The Crime Warp Top 5 hits for Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival at Harrogate 17th - 19th July 2015

As usual the The Theakston's crime writing festival in Harrogate offers a range of exciting events for all fans of crime fiction from forensics to psychological crime, from Irish noir to Icelandic thrills and  from strong women writer's and protagonists to creepy serial killers.  I've narrowed my top picks, with great difficulty, down to five and here they are...

1/Sara Paretsky in conversation with Val McDermid  Friday 17th July 9AM £13
This one is well worth getting up for; the two Queens of US and UK crime fiction in one room at the same time chatting about their strong female protagonists.  Sara Paretsky, creator of gritty, sexy dogged Private Investigator VI Warshawski and Val McDermid, creator of the determined, talented Carol Jordan in the Tony Hill/ Carol Jordan series and Cold Crimes Scottish detective Karen Pirie (not forgetting the unforgettable Lindsay Gordon and Kate Brannigan) will be a delight to behold.  Mcdermid is intelligent, humorous and down to earth whilst Paretsky is sassy, clever

and entertaining.  Can't wait!

Paretsky's Blood Shot was also the subject of this years Big Read in libraries and venues around the North of England

2/ Mark Billingham in conversation with Eddie Izzard
Friday 17th July 8:30PM £13
Eddie and Mark are long standing friends from 20 years ago when they were both struggling stand up comics.  Billingham is an immensely successful crime writer and creator of the Thorne series, as well as being an amusing raconteur. Izzard, a successful comedian,  political

campaigner and activist as well as a successful (and very creepy) actor renowned particularly for his chilling portrayal of serial killer Abel Gideon in Hannibal. I fully expect this to be a dynamic, comic and no holds barred conversation between these two old friends.

3/ Forensics Saturday 18th 3:30 £10
I always love the Forensics panel at Harrogate.  I always come away with some deliciously gruesome forensic story to tell my unsuspecting non crime fiction fan to freak them out and going by this years panel 2015 will be no different. This years panel consists of Scottish crime writer Lin Anderson creator of Rhona Macleod a fictional forensic scientist, Lorna Dawson who is a principal Soil Scientist, Niamh Nic Daeid (professor of Forensic

Science & director of Research at the centre for Anatomy and Human Identification at Dundee University, Professor James Grieve a senior lecturer in Forensic Medicines and a Police Forensic Pathologist and Martin Hill who is an expert witness looking at how maggots provide clues in murder investigations.

4/ Celebrating Patricia Highsmith Sunday 19th 10AM £10
This is year we  celebrate 60 years of Tom Ripley, and as such Virago are releasing, throughout the year, new editions of Highsmith's finest work.  Introverted, shy and one of the  pioneering women crime writer's Highsmith is as interesting as the character's she created.  I look forward to learning more about this amazingly talented author who created the amoral sociopathic Tom Ripley.

5/ Arnaldur Indridason interviewed by Barry Forshaw

 Sunday 19th 11:30 £10
Icealandic author, Arnaldur Indridason, creator of Detective Erlendur Sveanson, rarely gives interviews so this is a rare opportunity to find out more about

Iceland and this enigmatic author whose work has been sold in 26 countries and translated into 21 languages and is the receiver of many awards for his writing and whose work had s been adapted for film.