Known for its genteel vibe, Ilkley will be channelling Midsummer this autumn as a wave of crime fiction writers head to the spa town.

The dominance of crime fiction on our TVs and bestseller lists shows crime does pay – crime fiction, that is.

This year, Ilkley Literature Festival is on the case, with events from arresting debut authors, household names who’ve turned their pens to a life of crime (writing), and bestselling masterminds of the genre.

Move over Agatha Christie, the crime writing phenomenon Janice Hallett discusses her latest instant bestseller, The Examiner, and explains how she crafts her genre-busting whodunits. Hallet took the crime fiction world by storm with her debut, The Appeal, which won the CWA Debut Dagger in 2021 and was a Sunday Times’ bestseller. The Examiner paints a gripping picture of an art course blighted by jealousy and violence among six mature students. When an external examiner arrives to assess their work, he becomes convinced that a student was killed on the course and that the others covered it up. Only a close examination of the evidence will reveal the truth… Richard Osman has called her “a modern Agatha Christie.” Find out what makes her tick.

Spend a word-perfect afternoon with star of Countdown and Gyles Brandreth’s podcasting partner in crime, Susie Dent. Dent introduces her debut novel, Guilty by Definition, and discusses its etymological inspiration. When a series of cryptic anonymous letters arrive at the offices of the Clarendon English Dictionary, editor Martha Thornhill suspects they may hold the answer to a long-unsolved disappearance. As Martha and her team of lexicographers scramble to unravel a thread of linguistic clues and reveal the truth, other forces vie to keep it buried. Can they find the answer before the clock runs down?

Anyone tuning into Strictly Come Dancing, knows it can be murder on the dancefloor. Spend an unforgettable evening with the Queen of Strictly, Shirley Ballas, as she cha-chats about her new murder mystery, Dance to the Death.

After solving a series of murders at Blackpool Tower Ballroom, all dance legend Lily Richmond and private detective Susie Cooper want is a peaceful Christmas. But when a rising star of the ballroom dancing world is found dead backstage at the Royal Albert Hall, a rest is out of the question. As Lily and Susie set to investigating, they find greater danger may be lurking behind the scenes… Expect laughter, entertainment, and fabulous mystery from comedy legend Julian Clary as he introduces his theatrical new mystery novel, Curtain Call to Murder. It is opening night at the London Palladium, and tensions are running high amongst the feuding cast. When an on-stage accident forces an unexpected intermission, it is clear to dresser Jayne that the drama has turned deadly. Will she step out of the wings and discover who was behind the final curtain call?

Hear Eleni Kyriacou and Saima Mir, two bestselling writers at the top of their game, discuss the art of crime writing.

Explore how themes of trust, justice, family dynamics and the powerful vs the powerless run through their work. Kyriacou’s compelling historical crime novel The Unspeakable Acts of Zina Pavlou follows a Cypriot grandmother in London accused of murder and forced to rely on a translator to plead her case. Vengeance, Mir’s tension-filled follow-up to the bestselling The Khan, reunites readers with Jia Khan as she runs her late father’s organised crime syndicate in the north of England.

Finally, readers can turn to crime writing in an arresting workshop with Saima Mir. Mir will walk you through the art of perfecting plot twists and character creation to show you how to turn your ideas into page-turners.

Interrogate what draws us to these wildly popular books, get caught red-handed with the most exciting new releases and do time with some of our most talented crime writers.

Ilkley Literature Festival runs from October 4-20 in venues across the town.

Box office on 01943 816714 or book online: www.ilkleyliteraturefestival.org.uk