cRYmE Day, Rye Arts Festival

Rye’s first Cryme Day is a fabulous opportunity to meet, listen to and eat with four brilliant crime writers. Chaired by Guy Fraser-Sampson, the day will also include a murder-themed four-course lunch at The Mermaid Inn.

Find out what makes crime writers tick, get tips to help you if you wish to start writing and finally, just have fun! The day will include talks by four crime authors. You can attend any or all four of the talks with or without attending the lunch.

A delicious four-course murder-themed lunch with a glass of wine or a soft drink will be held in the atmospheric 2 AA Rosettes Mermaid Inn, where Head Chef Ben Fisher is very focused on using quality, seasonal, local ingredients and cooking them perfectly. He has a broad range of experience having worked in Michelin Star restaurants such as Fischer’s Restaurant in Baslow, The French Laundry in California, Tom Aikens Restaurant in London and worked with Thomas Keller at Harrods. If you have any special dietary requirements we will need to know in advance, please e-mail box-office@ryeartsfestival.org.uk giving details.

TIMETABLE FOR THE DAY:
10.00 – 10.30 am
Arrival, tea and coffee and panel introduction to all four authors
10.30 – 11.15am
Talk by William Shaw
11.30 – 12.15pm
Talk by Martin Edwards
12.30 – 2.30pm
LUNCH at The Mermaid Inn
2.45 – 3.30pm
Talk by Lynne Truss
3.45 – 4.30pm
Talk by Simon Brett

SIMON BRETT Simon has been writing crime novels for over 40 years and is the author of over 100 books including the Charles Paris, Mrs Pargeter, Fethering and Blotto & Twinks series of crime novels. Originally a radio producer for BBC Light Entertainment, Simon has also written numerous radio plays and television series.

MARTIN EDWARDS Martin Edwards is an award-winning crime writer whose most recent novel, set in 1930, is Gallows Court. Martin is also a well-known crime fiction critic and series consultant to the British Library’s bestselling Crime Classics. His ground-breaking study of the genre between the wars, ‘The Golden Age of Murder’ was warmly reviewed around the world and won the Edgar, Agatha, H.R.F. Keating and Macavity awards. His ‘The Story of Classic Crime in 100 Books’ has also been nominated for five awards.
A well-known commentator on crime fiction, Martin has edited 37 anthologies and published diverse non-fiction books, including a study of homicide investigation, ‘Urge to Kill’. An expert on crime fiction history, he is the archivist of both the Crime Writers’ Association and The Detection Club. He was elected eighth President of the Detection Club in 2015, and is the current Chair of the Crime Writers Association. He posts regularly to his blog, ‘Do You Write Under Your Own Name?’.

WILLIAM SHAW Hailed as “a master of modern crime”, William’s latest novel Salt Lane takes a character from his hugely praised standalone novel ‘The Birdwatcher’ to start a new series set in Dungeness. Val McDermid called it “Taut, terrifying and timely.” He is also the author of the acclaimed Breen and Tozer series set in London in 1968-69. Peter May says: “William Shaw is, quite simply, an outstanding storyteller”.

LYNNE TRUSS Lynne is a celebrated author, screenwriter, columnist and broadcaster. She is the writer of numerous works of fiction and non-fiction, including the bestselling book on punctuation Eats, Shoots and Leaves. In 2018 Lynne published her first crime novel A Shot in the Dark, which garnered rave reviews. The Man That Got Away, the second instalment of Lynne’s joyfully quirky crime series, features a trio of detectives who must investigate the murder of a hapless romantic; an aristocratic con-man on the prowl; and a dodgy Brighton nightspot…