Running from 6th-8th October, Murder One is thrilled to be supported by Dun Laoghaire Rathdown Libraries again this year, and we have a gripping programme for you – come and join us at the LexIcon Venue in Dun Laoghaire for a weekend of crime! See below for our Murder One 2023 programme of events.
Book now to ensure your seat!
FRIDAY 6TH OCTOBER
Not Just Crime – Meet the Editors
Friday, October 6th at 11.00am
The Studio Theatre, dlr LexIcon
Tickets €10 & €8 plus booking fees BOOK HERE
Not Just Crime – Meet the Agents
Friday, October 6th at 1.00pm
The Studio Theatre, dlr LexIcon
Tickets €10 & €8 plus booking fees BOOK HERE
Whether you write for children or adults, literary fiction, crime or science fiction, book now to hear three top agents, Ivan Mulcahy, Polly Nolan and Simon Trewin, reveal what they are looking for in a book. Sam Blake will be asking their tips for your submission package and how to impress an agent, plus the common mistakes they see every day, you cannot afford to miss it.
The Body of Truth: Marie Cassidy in conversation with Liz Nugent
Friday, October 6th at 8.00pm
4th Floor dlr LexIcon
Tickets €15 plus booking fees
Dr Marie Cassidy served as Ireland’s State Pathologist from 2004 until 2018, her image synonymous with breaking news of high-profile cases. In 2020’s Beyond the Tape: The Life and Many Deaths of a State Pathologist, she described the intricate processes central to solving modern crime. Now retired, she turns her hand to crime fiction with her debut novel Body of Truth. Dr Cassidy will be discussing her thriller with bestselling crime writer, Liz Nugent.
Body of Truth is a gripping story of the secrets of the mortuary that is uncovered with scalpel-like precision. Dr Terry O’Brien has recently arrived in Ireland from Scotland to take up a position as state pathologist. Soon after, a body is found in Dublin’s Phoenix Park. Rachel Reece, host of the popular true crime podcast Ireland’s Missing Women, has been brutally murdered. As Terry gathers evidence to help with the police investigation, she becomes convinced that they are following the wrong line of inquiry and begins her own research. She soon finds herself in the thick of cold cases of murdered Irish women, with questions mounting. What did Rachel Reece find out about the unsolved murder of Eileen McCarthy before she died? Who is feeding Terry anonymous information about the podcaster’s endeavours? And why do the powers that be seem to want to thwart her at every turn? Another woman is found murdered and, as pressure mounts on the gardaí to find the perpetrator, Terry’s post mortem reveals something that might hold the key to everything. But a killer is closer than she knows. And their next victim is firmly within their sights . . .
SATURDAY 7TH OCTOBER
The Murderer and the Taoiseach:
Harry McGee in conversation with Breda Brown
Saturday, October 7th at 11.00am
The Studio Theatre, dlr LexIcon
Tickets €12 & €10 plus booking fees BOOK HERE
Award-winning political journalist, Harry McGee retraces the happenings of the long hot summer of 1982 and the ramifications of the notorious Malcolm Macarthur murder case. From the cat-and-mouse game to track down an unpredictable killer to Macarthur’s extraordinary capture, he considers both the life and psyche of a murderer, and that of the leading political figure of the time – a man similarly driven by greed, status and a sense of himself as existing above the law. True crime doesn’t come much more local than this!
3 x 10 Readings in the Studio
Saturday, October 7th at 12.30pm
The Studio Theatre, dlr LexIcon
Free but booking required: BOOK HERE
3 talented crime writers, Kitty Murphy, Gill Perdue and Casey King, have 10 minutes each to hook you as they discuss and read their work ! Introduced by Sam Blake, their books will be on sale in our bookshop and they will be signing after the event.
New Blood:
Meet Debut Authors Disha Bose, Alice Bell & Michelle McDonagh
Saturday, October 7th at 1.30pm
The Studio Theatre, dlr LexIcon
Tickets €12 & €10 plus booking fees BOOK HERE
Getting that first longed for publishing deal is one of the most thrilling experiences any writer will have. Sam Blake quizzes three very different debut authors — Disha Bose, Alice Bell, and Michelle McDonagh — on the game-changing factors that transformed their writing lives and set in motion the transition from aspiring writers to published authors in 2023.
3 x 10 Readings in the Studio
Saturday, October 7th at 3.00pm
The Studio Theatre, dlr LexIcon
Free but booking required BOOK HERE
3 talented crime writers, Joe Joyce, Gaye Maguire and Liza Costello, have 10 minutes each to hook you as they discuss and read their work! Introduced by Sam Blake, their books will be on sale in our bookshop and they will be signing after the event.
