welcome
We invite you to join us as our partners in crime as Granite Noir returns with a packed programme of exceptional writing talent. Topping our criminally good line-up this year includes Paula Hawkins, Nicci French and Ambrose Parry, Lucy Foley and the Murder They Wrote podcast with Laura Whitmore and Iain Stirling.
We have events with the Society of Young Publishers, Scottish Black and People of Colour Writers Network, and our friends across the city with events taking place at the Anatomy Rooms, Aberdeen Arts Centre, Central Library, Lemon Tree, Music Hall and His Majesty’s Theatre. We are also delighted to announce the return of our film programme with the Belmont Community Cinema team as they work hard to bring our beloved independent cinema back to life – together we will screen The Girl on the Train and Censor at Cowdray Hall.
Criminal justice and policing is a key theme we investigate through our exhibition and drama programme. The North East Police Museum features an incredible collection of stories and artefacts from the archives of Police Scotland, which have been gathered together to form this year’s Granite Noir exhibition. Aberdeen Performing Arts and Ten Feet Tall Theatre bring a new version of Aberdonian playwright Rona Munro’s Guilty, a comedic and disturbing exploration of intrigue and suspense.
Following four days of author conversations, workshops, children’s events, theatre, music, film, talks, exhibitions and the return of our Short Story Competition, we bring the 2025 festival to a close with a “killer” set from the Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers.
Granite Noir is inspired by Aberdeen, with its stories told through the events and across the city’s most iconic locations. A visit to the festival is a chance to experience the North-east of Scotland and everything it has to offer. So book your tickets and get ready for four enthralling days of crime fiction...do you dare to be there?
Tuesday 18 - Sunday 25 February 2025
Cold Blooded Killers
True Crime Cases from the North East, 1864-1963
Scratch below the surface and a dark, murderous history is present in the North East. Revenge, greed, crimes of passion, and other disturbing motives have driven locals to murder.
We delve back into the Police archive to uncover the facts around some of the most notorious cases over 100 years. From the murder of Ann Forbes at Thainstone in 1864, to which the oldest objects in the North East Police Museum relate, to the shooting dead of Thomas Guyan in 1963, which resulted in the last hanging in Scotland of the culprit, Henry Burnett, as well as a number of other murders in-between, this exhibition by Claire Smith, curator of the North East Police Museum, will look at the people involved, including the investigators, the evidence uncovered, and the outcomes for those accused of these cold blooded killings.
Join curator Claire Smith for a talk exploring the exhibition on Friday 21 February at 6.30pm (see page 15 for more details).
FREE EXHIBITION IN THE MUSIC HALL
thursday Literature at lunchtime with cj cooke secrets from the past hidden in plain sight tales from the beat writers of colour workshop more than one way to crack an egg! murder they wrote hexagone behind the crime scene tape
Thursday 20 February Chaired by Katalina Watt
Literature at Lunchtime with cJ Cooke
Cooke’s The Book of Witching brings together the stories of two women separated by four hundred years but bound by the Book of Witching. Can they unlock a centuries-old mystery? And will Fynhallow Bay give up its secrets before someone else dies? Dive into Granite Noir with this spellbinding opening author talk.
1pm-2pm, Big Sky Studio, Music Hall Tickets £7.50
Thursday 20 February
Chaired by Alex Clark
Secrets from the Past with SJ Parris, Lucy Ribchester & Oskar Jensen
Three fabulous historical fiction writers take us on a timetravelling tour of Europe uncovering secrets from across the centuries. From the hunt for the philosopher’s stone and a court in turmoil in 16th century Prague in SJ Parris’ Alchemy; to betrayal and mystery from Edinburgh’s dazzling opera scene is 1791 with Lucy Ribchester’s Murder Ballad; to Helle’s Hound by Oskar Jensen, a golden age whodunnit with a delicious Danish twist.
3pm-4pm, Lemon Tree Studio Tickets £12
Thursday 20 February
hidden
Chaired by Fiona Stalker
in plain sight
with joseph knox, carole hailey & Kim sherwood
In Imposter Syndrome by Joseph Knox conman Lynch impersonates a missing man and dark forces are lured out of the shadows who will kill to keep their secrets.
In Carole Hailey’s Scenes from a Tragedy Carly delves into the dynamics of a seemingly ordinary family, uncovering a far darker story than she could possibly have imagined. In A Spy Like Me, Kim Sherwood continues her Double O series expanding the James Bond universe. Explore the world of secrets, spies and dark truths, hiding in plain sight.
Presented in partnership with Robert Gordon University’s BA (Hons) Criminology
Thursday 20 February
tales from the beat
With Professor Nick Fyfe
Gain an unparalleled insight into the inner workings of our criminal justice system with a globally recognised and award-winning expert in policing research and policy. Join Robert Gordon University’s Vice Principal, Professor Nick Fyfe, as he shares some of the stories from his 30 year career working with and researching policing around the world.
