Suspense - Crime Writers Panel

Amy McCulloch, chair of the panel, is the internationally bestselling of Breathless and Midnight.  In September 2019, she became the youngest Canadian woman to climb Mt. Manaslu in Nepal -- the world's eighth highest mountain - it was this that inspired Breathless, her debut thriller. She had also summited the highest mountain in the Americas, Aconcagua, in -45C and 90kmph winds, and has visited all seven continents. Her own experiences of visiting Antarctica inspired her second chilling thriller, MIidnight.

She has also written eight novels for children and young adults, including the #1 bestselling YA novel The Magpie Society: One for Sorrow. She is currently working on her next adult thriller, continuing to draw inspiration from her adventures.

Erin Kelly's  first novel, The Poison Tree, was a Richard and Judy bestseller and a major ITV drama. Her bestseller He Said/She Said followed a young couple who witness a rape and, after the trial, begin to wonder if they believed the right person. Her latest book, The House of Mirrors, has been described as “a bold, beautiful, sexy, full-throttle thriller”.

Claire Douglas has worked as a journalist for fifteen years, writing features for women's magazines and national newspapers, but she's dreamed of being a novelist since the age of seven. She finally got her wish after winning the Marie Claire Debut Novel Award, with her first novel, The Sisters, which was followed by Local Girl Missing, Last Seen Alive, Do Not Disturb, Then She Vanishes and Just Like the Other Girls and the Kindle number 1 bestseller The Couple at No 9. Her last two novels The Girls Who Disappeared and The Woman Who Lied, were Sunday Times number one bestsellers and she has sold over 1 million copies of her books. She lives in Bath with her husband and two children.