Family secrets abound in the latest action-packed thrillers from Nicole Lundrigan and Luca Veste. Toronto-based Lundrigan presents An Unthinkable Thing, which spins the tale of a tragedy that brings a young boy into the home of a seemingly perfect family in 1958, and the dark secrets that close in until a horrifying moment changes everything. […]
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TIFA’s most provocative conversation series returns, exploring thrilling new themes for MOTIVE audiences. Each day of the Festival, authors and experts will come together to examine a new facet of the culture and politics that shape the world around us and the books we read. Crime scene investigation is one of the most fascinating aspects […]
Multi-award-winning author Thomas King presents the return of Thumps DreadfulWater in Deep House, a followup to Obsidian. As Thumps looks forward to the return of normal life since the pandemic, his expectations are shattered when the unintentional discovery of a dead body entangles him once again in mystery. In conversation with CBC Radio One’s Shelagh […]
From former Chief Justice of Canada Beverly McLachlin, the bestselling author of Full Disclosure, comes the taut new legal thriller Denial. Tough-as-nails defense attorney Jilly Truitt could have her pick of cases, but when a fellow lawyer asks her to defend his wife in a bizarre “mercy-killing” case, Jilly reluctantly accepts, and soon she becomes […]
Basque author Katixa Agirre and Icelandic author Eva Björg Ægisdóttir will explore how the genre of crime fiction can address damaging stereotypes about women and motherhood, as demonstrated in their latest crime novels. Agirre seamlessly weaves the elements of a traditional thriller into a powerful reflection on the relationship between motherhood and creativity in her […]
International bestselling journalist-turned-author Thomas Enger presents Unhinged, the third installment in the award-winning Blix and Ramm series, co-written with Jørn Lier Horst. When a police investigator is killed execution-style and Blix’s own daughter is targeted by the killer, he makes a dangerous decision, which could cost him everything. Settle in to hear from one of […]
Celebrated YA authors E. Lockhart and Courtney Summers join in conversation to discuss their latest books for teens and adults alike. American author Lockhart presents her prequel to the hugely successful We Were Liars, which leads readers 27 years back to another generation of Sinclair family secrets and betrayals on their private island in New […]
Scotland’s Queen of Crime, Val McDermid, returns for another lively conversation in the TIFA spotlight. The globally acclaimed crime writer – and lead vocalist for the Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers – will discuss her latest creation, 1979. As the first installment in an electrifying new series, 1979 is set in its title year, and introduces […]
Join us as we explore influential books and writers who define a genre and have captivated readers for decades. Each session brings a contemporary writer sharing a favourite book or author, offering their insight as an author and sharing their joy as a reader. In this session, Mark Billingham, one of the UK’s most popular […]
A bestselling author of over 20 novels, Canada’s own Linwood Barclay is a master storyteller with each novel defying expectations. His latest, Take Your Breath Away, is no exception as it dives into the life of Andrew Mason after Andrew’s wife abruptly goes missing. At first, Andrew’s a suspect, but when the investigative trail goes […]
Not satisfied with being some of the best in the crime writing business, crime-writing pals Mark Billingham (Guitar/vocals), Chris Brookmyre (Guitar/Vocals), Doug Johnstone (Drums/Vocals), Stuart Neville (Guitar/Vocals), Val McDermid (Vocals) and Luca Veste (Bass) form the Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers. Murdering songs for fun for all who will listen, the band has rocked crowds at […]
Join us as award-winning author Anna Porter presents Deceptions: A Helena Marsh Novel. This witty, sophisticated sequel to The Appraisal returns to art appraiser Helena Marsh, whose latest job becomes a dangerous assignment. When the appraisal of a possibly priceless Italian painting leads to another run-in with menacing eastern European gangsters, Helena must carefully navigate […]
Fact and fantasy intertwine in the works of Murdoch Mysteries creator Maureen Jennings, and of Scottish husband-and-wife duo Chris Brookmyre and Marisa Haetzman (known by the pen-name Ambrose Parry). The historical fiction writers will come together to share how they meld mystery with history and apply research in the crafting of their tales. The event […]
Since its 1987 inception, British-Canadian author Peter Robinson’s massively popular Inspector Banks series has captured a worldwide audience, having been published in 24 languages and adapted for UK television. This not-to-be missed conversation with Robinson will uncover how he crafts and sustains such suspenseful plots and enduring characters. Robinson will also present his latest book […]
Hear from writers Doug Johnstone and David Whitton about their latest horrifically humorous mystery novels. Scottish author Johnstone presents The Great Silence, book three in the addictive The Skelfs series. When the matriarch of the Skelf family discovers a human foot while walking the dog, a perplexing case presents itself to the darkly humorous family […]
Samantha M. Bailey (Watch Out for Her), known for her debut thriller novel Woman on the Edge, joins fellow bestselling Canadian author Amy Stuart (Still Here) for a gripping discussion about their latest books. In conversation with local and internationally bestselling author Hannah Mary McKinnon, the two Torontonians will open up about their writing inspirations, […]
Strong women are at the heart of the newest novels by American authors Wanda Morris and Chris Pavone, when their characters are forced to go to great lengths to find answers to troubling circumstances. All Her Little Secrets is Morris’s debut novel, which depicts a Black corporate lawyer who finds herself in the middle of […]
Meet Nita Prose, long-time editor and first-time author of The Maid, already the smash hit of 2022! Prose’s gripping story positions a young, charming maid at a five-star hotel who gets caught in the centre of a murder investigation. The maid quickly realizes she’s uncovered one mess that she can’t clean up on her own. […]
TIFA’s most provocative conversation series returns, exploring thrilling new themes for MOTIVE audiences. Each day of the Festival, authors and experts will come together to examine a new facet of the culture and politics that shape the world around us and the books we read. Enthralling stories of crime and injustice are devastating realities for […]
Police aren’t the only ones on the hunt for justice in the latest novel from Ireland’s Stuart Neville. Neville’s The House of Ashes explores what can happen when paranormal intruders step into the unsuspecting lives of the living. He chronicles the life of Sara after her husband moves them to Northern Ireland and she begins to discover […]
Methodical. Resourceful. Courageous. Determined. National bestselling author Ian Hamilton has captivated readers with his award-winning Ava Lee series for over a decade. Don’t miss this chance to hear Hamilton present his latest installment, The Sultan of Sarawak. Ava, a young Chinese-Canadian forensic accountant clashes with a powerful and morally corrupt family empire after learning of […]
TIFA’s most provocative conversation series returns, exploring thrilling new themes for MOTIVE audiences. Each day of the Festival, authors and industry experts will come together to examine a new facet of the culture and politics that shape the world around us and the books we read. The role of policing has transformed considerably over time […]
Award-winning American author Kathy Reichs dishes on her upcoming thriller at this special opening night presentation. Cold, Cold Bones is the 21st installment of the Temperance Brennan series, and follows the forensic anthropologist on a trail of gruesome killings that hit her eerily close to home. Join us as we celebrate the legacy of Tempe […]
Ryan Gattis’s The System and Sarah Weinman’s Scoundrel both take a powerful look at the criminal justice system in the United States. Through the immersive storytelling of a fictional crime in South LA, The System explores opposing viewpoints and illuminates an astonishingly real world of violence, from crime scene through to courtroom. Scoundrel recounts the […]
