24 AUGUST | SATURDAY
Femme Fatale – Dr Marie Cassidy, Jo Spain & Arlene Hunt moderated by Michelle Dunne

Price per ticket: €26.95
Boat in: 4 pm – Return: 7 pm

Join us for Femme Fatale, an intriguing panel event at the Spike Island Literary Festival featuring Dr Marie Cassidy, former State Pathologist and author, Jo Spain, renowned author and screenwriter, and acclaimed Irish crime novelist, Arlene Hunt. Moderated by author Michelle Dunne, this event will delve into the dark and fascinating world of crime writing as these leading female voices explore the art of suspense, forensic detail and creating compelling narratives.
Don’t miss the chance to engage with these distinguished authors and uncover the mysteries behind their thrilling novels.


Dr Marie Cassidy

During her 15-year career as Ireland’s State Pathologist, Marie Cassidy became known to the Irish public as a trusted figure whose expertise helped to solve murders and clarify unexplained deaths. In over thirty years of practice, she performed thousands of postmortems and dealt with hundreds of murders. She has witnessed the burgeoning role of forensic science and the impact that has had on death investigation and the expectations of the general public, while embracing new technology and welcoming the input of experts in the other sciences. She retired at the end of 2018 to spend more time on the other passions in her life, her family and writing. Marie’s number one bestselling memoir Beyond the Tape was published in 2020. Body of Truth is her first novel.

Michelle Dunne

Michelle Dunne is a crime and thriller writer from Cork whose new psychological thriller, The Hotel Maid will be published in August 24. Her best-selling psychological thriller, The Good Girl published to rave reviews in March 24 and is described as “an outstanding serial killer thriller.” Michelle also wrote While Nobody is Watching and The Invisible, a series of thrillers following former soldier and UN Peacekeeper Lindsey Ryan as she tries to adapt to her new life in the clutches of PTSD. The series is currently in development for television and is inspired by Michelle’s own experiences as an infantry soldier and United Nations Peacekeeper. Michelle is organiser/programmer of the Spike Island Literary Festival – a crime-themed festival set in Ireland’s very own Alcatraz!

Arlene Hunt

Arlene Hunt is an Irish author, film and book reviewer . She has written fifteen novels, the latest of which, While She Sleeps, was published by Hachette in August 2023 and she is currently working on new crime fiction book. A long distance runner, when not writing Arlene can usually be found half way up a mountain with two German Shepherds for company.

Jo Spain

Jo Spain is the author of thirteen top-ten Irish and international best-sellers, including the Tom Reynolds detective series. A full-time screenwriter, Jo co-writes and showruns Harry Wild (starring Jane Seymour) with David Logan. She has also written for Sanditon, the ITV/PBS Jane Austen drama and her co-written show The Boy Who Never Was (Subotica/RTÉ/France TV) airs on RTÉ autumn 2024. Jo’s new series Mix Tape (Subotica/Aquarias/Binge) films summer 2024. Jo and her co-writer David Logan are also working on the adaptation of several of her thriller books with production companies including Archery and Yellow Films.