebrated author Mairi Kidd.
Scotland’s Scots Scriever, Shane Strachan, will host an evening of spoken word performances with a dark twist, while the Scandi crime genre will be represented perfectly in Coorie in with Scandi Friends, where Swedish writer Lina Bengtsdotter and Finnish author Antti Tuomainen will take the audience into their starkly different but equally thrilling stories.
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The multiple five-star sell-out comedy hit CSI: Crime Scene Improvisation is a fully improvised, witty and absurd murder mystery staged at the Music Hall, where the audience inspires the crime, grills the suspects, and ultimately decides who is guilty...or not.
Events for younger crime fiction fans include a morning session for 3-7-year- olds with Jonathan Meres and his Scaredy Bat, and workshops with Sarah Todd Taylor with Maz Evans, who each introduce their adventurous characters and help their audiences to crack codes and secret messages.
Ben Torrie, Director of Programming and Creative Projects at Aberdeen Performing Arts, which produces the festival, said “Granite Noir 2023 will be full of the drama, mystery, music and, of course, cocktails, that audiences have come to expect from the festival, as well as plenty thrills and surprises along the way.
“We have some of the most exciting names in crime fiction, with broad themes of the gothic, horror and, of course, Noir, throughout an exciting weekend of author talks, exhibitions and music from the crime fiction super group the Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers.
“We’ll be starting as we mean to go on, with a healthy dose of dark humour, entertainment and all things Noir, designed to excite and inspire crime fiction writers and fans alike.”
Tickets for all Granite Noir events are on sale to Aberdeen Performing Arts Friends from Wednesday at 10am and go on general sale on Thursdaycr at granitenoir.com
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