Harrogate Crime Writing Festival Award Winner

THEAKSTON OLD PECULIER CRIME WRITING FESTIVAL STARTS THIS EVENING on
Thursday 19th July. A cool night’s sleep after the heat of the Costas was very welcome. Simple pleasures added to by a hot shower and then a cool morning breeze welcomed me as I walked into The Winter Gardens for a quick breakfast, mugs of black coffee and free WiFi.

We had booked a tour at the Black Sheep Brewery in Masham. A forty minute rural drive into The Dales was a pleasure and this small market town did not disappoint. Perhaps next time we will spend more time out in the country just to enjoy the greenness and the plain and simple ‘Englishness’ of it. I scanned the valley below me and apart from many Large White Butterflies in around the Blackberry bushes there was very little to watch. Disappointingly there were only a few bees.

Our guide was excellent and we had a laugh as we received his view on the history of this brewing family and how it became called ‘Black Sheep’. I empathized and bought the relevant ‘T’ shirt. It had to be black, of course. I had a locally made Pork pie with onions and pickle, but with only a soupçon of ale. I was driving and it is not necessary to take a chance as the car will be parked once we are back in Harrogate until Sunday afternoon.

‘Imagined Things’ - our newly found independent bookshop - was our 4pm target as we knew that Georgia had arranged for an author to be present. Here we met, for the first time, Michelle Davis and we talked. For me this is the best part of the festival to speak and exchange views with a writer previously unknown to us. We had never met before and now I will have to read her book ‘Wrong Place’. This is her second one that follows on from’Gone Astray’ where D.C. Maggie Neville was featured. Okay, it is crime and yes we are at Harrogate. I now expect to read a superbly written story as Michelle has twenty years of journalistic experience. We now have two more signed books for the collection.

At the same time we were introduced to Malcolm Hollingdrake who is the author of seven published books. I had only heard of him yesterday afternoon and on the following day I met and talked with him. I love encountering authors that I have not been aware of before, but that is not to decry the fine and established authors that we all know. I just love to unearth another gem!
So to add to our mountain of books there is his ‘Only The Dead’ and having only read a few pages I am impressed. I was absorbed from the start and his writing is terrific. Two new authors in one day. Wow!

The Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the year was announced during the first event as usual. The six participants were interviewed by Mark Lawson and some excelled whereas as others did not. Stav Sharez was the winner with his novel ‘The Intrusions’. He was well received by the audience and his speech was an humble one. Words that were well delivered.

John Grisham received the Outstanding Crime Fiction Award for all his contribution to the genre. I was not impressed by his words on being awarded it. I cannot be complementary to a anyone who does not seem to be genuine. His anecdote on his first trip to London appeared forced and when he referred to Lee Childs, the chair of the programme committee, as Lee Smith I was disgusted. But I don't have to like and agree with everything I hear. I am considering not going to his hour long event in The Royal Hall as I know that there are so many other interesting things to do and other people to listen to. Time, after all, is precious!

However the British aspect of this festival did excel itself and when Abir Mukherjee stood talking next to us we had a good discussion on his book and our views on his writing. He says that he is not a full time writer yet, but he could soon become one. We liked his story and the way he had portrayed it. I have already reviewed The Rising Man.

Afterwards ‘The Fun Loving Crime Writers’ performed loudly and the room was packed. It is not everyday that you can see and hear Val McDermid and Mark Billingham blasting out the lyrics. Where else in North Yorkshire would you be able to listen to a version of Johny Cash’s Fulsome Prison Blues being belted out. I loved it and well done for them for entertaining us.

That’s another day done and now we have to endure a full day from breakfast to beyond sunset at the first proper day of the festival. It will be hard!