Spike Island Literary Festival 2024 Sunday

25 AUGUST | SUNDAY
Silent Witness – Sinéad Crowley, Andrea Carter & Gill Perdue moderated by Amy Jordan

Price per ticket: €26.95
Boat in: 12:30 pm – Return: 5 pm

Silent Witness, a compelling panel event, will see acclaimed authors Sinéad Crowley, Andrea Carter and Gill Perdue discuss the intricacies of their craft, exploring themes of suspense, crime and the human psyche. Moderated by Amy Jordan, this event promises to offer unique perspectives and fascinating discussions from some of the genre’s most talented writers. Delve into the minds of these brilliant writers as they explore the nuances of crafting suspense and the intricacies of their mysterious characters.

The Ten-Minute Hook – Michelle Teahan, Alice Bell, Tadhg Coakley & John Crotty moderated by Catherine Kirwan

Prior to the main panel event, Catherine Kirwan will be joined by authors Michelle Teahan, Alice Bell, Tadhg Coakley and John Crotty for The Ten Minute Hook. The first ten pages of a novel are the most important of the story and here, each author will discuss the art of intrigue and how they capture the reader’s attention in those all important ten minutes.

Alice Bell

Though Alice Bell grew up in the South West of England, she now lives in Cobh where, in addition to novel writing, she also works as deputy editor of Rock Paper Shotgun, a popular and respected PC Gaming website. In 2019 she was named one of the 100 most influential women in the UK games industry. Her debut novel, Grave Expectations was published in May 2023 followed by Displeasure Island in May 2024.

Andrea Carter

Andrea Carter is the author of The Inishowen Mysteries. She graduated in Law from Trinity College, Dublin, before qualifying as a solicitor and moving to the Inishowen peninsula in Co. Donegal. Having practised law for nearly twenty years, more recently as a barrister, she now writes full time. Her six books are in development for television and her short story The Lamb was shortlisted for the Irish Book Awards in 2019. Death Writes is her sixth novel. The Sunday Times has said ‘Carter excels in re-creating the cloistered, gossipy confines of a small Irish village…the Inishowen peninsula community where everybody knows everybody else’s business is a fine stand-in for the mannered drawing-room society of a Christie mystery.’

Tadhg Coakley

Tadhg Coakley is from Mallow and lives in Cork city. His debut novel The First Sunday in September (2018) was shortlisted for the Mercier Press Fiction prize. Whatever It Takes was chosen as the 2020 Cork, One City One Book. Everything (a sports autobiography, which he co-wrote with its subject, Denis Coughlan) was picked as one of the 2020 sports books of the year in The Sunday Times, The Irish Examiner and The Irish Times. The Game: A Journey into the Heart of Sport (2022) was described by Donal Ryan as a ‘towering work’. His latest thriller Dark Streets is out in June 24. Tadhg’s short stories, articles and essays have been widely published.

John Crotty

John Crotty is author of non-fiction work ‘Spike Island’ and a graduate of Swansea University. Hailing from Cappoquin, County Waterford, John grew up steeped in the storytelling of the Deise. ‘I look back now and see a strong storytelling tradition. The TV was rarely on, just for the Late Late Show, G.A.A. and the Angelus. Evenings were spent by the fire. The silence was punctured by splintering turf and coal, the ticking of a clock. The banshee, Petticoat Loose, they were regular visitors’. John has travelled over 60 countries and many world wonders with further titles on Irish history commenced.

Sinéad Crowley

Sinéad Crowley is the best selling author of the DS Claire Boyle series of crime novels, all three of which were nominated for Irish Book Awards. Her most recent novel, the historical mystery The Belladonna Maze was an Irish Times bestseller and her next book, another historical mystery entitled ‘A Maid on Fifth Avenue’ will be published by Aria in September 2024. Sinéad worked as a journalist for over three decades and was for sixteen year the Arts and Media correspondent with the Irish national broadcaster RTE. In 2023 she left journalism and now works as Director of Media Development with the Irish media regulator, Coimisiún na Meán.

Amy Jordan

Amy Jordan lives by the sea with her husband and young children in Cork, Ireland. Her police procedural thriller, The Dark Hours, will be published with HQ HarperCollins UK, Mira HarperCollins US, and Piper Verlag in early 2025. Previously writing as Amy Cronin, she released three thrillers with Irish publisher Poolbeg Press. Amy is a former civil servant and tutor at MTU, who now writes full time.

Catherine Kirwan

Catherine Kirwan grew up on a farm in the parish of Fews, County Waterford. She studied law at UCC and lives in Cork where she works as a solicitor. Her first novel, Darkest Truth, was chosen as Cork’s One City One Book by Cork City Libraries in 2019. Her second book, Cruel Deeds, and her third, ‘A Lesson in Malice’, a murder mystery set in UCC, are both out now.

Gill Perdue

Gill Perdue is the author of bestselling Shaw and Darmody crime series. If I Tell (previously published as The Interview) was nominated for Crime Novel of the Year in the An Post Book Awards 2022. When They See Me published in June 2023 to rave reviews. It’s described as ‘a thrilling read,’ (The Independent) She also writes for children. Her first children’s novel, Adam’s Starling, won a Bisto Award (the Eilís Dillon Memorial) for that year. A third Shaw and Darmody is to be published by Penguin in 2025, and a standalone thriller in 2026.

Michelle Teahan

Michelle Teahan is a qualified Medical Scientist but her passion has always been writing stories. She loves creating strong female characters, putting them in the worst types of situations and seeing how they react. She lives in County Cork, Ireland with her husband, two young daughters and a giant ginger cat. Her debut novel Go Seek has been long listed for the John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger and her second novel Knock Knock is out June 2024.