Two times Gold Dagger winning and twice Edgar short-listed author Michael Robotham has captivated audiences with his psychological thrillers in more than 25 languages. The Australian author, and former investigative journalist, joins us on the Festival’s virtual stage to present his latest novel, When You Are Mine. The story introduces Philomena, an idealistic young police officer whose life descends into a dark world of corruption and dirty politics when a seemingly routine police call takes an unexpected turn. In conversation with Canadian author Linwood Barclay, Robotham will discuss the thin line between rescuer and prey.
Interviewer: Linwood Barclay
Please return to this page on June 4 at 5:30pm ET to watch the event. The video will be available to view until June 8 at 11:59pm ET.
Internationally acclaimed Spanish novelist and columnist Javier Cercas takes to the TIFA virtual stage to present his latest book, Even the Darkest Night (translated by Anne McLean). Cercas’s first foray into crime fiction is a thought-provoking, elegantly constructed thriller novel about justice, revenge and the struggles of a book-loving Barcelona convict-turned-cop trying to find his place in a corrupt world. A brutal double murder in a quiet torn sees Melchor’s dogged pursuit of the truth regardless of the consequences. This event will be presented in Spanish with English captions.
Interviewer: Beatriz Hausner
This digital event is free with registration. Please return to this page on June 4 at 8pm ET to watch the event. The video will be available to view until June 8 at 11:59pm ET.
Best known for his book The Accidental Billionaires (adapted for cinema as The Social Network), Ben Mezrich has captured the attention of readers worldwide through his fascinating fiction and non-fiction tales of geniuses, mysteries and murders. In the American author’s latest novel, The Midnight Ride, a dead body turns a card shark, an ex-con and a professor into allies as they search for answers to what could be history’s greatest secret. From a museum heist to the Revolutionary War, the book is full of intrigue, hidden messages and surprises. In this virtual conversation with Rakuten Kobo’s Nathan Maharaj, hear Mezrich share his own secret to telling great stories.
Interviewer: Nathan Maharaj
This digital event is free with registration. Please return to this page on June 5 at 12:30pm ET to watch the event. The video will be available to view until June 8 at 11:59pm ET.
What motivates a killer? Is everyone capable of a crime as heinous as murder? Award-winning Japanese author Fuminori Nakamura’s latest book, My Annihilation (translated by Sam Bett), gets to the crux of these queries in a deeply revealing and disturbingly honest examination of the psychological motives of a killer. Nakamura’s creative, puzzling narrative style makes it nearly impossible to discern what is truth and what is fabrication, until the very end. Trust no one when reading – not even yourself. Join a master of literary noir in this fascinating look into the darkest corners of human consciousness. This virtual event will be presented in Japanese with English captions.
Interviewer: Mimi Okabe
This digital event is free with registration. Please return to this page on June 5 at 12:30pm ET to watch the event. The video will be available to view until June 8 at 11:59pm ET.
This exciting virtual conversation with Harlen Coben, a New York Times bestselling author and Creator/Executive Producer of several Netflix series, will explore Coben’s trademark suspenseful, jaw-dropping twists and mastery of the thriller genre. Coben will present his latest novel, The Match. Returning to the protagonist of The Boy from the Woods, Wilde’s childhood remains shrouded in mystery, having been found as a child living feral in the woods with no memory of his past. Now, he uncovers a match on a DNA website that may reveal the truth of his origins, leading him down a path much more dangerous than it initially appears.
Interviewer: Elisabeth de Mariaffi
This digital event is free with registration. Please return to this page on June 5 at 2:30pm ET to watch the event. The video will be available to view until June 8 at 11:59pm ET.
The Dark Flood, from internationally acclaimed thriller author Deon Meyer, features two superstar detectives on a pursuit to clear their names after an unauthorized investigation threatens to reveal corruption in South Africa’s halls of power. The South African author writes with a powerful punch, full of twists and sharp prose as the two detectives get deeper into trouble. In this not to be missed event, Rakuten Kobo’s Nathan Maharaj will join Meyer for this virtual conversation to discuss the art of a well-planned plot, crafting corruption and the political weight behind this enticing novel.
Interviewer: Nathan Maharaj
This digital event is free with registration. Please return to this page on June 5 at 5:30pm ET to watch the event. The video will be available to view until June 8 at 11:59pm ET.
Critically acclaimed Australian author Emma Viskic’s novels have been published worldwide, and are voted as some of the best crime novels this decade. Don’t miss this gripping virtual conversation with the author about the highly anticipated finale of her groundbreaking Caleb Zelic series, Those Who Parish. Caleb can’t hear, but he can see everything. After receiving an anonymous message indicating the whereabouts of his addict brother Anton, Caleb tracks Anton to an isolated island where he encounters a secretive community under threat from a sniper. Knowing Anton is in grave danger, Caleb must hunt down the sniper; any misstep could end in Anton’s – or his own – death.
Interviewer: Roz Nay, author of Hurry Home and The Hunted
This digital event is free with registration. Please return to this page on June 5 at 8pm ET to watch the event. The video will be available to view until June 8 at 11:59pm ET.
Internationally acclaimed Norwegian author Gunnar Staalesen, a mainstay in the Nordic Noir crime fiction genre, will present the latest installment in his long-running Varg Vaum series. Bitter Flowers (translated by Don Bartlett) follows PI Varg Vaum as he faces one of the most challenging, traumatic investigations of his career. Fresh out of rehab, Varg must piece together apparently unrelated threads of evidence when a man is found drowned, a young woman disappears and the cold-case of a missing child is revived. Tune in to this virtual conversation on a classic Nordic Noir series, led by bestselling Norwegian author Thomas Enger.
Interviewer: Thomas Enger
This digital event is free with registration. Please return to this page on June 3 at 11:30am ET to watch the event. The video will be available to view until June 8 at 11:59pm ET.
This event will be presented in English with captions, with support from NORLA, Nordic Bridges and Harbourfront Centre.
Sometimes the only precursor to deception, theft and murder is confidence. Crime Writers’ Association Hall of Famer Denise Mina joins the TIFA virtual stage to present her latest novel, Confidence, a dazzling sequel to her bestselling 2019 book Conviction, which reunites amateur podcasters Anna McDonald and Fin Cohen for an even bigger adventure. When they hear of a young YouTube star who vanished shortly after posting a video from an abandoned chateau in France, the podcasters attempt to decipher what happened, only to find themselves entangled in another thrilling chase across Europe.
Interviewer: Tara Cremin
This event is free to watch with registration. Please return to this page on June 3 at 1pm ET to watch the event. The video will be available to view until June 8 at 11:59pm ET.
In Blood Grove, legendary author Walter Mosley presents a new mystery for Easy Rawlins fans. In the heat of 1969, the Black private detective finds himself dealing with trouble at work and at home. The iconic investigator must lean on his friends for help as he navigates Californian hippies, tycoons, sociopaths and grifters in pursuit of solving a confusing case for a white Vietnam veteran, while also trying to come to terms with a surprising family reunion. This enlightening virtual conversation on writing mysteries and creating iconic characters will be led by fellow American crime writer Joe Ide (IQ).
Interviewer: Joe Ide
This digital event is free with registration. Please return to this page on June 3 at 11:30pm ET to watch the event. The video will be available to view until June 8 at 11:59pm ET.