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Founded in 2014 by lifetime Patron Mrs Amanda J Threadbone, the Threadbone Festival of Crime has rapidly established itself as the West Country's premier and most loved festival of crime.
This year's especially-themed programme - NOIRactually - - covers all aspects of the crime genre from classic who-dunnits through locked-room mysteries to period crime staples. The week-long cornucopia of all things criminal caters to all tastes and has become the must-attend event for the cognoscenti, intellectuals and myster-solversof the world.
Highlights of the 2020 Festival include: the World Premier of Doug Garves stageplay Dial B for brian; "An Evening with Agatha Panthus" - a virtual encounter hosted by spirit medium Freda Crystal-Ball who hopes to contact the late author and answer questions on her behalf and book readings and signings by renowned Threadbone Crime
authors Polly Athus, Gordon Tanqueray, Emma Roid, Doug Graves and Eleanor Beechwood. The Threadbone Festival of Crime is particularly proud to bring before the public for the first time new signing Nadine Rumshow who will talk about her experience of going analogue after a life in digital.
Stalls selling all of the current items in the Crimeshelf catalogue, new titles from the Albatross imprint and memorabilia of all kinds will be open throughout the festival
All in all 2020 promises to be the biggest and brightest Festival yet and - don't forget! - there's a beer tent!!!
FESTIVAL of CRIME
SPECIAL
guests
Festival Highlights: Master of suspense Doug Graves introduces his new play; Gordon Tanqueray reads from her latest novel; Quintus Remus discharges her mind on matters both Roman and more contemporary.
The FESTIVAL calendar
The OPENING event
Dial B FOR Brian
VENUE: Professor Thrupiece Arena
International Conference Centre, Stour Provost DATES: 30 January - 1 February 2020
Poster and Commemorative logo available from the orinoco store. © The truly Useless Company
The Threadbone Festival of Crime is proud to present the world premiere of Doug Graves Dial B for Brian based on his best-selling debut novel Dial B for Brian. Directed by Bill Kenwood-Cheffe, it starts Bradpole Pitt and Winifrith Newburg. Prepare for an evening of suspense with a surprise twist to the ending!
"I enjoyed the book and was looking forward to the film. I've seen the previews for this show and frankly I wouldn't bother"
Corfe Mullen Advertiser
"I like Doug Graves and I like Bradpole Pitt, on agood night I even like Winifrith Newburg, but the three together? I'm thinking chalk and cheddar or Morcombe and Heysham"
Batcombe Buglke
The MAIN events
THREADBONE SUITE [unless otherwise stated]
DAY ONE 30th January 2020
READING AND BOOK SIGNING WITH:
POLLY ANTHUS
Polly is the award-winning author of the Mediterranean Mysteries featuring Greek amateur sleuth Tessa Lonika.
Polly Anthus is the nom de plume of Freda Shufflebotton (DHRA member since 2006). Employed for more than 30 years in the travel industry (she is head of sales at Threadbreaks the Stinsford-based travel agency), she has travelled extensively throughout the West Country but has always harboured an ambition to travel to Greece. Having advised many an adventurous traveller and researched the Greek Islands better to service her clients, she has all the local knowledge necessary to bring her novels to authentic life. Polly lives in Morcombelake with her twelve cats (Lesbos, Samos, Chios, Kefalonia, Andros, Kos, Icaria, Milos, Paros, Karpathos, Samathrace & Mr Naughty).
GORDON TANQUERAY
Gordon is the award-winning author of the Spirit of Crime Series featuring troubled Detective Inspector Stiller on secondment to HMRI whilst recovering from serious trauma sustained during his time with the Serious Fraud Office (DEFRA Division).
Gordon Tanqueary who also writes as Glen Livet and Jack Bushmels was born in Scotland but grew up and was educated in Dorset (Corscombe Sixth Form College). He worked in the Dorset Sour Mash Industry before publishing his first novel "Gin Rummy". He now writes full time and lives with his Agent in East Orchard. "A Rum Do' was nominated for a Threadbone Golden Truncheon Award and was made into a successful TV Series by ThrupieceMedia for CHANNEL DORSET.
DAY TWO 31st January 2020
READING AND BOOK SIGNING WITH:
QUINTUS REMUS
Polly is the award-winning author of the Imperial Rome Mysteries featuring unprepossessing Roman sleuth Vinicius Pusilli.
