If you’re in Dublin on Saturday, March 5th, and it’s raining, and you’re on the lam from the Dibble, you could do a lot worse than hide out at City Hall on Dame Street, where Niamh O’Connor, Gene Kerrigan and Paul Charles will be plotting one last heist, aka taking part in a panel discussion on ‘Irish Crime Writing in the 21st Century’ as part of the Dublin Book Festival. The more eagle-eyed of the Three Regular Readers of these pages will notice that that title is eerily similar to the sub-title of DOWN THESE GREEN STREETS: IRISH CRIME WRITING IN THE 21ST CENTURY, a collection of essays, interviews and short stories edited by yours truly, to be published by Liberties Press in May, and thus won’t be even the slightest bit surprised to learn that your humble host will be chairing the discussion. The discussion runs from 2-3pm, and admission, I’m delighted to say, is free. I’m looking forward to the gig very much, I have to say. Gene Kerrigan’s forthcoming tome THE RAGE is hotly anticipated around these parts, and only yesterday a certain Stuart Neville was giving it two thumbs aloft in one of the comment boxes hereabouts. Niamh O’Connor’s second novel, TAKEN, arrives in May with a lot to live up to, given that her first, IF I NEVER SEE YOU AGAIN, was one of the best debuts I read last year.
Finally, Paul Charles, whose most recent offering is FAMILY LIFE, is a veteran of the Irish crime writing scene, and one of its most articulate interviewees. I’ve heard all three speak about writing and the crime novel at various points in the recent past, and all have fascinating insights, not least in terms of the relationship between the crime novel and the real crime on which it feeds. The Dublin Book Festival runs from Wednesday 2nd March to Sunday 6th, and incorporates a wide range of events and writers of all stripes and none. For all the details, clickety-click here; for the Dublin Book Festival blog, clickety-click here …
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