VE Day commemorations began today, building towards the 8th May and the Yarnbombers have surprised, comforted and delighted us, as always. We have my lovely pal Jan commemorating the liberation of the Channel Islands, which is where she grew up.
Of course their VE Day was the 9th May as this is when they were liberated. I was so pleased to see it there, as I found the history of the Channel Islands in the war thought provoking (I researched it for Sisters at War by me as Milly Adams).
We have a farmer, nurses, poppies, servicemen, the whole gamut. Please enjoy and join me admiring the Thirsk Yarnbombers, and may we remember all who fought, in their way, and that there was no Victory in Japan until 15th August.
I had a boyfriend whose father was a prisoner of the Japanese. He was never the same again. My first novel had nurses travelling to Singapore, and then it fell. Their imprisonment was bestial and long.
Mum was on a convoy to Singapore to nurse when it fell. Instead she continued to India where she nursed the injured and ill of the Burma Campaign.
After the war I met one of her friends who had been imprisoned by the Japanese. Again, it never left her but one of her most poignant memories is of the Cathedral given over to the injured, where she nursed as the Japanese approached. She remembered the smell of Chrysanthemums but could never decide whether they were actually there, or it was a remembered scent of times before the horror.
My father was in the Battle of Britain, and could never watch or attend a Remembrance Service because he had to live with the fact that as well as fighting himself, he had to send up his young men, very young men. It was almost more than he could bear, as most did not survive. That generation was the best of the best.
Adrian Muller, Dame Mary Perkins, Donna Moore – Image courtesy of Adam Stratmann
The awards began 17 years ago when CrimeFest launched in 2008; they honour the best crime fiction and non-fiction books released in the UK in the last year. 2025 will be the final awards as organisers announced this year CrimeFest will come to an end. The awards feature the hotly-contended Specsavers Debut Crime Novel Award, which offers a £1,000 cash prize.
Authors in contention for the £1k prize are Tom Baragwanath for his New Zealand small-town mystery Paper Cage, Cosmo’s Thriller of the Year Love Letters to a Serial Killer by Tasha Coryell, and the cosy crime caper The Antique Hunter’s Guide to Murder, by C.L. Miller. Also making the Specsavers shortlist are Akira Otani with the gripping Japanese cult thriller The Night of Baba Yaga, Tracey Sierra’s Richard and Judy Book Club pick, Nightwatching, and Scotland’s Claire Wilson with her debut, Five by Five.
Adrian Muller, Co-host of CrimeFest, said: “The Specsavers Debut Novel Award has become one of the most highly anticipated awards of the genre over the years, and we’d like to thank Specsavers for their on-going support in celebrating new talent.”
The shortlist for the CrimeFest H.R.F. Keating Award for the best biographical or critical book features icon of the genre Lynda La Plante with her memoir, Getting Away with Murder.
The category also includes an exploration of Agatha Christie, with Mark Aldridge’s Agatha Christie’s Marple: Expert on Wickedness, Female Detectives in Early Crime Fiction 1841-1920 by Ashley Bowden, and Sara Lodge’s The Mysterious Case of the Victorian Detective. Jem Bloomfield is also in contention for Allusion in Detective Fiction, as are Dan Coxon and Richard V Hirst for Writing the Murder: Essays on Crafting Crime Fiction.
CrimeFest’s Last Laugh Award for best humorous crime novel sees returning favourites authors Mike Ripley, Orlando Murrin, and Antti Tuomainen. It also welcomes Cathy Ace with The Case of the Secretive Secretary, Bella Mackie for What a Way to Go, and DG Coutinho for The Light and Shade of Ellen Swithin.
DG Coutinho received the 2025 bursary for a crime fiction writer of colour to attend and feature on a panel at the final CrimeFest for their first novel, a darkly comic thriller set in a toxic office culture.
Bella Mackie is also nominated for the best crime fiction e-book published in 2024; What a Way to Go is shortlisted for the E-Dunnit Award. She’s up against stalwart of the genre Martin Edwards with Hemlock Bay, Laurie R. King for The Lantern’s Dance, the American novelist and playwright Jean Hanff Korelitz with The Sequel, Liz Moore’s The God of the Woods and Peter Swanson’s A Talent for Murder.
