Report: Capital Crime Literary Festival 2026

I attended the Capital Crime Literary Festival 2026, which took place from June 18th to June 20th, 2026, at the Leonardo Royal Hotel London St Paul's.

(Capital Crime was founded by David Headley—the literary agent and co-founder of the renowned collectors' bookshop 'Goldsboro Books'—alongside screenwriter Adam Hamdy and others, with its inaugural event held in Covent Garden back in 2019.)

The festival was hosted on the hotel's basement level 2 (B2). Upon checking in at the reception, I was handed a festival-branded tote bag along with a pass to wear around my neck. Inside the tote bag were event pamphlets, bookmarks, and several mystery novels in both hardcover and paperback formats.

The venue featured two large auditoriums for panels and talks—the "LONDON STAGE" and the "GOLDSBORO BOOKS STAGE"—with a book sales corner set up in the space adjacent to them.

On the giant projectors mounted on the front walls of the lecture rooms, trailers for mystery novels were screened during breaks, while the titles of the talks, along with the names and photographs of the speakers, were displayed during the sessions.

Multiple complimentary water dispensers were placed throughout the venue, and strings of bunting flags hung overhead near the reception area.

Sampler booklets of upcoming books were frequently distributed; in addition to the aforementioned tote bag, they could often be found placed on the chairs in the lecture rooms or left on the tables in the hotel's existing bar area.

Lecture 1: Time, Memory, and Murder

Speakers

Moderator

Event Agenda

  1. Book Previews: Both authors introduce their latest releases and share teaser details while responding to questions from the moderator.
  2. Readings: Each author reads a brief excerpt from their new book.
  3. Q&A Session

Discussion Highlights

*Please note that these highlights are a broad summary of the main points.

Q: What are the pros and cons of writing standalone novels? How do you feel about starting a brand-new story every single time?

Claire: "You have to invent completely new characters every time, and I sometimes worry whether a new character might end up feeling too similar to one from a previous book. It has its limitations, but at the same time, it's wonderful."
Elly: "I think there are two sides to every coin. Having a blank canvas where you feel, 'This character can be anyone and go anywhere,' is fantastic. On the other hand, a series offers that cozy, comforting feeling of, 'I know this character inside out.' Though sometimes, you can accidentally paint yourself into a corner. (Elly then shared an anecdote about a protagonist she had explicitly written as someone who 'never wears jeans.' She felt trapped by that detail for a long time, though she joked that she has finally allowed the character to wear them now.)"

Q: Crime fiction often has a reactionary aspect, reflecting the times in which it is written, doesn't it?

Elly: "It really operates as a microcosm of society. When a crime—especially murder—occurs, the status quo is instantly shattered and the entire balance is thrown off. You even see this in classics like Wilkie Collins’s The Moonstone. A working-class detective arrives and interrogates a lady of the manor; she is absolutely not amused, but because a terrible crime has occurred (a theft, in that case), it is permitted. It’s precisely because an event turns everything upside down that you gain the freedom to examine society on a much deeper level."

Lecture 2: What's so funny about crime fiction?

Speakers

Moderator

Discussion Highlights

*Please note that these highlights are a broad summary of the main points.

Fergus: "To turn a mystery into humor, I think both the reader and the writer need to temporarily look away from the 'realistic misery brought by the incident (the human cost)' to a certain extent, and have a tacit understanding—a compartmentalization—that says, 'This is a made-up story, so let’s all enjoy it.'"
David: "Just because it is a comedy, if you completely eliminate the movement of human emotions, readers will get bored halfway through. If there isn't a 'hook' somewhere in the center that stirs the reader's heart beyond just laughter, they won't want to keep turning the pages."
Fergus: "In other words, if you succeed in making the reader laugh along the way, it can generate a greater catharsis (emotional return) when a wave of serious emotion arrives in the second half, right?"
David: "I think that is exactly right."
Fergus: "When you think about it carefully, the expression 'cozy mystery' is certainly a strange phrase, isn't it?"
J.D. Brinkworth: "I think it is because humans, especially British people, instinctively flee to 'humor' when faced with extreme stress, dread, or anxiety. The more serious the situation becomes, the more we try to consume large amounts of 'familiar, safe, and comfortable things' to soften reality. That is why 'crime' and 'cozy' may seem like a mismatch at first glance, but they are actually perfectly connected at the very root of human defense instincts. I think it is a very natural pair."

Lecture 3: From Scene to Sentence

Speakers

Moderator

Discussion Highlights

*Please note that these highlights are a broad summary of the main points.

