Tag: Bryan Mason

We have a wonderful selection of guests appearing at our 2026 festival, listed here in alphabetical order:

CECELIA AHERN

Cecelia Ahern’s debut novel PS I Love You was published in 2004 when she was 21 years old and she has since published 21 novels. Her books have been published in over thirty seven languages, have sold over 25 million copies. Her latest novel Love Unlocked published in August 2026. Ceceila joins Murder One as a contributor to the FEAR anthology.

SAM BLAKE

Sam Blake is a multiple No 1 bestselling Irish crime writer and has been shortlisted for Irish Crime Novel of the Year four times, and twice for Irish Teen and YA Novel of the Year. Her second YA novel, Something’s About to Blow Up was Winner of the International Education Services Teen & YA Novel of the Year 2024. Her latest bestseller, adult thriller, Your Every Move  is out now. Kill Lane will be released January 2027. Sam is co-editor of the FEAR anthology. 

Follow Sam on social @samblakebooks or find out more at www.samblakebooks.com, where you can join her Reader’s Club and receive her adult thriller High Pressure for free.

JEN BRAY

Jen Bray is Political Editor at The Sunday Times. Her 16-year journalism career includes work with the Irish Times, The Times, the Sunday Tribune and the Irish Daily Mail. The Lies Between Us is her first novel. Jen is also a contributor to the FEAR anthology.

JANE CASEY

Jane Casey has written sixteen crime novels for adults and three for teenagers. A former editor, she is married to a criminal barrister so her writing is realistic and authentic.

This has made her novels international bestsellers and critical successes. The Maeve Kerrigan series has been nominated for many awards: in 2015 Jane won the Mary Higgins Clark Award for The Stranger You Know and Irish Crime Novel of the Year for After the Fire. She also won Irish Crime Novel of the Year in 2019 for Cruel Acts, which was a Sunday Times bestseller, and in 2024 for A Stranger in the Family. Jane’s standalone thriller The Killing Kind has been adapted for television. Everything She Didn’t Say, her first book set in her native Ireland, published July 2026.

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 is the author of three number one bestselling books: her memoir Beyond the Tape (2020) and novels Body of Truth and Deadly Evidence. Marie is also a contributor to the FEAR anthology. 

EDEL COFFEY

Edel Coffey is a bestselling author and journalist. She is a regular contributor to The Irish Times, RTE, Today FM and Newstalk radio. She has published three number-one bestselling novels. Her debut novel, Breaking Point, won an Irish Book Award for best crime novel and In Glass Houses is out now. Edel is also a contributor to the FEAR anthology. She lives in Galway.

CLAIRE COUGHLAN

Claire Coughlan’s debut crime novel Where They Lie was nominated for the Crime Fiction Book of the Year at the An Post Irish Book Awards in 2024. The same year, Claire was selected by the Irish Book Awards’ ‘New Voices: Best New Irish Writers,’ initiative. The list was curated through nominations from publishers, booksellers and librarians nationwide.  Among the Ruins, the sequel to Where They Lie, published on 23^rd April 2026 with Simon & Schuster UK. Claire is also a contributor to the FEAR anthology.

ROBERT CRAVEN

Robert Craven is an Irish crime writer known for atmospheric, tightly plotted fiction that explores the darker undercurrents of modern life. His work follows the flawed, relentless P.J. Crowe; drawn into worlds of power, corruption, and high-stakes crime—from illegal gambling networks to the hidden tensions beneath coastal communities.

Robert has appeared at leading crime writing festivals including Bloody Scotland, Newcastle Noir, and Ireland’s Murder One, connecting with readers and contributing to the contemporary noir scene.

LEODORA DARLINGTON

Leodora Darlington is a writer from London with Ghanaian heritage. She received a distinction for her Masters in Creative Writing from Brunel University, where she studied under authors like Benjamin Zepheniah and Will Self. A Bookseller Rising Star in 2021, Leodora was previously also an editor and has published a range of bestselling fiction. The Exes is her debut novel.

