Murder in the Library: On Golden Age Crime Fiction (In person)
The phenomenon of detective fiction may have had its golden age between the world wars but its appeal has barely waned. With ‘cosy’ crime fiction topping the book charts and filling our TV screens, it seems our taste for a juicy plot, a pleasingly puzzling crime and a devilishly complex detective is ever enduring. But why? How did it all begin? How has it developed? How far and wide is its influence? And is there a better setting for a detective novel than an atmospheric, labyrinthine old library?
Our panel of esteemed authors, whose work is infused with the spirit of the golden age, will endeavour to solve these mysteries. Harriet Evans (writing as Harriet F Townson) has set her new historical crime novel D is for Death in our very own London Library, where plucky heroine Dora Wildwood discovers a body amidst the stacks; Sophie Hannah, alongside her bestselling contemporary thrillers, writes all the new Hercule Poirot novels at the request of Agatha Christie’s estate; and Vaseem Khan, Chair of the UK Crime Writers Association, is the author of award-winning crime novels, including the Malabar House series set in 1950s Bombay. In conversation with fellow crime writer Stephanie Merritt, they delve into the case of golden age crime fiction’s enduring allure.
Harriet Evans has written thirteen novels, several of which have been top ten bestsellers, two of which have been Richard and Judy Book Club selections and one of which won the Good Housekeeping Book of the Year. D is for Death, written under the pen name Harriet F Townson, is the first in a new series of historical crime novels. An Ambassador of The London Library, in her scant spare time she rereads Dorothy L Sayers.
Sophie Hannah is a bestselling crime writer whose books have sold millions of copies worldwide. She won the UK National Book Awards Crime Novel of the Year prize in 2013 and the Dagger in the Library Award in 2023. She is the author of the new series of Hercule Poirot continuation novels, commissioned by Agatha Christie's family and her murder mystery musical, ‘The Mystery of Mr E’ is available on Amazon Prime. She is an Honorary Fellow of Lucy Cavendish College, Cambridge.
Vaseem Khan's acclaimed Baby Ganesh Agency crime series won the Shamus Award in the US, with The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra selected by the Sunday Times as one of the 40 best crime novels published 2015-2020. The first novel in the Malabar House series, Midnight at Malabar House, won the CWA Historical Dagger 2021 and was shortlisted for the Theakstons Crime Novel of the Year Award.
Stephanie Merritt is the author of 13 books, including the bestselling Elizabethan historical crime series written as SJ Parris, which has sold over a million copies in the UK. She is a former Deputy Literary Editor of the Observer, where she continues to contribute articles on books and current affairs and has written for a variety of other newspapers and magazines. She appears regularly on Radio 4 and as chair and presenter at literary and arts festivals. Her most recent novel is Alchemy, which was a Sunday Times Top 10 bestseller and her new novel, Traitor's Legacy is out in May 2025.
Books by all the speakers will be available to buy at the event and online from our partner bookshop Hatchards.
NB This event will take place in person at The London Library. Doors (and the bar) will open at 6.30pm for a 7pm start. Please see our Event Access Guidelines before you arrive.
