Sunday 21 February

sunday

The old fishing village of FootDee, aberdeen

Image: VisitScotland / Kenny Lam

Sunday 21 February, 11am Chaired by Janet Smyth All Aboard the Mystery Train!

Meet M.G. Leonard

For ages 7+

FREE TO VIEW

M. G. Leonard is an award-winning, bestselling writer whose books have been translated into over forty languages, and a TV series based on her Beetle Boy trilogy is in development. Together with co-writer Sam Sedgman, she launched the Adventures on Trains series in 2020, which first found Harrison Beck and his travel-writer uncle visiting the Highlands in pursuit of a jewel thief. The newest in the series, Murder on the Safari Star, finds the crime-solving duo making the journey of a lifetime on a safari train from Pretoria to Victoria Falls. Seeing Africa’s amazing wild animals from the sumptuous comfort of a luxurious steam train would be exciting enough, but when a passenger is found murdered in a locked compartment, it’s up to Hal, along with his new friend Winston and his pet Mongoose Chipo, to solve the mystery.

Join this event here... granitenoir.com

Sunday 21 February, 12:30pm Criminal Portraits: A Closer Look (Webinar) Phil Astley

FREE TO VIEW

Mugshots are a fascinating snapshot of social history, conveying an immediate glimpse of the personality, appearance and vulnerability, or otherwise, of the subject in front of the camera. They prompt many questions: what crime had the person committed? Was it their first offence? Where were they originally from? Where in Aberdeen did they live following their release? The “Criminal Portraits” blog (https://criminalportraits. blogspot.com/) started in February 2020 following the public interest in a Granite Noir exhibition which had featured a number of such photographs from the “Register of Returned Convicts for Aberdeen” held by Aberdeen City & Aberdeenshire Archives. The author, City Archivist Phil Astley, wanted to dig deeper into the backgrounds of these criminals using contemporary newspaper reports, census data and other records that could add proverbial colour to the sepia prints. For Granite Noir 2021, join Phil online for a webinar which will take an even closer look at a selection of these criminal portraits and the Victorian Aberdeen of which they were a part.

Join this event here... granitenoir.com

Sunday 21 February, 2pm Chaired by Theresa Talbot Stranger Than Fiction?

Behind the scenes at The Storyteller and Crime Noir Isla Traquair and Candice Gaines

FREE TO VIEW

True crime podcasts have captured the public’s imagination, but how are they made? Join international television host, producer, and journalist Isla Traquair, of The Storyteller, and Candice Gaines, of Crime Noir, as they reveal how they do what they do, and why! We’ll be asking how they choose which cases to delve into, and what kind of research is involved. We’ll examine how they turn all that information into a compelling narrative, and why they chose the podcast format to connect with audiences. The Storyteller: For her second series, Violent Delights, Isla Traquair returned to north east Scotland to uncover the dark truths of one of the most sensational cases in recorded criminal history. Crime Noir: Candice Gaines, who has a degree in forensic science, created her podcast in 2019 to spotlight media neglect in covering crimes committed against the black community.

Join this event here... granitenoir.com Investigate the podcasts Investigate the podcasts

Order your copy now Order your copy now Order your copy now

Sunday 21 February, 4pm Chaired by Alex Clark Vengeful Hearts Stina Jackson, Eva Bjorg Aegisdottir, Lesley Kara

FREE TO VIEW

Mary Higgins Clark said, “When someone is mean to me, I just make them a victim in my next book.” Join our panel of writers as they discuss the allure - and dangers - of revenge, and explain how they’ve explored this in their work. Stina Jackson’s The Silver Road was an international bestseller and won the Best Swedish Crime Novel Award of 2018. Her new book, The Last Snow, is set in a forgotten corner of Lapland in northernmost Sweden, finds Liv Bjornlund living in derelict house with her teenage son and ageing father. He’s made enemies over the years, and someone wants back what is rightfully theirs. Eva Bjorg Aegisdottir’s The Creak on the Stairs was a #1 bestseller in her native Iceland, and won the Blackbird Award for new Icelandic crime writers. It’s a claustrophobic and chilling debut thriller that begins when the body of a woman is discovered at a lighthouse in the Icelandic town of Akranes. Both Lesley Kara’s debut, The Rumour, and its follow up, Who Did You Tell, were Sunday Times bestsellers. In The Dare she tells the story of Lizzie, who lost her best friend when they were teens, in what she believes was a terrible accident - though she has no memory of the event.

Join this event here... granitenoir.com

Sunday 21 February, 6pm Chaired by Bryan BurnettGoing Viral

Peter May

FREE TO VIEW

Bestselling Scottish author Peter May has seen his career encompass successes and setbacks, both as the author of award-winning novels and the force behind popular television programmes. Now, having sold more than 4.5M books worldwide, he’s at the forefront of international crime writing. He’ll talk about his fascinating career, and the two recent books whose stories pivot on the timely theme of how humanity behaves in times of tremendous upheaval. Lockdown is set against the background of a deadly influenza pandemic. Written in 2005, the novel was rejected by publishers as being unrealistic. During the COVID-19 pandemic this prescient book was finally published. May’s upcoming (March 2021) novel, The Night Gate, is a dual narrative tracking murders that occur more than 70 years apart in Paris. This high octane thriller plays out against the backdrop of real events in 1940s Occupied France, and in contemporary France, poised to return to COVID lockdown in the autumn of 2020. At the heart of both crimes is DaVinci’s enigmatic, unforgettable Mona Lisa.

Join this event here... granitenoir.com Order your copy now Order your copy now

Sunday 21 February, 8pm Chaired by Lee Randall High Stakes Conspiracies

In Conversation with David Baldacci

FREE TO VIEW

Granite Noir is excited to welcome American author David Baldacci - a global #1 bestselling author, and one of the world’s favourite storytellers - for his first appearance at the festival. His books are published in over 45 languages and in more than 80 countries, with 150 million copies sold worldwide, and have been adapted for films and television. His established links to government sources give his books added authenticity. With his wife, he’s the cofounder of the Wish You Well Foundation, a non-profit organisation dedicated to supporting literacy efforts across America. He talks to festival programmer Lee Randall about his life and work, and delves into the conclusion of his thrilling Atlee Pine trilogy, featuring a unique FBI agent on a personal mission of discovery. In Daylight, Pine teams up with her old friend John Puller, chasing fresh clues about the disappearance of her twin sister, Mercy. Their pursuit pulls back layers of deceit, lies and cover-ups that strike at the very heart of global democracy.

Join this event here... granitenoir.com