The opening night features Val McDermid in criminal conversation with festival curator Stacy Gillis.
On Saturday the line-up includes such treats as: international best-seller detective novelist Lindsey Davis on historical detective fiction, urban fantasy detective writer Ben Aaronovitch, the maestra of Shetland and Vera, Ann Cleeves, Roman expert Clare Bainbridge, crime reporter-turned-novelist David Mark, and the incomparable Mari Hannah, plus forensic experts, workshops, and a crime quiz with prizes!