Wednesday 17 June 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm

Join us for this FREE talk by our Exeter digital writer-in-residence, Martyn Waites.

Crime fiction is the most popular genre in publishing today. It accounts for roughly a third of the fiction market. It’s gone far beyond the simple puzzle mystery and is now a huge, worldwide cultural phenomenon. But what makes it so important? And how do you define a crime novel? To find out where we are today, we need to delve back into the past and see the development of a genre, from Victorian penny dreadfuls to the hard boiled writing of Black Mask magazine. Take in the golden age of the English detective story, the post war paperback pulp fiction boom, the resurgence of crime fiction as a social novel in the late Eighties both here and in the States, and on to what it is today.

It’s a whirlwind tour of the last hundred and thirty years, examining trends and sub-genres, how it has changed to survive and looking at some of the most popular and influential practitioners as well as some unduly neglected ones too. Whether you’re an experienced reader who already knows Dashiell Hammett from Agatha Christie, a writer who wants to know more about the genre or someone who just wants recommendations on what to read next, there’s something here for you.

PLEASE NOTE: This event will take place on Crowdcast online.  Please book a place by clicking ‘Book now’, then click on this link https://www.crowdcast.io/e/the-history-of-crime to save your spot for the event and join us live on Wednesday at 6.30 pm. 

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Martyn Waites was born in Newcastle Upon Tyne. He trained at the Birmingham School of Speech and Drama and worked as an actor for many years before becoming a writer. His novels include the critically acclaimed Joe Donovan series set in the North East and The White Room which was a Guardian book of the year. In 2013 he was chosen to write Angel of Death, the official sequel to Susan Hill’s The Woman in Black, and in 2014 won the Grand Prix du Roman Noir for Born Under Punches. He has been nominated for every major British crime fiction award and has also enjoyed international commercial success with eight novels written under the name Tania Carver. He also writes Doctor Who audio adventures for Big Finish. He lives in Exeter.