Murder, Mystery & Mayhem - In Conversation with Gytha Lodge and Rachael Blok
Date Added: 26/10/2021
The Central Beds Crime Festival
Monday 8 November at 7pm
The Rufus Centre, Flitwick
Join us as we chat with two great local authors and find out what attracted them to writing crime.
Gytha Lodge is a multi-award-winning playwright and novelist. Her debut novel She Lies I Wait was a Richard and Judy Book Club pick and her fourth book featuring Detective Jonah Sheens is due out in the new year. She is also a single parent who blogs about the ridiculousness of bringing up a mega-nerd small boy.
Previously an English teacher at a London comprehensive Rachael Blok is now a fulltime writer living in Hertfordshire. She writes a psychological crime series set in the cathedral city of St Albans. Here, DCI Maarten Jansen struggles against his plain-speaking Dutch upbringing when faced with the seemingly polite world of the picturesque city.
Get your questions ready and book your ticket to join Gytha and Rachael at The Rufus Centre, Steppingley Rd, Flitwick, Bedford MK45 1AH on Monday 8 Nov at 7pm.
Tickets cost £5 or £3 for consessions and multiple event bookings. Ticket price includes entry to a prize draw for books signed by the authors.
Gytha's Books
She Lies in Wait
Seven teenagers went down to the woods. Only six came back.
30 years later, a body is discovered.DCI Sheens already knows what's waiting for him - Aurora Jackson, found at last.What he doesn't already know is that it's murder.
All six witnesses insist on their innocence, but DCI Sheens is sure one of them is lying. But who?
Watching from the Dark
Aidan Poole logs onto his laptop late at night to Skype his girlfriend, Zoe. But to his horror, he realizes she is not alone.
Completely helpless, all he can do is listen to the sounds of a violent struggle.And then a chilling silence.He's desperate to find out if she is OK. So why is he so hesitant to call the police?
When his messages finally reach them, DCI Jonah Sheens and his team take the case. And discover the body. . .
Lie Beside Me
Louise wakes up. Her head aches, her mouth is dry, her memory is fuzzy. But she suspects she's done something bad.She rolls over towards her husband, Niall. The man who, until recently, made her feel loved.But it's not Niall who's lying beside her. In fact, she's never seen this man before. And he's dead . . .
As Louise desperately struggles to piece her memories back together, it's clear to Detective Jonah Sheens and his team that she is their prime suspect - though they soon find she's not the only one with something to hide. Did she do it? And, if not, can they catch the real killer before they strike again?
Rachael's Books
Under the Ice
It is the week before Christmas and the cathedral city of St Albans is blanketed by snow. But beneath the festive lights, darkness is stirring. The frozen body of a young girl is discovered by the ice-covered lake. The police scramble for clues. A local woman, Jenny, has had visions of what happened the night of the murder. But Jenny is an exhausted new mother, whose midnight wanderings pull her ever closer to the lake. Can Jenny be trusted? What does she really know?
Then another girl goes missing, and the community unravels. Neighbour turns against neighbour, and Jenny has no idea who to believe. As Christmas Eve approaches, Jenny discovers a secret about her past and why she could be key to everything...
The Scorched Earth
Two years ago, Ben Fenton went camping for the night with his brother Leo. When Ben woke up, he was drenched in blood, and his brother had gone. Days later, Ben was facing a charge of murder. Ben's girlfriend, Ana Seabrook, has always maintained Ben's innocence. And now, on the hottest day of a sweltering heat wave, a body has been unearthed in Ana's village. A body that might be Leo's. DCI Jansen is sure that Ana has something to hide. Will her secrets stay buried forever? Or can Jansen bring them to light?
Into the Fire
In a stately mansion in the Hertfordshire countryside, sisters Lois and Ebba throw a launch party for their new venture: Archipelago, a virtual reality game. In attendance are their celebrity investors including a glamorous British couple, a brooding Swedish financier, a Dutch banker and his film star wife, and a controversial politician. But beneath the glamorous surface, there are sordid secrets that include steamy affairs, deals in dirty money and anonymous death threats. So when eight of the guests are involved in a helicopter crash, it quickly becomes clear that it was no accident. It was murder.
You may reserve Gytha Lodge's books and Rachael Blok's books at no charge, to collect from your local library. Some are also available as ebooks and audiobooks, through Libby. Their books will also be on sale at the event. There will be plenty of opportunity to ask questions and hear about their books, writing and inspiration.
Murder, Mystery and Mayhem - author programme
We are pleased to be offering the opportunity to meet a great selection of crime authors at community venues across the county. So whether you enjoy a good psychological thriller, a classic whodunit or are keen to try something new we are sure you will find something to interest you.
• Amanda Brittany: Fri 5 Nov at Shefford Methodist Church Hall, Shefford
• Adam Croft: Tues 9 Nov 7pm at Methodist Church Hall, Ampthill
• A B Morgan: Wed 10 Nov 7pm at Orchard Community Centre, Biggleswade
• Rowan Coleman: Thurs 11 Nov 7pm at Greenacre Centre, Stotfold
• Peter Laws: Fri 12 Nov 7pm at Cranfield Village Hall, Cranfield
• Cara Hunter: Sat 13 Nov 2pm at Priory View, Dunstable
• Adam LeBor: Sat 13 Nov 6pm at Priory View, Dunstable
Tickets for all our author events are available online and cost £5 for a single event or £3 if you book for mulitple events. Alltickets include entry to a prize draw to win a book signed by the author.