All Aboard!

Penzance Literary Festival presents: 'All Aboard the Ideas Train' - three bestselling crime writers.

Ideas can arrive from anywhere, surprising the writer as much as a plot twist can surprise the reader. All are dependent on strong characters to deliver a gripping read. Bestselling crime writers Jo Jakeman, Sam Blake and Roz Watkins discuss ideas and inspiration, how three ordinary women constantly plot to kill – and the impact of Cornwall on their writing.

Roz Watkins is the author of the acclaimed DI Meg Dalton crime series. The Devil’s Dice was shortlisted for the CWA Debut Dagger Award was the Times crime book of the month. Her next book, The Red House, comes out in June 2023.

Sam Blake has written 8 bestselling thrillers – three police procedurals and five standalones. Her latest bestseller The Mystery of Four is an Agatha Christie inspired country house mystery featuring a cat, a curse and a retired actress named Clarissa Westmacott.

Jo Jakeman was the winner of the prestigious Friday Night Live competition at York Festival of Writing. Her debut psychological thriller, ‘Sticks and Stones’, was shortlisted for the Best Revenge Thriller at the Dead Good Reader Awards 2019. Cornish thriller, ‘Safe House’, was published in 2020, and ‘What His Wife Knew’ came out in 2022. Her books have been translated into several languages and she is looking forward to her fourth thriller, ‘One Bad Apple’, being released in February 2024.