Alibis in the Archive 2026

Alibis in the Archive is always a highlight in my year. I set up this festival in collaboration with Gladstone's Library back in 2017, and it's been great fun every time. I aim for an eclectic mix of speakers and crime-related topics (including true crime and crime-related non-fiction) and so far, I've had a different group of speakers each year (apart from me!) to underscore the feeling of variety. Though in future I shall probably invite some of the wonderful people we've had before to speak again on different topics.

There have been changes in personnel at the Library since last year, but I was very pleased with the way everything ran. It's always good to see attendees returning year after year, and also to get to know some of the people who are coming for the first time. Things kicked off with a welcome from Beth Russell-Tsuro, who has taken over from Louisa Yates (now doing great things at Warwick University) and after a lovely dinner I was quizmaster for an Agatha-themed quiz. I'd actually done an Agatha quiz of a slightly different type the previous Monday at the Athenaeum on Monday, and on both occasions it was a lot of fun. Next year's Alibis will run from 4-6 June, so do consider joining us.

On Saturday we had the first of our wonderful speakers, Zoe Sharp, followed by Christina Handyment, talking about landscapes in crime fiction. Antony Johnston spoke about his solve-it-yourself murders, and the interesting way he creates them, while Sophia Bennett told an interesting story about the connections between P.G. Wodehouse and a number of other authors. To wrap things up, I gave a presentation about 'judging a book by its cover'. We then had a small exhibition put on by the Library of items from the British Crime Writing Archives - including the Diamond Dagger (above photo), which I always love to see. 

Sunday began with Ajay Chowdury discussing AI and its potential benefits and risks. Angela Buckley (top photo) discussed Victorian true crime, and last but definitely not least came Phil Lecomber, with a fresh slant on supervillains in crime fiction. The atmosphere throughout the weekend was convivial and I'm truly grateful to all the excellent speakers, the staff at the Library, and the attendees, for making the festival one that will linger in the memory.