MICHELLE DUNNE

Michelle Dunne is the bestselling author of psychological thrillers & domestic noir set in Ireland. She’s also behind the Lindsey Ryan series of thrillers which are set to be re-released in summer 2026, with two new books being added to the series in 2027. Her books have been translated into multiple languages and her latest stand-alone thriller, Burning Secrets was published in June. Michelle is the founder and organiser of the Spike Island Literary Festival in Cork, as well as festival manager for Dublin’s Murder One. She is also a contributor to the FEAR anthology.

KAREN FITZGIBBON

Karen Fitzgibbon is an actor, theatre and film-maker based in Limerick City. 2007 saw Karen touring with WALKING AWAY and winning the Best Actress award. Her short film CLOCKS was accepted into several festivals winning Best Limerick Short. She holds a licentiate in theatre studies with Trinity College London. Tell the Truth is the third novel in the Lana Bowen series.

FIONA GARTLAND

Fiona Gartland is a Dublin crime writer and journalist. Under Her Care is her fourth novel. With The Irish Times for 17 years, she covered courts before working as assistant news editor and features section editor. She’s married with four grown-up children, enjoys long walks, great reads and singing for fun. Fiona is also a contributor to the FEAR anthology.

@gartlandbooks www.fionagartland.com

CARMEL HARRINGTON

Carmel Harrington is a bestselling, award-winning Irish author published internationally. Her fourteenth novel, the emotional thriller The Nowhere Girls, became an instant number one bestseller, remaining in the top spot for three weeks. It was named a Sunday Times Best Crime Fiction pick, which described Carmel as ‘a superb chronicler of family dynamics.’

Carmel is a Good Housekeeping Good Books Winner and has been shortlisted for an Irish Book Award several times. Carmel’s Quick Read for the 2026 programme, The Last Bench, will be published on World Book Night. Carmel lives in Wexford with her family and rescue dog, George Bailey. She is also a contributor to the FEAR anthology.

ROSEMARY HENNIGAN

Rosemary Hennigan is an Irish author and former solicitor. She is also a director of the Irish Writers Centre. Her debut novel The Truth Will Out was longlisted for the Crime Writers’ Association John Creasy Dagger award. Her other novels include The Favourite (published as The Favorites in North America) and The Hotel Guest.

EMILY HOURICAN

Emily Hourican is the author of nine bestselling novels and one book of non-fiction. Her first novel for kids, Murder at the Ivy Hotel, was published in February 2026. It was an Easons/ Children’s Book Ireland Recommended Read, and one of The Telegraph’s ‘essential new books’.

Her first novel, The Privileged, was published in 2016. In 2019 she began writing historical fiction, and has since published five acclaimed, best-selling historical novels set around the Guinness and Kennedy families. She has been a finalist in the Irish Book Awards three times. She is currently developing  a six-part TV series based on her novel The Outsider with Treasure Films, and a feature film with director Neasa Hardiman, both projects are supported by Screen Ireland. She is also an award-winning editor and journalist with the Irish Independent.

LUCY IRVINE

Lucy Irvine joined Darley Anderson in November 2025 after eight years at PFD, where she built her own list of bestselling and award-winning authors.

Her authors have won or been nominated for a variety of accolades including the Carnegie Medal for Writing & Illustration, the Week Junior Book Awards, the Branford Boase Awards, the British Book Awards, and picked as Waterstones Book of the Month. Lucy is actively building her list, with a focus on middle-grade, YA, New Adult and fantasy fiction.

JADE KAVANAGH

In April 2020 Jade joined the Darley Anderson team and represents a growing list of authors writing book club fiction, suspense, thrillers and horror.

As Head of Books, Jade works closely with the Managing Director in shaping and supporting the agency’s books list. Alongside her own client work, she plays an active role in the day-to-day running of the books side of the agency, supporting submissions, talent development and longer-term planning across the list. She collaborates with the team on submissions and strategy, and monitors industry trends, contract standards and market developments to ensure the team remains informed and well positioned.

