Billingham and Griffiths to appear at CrimeFest 2023

Mark Billingham and Elly Griffiths have been announced as the featured guests at Crime Fest, the Bristol-based crime fiction convention. 

Sponsored by Specsavers, the convention will be hosted between the 11th and 14th May at the Mercure Bristol Grand Hotel. Up to 150 authors will descend on Bristol to appear in more than 50 panels.

Billingham published his first crime novel, Sleepyhead (Sphere), in 2001. He begins his first new book series for 20 years with The Last Dance (Sphere), which will published on 25th May. Acclaimed crime author Griffiths is best known for her series The Last Remains. This year, she brings the series to a close with a 15th book. 

Also returning to the festival is last year’s featured guest, Andrew Child, brother of Lee Child and co-writer of the Jack Reacher series. Other authors include Vaseem Khan, author of The Last Man of Bombay (Hodder & Stoughton), Will Dean, author of Dark Pines (Point Blank), and Abigail Dean, whose debut, Girl A (HarperFiction) was released in 2021. Additional names on the programme include Janice Hallett, Robert Thorogood, Simon Brett, Cathy Ace, Martin Edwards and Maxim Jakubowski. 

Donna Moore, the festival’s co-founder, said: “We pride ourselves on being open to new and established authors, creating a friendly and inclusive energy at CrimeFest. Bristol is known for its vibrant, creative and independent spirit, and CrimeFest offers an exciting opportunity for writers and readers alike to meet and mingle.”

Further highlights include the annual CrimeFest pub quiz, while 2023 will also offer the CrimeFest bursary for a crime fiction author of colour. The bursary covers the costs of a weekend pass to the convention, with a night’s accommodation and a panel appearance. In addition, CrimeFest is giving away £4,000-worth of books to eight primary and five secondary inner-city schools in Bristol in partnership with the independent Max Minerva’s Bookshop, 

The full line-up will be announced shortly. For more details and to book, visit crimefest.com.