Secrets and Suspense: Alice Feeney, Janice Hallett and Sam Blake talk to Karen Perry
Saturday, October 7th at 4.00pm
The Studio Theatre, dlr LexIcon
Tickets €12 & €10 plus booking fees BOOK HERE
Author Karen Perry talks secrets and suspense with bestsellers Alice Feeney, British Book Awards winner Janice Hallett and Sam Blake. These three authors discuss story ideas, what draws a reader in, how they keep readers guessing and how they keep the surprises coming.
French Connections:
Tana French in conversation with Karen Perry
Saturday, October 7th at 6.00pm
The Studio Theatre, dlr LexIcon
Tickets €15 & €12 plus booking fees BOOK HERE
Tana French is universally acknowledged as one of the most highly skilled crime writers currently working in the genre. Her Dublin Murder Squad novels have won a slew of awards including the Edgar, Anthony, Macavity, and Barry awards, the Los Angeles Times Award for Best Mystery/Thriller, and the Irish Book Award for Crime Fiction on two occasions. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to hear Tana – a rare participant on the festival circuit – discussing her work and career with close friend Karen Perry.
SUNDAY 8TH OCTOBER
Genre and Beyond:
Tom Benn, Liz Nugent and Colin Walsh in conversation with Amanda Cassidy
Sunday, October 8th at 11.00am
The Studio Theatre, dlr LexIcon
Tickets €12 & €10 plus booking fees BOOK HERE
Genre is often not much more than a convenient descriptor for the benefit of publishers and critics. Writers have stronger views on the limitations of genre which they find inhibiting and artificial. Tom Benn, recently anointed Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year for 2023 has said “genre is a moral, disruptive living thing, forever evolving and trading with its neighbours to better innovate and interrogate.” Liz Nugent has said she owes “no particular allegiance to any genre.” Colin Walsh’s debut thriller, Kala, has shot into the bestseller list and has been described as more literary than thriller. Listening to these fiercely independent writers on the question of genre should be a truly enlightening experience.
Complicit: Winnie M Li in conversation with Remie Michelle Clarke
Sunday, October 8th at 1.00pm
The Studio Theatre, dlr LexIcon
Tickets €12 & €10 plus booking fees BOOK HERE
This event is being run in association with the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre.
Winnie M Li’s critically acclaimed Complicit is, as the Guardian describes, ‘a visceral and timely story about the men – and women – who turn a blind eye to systemic exploitation in the film industry.’ Li has much in common with her character Sarah Lai – she is the daughter of east Asian immigrants, an Ivy League graduate and former film producer, and as a sexual assault survivor, Li brings a deep understanding of her character’s world to this landmark novel.
‘Li’s novel is a way of acknowledging the women whose stories have been heard, and those who haven’t.’ The Guardian.
Winnie M Li discusses Complicit, her own experiences of the film industry and #MeToo with Dublin Rape Crisis champion and crisis counsellor, author Remie Michelle Clarke. Find out more about the work of the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre here.
Support for anyone affected:
If you have been affected by issues raised here or have been subjected to sexual violence at any time, you can contact the 24-hour National Helpline 1800 778888 for free, confidential support. Dublin Rape Crisis Centre also offers crisis counselling via a free webchat support service at www.drcc.ie
Inspired by Real Life:
Catherine Ryan Howard, Andrea Mara and Catherine Kirwan
with Martin Doyle
Sunday, October 8th at 3.00pm
The Studio Theatre, dlr LexIcon
Tickets €12 & €10 plus booking fees BOOK HERE
Three of Ireland’s favourite bestselling authors, Catherine Ryan Howard, Andrea Mara and Catherine Kirwan, discuss how true-life events and locations have inspired their latest fiction. Howard’s The Trap was inspired by a series of still-unsolved disappearances; Mara’s No One Saw a Thing is based on a real- life event that happened to her and her sister in childhood; Kirwan’s A Lesson in Malice is set in her alma mater, UCC. Is real life stranger than fiction or vice versa?
On the Shoulders of Giants: Christie, Highsmith & Sayers
Sunday, October 8th at 5.00pm
The Studio Theatre, dlr LexIcon
Tickets €15 & €12 plus booking fees BOOK HERE
Three of our greatest contemporary crime writers discuss their latest books and how some of the great crime writers have influenced their work. Commissioned by the Christie estate to continue Poirot’s legacy, Sophie Hannah has been called “Christie’s heir.” Steve Cavanagh has cited Patricia Highsmith as an increasing influence on his work and his latest book Kill for Me Kill for You brings the theme in Strangers on a Train bang up to date. Jane Casey is a huge fan of Dorothy L Sayers and her recent novel The Close delivers a modern locked room thriller to the page, complete with a broad cast of characters with interwoven secrets. Find out what it is that brings today’s authors back to the classics in what promises to be a fascinating discussion!
