You may not be celebrating Halloween your usual way this year, but don’t despair; the Festival has a frightening final weekend in store for you! From the mysterious to the macabre, here are five upcoming #FestofAuthors20 events to haunt your itinerary this Halloween weekend.

Gonçalo M. Tavares: Plague Diary  – October 31 at 1:30pm (EDT)

Like most of us, Portuguese writer Gonçalo M. Tavares spent much of 2020 stuck at home due to COVID-19 restrictions. During his time in lockdown, the acclaimed writer documented his days in a daily “Plague Diary” that was translated into several languages for publication around the world. Join Tavares in conversation with Anabela Mota Ribeiro learn more about this latest work, and how the peculiarity of real-life nightmares can sometimes be stranger than fiction. The event will be presented in Portuguese. (Photo credit: Alfredo Cunha)

True Crime Tales: Mark Bowden’s The Case of the Vanishing Blonde – October 31 at 6:30pm (EDT)

Dive into the case folders of several grisly true crime stories with “master of narrative journalism” Mark Bowden. The bestselling author of Black Hawk Down will present his latest books, The Case of the Vanishing Blonde: And Other True Crime Stories and The Last Stone: A Masterpiece of Criminal Interrogation, in conversation with Carmine Starnino. Don’t miss this chance to uncover Bowden’s unique approach to telling these chilling true tales, and find out what he plans to write next. (Photo credit: Pascal Perich)

John Troyer: Technologies of the Human Corpse – October 31 at 9pm (EDT)

Forget zombies this Halloween, join author and director of the Centre for Death and Society John Troyer for a discussion on the preservation of real dead bodies and society’s fascination with them throughout history. From the embalming machines of the 19th-century, to death-defying modern technologies, Troyer will present some fascinating findings from his latest dissertation, Technologies of the Human Corpse. This captivating conversation will be led by Joanna Ebenstein.

Death on A Dark Night: Ann Cleeves on The Darkest Evening – November 1 at 12pm (EST)

Settle in for a classic country house mystery with a contemporary twist, as multi-award-winning British crime author Ann Cleeves brings you The Darkest Evening. This Diamond Dagger of the Crime Writers’ Association recipient will discuss this latest winter thriller, the ninth instalment in the Detective Vera series, with interviewer Janet Smyth.

Keep Your Enemies Close: Ian Rankin’s A Song for the Dark Times – November 1 at 3:30pm (EST)

Suspend reality by cracking the cover of Ian Rankin’s latest Rebus thriller, A Song For the Dark Times. The Edgar Award-winning Scottish crime writer will join fellow Scotsman and Festival Director Roland Gulliver for an evening of gripping conversation about enemies, crime, redemption and the dark world of the human soul.

All events are viewable for free and will remain viewable for 72-hours after they premiere. Event times on October 31 are listed in eastern daylight time and in eastern standard time on November 1.