Hi.I've booked to attend on Friday & Saturday. Has anyone read anything really good by the authors who are due to come?

Hi elkiedee

In response to your feedback below and other similar enquiries received, we have now made event date and time information available on the website. Visit the Events page.

This information is ahead of the publication of our event guide and tickets to individual events are not yet on sale. If you want to treat yourself to a long weekend at Yorkshire's hottest crimespot, then Weekend Break packages are available to book now. To book call the Festival Office on 01423 562303.

I'm hoping to come to some of this year's Crime Festival but wish you'd provide a proper timetable including special guests, as I'm trying to confirm my plans with my mum who lives in Yorkshire and it's a bit hard to do that properly at the moment.

My comments on the following news Crime authors tops library chart
US thriller writer James Patterson has retained his position as the most borrowed author from UK libraries.

He writes a book every 6 months or less. Quantity does not mean quality.
I will tell you who is a good author : It is Henning Mankell now there is a proper author .

Now the early Alex Cross books were good but then he diluted it later on. Where is the control ? Editors what are you doing ? How can you print those amount of books ? Don`t you have a quality control system ?

Craig Russell was a guest in 2006 I met him as well . If I am not mistaken
if the publishers don`t pay some of the expenses then the authors do not attend. I think that a repeat of some of the authors is not avoidable. Most of them write a book every year. So if you see them again they might have a new book. Also there is another event in Bristol.

How about Craig Russell as a guest? His new Jan Fabel book (the fifth) is due out in the early summer and he's also launching a new character in a series set in Glasgow.

actally not too impressed same old,same old. n0 point in paying money to see the same ones over and over.
a few years ago it was pretty good with sheila quigley martina cole mo hayder. now its the same faces. actually there should be more writers from the north.jane

Harlan Coben was a guest in 2007. I met him. Nice tall author . The list for 2009 is good . I am ashamed to say that I haven`t heard some on the list but I have done an online search and I might buy their books.

Edited by author 14-01-2009 02:27 AM
I loved the 2008 Festival - just a wonderful four days of books, crime, writers and readers- outstanding! I'm coming back (all the way from California) in 2009 and have some gentle suggestions. Please will you provide an email retrieval station? I had to go to the public library at lunch to check messages. Even on vacation, those of us far from home have to keep in touch. Also, I think the quiz was superb - but I don't think the writers should have been allowed to win. I'd be disappointed if the writers' team *didn't* know more about the genre than the rest of us. As it was, my team got the highest "civilian" score. We were so proud - and so unsung - no sour grapes of course..................haha. I met all my heroes and some new writers who are becoming favorites. Lastly, how about Kate Atkinson and Harlan Coben as guests?