Vanda Simons Joins Hull Noir 2021
Beaming in from New Zealand – Vanda Symon joins Hull Noir 2021
Hull Noir organisers announced that Helen FitzGerald will be unable to attend this weekend’s Hull Noir – but New Zealand author Vanda Symon will be stepping in.
Joining panel Wish You Were Here alongside Abir Mukherjee, Marnie Riches and Jacky Collins, Vanda will be discussing her new novel BOUND, the fourth in the Detective Sam Shephard series. The series has climbed to number one in the New Zealand bestseller list and has been shortlisted for the Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Crime Novel and for the CWA John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger.
Hull co-founder and organiser Nick Quantrill said:
“We’re thrilled to be welcoming Vanda from the other side of the world – Hull Noir’s definitely gone global this year!
“It’ll be about 2.30am in New Zealand time when Vanda beams into our screens, so we’re relying on coffee and good crime chat to keep her going.”
Hull Noir 2021 kicks off on Friday March 19 with Nick Quantrill in conversation with bestselling author of the Inspector Banks series, Peter Robinson.
Saturday 20 March
In Cold Blood - 10-11am
As the wheels of crime fiction turn, three new and exciting voices, Alex North, Nell Pattison and Russ Thomas give the lowdown about their novels, what it’s like to start out (and start again), and discuss what comes next. Hosted by Liz Mistry.
Get Carter and Beyond - 11.30am-12.30pm
With the landmark British crime film Get Carter turning 50, we’ll hear from Nick Triplow - biographer of Ted Lewis, from whose novel the film’s script was adapted - as well as Hull’s Nick Quantrill about bringing crime fiction to the Humber, and journey to 1970s Glasgow with Alan Parks to explore Lewis’s enduring influence on crime writing. Hosted by Ali Harper.
Wish You Were Here – 1.30-2.30pm
Crime fiction’s thirst for new territories remains undiminished, bringing us new landscapes or fresh perspectives on the places we thought we knew. Under the watchful eye of Jacky Collins, Helen FitzGerald, Abir Mukherjee, and Marnie Riches uncover the crime culture influences of fire-ravaged Australia, Raj-era India, and the contemporary streets of Manchester, to consider what makes them tick.
The Unusual Suspects – 3-4pm
Since Edgar Allan Poe’s short story, Murders in the Rue Morgue, and his creation of
C. Auguste Dupin, first published in 1841, the police detective has become a staple of crime fiction. But what of the new breed? Louise Beech, AA Dhand, and Harriet Tyce come together to talk about their own criminal creations, and what makes them different, ably aided and abetted by Derek Farrell.
Look Back in Anger - 4.30 – 5.30pm
In the writing of Ian McGuire, Laura Shepherd-Robinson, and Cathi Unsworth, historical crime fiction feels fresh, dynamic and insightful. In conversation with Rhiannon Ward, they discuss the ‘power of the strange’ in the lives, times and crimes they write about, and what their explorations of the past can tell us about ourselves now.
Watching the Detectives - 6pm- 7pm
Aided and abetted by Luca Veste, Mark Billingham and Chris Brookmyre go full Holmes and Watson to investigate the scene of contemporary crime fiction. Sharing the secrets of their mind palaces, they examine 20 years of Mark’s acclaimed DI Thorne series, their new novels, what it’s like to be part-time rock stars, and pretty much everything in-between.
All panels are free of charge to attend, although there’s a donate page for anyone wanting to make a contribution to the future running of the Festival. Follow the Hull Noir Facebook and twitter (@hullnoir) for all the most up to date information.