Two hundred people celebrate SlaughterFest

Over 200 people gathered on Tuesday evening (11th June) for a sold-out SlaughterFest, the fifth annual crime writing event spearheaded by bestselling author Karin Slaughter.  

Hosted by HarperCollins and held on the 17th floor of the News Building in London Bridge, guests enjoyed an evening of spectacular views, music, competitions and lively panels from an array of the biggest names in crime fiction, hosted by author Simon Toyne. Lucy Foley, whose new novel The Midnight Feast was released last week, appeared in conversation with Clare Mackintosh and Virgin radio’s Ryan Tubridy to kick off the evening.

Stig Abell hosted a panel on ‘The Art of Detection’ alongside authors Elly Griffiths, Jane Casey and Vaseem Khan while Cara Hunter recorded a live episode of her podcast “Watching the Detectives” with crime scene experts who share what TV and fiction often get wrong. Finally, Imran Mahmood discussed ‘murderous motives’ with chart-toppers Adele Parks, Lisa Jewell and Matthew Blake.

Slaughter, who introduced the festival virtually, said: “It was born five years ago to launch my new book and also give me a chance to introduce you to some writers I admire. Since then, it has been my privilege to bring together a vast array of literary talent, and here we are, five years on, going stronger than ever.” 

Waterstones was the bookselling partner on the night, giving the audience - some of whom had travelled from Europe - a chance to purchase signed copies from all the authors.