The nominees for the CrimeFest Best Crime Novel for Children (aged 8 – 12) include Sufiya Ahmed for her World War Two adventure set in Cairo, Rosie Raja: Undercover Codebreaker, M. G. Leonard for Feather (The Twitchers) from the bestselling birdwatching detective series, and the magical murder mystery, The Floating Witch Mystery by Nicki Thornton. They’re joined by fellow children’s authors Natasha Farrant, A.M. Howell, and Beth Lincoln.
Adrian Muller said: “We are proud to be one of the few genre awards that recognise and celebrate children, and young adult crime fiction. This category has really boomed in recent years. It’s a fitting legacy that over the years we’ve gifted thousands of free children’s and young adult books to inner city schools in Bristol as part of our outreach and charitable work. The genre is a fantastic gateway into reading, so the hope these books have inspired new generations of readers and writers.”
Leading British crime fiction reviewers and reviewers of fiction for children and young adults, alongside the members of the School Library Association (SLA), form the CrimeFest judging panels.
The Best Crime Fiction for Young Adults (aged 12-16) features H.F Askwith’s A Cruel Twist of Fate, Denise Brown’s It All Started with A Lie, and A.J Clack’s dark reality-TV based Young Adult thriller, Lie or Die. Also in contention are the razor-sharp romantasy All The Hidden Monsters by Annie Jordan, the sequel to the Waterstone’s prize winning Thieves’ Gambit, Heist Royale by Kayvion Lewis and Such Charming Liars by Karen M. McManus.
This year also features the Thalia Proctor Memorial Award for Best Adapted TV Crime Drama, which celebrate dramas based on a book screened in 2024 Eligible titles were collated from the Radio Times and CrimeFest readers established the shortlist and the winning title. The award is named in honour of Thalia, who worked with many crime writers in publishing and was a much-loved and valued member of the CrimeFest team.
Shortlisted shows include Apple TV’s Bad Monkey, based on the book by Carl Hiaasen, P.D. James Dalgliesh (Channel 5, series 3), Laura Lippman’s Lady in the Lake adapted by Apple TV, Moonflower Murders on the BBC based on the books by Anthony Horowitz, Apple TV’s Slow Horses (series 4) from Mick Herron’s Slough House books and the BBC’s The Turkish Detective based on the Inspector Ikmen books by Barbara Nadel.
The winners of the 2025 CrimeFest Awards will be announced at a gala dinner hosted during CrimeFest on Saturday 17 May at the Mercure Bristol Grand Hotel, compered by the Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) chair and author, Vaseem Khan.
Hosted in Bristol, CrimeFest is the biggest crime fiction convention in the UK, and one of the most popular dates in the international crime fiction calendar, with circa 60 panel events and 150 authors attending over four days, from 15-18 May. 2025’s CrimeFest promises to be bigger than ever as long-standing friends of the event gather for a celebratory finale, including blockbuster author, Lee Child who will be attending with his brother and co-Reacher author, Andrew Child.
CrimeFest was created following the hugely successful one-off visit to Bristol in 2006 of the American Left Coast Crime convention. Established in 2008, it follows the egalitarian format of most US conventions, making it open to all commercially published authors and readers alike. All category winners will receive a Bristol Blue Glass commemorative award. Eligible titles were submitted by publishers, and a team of British crime fiction reviewers voted to establish the shortlist and the winning title.
Formula One World Championship Hungary-Williams-Racing
The thrill of speed at Beaulieu as Icons of Formula 1 take to the National Motor Museum stage: from the 24th May until 2nd November 2025 a new special display at the Museum will mark 75 years since the inaugural Formula 1 World Drivers’ Championship in 1950. The temporary exhibition will bring together nine iconic Formula 1 racing cars, including cars from World Championship winning teams such as BRM, Lotus, Williams and Ferrari. Each vehicle represents a decade of technical and sporting development in Formula 1’s illustrious history – as well as some of its most legendary drivers.