Lisa: "Crime thrillers—procedurals and series in particular—sell incredibly well. Why do you think readers keep coming back to the kind of police procedural series we write, time and time again?"
Rob: "I think the number one reason is 'character.' Rather than the plot itself, people pick up a book because they want to meet that character again. Michael Connelly’s 'Harry Bosch' series is a perfect example. Readers return because they want to see Bosch. There’s a certain sense of comfort in the framework of a series, almost like coming home. It feels like reuniting with an old friend after a year apart, just to see what kind of trouble or adversity they've landed themselves in this time. If you place a compelling character into a setting with a fresh mystery waiting for them, mystery fans will always come back."

Lecture 4: Building A Legacy

Speakers

Moderator

Discussion Highlights

*Please note that these highlights are a broad summary of the main points.

Jeffrey: "When I had a hundred people read my novel Kane and Abel without knowing who wrote it, the highest-rated element was 'character,' and the second was 'storytelling.' However, the very first thing I came up with was the plot."

Lecture 5: It's Not What You Think

Speakers

Moderator

Discussion Highlights

*Please note that these highlights are a broad summary of the main points.

Clare: "Anyone who reads mystery or thriller novels is always actively trying to outsmart the author as they turn the pages. However, if the writer’s narrative prowess is exceptional, whether the reader managed to anticipate the twist or not doesn't really matter all that much."
Clare: "When it comes to the pacing and balance of the plot, I construct a meticulously detailed chart before I even begin writing. I have a progress sheet that I call the 'Master Document,' which maps out the fine details of what happens in each chapter, whose perspective it's written from, and what the timeline looks like. Within that framework, the element I emphasize above all else is the question: 'What is the objective of this chapter?' Every single chapter must have a crystal-clear answer to this question. If I find myself hesitating or struggling to answer, it serves as a warning sign that the chapter is either dragging down the plot’s momentum or is entirely redundant. At the very end of this spreadsheet, I have a column where I indulge in a bit of stylistic flair, which I title 'The Reader's Journey.' This is the precise space where I deliberately plot to psychologically manipulate the audience. In this column, I pre-design the exact emotional trajectory I want to evoke, mapping it out like this: 'In this chapter, the reader will expect development A, but it will actually turn out to be B,' 'Here, the reader will cry,' 'Here, the reader will scream,' 'Here, the reader will throw the book against the wall,' or 'Here, the reader will be completely disoriented.' By establishing this blueprint before writing the very first line, I can engineer a powerful, high-impact reading experience—something akin to 'book whiplash'—where the reader's expectations are relentlessly subverted at every single turn."
David: "So, you essentially weaponize the reader's own psychological assumptions against them. You exploit their preconceived notions and expectations, only to completely upend them at the very end. That is a remarkably sophisticated and high-level technique."

Lecture 6: Scripted for Suspense

Speakers

Moderator

Discussion Highlights

*Please note that these highlights are a broad summary of the main points.

Q: When writing a story, where do you begin? Is it an idea, a character, or a setting?

Remi Kone: "I believe characters are absolutely paramount, so I almost always start with them. From there, I try to discover what kind of story would be most compelling for that specific main character. At the same time, as a reader myself, I always want to be left with something meaningful after closing a book. Because of that, I also frequently begin with a core theme."
Chris: "For me, crime fiction is an endless, pleasurable process of teasing—constantly figuring out how to delay the reveal without stalling the narrative momentum. A technique I stumbled upon fifteen to twenty years ago is 'multi-strand' storytelling. By never lingering too long on a single character and rapidly shifting perspectives, you keep the narrative fresh and inject an inherent, driving momentum into the plot."
M.J. Arlidge: "What I look to explore is the pursuit of my own primal fears. Consequently, it is always a specific situation or scenario that sets my stories in motion."

Q: How do you approach your pacing to successfully maintain suspense?

Remi Kone: "While I always want to deliver a spectacular climax, I'm equally focused on making the book unputdownable. I am constantly asking myself, 'How can I hook the audience and make them desperate to turn the next page?' In my case, I plot meticulously in advance so I know exactly where I am heading. Furthermore, because I write deeply from my characters' perspectives, I am always evaluating how each plot development affects their internal psychology."
Chris: "I completely lock down the plot for an entire series before I even begin scripting, but that process invariably starts with the 'character arcs'—the trajectory of their growth and transformation. I chart their journeys episode by episode, mapping them all the way to the resolution. Only when I have finalized the arcs for all the suspects do I begin to map out the actual investigation, which is the mechanism that reveals key plot points. I simply have no desire to write the investigative procedural elements until the characters' emotional journeys are fully established. I believe this is why the work resonates with audiences; though we utilize the machinery of an investigation, at its core, it remains a character-driven story. True suspense must depend on character. A plot is vital, but fundamentally, the audience is watching interesting people navigating a crisis. If they are well-drawn and believable, the audience will want to go on that journey with them and find out what happens next. The investigation is merely the tool used to uncover that next beat. That is why the investigative plot comes last for me."
M.J. Arlidge: "I completely agree that suspense cannot exist if you don't care about the characters. It's also worth noting that you can instantly tell when a novelist has a background in television screenwriting. They tend to construct highly rigorous plots and have a strong affinity for multiple perspectives. When I got my start on EastEnders (a long-running British soap opera), I remember walking into the story room to find a year's worth of narrative arcs for every single family already mapped out, leading up to a massive Christmas climax. When you break down individual episodes, you see five different families constantly cutting in and out, steadily accelerating the tempo toward a cliffhanger ending."
Tim: "That is fascinating. I remember when I wrote my first novel, I noticed it had a very episodic structure. The pacing felt like something significant had to happen every ten minutes. I distinctly recall thinking to myself, 'This won't do. I need to rework this completely to fit the form of a proper novel.'"

