Coastal Crime

Get ready for a brand-new festival celebrating crime fiction in all its thrilling forms!

Whether you’re a passionate reader, an aspiring crime writer, or just love a good mystery, Coastal Crime is the place to be.

10/09/2026

POV: you’ve found your people 🔎

If your idea of a good time includes:
True crime documentaries
Deep dives with fellow sleuths
And a crime thriller you can’t put down…

Then the Coastal Crime Festival is calling your name.

📍 Southampton
📅 September 26th
https://bit.ly/4ca4PSH - Grab your early bird tickets now!

26/08/2026

CASE FILE: REOPENED. 🔎

Four authors.
One very suspicious coastline.
And one investigator brave enough to track them down.

The full cast is now assembled for:

🌊 Murder by the Sea: Crime With a Coastal Setting

Meet our missing persons:

📚 Emylia Hall
📚 Heidi Perks
📚 M. J. Arlidge
📚 Sarah Pearse

And leading the search:

🎙️ Fiona McNee, broadcaster, book reviewer and our Lead Investigator.

Together, they'll explore why the coast makes such fertile ground for crime fiction, from isolated islands and remote hotels to dangerous waters, hidden secrets and the unsettling feeling that there's nowhere to run.

Because there's something about the sea...

It can hide a body.
It can bury a secret.
And it can make a very good setting for murder. 🌊🩸

🕜 13:15–14:15 | Main Hall
📍 Coastal Crime Festival | Southampton

The suspects have been located.
The investigation is underway.

But what will they confess to? 👀

🎟️ Head to https://coastalcrime.org/ to book your tickets, and sign up to our newsletter to be first to hear about confirmed speakers, new panels and our 1-to-1 sessions with industry professionals.

25/08/2026

CASE OFFICER CONFIRMED.

We’ve found the person brave enough to interrogate our missing suspects…

Meet Fiona McNee, book reviewer, moderator and Lead Investigator for:

Murder by the Sea: Crime With a Coastal Setting

Fiona will be putting Emylia Hall, Heidi Perks, M. J. Arlidge and Sarah Pearse under questioning as they explore why the edge of land and sea makes such fertile ground for crime fiction.

📍 Main Hall
⏰ 14:30–15:30
📅 6 March 2027
📍 Southampton

🎟️ Find the full programme and tickets at coastalcrime.org

And don't forget to sign up to our newsletter to be the first to hear about confirmed speakers, new panels and, crucially, our 1-to-1 sessions with industry professionals.

20/08/2026

🚨 MISSING: FOUR AUTHORS WITH A SUSPICIOUS AFFINITY FOR THE SEA. 🚨

Last seen somewhere between a windswept coastline, an isolated seaside town and a crime scene…

We’re still investigating our next panel:
Murder by the Sea: Crime With a Coastal Setting

Why does the coastline make such fertile ground for crime fiction? Perhaps it’s the isolation. The atmosphere. The communities with their secrets. Or simply the fact that there’s nowhere quite like the edge of land and sea when you need somewhere to hide a body…

🕵️ Our missing suspects:
MJ Alridge
Sarah Pearse
Heidi Perks
Emylia Hall

But there’s one crucial piece of the investigation still missing.

Who'll be asking the questions?

The lead investigator will be revealed tomorrow. 👀

🎟️ Don't miss future announcements, panel reveals, and be the first to hear up-to-date news on our popular 1-to-1 sessions with industry professionals by joining our newsletter. https://bit.ly/4oYVeTA
🔗 Grab your Early Birds Tickets Here Now: https://bit.ly/4ca4PSH

📍 Coastal Crime Festival
🕐 13:15–14:15
🎟️ March 2027

17/08/2026

CASE FILE COMPLETE. 🔎

Suspects? Identified.

Lead investigator? In position.

Time period? Very much under investigation.

The full cast is now assembled for:

🕰️ Crimes of the Past: Writing Historical Mystery

Join:

📚 Alice G. May
📚 Anna Mazzola
📚 Jessica Bull
📚 Vaseem Khan

with Alison May leading the investigation.

Together, they'll explore how writers bring the past to life while crafting compelling mysteries rooted in real history.

