Come and explore crime fiction based in the North West at this drop in event with crime novelists J. C. Briggs and Matthew Booth.
From Charles Dickens and S. K. Hocking in the nineteenth century to Val McDermid and Bill Rogers in twenty-first century Manchester, take a look and discuss some of the crime novels set in the North West of England. Members of the Crime Writing Association J. C. Briggs, author of the Charles Dickens Investigations, and Matthew Booth, Sherlockian and author of the Everett Carr series, will help us in choosing books for a Recommendations wall for Crime Writing Month in June.
As a lifelong aficionado and expert on Sherlock Holmes, Matthew Booth is the author of several books and short stories about the famous detective. He wrote a number of scripts for a Holmes radio series produced by Jim French Productions in Seattle, as well as creating his own series about a disgraced former barrister investigating crimes for the same production company. He is the creator of Everett Carr, an amateur sleuth in the traditional mould, who appears in his debut investigation in the book, A Talent for Murder, a traditional whodunit, which offers a contemporary twist on the format. The novel is the first in a series published by Level Best Books.
An expert in crime and supernatural fiction, Matthew has provided a number of academic talks on such subjects as Sherlock Holmes, the works of Agatha Christie, crime fiction, Count Dracula, and the facts and theories concerning the crimes of Jack the Ripper. He is a member of the Crime Writers’ Association and is the editor of its monthly magazine, Red Herrings. He lives with his wife in Manchester, England.
Jean Briggs taught English in schools in Cheshire, Lancashire and Hong Kong. She now lives in Cumbria and writes murder mysteries, featuring Charles Dickens as an amateur detective. There are nine novels in the series, published by Sapere Books. The latest, ‘Summons to Murder’ was published in December 2021 and number 10 will come out later this year.
She is currently Vice Chair of The Crime Writers’ Association, and also a member of The Society of Authors, a member of The Dickens Fellowship, and a trustee of Sedbergh Book Town.
