Event: The Lady Killers at the Open House Festival

No Alibis’ David Torrans interviews Alex Barclay and Sam Blake at Bangor’s Open House Festival on August 16th, with the blurb elves quoting thusly:

Take two of Ireland’s leading women crime writers, add in the don of crime bookshops, and you have all the evidence you need for a bestseller of a night.
  Alex Barclay from Cork is the award-winning, international bestselling author of eight thrillers, including her latest, THE DROWNING CHILD, and Dublin based Sam Blake’s debut, LITTLE BONES, was an Irish Times number one bestseller last year. Both books were shortlisted for the Irish Crime Novel of the Year in 2016.
  David Torrans, the owner of No Alibis bookstore in Belfast, internationally recognised as one of the best independent bookshops this side of anywhere, will be interrogating Alex and Sam to find out what makes a deadly read, how they created their crime fighting heroines, and if the female is always deadlier than the male.

  For all the details, including how to book tickets, clickety-click here …

Publication: PAPER CUTS by Colin Bateman

Colin Bateman’s latest, PAPER CUTS (Head of Zeus), is not – repeat, not – a crime novel. Once you’ve picked yourself up off the fainting couch, though, you’ll discover that PAPER CUTS is a wonderfully cynical love letter to the qualified joys of local journalism. To wit:

Through world wars and civil strife, the Bangor Express has never missed an issue, but now it is losing money hand-over-fist and Rob Cullen, fresh off the plane from his London news desk, has absolutely no idea that he’s the man to save it.
  Rob’s back in Northern Ireland for the first time in 20 years for the funeral of his one-time mentor, the late editor of the aforementioned Express. Tomorrow morning the Guardian reporter intends to be on the first plane back to London, but that’s before an exceptionally good night out and the promise of £1,500 for just one day’s work lures him into the Express offices.
  It’s been a long time since Rob had a real story to get his teeth into ... and with the Bangor Express, that’s just what he’s going to get. From armed robberies to arson attacks there is no shortage of front-page news. Just as well Rob can rely on the Express crew to back him up. They’re like a family. A dysfunctional, highly unpopular and poverty-stricken family …

  PAPER CUTS is published today, February 11. For more, clickety-click here …

“I Wish I Was In Carrickfergus (and Bangor)”

It’s off to Northern Ireland for yours truly at the end of this month, where I will be reading / answering Qs / juggling-on-stilts* at Carrickfergus Library (August 26th) and Bangor Library (August 27th). Both events kick off at 6.45pm, and both are free admission, as you might expect from library events, but booking is advisable.

For Carrick – Tel: 028 9336 2261 / Email: carrickfergus.library@librariesni.org.uk
For Bangor – Tel: 028 9127 0591 / Email: library@librariesni.org.uk

For any queries, clickety-click here …

* largely dependent on librarians having in-house stilts for rental purpose