ANTONIO LANZETTA

T.M. LOGAN

T.M. Logan’s thrillers have sold more than three million copies in the UK and are translated into 24 other languages. Seven of his novels have been Sunday Times bestsellers and two of them – The Holiday and The Catch – have been adapted for television. A former national newspaper journalist, Tim now writes novels full-time, and lives in Nottinghamshire with his family. His latest book is THE WEEKEND, published in 2026.

ANDREA MARA

Andrea Mara is a number one Sunday Times, Irish Times and Kindle bestselling author, whose books have sold more than one million copies across all formats.

The TV adaptation of her 2021 book, All Her Fault, aired in November 2025 to huge critical and audience acclaim, with Sarah Snook (Succession) playing the lead.

Her latest book, Such A Nice Girl, was an Irish Times number one bestseller and a UK Sunday Times top ten bestseller.

Her 2025 novel, It Should Have Been You, won Irish Crime Novel of the Year at the 2025 An Post Book Awards. Her book No One Saw a Thing was a Sunday Times number one bestseller and has sold over half million copies. Andrea is also a contributor to the FEAR anthology.

Andrea lives in Dublin with her husband and three children. You can find Andrea on Instagram @andreamaraauthor

BRYAN J MASON

Bryan J Mason describes his genre as ‘black comedy crime’ and enjoys writing in a historical context, with his current series set in Northern Ireland during the Troubles.

Before becoming a full-time writer, he worked as a financial investigator, a mediator, and made sound effects for BBC Radio. He is planning a new series set in a Victorian undertakers

MICHELLE MCDONAGH

Michelle McDonagh is the author of four bestselling rural noir novels. Her debut There’s Something I Have To Tell You was published in 2023, and her second bestseller Somebody Knows was shortlisted for the An Post Irish Book Awards in 2024. Her latest book If These Walls Could Talk was published in July 2026. A journalist by trade, Michelle co-hosts books podcast Natter with Kate and Michelle with her friend and fellow writer Kate Durrant. Michelle is also a contributor to the FEAR anthology.

BRIAN MCGILLOWAY

Brian McGilloway is the award-winning author of thirteen novels to date, including, most recently, The One You Least Suspect. He has also written for BBC TV’s Hope Street. He is a recipient of a Major Individual Artist Award from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, and his novels have featured on the New York Times and Sunday Times bestseller lists.

HENRIETTA MCKERVEY

Henrietta McKervey’s fifth novel The Woman in the Water, is inspired by a ‘lost’ character in Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca. She has a Hennessy First Fiction Award and won the inaugural Maeve Binchy Travel Award. She curates the ECHOES festival and contributes to the Irish Times, Irish Independent and RTÉ Radio 1.

KEVIN MORAN

Kevin Moran is a bestselling children’s author and primary school teacher from County Mayo. His debut novel, The Doomsday Club, was shortlisted for the Irish Book Awards Children’s Book of the Year (Senior) 2025, the Great Reads Award 2025 and the KPMG Children’s Books Ireland Awards 2026. The Doomsday Club: Shape-Shifters was a World Book Day 2026 title and The Doomsday Club: Bog Bodies is set to launch in October 2026.

JAMES MURPHY

James Murphy is a Northern Irish writer working within the genre of crime fiction. He is best known for his Farset Investigations Belfast detective series and a gripping psychological thriller series featuring investigative psychologist Dr. Carolyn Harkin, Write Me A Murder and How To Be Dead. He also teaches crime fiction writing classes, is the host of the popular podcast, A Life of Crime (Writing) with James Murphy and is an active member of the Crime Writers Association both as Master Convenor of the Irish Chapter and as Library Champion for Northern Ireland.

KITTY MURPHY

Kitty Murphy writes murder mysteries set in a fictional Dublin drag scene. Death in Heels and Death in the Dark are out now, published by Thomas & Mercer, followed by Death in the Holidays last year and Death in Love coming soon.

Kitty also writes darker, twisted fiction as C L Murphy, and non fiction as Catherine Murphy. She has written for the Irish Times, the Guardian, the Independent, the Bookseller, Books Ireland, and more. She feels strongly about using our own voices and she believes in supporting all writers. She’s shared a successful series of interviews with writers on her Instagram, including sold out live-and-on-insta workshops and interviews at last year’s Newcastle Noir, watched by huge numbers on line. Kitty is bi / queer. Kitty is co-editor of, and a contributor to, the FEAR anthology.

