Join us for an incredibly special event, celebrating Murder Squad's 25th Anniversary! There will be cake, bubbles and a chance to listen to six incredible and prolific northern Crime Fiction writers, Ann Cleeves, Martin Edwards, Kate Ellis, Margaret Murphy, Chris Simms & Cath Staincliffe. Come and celebrate the 25 years of this powerhouse of talented authors.

Tickets are £10 and include two glasses of bubbles, cake and an evening listening to Ann Cleeves interview the rest of the Murder Squad! There will be an audience Q&A plus a chance to buy books and have them signed and dedicated by this wonderful bunch.

Doors will open at 6pm with time for merriment and festivities.

 The Murder Squad are a collective of six crime writers from the North of England, equally happy appearing online or in the real world, whose work has been highly praised by both readers and reviewers. To date they've gained about 30 prizes – including CWA Daggers (they have TWO Diamond Dagger winners among their members!), Edgars, Macavitys, Writers' Guild of Great Britain, RTS, Anthony, and Agatha Awards as well as honorary degrees.

How Murder Squad began...

Murder Squad was the idea of Margaret Murphy, who went on to chair the Crime Writers Association. Margaret was getting good reviews, but sales were disappointing and in publishing the marketing budget tends to follow success. She realised it was vital to promote her own work and thought that it would be much easier to do that collectively than as an individual. So she invited six other crime writers living and writing in the north of England to join forces.

Two of the original line-up, John Baker and Chaz Brenchley, have since stepped down from the Squad, and Stuart Pawson retired due to ill-health. Stuart died in February 2016 and is sorely missed, though his Charlie Priest books live on.

Their careers have moved on in ways that could never have been imagined since the group was formed:

Ann Cleeves' Vera and Shetland series have enjoyed worldwide success. Her first Two Rivers book, set in Devon, has also been televised. Vera, played by Brenda Blethyn, is now one of the best-loved British TV detectives.

Martin Edwards created a new series set in the Lake District, became consultant to the British Library's Classic Crime series, and won four awards for The Life of Crime, his bestselling history of the genre. He is a former Chair of the CWA and current President of the Detection Club; his latest series began with Gallows Court, which introduced Rachel Savernake.

Cath Staincliffe developed work in TV and radio, creating Blue Murder for ITV, writing Legacy and Undercover: Close To Home for BBC Radio 4 and guest writing on Stone. She wrote the Scott & Bailey books based on the hit show. Cath published a series of stand-alone novels about ordinary people caught up in extraordinary events. 

Margaret Murphy continues to write psychological suspense under her own name and under the pseudonym M.K. Murphy she recently began a detective thriller series set in London. She has also penned three forensic thrillers as A.D. Garrett, and two serial killer novels as Ashley Dyer. 

Kate Ellis writes contemporary novels with a historical twist, one series being set in Devon and another in a spooky York. She has also published a crime trilogy set in North West England in the aftermath of the First World War. In 2019, she was awarded the Dagger in the Library.

Chris Simms, described by the Guardian as one of the best of the new generation of crime writers, is behind the popular DI Spicer of novels and those featuring DC Iona Khan. He is also an active force behind the Crime Readers Association.