Cara Hunter, Andrew Thompson and Joey Giddings

Crime writer Cara Hunter, DI Andrew Thompson of Thames Valley Police, and former crime scene investigator Joey Giddings discuss the stories behind real-life investigations of crime.

Hunter is the author of bestselling crime novels featuring DI Adam Fawley and his Oxford-based police team. Her books have sold over a million copies in the UK alone and been translated into 27 languages. Her third novel, No Way Out, was selected by the Sunday Times as one of the 100 best crime novels since 1945. Her first novel, Close to Home, sold over half a million copies. The television rights to the series have been acquired by the Fremantle group.

Thompson joined Thames Valley Police in 2000 and has worked across both the urban and rural areas of Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire. He has spent the last two decades working in various roles including uniformed response, custody, neighbourhood policing, CID and public protection within the realm of domestic abuse.

Giddings has a degree in forensic science and has worked in the criminal justice system for 12 years. He’s a former crime scene investigator, forensic examiner, and forensic quality consultant. He is also a magistrate in the adult criminal court. He regularly speaks in public about perceptions of forensic science and has lectured at universities, provided awareness training for barristers, and appeared in a BBC Ideas vodcast and BBC1 documentary.

This event is part of the festival’s crime fiction programme.