Dialogue on narrative pacing, multiple perspectives, and the ultimate ownership of a story:

Chris: "For me, The Killing was a deeply influential piece of work. It was an ensemble piece with multiple characters, inhabiting a sub-genre we all absolutely adore. However, what I realized while watching it was its linear rigidity. The structure essentially moved suspects from A to B, then to C, and then to D in a strict sequence. I found myself wanting more from that. The danger with that structure is that the audience begins to predict the rhythm—the formula. I felt that if we are asking the audience to invest such a massive amount of time into these characters, it is far more satisfying to chart every single character’s journey deeply and meticulously from the absolute beginning to the very end."
Remi Kone: "The sheer length of the plotting timeline might have played a part in that linearity. But returning to the concept of multi-strand storytelling: it all boils down to balance. You want to pull the reader's gaze away from the main spine of the narrative to develop a secondary strand, but you must simultaneously give the audience a compelling reason to remain emotionally invested in that character. In my own novels, I introduce a co-protagonist alongside the main character. By doing this, I alter the narrative pacing, shattering any predictable rhythm before the reader can settle into a comfortable pattern."
M.J. Arlidge: "Writing a long-running series taught me a great deal about handling multiple perspectives. At one point, my editor pulled me aside and said, 'Matthew, you are being far too egalitarian with your focus. This series belongs to Helen Grace, and Helen Grace alone.' He argued that while compelling suspects and villainous forces are vital, the core must always remain 'Helen’s story.' And he was entirely right. The enduring magic of a long-running series is that the readers return to the page precisely to reunite with that specific central character."
Chris: "When Season 1 of Unforgotten aired, viewers watched a suspect's life utterly disintegrate under the weight of the police investigation. Many took to Twitter to ask me, 'What happens to that character next?' My wife often suggested, 'Why don't you tell them what happened?' But I always replied, 'That is the one thing I must never do.' The moment a piece of work is written, produced, and broadcast into the world, it ceases to belong to me. It is akin to leaving a newborn infant on a stranger's doorstep. From that moment on, the story belongs to the audience. They take it into their own lives, and they nurture it into the story they need it to be."

Lecture 7: The Rebels Behind The Hero

Speakers

Moderator

Discussion Highlights

*Please note that these highlights are a broad summary of the main points.

"Above all else, the most important thing is always the character." — Andrew

Stig:"One of the core rules of Jack Reacher is his sheer invincibility. Why do we still find it so incredibly thrilling when we already know he is going to win?"

Lee: "Deep down, everyone has a list of about ten people they secretly want to kill."
Stig: "So, Reacher allows us to live out that satisfaction vicariously."
Andrew: "Exactly. A huge part of crime fiction's appeal is that no matter how unfair the real world gets, within the pages of a book, justice ultimately prevails—good wins, and evil is destroyed. It provides a real sense of catharsis. It’s like watching a James Bond movie. You know Bond is going to win in the end, but the excitement comes from seeing how he does it this time around. Our challenge as writers is to make that process and mechanism feel fresh and compelling every single time."
Lee: "What I always tried to do was to 'sneak in' certain socio-political messages. A large portion of Reacher's fan base connects with him instinctively because he shares a somewhat 'redneck' vibe. They love him and accept him for who he is. Because of that trust, I can slip deeper themes and challenges into the narrative—forcing them to think about why their hero is taking a stand on those issues."
Andrew: "We also constantly guard against 'villain inflation.' If you write a book where a villain tries to detonate a nuclear bomb in New York, what do you do next? Two bombs in Los Angeles? Four in Washington D.C.? It just escalates endlessly. Instead of scaling up the numbers, we focus on making the villains deeply, personally detestable on a human level."

Today's Haul

Published Books

Samplers

Other