Crimefest 2017, Part II: Savvy programming and more pictures

This year's Crimefest offered some clever programming, notably continued revision of the festival's final event. For years, that was a Criminal Mastermind quiz, which Martin Edwards won so many times that he was finally barred, and in which I finished second to Peter Guttridge in 2012 and would have won if the English could speak better English.

Barry Forshaw, Peter Guttridge, Mike Ripley

Last year's Sunday afternoon send-off pitted a team of three male crime writers against three female counterparts in a quiz that involved guns, wandering hands, and lots of salacious giggling. This year Barry Forshaw, author of the new book American Noir, faced Mike Ripley, author of Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang, about the Golden Age of the British thriller, in a quiz-cum-yukfest moderated by Guttridge. Once again, more good fun.

Steve Mosby, Kevin WIgnall

Earlier, Steve Mosby made a discerning and intelligent moderator of a panel on "Past And Present: Skipping Through Time To Create A Story," and I teased some good answers out of Parker Bilal and Katti Hiekkapelto in the question period that followed a panel on political crime fiction. And Kat Hall led Mario Giordano, Merle Kröger, Volker Kutscher, and Melanie Raabe through a discussion of German crime fiction that included brief readings in two languages. The authors read well.

Katti Hiekkapelto, Kjell Ola Dahl

And now, a few more photos from Crimefest 2017, by Peter Rozovsky on special assignment from Detectives Beyond Borders, except where noted.

Don Bartlett, Karen Sullivan

© Peter Rozovsky 2017

Steve Cavanagh

Bristol Cathedral

Nadia Dalbuono

Me at a panel, courtesy Ali Karim

Ali Karim and your humble blogkeeper prior to
bolstering our strength with beer and fish at
Catch 22 in Bristol.

Me, Martyn Waites, Kevin Wignall, and Mike
Stotter looking like a bunch of guys named Bert,
courtesy Ali Karim.