Because writing historical crime means more than recreating the past. It's about understanding what really happened… and then finding the perfect place to hide a body. 🩸

🕦 11:30–12:30 - Main Hall
📍 Coastal Crime Festival

Case closed? Not quite. See you in March. 👀

Grab your early bird tickets here: https://bit.ly/4ca4PSH
Want the inside scoop before anyone else?
Subscribe to our newsletter for speaker announcements and festival updates. https://bit.ly/4oYVeTA

13/08/2026

THE LEAD INVESTIGATOR HAS ENTERED THE ROOM. 🔎

Yesterday, we introduced the suspects.

Today, it's time to reveal the person who'll be asking the questions…

🕰️ Crimes of the Past: Writing Historical Mystery

Our lead investigator is:

🕵️ Alison May

At 11:30, they'll be taking our four authors back through time to explore how you create a mystery when the world you're writing about actually existed.

How much history belongs on the page? Where does fact end and fiction begin? And how do you turn a real historical world into the perfect setting for a crime?

Case file: OPEN.

Grab your early bird tickets here: https://bit.ly/4ca4PSH
Want the inside scoop before anyone else?
Subscribe to our newsletter for: Speaker announcements, Festival updates, Panel reveals

Early access to our 1-to-1 industry professional sessions.
https://bit.ly/4oYVeTA

12/08/2026

THE PAST HAS SECRETS.

And someone has to uncover them… 🔎

We're assembling the suspects for another of our most intriguing discussions:

🕰️ Crimes of the Past: Writing Historical Mystery

Step into another time, where the setting is real, the history is fascinating… and the crime is anything but ancient history.

These authors know how to bring past worlds to life while weaving compelling mysteries through the people, places and events that shaped them.

🕵️ Meet the suspects:
📚 Alice G. May
📚 Anna Mazzola
📚 Jessica Bull
📚 Vaseem Khan

But every investigation needs someone asking the questions…

Who'll be leading the investigation?

Come back tomorrow to find out. 👀

🎟️ Don't miss future announcements, panel reveals, and be the first to hear up-to-date news on our popular 1-to-1 sessions with industry professionals by joining our newsletter: https://bit.ly/4oYVeTA
🔗 Grab your Early Birds Tickets Here Now: https://bit.ly/4ca4PSH

📍 Coastal Crime Festival
🕦 11:30–12:30
🎟️ March 2027

07/08/2026

✨ Meet Emma Grundy-Haigh, Editorial Director at Boldwood Books.

Thinking of booking a 1-to-1?

Emma is looking for:
✨ Commercial crime and thriller fiction
✨ High-concept, hook-driven stories
✨ Memorable characters with authentic voices
✨ Fast-paced, page-turning plots
✨ Fresh, original ideas with strong market appeal

With years of experience publishing bestselling crime fiction, Emma is always looking for stories that grab readers from page one and refuse to let go. If you're ready to pitch your novel, this is an invaluable opportunity to gain expert editorial insight and ask the questions that could take your manuscript to the next level.

💷 1-to-1 appointments are just £70
🎟️ Limited availability: https://bit.ly/3TVyAzS

Book your Early Bird tickets here: https://bit.ly/4ca4PSH

06/08/2026

Every great detective has an inside source... 🔍

Become a Coastal Crime insider by joining our newsletter.

You'll get:
✔ First access to festival announcements
✔ Confirmed author reveals
✔ Industry opportunities
✔ Exclusive ticket news and offers

The best clues never stay secret for long... make sure you're on the list.

📩 Sign up today at coastalcrime.org or click here: https://bit.ly/4oYVeTA

05/08/2026

🎬 NOW SHOWING...

The full cast.
The director.
The story.

Join us for From Page to Screen: Bringing Crime Fiction to Life, where our panel will explore the creative journey from novel to screen and reveal what really happens when crime fiction makes the leap into film and television - directed on the day by author MA Hunter

🎥 Featuring:
📚 Luke Jennings
📚 Lesley Kara
📚 TM Logan
📚 GD Wright

🎙️ Hosted by MA Hunter

Whether you're fascinated by adaptation, love behind-the-scenes insights, or simply enjoy brilliant crime fiction, this is one panel you won't want to miss.

🎟️ Coastal Crime
📅 6 March 2027
📍 Southampton

Early Bird Tickets Still Available: https://bit.ly/4ca4PSH

🎬 Want exclusive updates, future speaker announcements and early news about our sought-after 1-to-1 sessions with publishing professionals?

Sign up to our newsletter today: https://bit.ly/4oYVeTA

Address

Southampton

Website

http://www.coastalcrime.org/

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