The Museum’s celebration of this motorsport anniversary isn’t just offering visitors the rare chance to see all the cars together but also experience the thrill of driving the powerful machines with an immersive adrenaline-fuelled Formula 1 simulator experience. The state-of-the art simulator sessions will give the rush of sitting in the cockpit of an F1 car, just like a real racing drive. The sim racing experiences will be available as an addition to the Beaulieu attraction ticket, and visitors will get the opportunity to compete for a monthly Champagne prize for the best lap time around the realistic circuit.
Jon Murden, Chief Executive says, “We can’t wait to share this display of the Icons of Formula 1. The National Motor Museum is renowned for our collection of motoring history, so what better place to showcase the development of motorsport and mark 75 years of the Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship. We’ve collaborated with some of the world’s leading teams and private collectors to bring this collection of iconic cars together and brought one of the best Formula 1 simulators to Beaulieu to offer the experience of the performance and thrill of real racing.”
The Icons of Formula 1 display headline sponsor is logistics company Indigo-Blue who work with the National Motor Museum to transport historic cars to events across Britain.
Entry to the display in the Museum is included in the Beaulieu ticket, and simulator experience add-on tickets can be booked and purchased on the day – the supplementary price starts at £15 for a 15 minutes sim experience.
About the Formula 1 simulator The Formula One simulator provides an immersive experience into the world of racing. Large screens and an advanced motion system with reactive belts heighten the experience. Developed in Italy by Wave Italy the simulator is aimed at racing enthusiasts and professional drivers. It uses a sophisticated vibrating system that faithfully reproduces the roughness of the track and curbs. The sim promises to give an ultra-realistic and unforgettable adrenaline rush driving experience.
Bookings can be made at the reception desk in the National Motor Museum. Timed slotsare allocated daily on a first-come, first-served basis, and are 15 minutes from 10:30am until 5pm. Height and weight limits apply and the simulators is designed for use by adults; it is a professional-grade racing simulator and a step-up from traditional console racing games. As such, young people and children may find the complexity of the simulator challenging.
When watching a world premiere performance, one is always filled with a heady mix of trepidation and excitement. The lights dim and out walks Principal Conductor Edward Gardner. The London Philharmonic Orchestra pauses then the beautiful music begins. You breathe a sigh of relief.
Along the front of the stage is a long black area and suddenly it’s filled with people, bizarrely wearing black lace. But the doubts about this soon disperse as they begin to move, to writhe, to climb and swing. They dance. And you get slightly tense again… in good way.
Maurice Ravel’s 1912 choreographic symphony Daphnis et Chloé is in effect a ballet, but is rarely performed with dancers because the rhythms do not flow organically that lead to natural formulaic dancing. The story recounts the romance between the goatherd Daphnis and the shepherdess Chloé. The piece roughly lasts an hour and stands out because, apart from the usual orchestra, there are also two harps, a wind machine and a wordless chorus. The BBC Singers provide the latter, in spine-tingling fashion.
But the performers… not much can upstage the LPO in full flow. But these people can! Circa provides 11 acrobats with such wonderful skills and athleticism that it genuinely causes the audience to gasp, hold its breath, stare wide-eyed in astonishment.
Daphnis et Chloé was followed by La Valse – a short 10-minute in length. Unlike the former’s storytelling and romance, this piece is hectic and raucous, at times vicious and crude. The standing ovation from the packed auditorium was certainly genuine. But the LPO and Circa then had less than an hour to prepare for a second performance. Amazing.
All this is part of the first Multitudes Festival, taking place at the Southbank Centre for the next week or so. It’s all about fusion, mixing art forms with full orchestras. And if this performance is anything to go by, the Festival will not only be a hit but is bound to be back next year!!
If you have read any of my previous reviews of the London Philharmonic Orchestra concerts, you will be aware that I am something of a fan, albeit one who would tell the truth if I hadn’t enjoyed the performances. Well, let me tell you that the last season was incredible, and each concert brought something special, including the triumphant performance of Mahler’s Symphony No 5, plus a veritable treat from the pianist, Francesco Piemontesi, playing Shuman’s Piano Concerto. (see above)
All the guest performers have been similarly spellbinding, and to be in the presence of such genius is both a privilege and a delight. So, it is no surprise that the upcoming programme has me salivating with anticipation.