ARDAL O’HANLON

Star of Father Ted (C4) and Death In Paradise (BBC) and guest in the last two series of Derry Girls (C4), Ardal O’Hanlon is one of the world’s best-loved stand up comedians. He has written an acclaimed bestselling novel, The Talk Of The Town, which was included in the book, 1001 Books You Must Read before you Die and in 2022 released his second novel, Brouhaha.

His latest book A Plot to Die For was published in April this year.

RICK O’SHEA

Rick O’Shea joined RTE as a radio presenter in 2001 and since 2025 he has been presenter of Arena on RTE Radio 1 having previously presented The Poetry Programme and The Book Show. He also runs The Rick O’Shea Book Club online – Ireland’s largest book club with over 45,000 members.

He hosts awards ceremonies, interviews authors at festivals and curates literary events. He has previously been a book columnist with the Irish Independent, and a judge at the Costa Book Awards, Dalkey Literary Awards, Dublin Fringe, and Irish Book Awards. He is national patron of Epilepsy Ireland and a board member of Fighting Words Northern Ireland

GILL PERDUE

Gill Perdue is the bestselling author of the unflinching and psychologically rich Shaw & Darmody crime series published by Penguin. Her first standalone thriller, All Of Them Lied published in June ’26 was described by Liz Nugent as ‘the most compulsive reading experience I’ve had this year.’ Gill is also a contributor to the FEAR anthology.

CORMAC QUINN

Based in Dublin, Cormac Quinn is a debut author with a passion for the murder mystery genre. At much too young an age, he started reading detective novels and has yet to stop. In a previous life, he was a journalist and news editor in Asia.

AISLING RAWLE

Aisling Rawle is a former teacher from County Leitrim. She now lives in Edinburgh. Her award winning novel, The Compound, is her first book.

DAVE RUDDEN

Dave Rudden is the author of the Sunday Times-bestselling dark epic fantasy Sister Wake, inspired by Irish myth and history. He has also written two series for younger readers – Knights of the Borrowed Dark (YA) and Tales of Darkisle (9 – 11) A UCD Creative Writing Fellow, he teaches workshops on writing, monsters and magic all over the world.

CATHERINE RYAN HOWARD

Catherine Ryan Howard is the award-winning, no.1 bestselling author of The Trap, The Nothing Man and Burn After Reading. A limited series based on her number one bestselling ‘lockdown’ thriller, 56 Days, is now streaming worldwide on Prime Video. Her latest novel is Buyer Beware. Catherine is also a contributor to the FEAR anthology. She lives in Dublin.

WILLIAM SHAW

Bestselling crime fiction author William Shaw relocated to County Kerry in 2023. His new Eden Driscoll series launched with The Red Shore, is set in the Devon town where he was born. The Daily Mail called it the ‘finest crime novel of the year.’

JO SPAIN

Jo Spain is an Irish screenwriter and author of fourteen bestselling novels, translated into seventeen languages.

Jo co-show-runs Jane Seymour-led Harry Wild now in its fifth season, with Emmy-award winner David Logan. Her solo-written show Mix Tape was the number one show on BBC and Binge/Foxtel last summer and was nominated for eight AACTAs.

She has sold millions of crime fiction books worldwide and her new novel Never To Be Found was the subject of a hotly-contested screen bidding war prior to its publication. Amazon MGM won the rights with Walking Dead showrunner Angela Kang bringing the novel to screen.

In 2024, Jo was nominated as Irish author of the year. She currently has four television shows in development and her and David Logan’s adaption of her  novel Last to Disappear is due to air next spring on ITV and AMC.

PROFESSOR HENRY SUTTON

Henry Sutton is the author of 15 novels, a collection of short stories and a number of non-fiction/critical works, including Crafting Crime Fiction (Manchester University Press). His most recent crime fiction is the Hotel Inspector trilogy, published by Kampa Verlag (Berlin, Zurich). He is also the author of the Goodwin Crime Family series, under the pseudonym Harry Brett (published by Little, Brown), and the standalone novel, My Criminal World (Harvill/Vintage). He is Professor of Creative Writing and Crime Fiction at the University of East Anglia. His new novel, Mother, will be published next year by Galley Beggar Press.