Nick Fyfe is the Founding Director of the Scottish Institute for Policing Research; he has authored or edited eight books on policing; and was the recipient of the Distinguished Achievement Award from the George Mason University in Washington DC ‘for outstanding contributions in advancing criminal justice policy and practice through research’.
5pm-6pm, Lemon Tree Studio Tickets £12
6:30pm-7:30pm, Cowdray Hall Tickets £10
AUTHOR CONVERSATION
TALK
Thursday 20 February
Writers of Colour Workshop
Scottish BPOC Writers Network
Have you always thought about writing but never known where to start? Learn the basics and where to begin at this online workshop hosted by the Scottish BPOC Writers Network, for Black writers and writers of colour based in Scotland.
Thursday 20 February Chaired by Tim Baker
More Than One Way to Crack an Egg!
We are thrilled to welcome these two acclaimed writers to Granite Noir who each bring a distinctive approach and unique background to crafting their award-winning novels. Award-winning singer-songwriter James Yorkston shares an unsettling Gothic noir set in the Scottish Highlands in Tommy the Bruce. Journalist Belinda Bauer tells a sweeping tale of obsession, greed, ambition and the crime of the “impossible egg” that has remained unsolved for centuries in The Impossible Thing.
6:30pm-7:30pm, Online event Tickets £7.50
7pm-8pm, Lemon Tree Studio Tickets £12
Thursday 20 February
TRUE CRIME PODCAST
Murder They Wrote with Laura Whitmore and Iain Stirling
Expect murder, mayhem, blackmail and more from this true-crime-obsessed pair; Granite Noir is delighted to welcome broadcaster Laura Whitmore and comedian and podcaster Iain Stirling for a live version of their Murder They Wrote podcast, where they dive into some of the most jaw-dropping cases in true crime history.
8:30pm-10pm, Music Hall Tickets £25
Duration 45 mins - 1 hour, you can start at any time between 10am & 3pm.
Thursday 20 - Sunday 23 February
AUDIO EXPERIENCE
HEXAGONE An
Aberdeen Audio Haunt
3 Million Followers. 1 Megastar. 0 Traces. Unravel the most chilling disappearance of the year in this new immersive experience!
H Mark Benet, Europe’s rising horror icon, has vanished without a trace. Was it a publicity stunt gone wrong? A sinister plot? Or something far more terrifying?
Step into a world where reality blurs with the supernatural. Hexagone fuses audio storytelling with mind-bending puzzles, plunging you into a ghostly adventure. This new work has been made by young and emerging artists with Produced Moon (UK) and Storydive (Germany) and features puzzles created by young people from Aberdeen Grammar School.
Put on your headphones and decode cryptic clues around the Music Hall, where every step could be your last... or your breakthrough. Can you uncover the truth before it’s too late?
#WhereIsMarkBenet Age 14+ 10am-4pm, Music Hall Tickets £10
friday Literature at lunchtime with alan warner
How to Get Published - workshop gripping thrillers reclaiming the narrative cold blooded killers - exhibition talk the blue hour with paula hawkins into the dark - with shane strachan
Friday 21 February
Chaired by Alex Clark
Literature at Lunchtime alan warner
Alan Warner is one of Scotland’s best loved literary figures. His debut, Morven Caller is a contemporary classic; both it and The Sopranos have been made into famous films. He has been nominated for the Booker Prize, and won the Somerset Maughan Award and Saltire Scottish Book of the Year. He is a Senior Lecturer in creative writing at the University of Aberdeen.
Friday 21 February
how to get published with jenny brown
A workshop for anyone who’s ever dreamed of becoming a published author. We’ll cover everything including approaching literary agents, what publishers are looking for, the pros and cons of self-publishing, and the support available to new writers in Scotland.
Bring your questions! Jenny Brown established her agency in 2002 and now represents 50 writers. She was shortlisted in 2014 and 2020 for Agent of the Year at the British Book awards. She is former Chair of the Bloody Scotland crime writing festival.
AUTHOR CONVERSATION
Friday 21 February
Chaired by Bryan Burnett
gripping thrillers
with tony kent, sam blake & james Oswald
There is no better feeling than getting lost in a thrilling novel unable to stop turning the pages! Barrister Tony Kent draws us into a world of espionage and spyhunting in his fast paced thriller The Shadow Network. In The Killing Sense, Sam Blake takes us to Paris in this dangerous thriller where potential dangers lies around every corner. There is a killer stalking the streets of Edinburgh in James Oswald’s latest in the Sunday Times-bestselling Inspector McLean series. Books we promise you won’t be able to put down!
3pm-4pm, Lemon Tree Studio
AUTHOR CONVERSATION
Friday 21 February Chaired by Fiona Stalker
Reclaiming the Narrative with Nilesha chauvet and harriet tyce
In a suspenseful debut novel, The Revenge of Rita Marsh, writer and charity campaigner Nilesha Chauvet exposes the horrific world of online predators and the thin line between good and evil. Sunday Timesbestseller Harriet Tyce brings together three strangers each craving a fresh start in explosive new thriller A Lesson in Cruelty, but is the true price of the life they desire really worth it?