Quintus Remus is the nom de plume of would-be amateur sleuth and former Threadbone Digital Laboratories technologist - Effigies Denudator - who, in addition to writing novels, is also an internationally famed exponent (and co-developer) of the Post synchronic chromic lateral denudation™ technique designed to precision scratch images through advanced digital technology to reveal hitherto undiscovered layers of interest and (sometimes) meaning beneath the surface stratum. She is also a renowned zither player and has appeared on at least one occasion with the Thrupiece Philharmonic Orchestra under charismatic Russian maestra Olga Legova. Writing as Quintus Remus she has received critical acclaim from a number of organisations and was briefly Chair of the Silver Pugio Award Panal - Dorset's premier prize for Historical Detectrive Fiction. She lives in Piddlehinton with Trucious, her beloved pomeranian.
EMMA ROID
Emma is the award-winning author of the Herston General Hospital Mysteries featuring dashing and debonnaire Adam Carrington everyone’s favourite life-saving consultant and part-time detective.
Emma Roid is the nom de plume of Mr Ahmed Aziz (DHRA member since 2016). An NHS consultant for more than 30 years and a private practitioner since 2016, Ahmed has performed thousands of largely successful operations and is generally regarded as "a safe pair of hands early in the week". Winner in 2018 of the silver scalpel for medical crime fiction for his debut novel Emergency Ward Love, he has gone on to write more than one other book (2). He is married to Polly Deathridge (who he freely admits is his model and inspiration for much loved fictional nurse Sally Wellbeloved) and lives with her in Dorset . They have 15 children. Between operations he splits his time between writing and research. He recently appeared before the Disciplinary Committee of the GMC but prefers not to talk about it.
DAY THREE 1st February 2020
READING AND BOOK SIGNING WITH:
ELEANOR BEECHWOOD
Eleanor is the award-winning author of the Maisy Darling Mysteries featuring
recently unemployed Civil Service secretary Maisy Darling.
Eleanor Beechwood is the nom de plume of a famous Dorset personality (and DHRA member). After a life on the international circuits, she turned to writing whilst convalescing from a fall in Higher Wraxall. Discovering she had a talent for plotting, a reasonable grasp of syntax but haphazard spelling [“Thank goodness for spellchecking!”] she wrote her first novel - All Aboard for Murder - in less than 2 years. She is now the author of more than two mystery romance novels, all of which feature her feisty socialite detective Maisy Darling.
Ms Beechwood enjoyed a long and complex relationship with a former Dorset Professor and for more than a decade she was his muse, travelling companion and horizontal jogging partner. She often accompanied him on his travels abroad.
DOUG GRAVES
Doug is the award-winning author of the Inspector Allardyce Mysteries featuring old school detective Inspector Allardyce everyone’s favourite old school detective.
Doug Graves is the pen name of Thurston Trebor. He was born in the West Country and worked for 20 years as an Accountant for The Threadbone Corporation. His early novel Death Comes Racing was based on an incident he witnessed as a 36 year old at the Knowelton Race Course. Wriiing was, he says, his therapy. Published in 2012, Death Comes Racing propelled him to regional recognition and won him the first of his 4 West Country Crime Writers’
Doug Graves
Association’s Golden Candlestick Awards. He is a two-times nominee for the Hengistbury Times Threadbooker Prize for Crime Fiction. Doug is the author of more than seven books. He lives in the West Country and is married to Threadbone Press Crime Series Editor Minty Trebor. His latest novel Death Takes A Cruise will be published by Threadbone Crimeshelf in the Spring of 2017.
Festival SPECIAL EVENT
AN Evening OF FORGOTTEN Threadbone Noir AUTHORS #1 Jim THOMBONE
VENUE: The BREAKOUT ROOM, Stour Provost International Conference Centre
DATES: 1st FEBUARY 2020
Distinguished actor and noir enthusiast Ms Molly Shankshaft will read extracts from Jim Thombone's classic She Done Him Wrong.
Not seen in our bookshops since 1958, She Done Him Wrong was the book which launched ThreadboneNoir's reprint series. A a tale of infamy and suspense set in the heart of Frome Vauchurch's seedy underworld where life is cheap and people die, the book is, like its enigmatic author, crude, hard-hitting and. prone to violence. Author Jim Thombone (1918-1972) who was born in New York but settled in Osmington Mills is, says Ms Shankshaft, a very appropriate author to feature in this evening's groundbreaking programme: "he never sold well in his lifetime and probably won't now, but it seems only right that an audience seeking anew challenge should begin it s quest with a classic failure. By setting the bar quite low, readers will know what to expect and can decide for themselves whether to call it a day on the whole tired idea".
