ASL interpretation will be provided at this event.
Some of the most exciting writers working in the crime and thriller genres today gather from New Zealand, the US, and Vancouver, for an evening of page-turning crime fiction rooted in place and culture. Michael Bennett’s Carved in Blood follows a Māori former detective as she’s called back to the force to investigate the murder of her ex-husband. In Gray Dawn, the latest book in Walter Mosley’s bestselling series, Easy Rawlins chases a mysterious and dangerous woman through gritty 1970s Los Angeles. And hometown hero Sam Wiebe’s The Last Exile finds PI Dave Wakeland at the centre of gang warfare on the streets of Vancouver. Join us at the scene of the crime. Moderated by Jerry Wasserman.
Michael Bennett’s attendance generously supported by Creative New Zealand Toi Aotearoa.
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Event Participants:
MICHAEL BENNET is the author of the Barry Award nominated Better the Blood and the nonfiction book In Dark Places, both of which won Ngaio Marsh awards. He is also the author of the young adult graphic novel Helen and the Go-Go Ninjas which, along with Better the Blood, was a finalist for the 2019 New Zealand Book Awards.
WALTER MOSLEY is one of America’s most celebrated writers. He was given the 2020 National Book Award’s Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, named a Grand Master of the Mystery Writers of America, a PEN USA Lifetime Achievement Award, Robert Kirsch Award, numerous Edgars, and several NAACP Image Awards.
JERRY WASSERMAN is an actor, critic, and Emeritus Professor of English and Theatre at UBC. His resume includes more than 200 film and TV acting credits (see imdb.com), a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Canadian Association for Theatre Research, and the Max Wyman Award for Critical Writing. His new book, Life Could Be a Dream: African American Blues, R&B, Gospel and Doo Wop, 1946-1956, is published by McFarland.
SAM WIEBE is the author of the bestselling Ocean Drive (2024), as well as the Wakeland novels, one of the most acclaimed detective series in Canada, including Sunset and Jericho (2023) and Hell and Gone (2021). His work has won the Crime Writers of Canada award, and been shortlisted for the Edgar, Hammett, Shamus and City of Vancouver book prizes. He lives in New Westminster, BC.