Tickets £12
5pm-6pm, Lemon Tree Studio
Tickets £12
Friday 21 February
EXHIBITION TALK
cold blooded killers
True Crime Cases from the North East, 1864-1963
Scratch below the surface and a dark, murderous history is present in the North East. Revenge, greed, crimes of passion, and other disturbing motives have driven locals to murder.
Join curator Claire Smith of the North East Police Museum as she shares insights and sinister artefacts from some of the most notorious cases in the region over 100 years. From the murder of Ann Forbes at Thainstone in 1864, to which the oldest objects in the North East Police Museum relate, to the shooting dead of Thomas Guyan in 1963, which resulted in the last hanging in Scotland of the culprit, Henry Burnett, as well as a number of other murders in-between, this talk accompanies the 2025 Granite Noir exhibition which will look at the people involved, including the investigators, the evidence uncovered, and the outcomes for those accused of these cold blooded killings.
6:30pm-7:30pm, Cowdray Hall Tickets £10
21 February
AUTHOR CONVERSATION
THE BLUE HOUR
In Conversation with Paula Hawkins
Chaired by Alex Clark
When a small bone at the centre of a famous sculpture is revealed to be human, three people become intimately connected by the secrets and lies that put it there. Set on a Scottish tidal island connected to the mainland for just a few hours each day, and home to only one inhabitant, The Blue Hour asks questions of ambition, power, art and perception.
Global No.1 bestselling author Paula Hawkins comes to Granite Noir to chat about her powerful new thriller and her extraordinary career. Her first thriller, The Girl on the Train, has sold more than 23 million copies worldwide, published in over fifty languages. It was turned into a hit film starring Emily Blunt, also to be screened at the festival with an introduction by the author (see page 23).
One of the UK’s best storytellers – an event not to be missed!
8pm-9pm, Music Hall Tickets £15
Friday 21 February
INTO THE DARK
with SHANE STRACHAN
Join us for a one-of-a-kind night on the dark side of spoken word hosted by North-east loon Shane Strachan alongside Loud Poets Grand Slam champion RJ Hunter, Wigtown Scots Prize winner Lesley Benzie, Moth Nature Prize winner Gen Carver and Aberdeen’s own Mae Diansangu, acclaimed author of Bloodsongs.
9pm-10:30pm, Lemon Tree Lounge Tickets £7.50
Remember to visit one of the Waterstones book stalls at events throughout the festival. Featuring works from our Granite Noir authors.
POETRY & SPOKEN WORD
saturday the leaf thief & the snow thief dead behindfunny the crime scene tape bold new voices an introduction to publishing the forbidden atlas a celebration of the work of pd james the hidden story of estie noor creative writing workshop the girl on the train - film screening myth, murder & monstrosity partners in crime nighttime noir
Saturday 22 February
The Leaf Thief and The Snow Thief with alice hemming Squirrel is so puzzled!
Just as he discovers the identity of The Leaf Thief, winter comes along. Now there’s a brand new thief on the loose! Join Alice to listen to some stories, do some detective work and even make a Snow Thief of your own. For ages 4+.
Saturday 22 February
Chaired by Peggy Hughes
dead funny with kristen perrin, joanna wallace & chris brookmyre
Crime fiction doesn’t always have to fill you up with dread and fear. Despite dark twists and turns, these three authors have written books that truly embrace whimsy with lots of laugh out loud moments that spin you along on the adventures of their investigators. Join Kristen Perrin, Joanna Wallace and Chris Brookmyre for tales of old ladies, fortune tellers, the perils of the school and three of the best, and funniest, books of the year.
11am-12pm, Central Library Tickets £7.50
11am-12pm, Lemon Tree Studio
Tickets £12
CHILDREN’S EVENT
AUTHOR CONVERSATION
AUTHOR CONVERSATION
Saturday 22 February
Bold New Voices
Chaired by Bryan Burnett
with Nina Bhadreshwar, Trisha Sakhlecha & Lucy Rose
Always a highlight of the festival, the Bold New Voices panel introduces three of the most exciting new talents in noir fiction. Nina Bhadreshwar’s UEA Crime Fiction Award-winning debut, The Day of Roaring, investigates the brutal murder of a headteacher in Sheffield. In The Inheritance, Indian-born writer and diplomat Trisha Sakhlecha peels back the secretive curtain on rich and privileged families. Lucy Rose brings us a gripping, dark and sinister folktale set in contemporary Cumbria.
Saturday 22 February
An Introduction to Publishing With the Society of Young Publishers Scotland
Ever wondered about the journey of a book? What are publishers looking for? How do you get noticed?
Whether you’re a writer or keen to work with books, SYP Scotland aim to answer the many questions you have about how it all works. The ideal event for graduates, students or secondary school pupils who aspire to write and be published.
