Here are my highlights for CrimeFest 2017, the international crime fiction festival in Bristol, UK. Not only is it great fun but this year there was an even bigger contingent of international authors, including those from Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Germany and the USA. I was lucky enough to be on a panel with two great Scandi Noir authors, Antti Tuomainen, whose thriller, The Mine, is one of the best eco-thrillers I have read in a long time, and Stefan Ahnhen, whose latest book The Ninth Grave is out now. The lovely Barry Forshaw of CrimeTime fame and thriller reviewer for The Guardian in London, moderated a number of hilarious panel discussions, including an American Noir panel, with the truly lovely American thriller author, C.J.Box, who I was lucky enough to join for a fun (crazy!) dinner one night. His current novel, Vicious Circle, has me on the edge of my seat. Not to forget the many other wonderful authors I met there, including C.J. Carver and Will Sutton, as well as the irascible Ali Karim and Mike Stotter from SHOTS. My second panel, sponsored by the ITW on realism in thrillers, was moderated by the very entertaining Simon Toyne, and with Chris Ewan, Quentin Bates and J.F. Penn. I feel very proud to have been in such great company.

Roll on CrimeFest 2018 and hope to see you there!