Dean, Mukherjee and Koomson to headline SlaughterFest

This year's SlaughterFest will feature more than 30 authors across eight panels, including Girl A author Abigail Dean (HarperCollins), as well as Abir Mukherjee and Dorothy Koomson.

The crime writing festival will take place via the KillerReads Facebook page on 4th September and has been curated by author Karin Slaughter with HarperFiction.

Slaughter will open the festival by interviewing Dean, followed by a panel on historical thrillers with Mukherjee and Laura Shepherd-Robinson, plus a discussion of true crime with Carol Ann Lee, Joseph Knox and Katie Lowe.

David Heska Wanbli Weiden, Rachel Hall and Vaseem Khan will discuss writing short fiction, while Alice Hunter, Caroline Kepnes, Fiona Cummins and Jeffery Deaver will debate serial killers in fiction and why they are here to stay.

Jane Casey, Imran Mahmood, Nadine Matheson and Saima Mir will talk about crime in the courtroom followed by Koomson, Louise Candlish and Lucy Foley discussing thematic shifts in writing, before Robert Peston, Adam Hamdy and Charlotte Philby debate political thrillers.

Slaughter said: "I am so thrilled to announce the line-up for SlaughterFest. We have a fantastic programme, with something for every crime fiction fan, from old favourites to new voices. Once again, the festival showcases a wide range of wonderful writers, and I am proud to be a part of it."