1pm-2pm, Lemon Tree Studio Tickets £12
1:30pm-2:30pm, Big Sky Studio, Music Hall Tickets £7.50
PANEL AND Q&A
Saturday 22 February
The Forbidden Atlas with Sam Sedgman
Chaired by Amy Liptrott
Saturday 22 February
The Hidden Story of Estie Noor ith Nadine Aisha Jassat
Sam Sedgman is a bestselling author, confirmed nerd and enthusiastic ferroquinologist! He co-wrote the acclaimed Adventures on Trains series and returns with the latest Isaac Turner mystery uncovering the secrets of Paris.
Isaac and Hattie have been invited to a high-profile event at the French National Archives to celebrate their achievement in saving time. But as Isaac prepares to make his speech, the lights go out and a single shot is fired...
For ages 9-12.
Nadine Aisha Jassat is the author of poetry collection
Let Me Tell You This (‘beautifully written, immense, and full of passion’ – Nikita Gill) and the verse novels The Stories Grandma Forgot (And How I Found Them) (‘one of those books that truly makes the world a better place’ –
Sophie Anderson) and The Hidden Story of Estie Noor (‘a warm hug of a book’ – Maisie Chan).
Her work has drawn significant acclaim, and she has appeared internationally and across media.
For ages 7+
Chaired by Adanna Shan
CHILDREN’S EVENT
CHILDREN’S EVENT
Saturday 22 February
AUTHOR CONVERSATION
A Celebration of the Work of PD James
Chaired by Harriet Tyce
To coincide with the reissue of the Adam Dalgliesh mystery series, and ten years after her death, Granite Noir brings together a panel of industry experts to celebrate the work of one of crime fiction’s most influential figures. P.D. James was a bestselling and internationally acclaimed author whose immense contribution was recognised with many awards and prizes including the CWA Diamond Dagger for lifetime contribution, the Mystery Writers of America Grandmaster Award, and induction into the Crime Writing Hall of Fame.
3pm-4pm, Lemon Tree Studio Tickets £12
Image: Craig David (photographer), Creative Commons Licence
22 February
FILM SCREENING
The Girl on the Train INTRODUCED
BY PAULA HAWKINS
Rachel, devastated by her recent divorce, spends her daily commute fantasising about the seemingly perfect couple who live in a house that her train passes every day, until one morning she sees something shocking happen there and becomes entangled in the mystery that unfolds.
Based on the bestselling novel by Paula Hawkins.
“The Girl On The Train” brought to you by Belmont Community Cinema in association with Aberdeen Performing Arts. 4:30pm-6:30pm, Cowdray Hall Tickets £12
WORKSHOP
Saturday 22 February
creative writing workshop
with Tendai Huchu
A workshop with Tendai Huchu, a writer whose short fiction has appeared in publications such as Lightspeed, Interzone, Analog Science Fiction and Fact and elsewhere. The Library of the Dead won Best Novel at the Nommo Awards, presented by the African Speculative Fiction Society. His work has also been short-listed for the Caine Prize and the Grand Prix de l’Imaginaire. Between projects, he translates fiction from Shona into English and the reverse. He is the author of the Edinburgh Nights series.
For ages 15+.
AUTHOR CONVERSATION
Saturday 22 February
Chaired by Eris Young
Myth, Murder and Monstrosity with Sarah Maria Griffin, Elle Nash & Kirsty Logan
Plants with a taste for human flesh, body horror, living in the shadows, and witches revenge all come together in this panel event which delves into the gruesome and terrifying. Sarah Maria Griffin, Elle Nash and Kirsty Logan share the unsettling, twisted and bizarre narratives that frame their latest books.
Not for the faint-hearted!
3:45pm-4:45pm, Central Library
Tickets £7.50
5pm-6pm, Lemon Tree Studio
Tickets £12
Saturday 22 February
AUTHOR CONVERSATION
Partners
in Crime
Nicci French in conversation with Ambrose Parry
Nicci French is the pseudonym for the writing partnership of journalists and married couple Nicci Gerrard and Sean French. Their novels have sold in excess of 15 million copies worldwide published in thirty-one languages. The Last Days of Kira Mullan is their 26th novel and asks the question, if you can’t trust yourself, can anyone else?
They are joined on stage at Granite Noir by Ambrose Parry, aka husband and wife writing duo Chris Brookmyre and Marisa Haetzman. Their latest novel, Voices of the Dead, was shortlisted for the CWA Historical Dagger for Best Historical Crime Novel 2024. We are delighted to welcome these real-life partners in crime to Granite Noir 2025.
7pm-8pm, Music Hall Tickets £15
Saturday 22 & Sunday 23 February
BEHIND THE CRIME SCENE TAPE Interactive Forensic Science Experience
Have you ever wondered what happens on the other side of the blue and white police crime scene tape? What are the team in white suits looking for and what do they do with it when they find it? Granite Noir offers you the chance to get the answers to these questions and many more in our interactive behind the scenes forensic science experience!
Presented in partnership with Robert Gordon University’s Bsc (Hons) in Forensic and Analytical Science.