Imagine sitting in a restaurant browsing the menu, each dish seemingly more delicious. Well, that was me as I browsed the 2025 – 26 programme:
Harmony in Nature is the title of new concert season for 2025/26. The season explores humanity’s bond with the natural world and issues a call to protect it – through the power of music that confronts, celebrates and inspires.
Season highlights include a performance from seven-time Grammy Award-winning composer and trumpeter Terence Blanchard, who, alongside his own jazz quintet, will perform the UK premiere of A Tale of God’s Will (A Requiem for Katrina) with the Orchestra. The LPO will perform 9 premieres across the season including Tan Dun’s Nine – an ‘ode to peace’ commissioned by the Royal Philharmonic Society as a companion piece to Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony in its 200th anniversary year.
Programming across the season explores the different elements of nature – water, forests, mountains, wildlife and more – reflected in music, including Beethoven’s ‘Pastoral’ Symphony andworks by Sibelius, Mendelssohn, Elgar and Dvořák; masterpieces of an era that saw nature as a mirror of human emotion.
More contemporary perhaps; voices as diverse as Duke Ellington, John Luther Adams and Anna Thorvaldsdottir have all found an unquenchable source of creative energy in the processes of nature.
If you are able to get to London, my advice would be to treat yourselves and buy tickets before they sell out.
.The 2025 longlists for the prestigious Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) Dagger awards, which honour the very best in the crime-writing genre, are announced. Created in 1955, the world-famous CWA Daggers are the oldest awards in the genre and have been synonymous with quality crime writing for over half a century. The longlist for the prestigious Gold Dagger, which is awarded for the best crime novel of the year, includes five debut novels including Bonnie Burke-Patel’s Died at Fallow Hall, the debut whodunnit from Kristen Perrin, How to Solve Your Own Murder, and the first book from bestselling author Harriet Evans, under her penname, Harriet F Townson: D is for Death.
The debuts are up against established authors in the genre, including RJ Ellory, Tana French, and Attica Locke.
The Ian Fleming Steel Dagger, sponsored by Ian Fleming Publications Ltd, showcases the thriller of the year. The longlist for 2025 includes Chris Whitaker with All the Colours of the Dark. Whitaker has previously taken home the CWA John Creasey New Blood Dagger in 2017 and CWA Gold Dagger in 2021. He’s up against firm favourites including MW Craven with Nobody’s Hero, Liz Moore’s The God of the Woods, and Abir Mukherjee’s Hunted.
The much-anticipated ILP John Creasey First Novel Dagger highlights the best debut novels. Among the rising stars of 2025 is the debut set in the shadow of the Yorkshire Ripper, Katy Massey’s All of Us Are Sinners, former prison officer Claire Wilson’s assured debut, Five by Five, and the moody neo-noir love letter to New York, An Honest Living by Dwyer Murphy.
DV Bishop makes two longlists with A Divine Fury – the Gold and the Historical Dagger. The book is the fourth in the Cesare Aldo series featuring a sixteenth century detective in Florence.
The Historical Dagger is sponsored by Morgan Witzel in memory of Dr Marilyn Livingstone. The longlist also includes Clare Whitfield’s Poor Girls: Meet the Female Peaky Blinders, which exposes the criminal underbelly of 1920s London, and Anna Mazzola’s The Book of Secrets set in 17th century Italy.
Maxim Jakubowski, Chair of the CWA Daggers’ committee, said: “Once again our independent and rotating judging panels have come up with surprises galore, highlighting the impressive efforts of both major authors and newcomers, with a convincing demonstration of how diverse and talented the crime, mystery and thriller field is at present. A wonderful embarrassment of outstanding titles.”
The Crime Fiction in Translation Dagger, sponsored in honour of Dolores Jakubowski, features the smash-hit, Waterstones Book of the Month, Butter by Asako Yuziki, translated by Polly Barton. From France comes Artifice, a thriller with a twist from Claire Berest translated by Sophie Lewis, and the queer debut gangland thriller The Night of Baba Yaga from Japan’s Akira Otani also makes the longlist.