Festival SPECIAL EVENT
AN Evening OF Thrupiece GHOST Stories
VENUE: The BREAKOUT ROOM, Stour Provost International Conference Centre
DATES: 31st JANUARY 2020
Distinguished actor and ghost story enthusiast Professor Jim Lloyds-Bank will read extracts from some of Professor Thrupiece's most famous and most spine chilling ghost stories.
With appropriately sepulchral lighting, special effects and especially-commissioned musical accompaniment from spoon and washboard-ace Alberto Mediantepiezza Jnr, the evening promises to be a spooky climax to DAY TWO of the Festival.
Trigger warnings are in effect and adults are advised to think carefully before bringing elderly relatives - especially those with pacemakers and/or bladder infirmities. The Festival organisers take no responsibility for loose bowel movements and their consequences and patrons are advised to keep a safe distance behind anyone they suspect may be subject to shock-induced evacuation.
PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS A STRICTLY INVITATION ONLY EVENT. IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A TICKET, A SECURITY PASS AND THE ABILITY TO MAKE A LARGE CHARITABLE DONATION YOU WILL NOT BE ADMITTED.
Festival SPECIAL EVENT of the Year
AN Evening WITH AGATHA Panthus VIA THE MEDIUM OF FREDA Crystal-Ball
VENUE: The Great Hall, Stour Provost International Conference Centre
DATES: 1st FEBRUARY 2020
In what will be, without question, the event of the Festival, spirit medium Freda Crystal-Ball will host "An Evening with Agatha Panthus" - a virtual encounter with the distinguished and prolific, but alas long-dead author - who will be in contact vis her spirit guide and will answer a range of questions put to her questions by the audience.
Please note this is a seance and is not, therefore, guaranteed to produce the outcome for which we all hope. To aid Ms Crystal-Ball and thereby Ms Panthus, we ask that all audience questions be submitted beforehand. In the event that high levels of static, oversaturation of the airways through excessive use of mobile devices or unusual movements in the Stour Provost area lead to Agatha's unavailability, substitutes will be on hand to answer in her stead.
PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS A STRICTLY INVITATION ONLY EVENT. IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A TICKET, A SECURITY PASS AND THE ABILITY TO MAKE A LARGE CHARITABLE DONATION YOU WILL NOT BE ADMITTED.
Additional EVENT now BOOKING
Treasures of CRIME MOVIE Soundtracks
The THRUPIECE Philharmonic Orchestra with Irina Legova OR Someone else
VENUE: Stour Provost Symphony Hall
DATES: 31st JANUARY 2020
A chance to hear the thrilling sound of the Thrupiece Philharmonic Orchestra under their legendary Director of Music, Russian Maestra Irina Legova.*
In this unique concert, the orchestra will play excerpts from the great film scores written for crime movies including especially-commissioned orchestral suites from the scores to: Farewell My Liver, Double Identity, Strangers on a Plane, Gasring, Paranoia, Death Crap, The Twelfth Man, The Turds, The Talented Mr Whippy and, as a special encore, excerpts from Addinsell Threadbone's unused score for Dial B for Brian - the movie that never got made!
*PLEASE NOTE MS LEGOVA MAY BE REPLACED AT SHORT NOTICE AND WITHOUT WARNING [TO HER OR THE AUDIENCE
CD available from orinoco © The Hornimint Company
The FESTIVAL of CRIME Bookstall
Our friends at THREADSTONES
VENUE: Threadstones Pop-Up Shop,
DATES: January 30th - February 1st
We will be open throughout the Festival with a wide range of Crime literature available to suit all tastes. All Crimeshelf, Albatross and Threadbone RealCrime titles stocked.
Eleanor Beechwood
1 February 2020
Quintus Remus
31st January 2020
Gordon Tanqueray
30 January 2020
Polly Anthus
3ost January 2020
See THE full RANGE of CRIMEshelf BOOKS HERE
PUBLISHED ON BEHALF OF
THE THREADBONE FESTIVAL OF CRIME COMMITTEE
COMMITTEE CHAIR
MRS AMANDA J THREADBONE
(C) THE THREADBONE PRESS
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