Join Lecturer in Forensic Biology, Wendy Deegan, and students from Robert Gordon University as they reveal the secrets of forensic crime scene investigation. Explore our mock crime scene, learn about analysis techniques, and solve your own forensic mystery in this interactive and informative experience in the surrounding of the city’s historic Anatomy Rooms. 11am-12pm, The Anatomy Rooms Tickets £12
got a headful of great ideas?
Granite Noir has teamed up with the Press and Journal and Evening Express once again to launch this year’s short story competition!
Open to writers of 18 years and above, stories of between 1500 and 2000 words should be written on any of themes explored in this year’s Granite Noir programme and submitted by Sunday 26 January 2025.
A shortlist of five stories will be decided by the panel of judges in February and the winner announced at the Festival.
One lucky winner will receive:
• Their story published in the Press and Journal and Evening Express
• Book vouchers
• Aberdeen Performing Arts vouchers
• A framed book cover of your story
Entries are to be submitted to gncomp@aberdeenperformingarts.com by midnight on Sunday 26 January 2025.
AUTHOR CONVERSATION AND DJ SET
Saturday 22 February
Nighttime Noir with the Scottish BPOC Writers Network
With
DJ Arusa Qureshi
An evening of noir curated by Scottish BPOC (Black and People of Colour) Writers Network.
Expect a thrilling and intriguing evening from some of the most exciting new writing talent. Followed by a DJ set by Arusa Qureshi, featuring dark vibes and bookish themes, chill into the night.
locals in the limelight
Some of the region’s most talented authors and writers will read extracts from their noir fiction ahead of some of our festival events across the weekend.
Keep an eye on our website and social media pages to find out about our exciting Locals in the Limelight line-up.
Will you be seeing the next big author at Granite Noir?
9pm-11pm, Lemon Tree Lounge Tickets £7.50
sunday
Rockin’ with the Writers
Creative Writing workshop with Nadine Aisha Jassat
Lost in Translation?
Detective Masterclass with Alasdair Beckett King
Poisoned Afternoon Tea With Dr Kathryn Harkup
A Kick Up the Arts – with Nicola Meighan
The Criminal Mind with Dr Duncan Harding
censor film screening with Anna Bogutskaya
A Kind of Magic
The Moments That Define Us
Cocktails – Shaken not Stirred With Dr Kathryn Harkup
The Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers
Sunday 23 February
Chaired by Peggy Hughes
Rockin’ with the Writers with Doug Johnstone, Mark Billingham, luca Veste & Stuart Neville
Join four members of the Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers in advance of band’s festival finale gig. The Skelfs are back in Doug Johnstone’s thrilling new instalment of his much-loved series. Mark Billingham chats about his latest series featuring Declan Miller. Italian Liverpudlian Luca Veste has written eight novels including the Murphy and Rossi series. Stuart Neville’s blistering new book asks if you will do anything to protect your child, even if they are a monster?
Sunday 23 February
Creative Writing workshop with Nadine Aisha Jassat
Special children’s writing workshop with Nadine Aisha Jassat, the author of poetry collection Let Me Tell You This (‘beautifully written, immense, and full of passion’ – Nikita Gill) and the verse novels The Stories Grandma Forgot (And How I Found Them) (‘one of those books that truly makes the world a better place’ – Sophie Anderson) and The Hidden Story of Estie Noor (‘a warm hug of a book’ – Maisie Chan). Her work has drawn significant acclaim, and she has appeared internationally and across media. For ages 7-12.
11am-12pm, Lemon Tree Studio Tickets £12
11:30am-12:30pm, Aberdeen Arts Centre Tickets £7.50
CHILDREN’S WORKSHOP
AUTHOR CONVERSATION
Sunday 23 February Chaired by Jacky Collins
Lost in Translation? with Quentin Bates, Teresa Solana & Ørjan Karlsson
Join us as we ask not what is lost in translation, but what can be found?! Quentin Bates is considered a leading translator of Icelandic work and a highly regarded crime writer in his own right. Teresa Solana is the awardwinning author of gripping, clever and darkly funny thrillers including Black Storms. Into Thin Air is the first in the award-winning Arctic Mysteries series by Ørjan Karlsson set in Nordland, Norway’s untamed north.
1pm-2pm, Lemon Tree Studio
CHILDREN’S EVENT
Sunday 23 February
Detective Masterclass with Alasdair Beckett King
Tickets £12
Are you a keen detective in the making? Do you have a sharp eye for detail and a nose for hidden clues? Then this is the event for you! Author and award-winning comedian Alasdair Beckett-King invites you to meet Montgomery Bonbon, the world’s finest detective. (And Bonnie Montgomery, his ten-year-old alter ego.) Find out how to walk, talk, and detect like a world-class sleuth, and discover mystery and adventure in the world of Montgomery Bonbon!
Perfect for ages 8-12 - anyone over the age of 12 should get the permission of a child before attending this event.
