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As we celebrate the 130th anniversary of the birth of Agatha Christie and the centenary of PD James, join Jared Cade, Ruth Ware and Simon Brett as they compare and celebrate these two true Queens of Crime.

This event is part of Essex Book Festival’s Golden Age of Crime Weekend, taking place at the Park Inn Palace Hotel in Southend-on-Sea on 28 and 29 March.

Meet the Panel

Jared Cade

Jared Cade is an acknowledged expert on the Queen of Crime. His biography Agatha Christie and the Eleven Missing Days is officially endorsed by members of the Watts side of the writer’s family who broke decades of silence to give him exclusive access to their private papers, memories and photo albums. His work has been published in the Sherlock magazine, London Daily Telegraph, The Australian Women’s Weekly, Hayakawa Shobo Mystery Magazine and The Mammoth Book of Literary Anecdotes. He is also the author of Murder on London Underground.

Ruth Ware

Ruth Ware is an international number one bestseller. Her thrillers In a Dark, Dark Wood, The Woman in Cabin 10, The Lying Game and The Death of Mrs Westaway have appeared on bestseller lists around the world, including the Sunday Times and New York Times, and she is published in more than 40 languages. Ruth lives near Brighton with her family.

Visit www.ruthware.com to find out more, or find her on facebook or twitter as @RuthWareWriter

Photo of Ruth Ware © Gemma Day

Simon Brett

Simon Brett has published over a hundred books, many of them crime novels, including the Charles Paris, Mrs Pargeter, Fethering and Blotto & Twinks series. His stand-alone thriller, A Shock to the System, was made into a feature film, starring Michael Caine. Simon’s writing for radio and television includes After Henry, No Commitments and Smelling of Roses. Bill Nighy plays Charles Paris in the Radio 4 adaptations of his books. In 2014 Simon was presented with the Crime Writers’ Association’s top award, the Diamond Dagger, and he was made an O.B.E. in the 2016 New Year’s Honours ‘for services to literature’.

Find out more about Simon Brett – simonbrett.com/

Please note, this event was previously advertised as featuring Frances Fyfield. Frances is sadly unable to attend this event. Award-winning crime writer Simon Brett will now be part of the panel.