The ALCS Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction includes giants of the genre with John Grisham and Jim McCloskey’s Framed, which looks at ten wrongful convictions, Lynda La Plante’s memoir, Getting Away with Murder and Kate Summerscale’s retelling of the Christie murders, The Peepshow: The Murders at 10 Rillington Place.
The CWA Daggers are one of the few high-profile awards that honour the short story.This year sees multiple bestselling names from the genre up for the award including Ann Cleeves, Elly Griffiths, Janice Hallet, Clare Mackintosh, Ruth Ware and Vaseem Khan.
The Best Crime and Mystery Publisher of the Year Dagger, which celebrates publishers and imprints demonstrating excellence and diversity in crime writing, pits big publishing houses including Michael Joseph (Penguin Random House), Hemlock Press (HarperCollins) and Sphere (Little Brown) against independent publishers, Bitter Lemon Press and Canelo.
2025 sees the announcement of two new CWA Dagger Awards.
The Twisted Dagger celebrates psychological thrillers and dark and twisty tales that often feature unreliable narrators, disturbed emotions, a healthy dose of moral ambiguity, and a sting in the tail. Longlist titles include NJ Cracknell’s The Perfect Couple, Beautiful People by Amanda Jennings and Catherine Steadman’s Look in the Mirror.
Tracy Sierra’s Nightwatching also makes two longlists: the Twisted and the Gold Dagger.
The Whodunnit Dagger celebrates books that focus on the intellectual challenge at the heart of a good mystery. Books in this category include cosy crime, traditional crime, and Golden Age-inspired mysteries.
Longlisted authors include Tess Gerritsen with The Spy Coast, Tom Spencer with They Mystery of the Crooked Man, and Lisa Hall with The Case of the Singer and the Showgirl.
The Dagger in the Library nominee longlist is voted by librarians and library users, chosen for the author’s body of work and support of libraries. This year sees firm favourites from the genre including Richard Osman, Kate Atkinson, Robert Galbraith, and Barbara Nadel.
The Emerging Author Dagger, which has been going for over 20 years, celebrates aspiring crime novelists and is sponsored by Fiction Feedback. The competition is open to unpublished authors, and is judged on the best opening for an unpublished crime novel. The winner will gain the attention of leading agents and top editors; over two dozen past winners and shortlisted Debut Dagger authors have signed publishing deals to date.
Mick Herron by Mikael Buck.
The CWA Diamond Dagger, awarded to an author whose crime-writing career has been marked by sustained excellence, is announced in early spring and in 2025 was awarded to Mick Herron.
I love to travel light. The idea of striding off into the sunset with just a clean pair of pants and a toothbrush in my backpack is my idea of heaven. Well yes OK, passport, credit cards, medications, shampoo, deodorant, fleece, rainproof mac, plug adapters, insect repellant, portable kitchen sink etc etc too, but my heart’s in the right place and my dreams are real.
So I’m all set for my trip to La Gomera – a small island off Tenerife which involves dashing off the plane, sprinting through passport control and around the corner to leap onto a local bus, followed by a twenty minute yomp from nearest bus stop to ferry, which departs around two hours from plane touch down. Clearly with these optimistically tight timings, waiting at the luggage carousel isn’t an option – so hand-luggage it is. Which isn’t a problem except for those, oh so tiny, plastic liquids bags in which I have to squeeze all my ‘look at least ten years younger’ potions plus, and, this is most important, my perfume.
So thanks heavens for Marc Jacobs, for making DaisyEau So Fresh Parfum capsules, and Perfume Direct for selling them at a crazily competitive price.
I can tell you that Daisy Eau So Fresh (part of the Daisy collection) is a lovely light fragrance, perfect for summer, but you’d have to take my word for that. So what I love about Perfume Direct, is their clear, objective descriptions to help you make your own decision. And they tell you that Daisy Eau So Freshis a floral, fruity, fresh fragrance. A sparkling, light and sunny scent with a vibrant energy. Sweetly feminine with enticing top notes of raspberry and grapefruit, a sensual heart of wild rose and a musky, sophisticated base of warm plum and cedarwood. There, you can almost smell it now, can’t you?