2pm-3pm, Aberdeen Arts Centre
Tickets £7.50
Sunday 23 February
A Kick Up the Arts
with Nicola Meighan
Arts writer and broadcaster Nicola Meighan has interviewed names like Dolly Parton, Joan Collins, Ian Rankin and Russell Crowe on her BBC Radio Scotland Afternoon Show. A Kick Up The Arts is her Scottish Arts and Culture podcast, recorded in arts spaces around the country, with guests so far including Chris Brookmyre, Barbara Dickson, James Robertson, Clare Grogan, Chitra Ramaswamy and King Creosote.
Join Nicola for a special live edition of the podcast at Granite Noir (special guests tba).
Listen via akickupthearts.org
3pm-4pm, Big Sky Studio, Music Hall Tickets £12
Sunday 23 February poisoned afternoon tea with dr kathryn harkup
An Agatha Christie inspired afternoon of fabulous food and puzzling poisons. The Queen of Crime had a predilection for killing her characters with chemicals and she used her vast toxicological knowledge to tease out clues from their taste, symptoms and detection.
While sampling tasty treats, Kathryn Harkup will explain how to spot strychnine in the sandwiches or cyanide in the scones.
3pm-5pm, The Terrace at His Majesty’s Theatre Tickets £36
Sunday 23 February
The Criminal Mind
with Dr Duncan Harding
Join us for an edge-of-the-seat journey into the darkest depths of the human mind from forensic psychiatrist Dr Duncan Harding. What drives a person to commit seemingly inexplicable crimes? Harding is the person the police and the courts turn to for answers. An expert witness, he must try to establish a defendant’s mental state and motivation, and their fitness to stand trial. The Criminal Mind is his mesmerising, insightful and redemptive memoir.
3pm-4pm, The Anatomy Rooms
Tickets £10
Sunday 23 February Chaired by Eris Young
A Kind of Magic with Courtney Smyth & T.L. Huchu
The Undetectables are back in Courtney Smyth’s witty, witchy fantasy murder mystery, The Undead Complex, packed with ancient magic and fiendish puzzle, in which the investigators are hired to solve a murder by the victim herself. The Legacy of Arniston House is the spellbinding fourth instalment of the Edinburgh Nights series by T.L. Huchu in which a wannabe magician who can speak to the dead, becomes caught in the tendrils of a cult, hell-bent on resurrecting an ancient power.
5pm-6pm, Lemon Tree Studio
Tickets £12 AUTHOR CONVERSATION
23 February
AUTHOR CONVERSATION & FILM SCREENING
censor with Anna Bogutskaya
Horror is being embraced by mainstream pop culture more than ever before, with horror characters and aesthetics creeping into TV, music videos and even TikTok trends.
In Feeding the Monster, critic, author, programmer and producer Anna Bogutskaya sets out to dispel the notion that there is something not quite right with the people who make and enjoy horror.
The author conversation is followed by a screening of iconic 2021 horror film Censor, brought to you by Belmont Community Cinema in association with Aberdeen Performing Arts.
Chaired by Kirsty Logan 4:30pm-7pm, Cowdray Hall Tickets £12
23 February
AUTHOR CONVERSATION
The ThatMoments Define Us with Lucy Foley & Chris Whitaker
Two of the UK’s finest writers share stories of traumatic events which shape and define everything that follows.
No.1 bestseller Lucy Foley’s page-turning new thriller began with a secret, fifteen years ago, but the present has crashed the party, and it will end in murder at The Midnight Feast. Multi award-winning author Chris Whitaker brings us All the Colours of the Dark, a missing persons mystery, a serial killer thriller, and a lovely story – all unfolding on an epic canvas.
Chaired by Jacky Collins
7pm-8pm, Lemon Tree Studio Tickets £15
Cocktails –Shaken not Stirred With Dr Kathryn Harkup
James Bond’s adventures thwarting the plans of the world’s greatest villains have thrilled and delighted audiences since Ian Fleming’s novel Casino Royale was published in 1953.
Join Kathryn Harkup as she explores 007’s exploits, from the practicalities of building a volcano-based lair, to whether being covered in gold paint really will kill you, and – if your plan is to take over the world – whether it is better to use bacteria, bombs or poison. This event will give you all the answers over a few glasses of James Bond’s favourite cocktails.
8pm-9:30pm,
The Terrace at His Majesty’s Theatre
Tickets £36 Sunday 23 February
The Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers
Having once again put down their pens and picked up guitars, this crime-writing supergroupMark Billingham, Chris Brookmyre, Doug Johnstone, Stuart Neville and Luca Veste - return to Granite Noir to happily murder much-loved songs by The Clash, Elvis Costello, Talking Heads, The Beatles and many others currently considering legal action.
In the absence of regular lead vocalist and Queen of Crime Val McDermid, the band will be performing as the same fun lovin’ five-piece that rocked Glastonbury in the summer and promise a set list crammed with toe-tapping bangers. Murder on the dance floor is guaranteed!
