Alibis in the Archive 2026

I’m delighted to have been invited to give a solo talk at the ‘Alibis in the Archive 2026’ event to be held in collaboration with the Crime Writers’ Association at the prestigious Gladstone’s Library on 5th June – 7th June.This stunning location is home to the British Crime Writing Archive, made up of materials from the Crime Writers’ Association and The Detection Club. That champion of the genre, Martin Edwards, has worked closely with the Gladstone’s Library team to make the collections publicly viewable at this beautiful Grade I listed library. My talk will be titled: “From Moriarty to QAnon: Crime Fiction’s Masterminds and the Allure of the Conspiracy Theory.”

From the fog-shrouded streets of Victorian London to the fevered imaginations shaped by social media algorithms, criminal masterminds have always thrived in the shadows. This talk revisits legendary villains such as Moriarty, Fantômas, Dr Mabuse, and Fu Manchu to uncover the cultural fears that brought them to life. Examining their roots in early crime fiction, it traces how these shadowy figures helped establish enduring ideas of secret power and hidden control – ideas that continue to echo in the conspiracy theories of the 21st century.

My talk is on Sunday 7^th at 12.00pm and I’ll be doing a book signing afterwards – but there’s a whole weekend of crime-related goodies: talks, quizzes and dinners with the authors.

I’m honoured to be appearing at this event alongside some of the best crime writers in the business:

SJ Bennett, Angela Buckley, Ajay Chowdhury, Martin Edwards, Christina Hardyment, Antony Johnston, and Zoe Sharp.

So, I hope to see you there!

Further details can be found here.