The Parfum capsules are just brilliant. Tiny capsules, so the tin containing all 30 fits easily in the palm of your hand, and, more importantly, takes up almost no room in the airport liquids bag. You simply twist a capsule and more than enough perfume is released to apply to neck, wrists, temples and other pulse points.
So if you’re planning a hand-baggage only trip, or simply want a small and convenient perfume to pop in your handbag, do tryDaisy Eau So Freshby Marc Jacobs, available at Perfume Direct for just £17.99 for 30 capsules (RRP £28).
By Dr K Thompson, author of From Both Ends of the Stethoscope: Getting through breast cancer – by a doctor who knows
Note: These articles express personal views. No warranty is made as to the accuracy or completeness of information given and you should always consult a doctor if you need medical advice.
Frank Family Butchers offers the most amazing and wide range of locally sourced meats from either Thirsk auction or their family farm (Toft Gate Farm, Greenhow). Lucky lucky us, for Frank is now in its fourth year in Thirsk and just goes on extending its range with no lowering of quality. On the contrary, Frank’s rib of beef is something out of this world, and and let’s not forget the mince, and the big fat sausages… but I mustn’t go on though it would be so easy to do so, given the quality and choice.
Come along with me, as I need to tell you that their renovation which has just seen its first anniversary, has transformed the shop and made it so much easier for them, and us. Have a look.
Clearly a great deal of thought went into re-shaping the premises. Roll of drums: bring on the renovators: clatter clatter as everything was improved, from the tiles to the flooring, to the lighting, to the display counters, which were moved to form an L shape allowing more room for customers and making it easier for us to see ALL the pies at the end of the shop as well as ALL the meats. Honestly, it is a lesson in temptation. I can’t tell you how often I have gone in for just those big fat scrumptious sausages, and come out staggering under the weight of food I couldn’t resist.
The lack of resistance factor, sadly for my chubbiness, includes their pies. I am a sucker for crisp tasty pastry. Are you? If so, you will think you have entered a space called ‘happy’. My favourite pie is the pork and stilton. Or I think it is. It could just be the straight pork pie, or the pork with- No, I must stop. The only thing to do is to work your way from one end of the pie counter to the other. Probably take a year. No rush because you haven’t even started on the meats, and neither have you finished your conversation with Chief Honcho Simon Frank, who is serving you.
Eventually I move across to the meats, and start chatting to Jack, as I did yesterday. Don’t be fooled though, because all the while the customers are actually multi tasking. Yes, they are nodding and talking but are also eyeing the quite impossible to ignore cuts such as rib of beef, shoulder of lamb, chicken and on, and on but I’ve already mentioned the beef… I’m on a roll, you see.
One of the strengths of Frank Family Butchers is the prepared meals, and inevitably I gravitate to them because they make life so much easier. The choice is wide, so yesterday I picked out just one; the Italian Jobs. Jack had been busy earlier rustling up a few of these Italian treats and I felt sure they would be sublime. Naturally I needed to know the recipe, and how to actually make a good fist of cooking the chicken breasts. The real question was though, between you and me, could I possibly pass it off as my own work from start to finish? No? Oh, all right, you’re quite correct, my mother would be proud of you. ‘That’s fibbing, and not funny, nice or kind,’ she’d say.
However, this is what you would say, should you be tempted to claim all credit: lay out your chicken fillet , and fill with creamy mozzarella cheese, then wrap it in streaky bacon and finish with a light herby tomato marinade. And the cooking? Ah, easy peasy, just oven bake for 30 mins at 180 in the foil trays provided and enjoy with courgettes sauteed with rosemary tips, and sauteed potato, or salad. I’d suggest a glass of a decent Merlot would not go amiss. I confess I haven’t given it a go in an air fryer, but on a low heat I think it should be fine. Try it and see is the answer.
As for the Italian Jobs enjoyed yesterday evening. Honestly – perfection, and my family agreed. I cannot tell you if I fibbed or not. They could be reading this. But hooray for Frank Family Butchers. Great team and fabulous products. https://www.facebook.com/p/Frank-Family-Butchers-100083173420033/?locale=en_GB