9pm-11pm, Lemon Tree Lounge
Tickets £15 Sunday 23 February
drama
murder on the orient express birdsong guilty
Murder on the Orient Express
Tue 11 - Sat 15 February 2025
Tue - Sat 7:30pm, Thu 2pm, Sat 2:30pm
Winter 1934 and an avalanche stops The Orient Express dead in its tracks. A murder. A train full of suspects. An impossible case. Trapped in the snow with a killer still on-board, can the world’s most famous detective, Hercule Poirot, crack the case before the train reaches its final destination?
His Majesty’s Theatre
Following a sell-out tour of the bestselling crime novel of all time, And Then There Were None, Fiery Angel and Lucy Bailey (Director of West End Witness For The Prosecution) will bring Ken Ludwig’s adaptation of this Agatha Christie classic to Aberdeen, starring Michael Maloney (Belfast, Young Victoria, The Crown) as the celebrated Belgian sleuth. Tickets £50 - £17
Tue 18 - Sat 22 February 2025
Tue - Sat 7:30pm, Thu 2pm, Sat 2pm
Sebastian Faulks’s epic story of love and loss returns to the stage marking the 30th anniversary of the international best-selling novel.
The critically acclaimed show returns in a brand-new production. Telling the story of one man’s journey through an allconsuming love affair and into the horror of the First World War.
Starring award-winning actor Max Bowden, best known for the role of Ben Mitchell in EastEnders, James Esler (Litvinenko) and Charlie Russell (The Goes Wrong Show, And Then There Were None (BBC)).
His Majesty’s Theatre
Tickets £45 - £17
Aberdeen Performing Arts and Ten Feet Tall Theatre present
guilty
by rona munro
Tue 18 - Sat 22 February 2025
Tue - Sat 7:30pm, Sat 2:30pm
A vanished woman. A suspect. A police inspector. An interview. Two women face each other in a small windowless room for some routine questioning…
In this offbeat comedy-thriller, acclaimed North East writer Rona Munro (Casualty, The James Plays, Doctor Who) weaves a tangled web of intrigue and suspense, where the domestic collides with the extraordinary. A dark yet funny exploration of innocence… Guilty serves up laughs, thrills and enough twists to keep you on your toes… all in under an hour.
The Anatomy Rooms
Tickets £10
Kirsty Logan is the author of three novels, three story collections, a memoir, two chapbooks, a 10-hour audio play for Audible, and several collaborative projects with musicians and visual artists. Her books have won the Lambda, Polari, Saboteur, Scott and Gavin Wallace awards. She lives in Glasgow with her wife, baby and rescue dog.
Bryan Burnett is the host of BBC Radio Scotland’s popular evening music programme, Get It On. Aberdeen born Bryan began his career as a teenage magazine journalist before moving into radio and TV presenting. He has presented a wide range of shows over the years from arts and entertainment to quiz shows.
alex clark adanna shan
Alex Clark is a critic, journalist and broadcaster. A co-host of Graham Norton’s Book Club, she is also a regular on Radio 4 and writes on a wide range of subjects for the Guardian, the Observer, the Irish Times and the Times Literary Supplement. She is a patron of the Cambridge Literary Festival, and has judged many literary awards.
Dubbed ‘a name to watch out for in the Teen/YA market’ by Faber, Adanna Shan is an award-winning writer of Young Adult and Children’s fiction. She’s been writing for as long as she’s been reading and has a particular love for stories centering Black and West-African protagonists. She was a mentee in the 2021 All Stories Writing Program.
bryan burnett jacky collins peggy hughes
Dr Jacky Collins aka Dr Noir, formerly Senior Lecturer at Northumbria University in Literature, Film & TV and Spanish Language & Culture, is currently based at Stirling University. Jacky established the International Crime Fiction Festival that is Newcastle Noir. and more recently, she has been co-hosting a fortnightly crime fiction programme on SpiceFM.
Peggy Hughes is Head of Programmes at the National Centre for Writing, a literature house dedicated to the exploration and celebration of the artform of writing. Previously, she worked in various literature organisations in Scotland, including Edinburgh International Book Festival, Literary Dundee and the Edinburgh UNESCO City of Literature Trust.
Before joining Aberdeen Arts Centre as Director in October 2022, Amy Liptrott was Associate Director at Pitlochry Festival Theatre. She has directed classic and new works, lead Artist Development programmes and programmed and chaired writers including Denise Mina, James Crawford and Alexander McCall Smith at Winter Words.
harriet tyce
Harriet Tyce was born and grew up in Edinburgh. She graduated in 1994 with a degree in English Literature before working as a criminal barrister for nearly a decade.
tim baker
She completed the MA in Creative Writing – Crime Fiction at the University of East Anglia and she has written three novels to date.
Timothy C. Baker is Personal Chair in Scottish and Contemporary Literature at the University of Aberdeen. He is the author of five books, most recently Reading My Mother Back: A Memoir in Childhood Animal Stories and New Forms of Environmental Writing: Gleaning and Fragmentation.
katalina watt
eris
young fiona stalker
Fiona Stalker is a Senior Presenter and Reporter at BBC Scotland. She presents programmes across TV & radio including Drivetime and The Sunday Show on BBC Radio Scotland and Seven Days on the BBC Scotland channel . She previously worked for Reuters as Scotland Correspondent, lectured in journalism, and managed her own media training company.