TANYA SWEENEY

Tanya Sweeney has been a features journalist/columnist for the last 20 years, with bylines in the Irish Times, Sunday Times Ireland, STELLAR, the Irish Examiner, Irish Tatler and the Dubliner. She is currently a features writer/columnist for the Irish Independent. Esther Is Now Following You, published by Transworld, is her first novel.

ANTTI TUOMAINEN

Antti Tuomainen (b. 1971) is one of Finland’s most acclaimed and award-winning crime fiction writers. To date, Tuomainen’s works have been translated into more than 25 languages. Crowned “The King of Helsinki Noir,” Tuomainen’s piercing and evocative style has never stopped evolving. In The Man Who Died, Tuomainen displays a new side of his authorship and unveils his multifaceted ability in full. The novel, which combines Tuomainen’s trademark suspense with a darkly tinged humor, has won the hearts of readers and critics alike, and secured him the new title of King of Noir Comedy.

“You don’t expect to laugh when you’re reading about terrible crimes, but that’s what you’ll do when you pick up one of Tuomainen’s decidedly quirky thrillers.” – – The New York Times

HARRIET TYCE

Harriet Tyce grew up in Edinburgh and studied English at Oxford University before doing a law conversion course at City University. She practised as a criminal barrister in London for nearly a decade, and subsequently completed an MA in Creative Writing – Crime Fiction at the University of East Anglia. She lives in north London. Her first novel, Blood Orange, published in 2019 to huge critical acclaim and her second, third and fourth novels The Lies You Told, It Ends at Midnight and A Lesson in Cruelty have been Sunday Times bestsellers. Witch Trial is her fifth novel. Harriet became a household name after her brilliant performance on the UK Traitors show when she brought all her crime writing cunning to the round table.

CLARE WALLACE

Managing Director of Children’s and YA & Agent

Clare Wallace joined the Darley Anderson Agency in January 2011. Clare is building both the Darley Anderson Children’s Agency and the Darley Anderson Illustration Agency lists and also represents a boutique list of commercial adult fiction in both the UK and US. In 2024, she was shortlisted for Agent of the Year by the British Book Awards.

Clare’s clients have featured on the New York Times bestseller list, been USA Today bestsellers, eBook bestsellers and selected for the Good Morning America Book Club, with many titles adapted for or in development for the screen. She loves working editorially with her authors and represents several clients who are successfully developing their careers in both adult and children’s fiction.

MARY WATSON

Mary Watson is from South Africa and now lives on the west coast of Ireland. She has a PhD from the University of Cape Town, where she taught for many years. She won the Caine Prize for African Writing for her adult publishing in South Africa, and in 2014 was named on the Africa39 list of writers under 40 with the potential to define trends in African literature. Her YA novels have been nominated for the Irish Book Awards and the Carnegie medal. Her adult debut, The Cleaner, was a bestseller in Ireland, the UK and Canada. The Lover is out now and Mary is also a contributor to the FEAR anthology.

ALISON WEATHERBY

Alison Weatherby is a YA and teen mystery writer who lives with her family outside of Dublin, Ireland. A winner of Chicken House Books’ Open Coop competition, Alison published her debut novel, The Secrets Act, a historical YA mystery set at Bletchley Park during WW2 in 2022. The Secrets Act won the Redhill Academy Trust Book Award for 2023 and was shortlisted for the Young Quills Award.  When she’s not reading or writing about murders, she visits schools to teach kids how to write them.

Alison’s first book in her new MG cosy crime series, The Common Criminals’ Club: Death Before Detention was published with Macmillan in June 2026 with the next in the series, School Trip Survival, on shelves in February 2027.

This year we are delighted to welcome two wonderful ISL Interpreters (Register of Irish Sign Language Interpreters) who will be signing at all our Saturday and Sunday events.