Katalina Watt is Literature Officer at Creative Scotland. Her short fiction has been published in various magazines and anthologies including Haunted Voices, Unspeakable, and Extra Teeth. She has appeared at festivals and literary events including Edinburgh International Book Festival, Cymera, and FIYAHCON.
Eris Young is a queer, transgender author of fiction and nonfiction. Their short stories have appeared in Pseudopod, Fusion Fragment, Escape Pod and Metastellar, as well as anthologies such as Uncanny Bodies. They also edit fiction at Shoreline of Infinity magazine and in 2020 received a Scottish Book Trust New Writer Award for fiction.
How to Book
Tickets can be booked by visiting the box office at His Majesty’s Theatre or the Music Hall, by calling 01224 641122, or through our website aberdeenperformingarts.com, deals and discounts are available.
Travel Details
By air:
Aberdeen has an international airport located in Dyce, on the North-west of the city. The city centre can be accessed by taxi or bus from the airport.
By train:
Aberdeen train station is conveniently located in the city centre and is walking distance from Union Street and all Granite Noir venues. Regular services arrive from south and west of the city.
By bus:
Aberdeen bus station is situated next to the train station and in convenient walking distance from the city centre. Buses and coaches arrive regularly from all cities providing good access to Aberdeen.
By road:
South: On the A90 from Dundee
West: On the A96 from Inverness, A944 from Alford, A93 from Braemar/Ballater
North - A90 from Peterhead/Fraserburgh
Dundee……..1 hour 30 minutes drivetime
Edinburgh…..2 hours 45 minutes drivetime
Glasgow…….2 hours 45 minutes drivetime
Inverness……2 hours 45 minutes drivetime
Elgin…………1 hour 45 minutes drivetime
Where to park:
Parking near the Granite Noir venues is available at the Bon Accord centre (Harriet Street and Loch Street), Denburn Car Park and on West North Street.
Tuesday Venue Pg
All day Cold Blooded Killers Exhibition MH 4
7:30pm Birdsong HMT 42
7:30pm Guilty AR 43
wednesday Venue Pg
All day Cold Blooded Killers Exhibition MH 4
7:30pm Birdsong HMT 42
7:30pm Guilty AR 43
Thursday Venue Pg
All day Cold Blooded Killers Exhibition MH 4
10am-4pm Hexagone MH 11
1-2pm Literature at Lunchtime MH 7 with CJ Cooke 2pm Birdsong HMT 42
3-4pm Secrets From the Past LT 7
5-6pm Hidden in Plain Sight LT 8
6:30-7:30pm Tales From the Beat CH 8
6:30-7:30pm Writers of Colour Workshop Online 9
7-8pm More Than One Way to Crack an Egg LT 9
7:30pm Birdsong HMT 42
7:30pm Guilty AR 43
8:30-10pm Murder They Wrote MH 10
friday Venue Pg
All day Cold Blooded Killers Exhibition MH 4
10am-4pm Hexagone MH 11
1-2pm Literature at Lunchtime MH 13 with Alan Warner
3-4pm Gripping Thrillers LT 14
3-4pm How to Get Published MH 13
5-6pm Reclaiming the Narrative LT 14
6:30-7:30pm Cold Blooded Killers CH 15 Exhibition Talk
7:30pm Birdsong HMT 42
7:30pm Guilty AR 43
8-9pm The Blue Hour MH 16
9-10:30pm Into the Dark LT 17
Saturday Venue Pg All day Cold Blooded Killers Exhibition MH 4
10am-4pm Hexagone MH 11
11am-12pm The Leaf Thief & The Snow Thief ACL 19 11am-12pm Behind the Crime Scene Tape AR 26 11am-12pm Dead Funny LT 19 1-2pm Bold New Voices LT 20
1:30-2:30pm An Introduction to Publishing MH 20
2-3pm The Forbidden Atlas ACL 21 2:30pm Birdsong HMT 42 2:30pm Guilty AR 43 3:30-4:30pm The Hidden Story of Estie Noor ACL 21 3-4pm A Celebration of PD James LT 22 3:45-4:45pm Creative
We would like to thank Aberdeen City Council, Creative Scotland and Event Scotland for their funding support for Granite Noir.
We are also indebted to Waterstones for their enthusiastic support.
Granite Noir is produced by Aberdeen Performing Arts on behalf of Aberdeen City Libraries and Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Archives. facebook.com/GraniteNoirFest
We would like to thank Aberdeen City Council, Creative Scotland and Event Scotland for their funding support for Granite Noir.
We are also indebted to Waterstones for their enthusiastic support.
Granite Noir is produced by Aberdeen Performing Arts on behalf of Aberdeen City Libraries and Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Archives.
