Val McDermid and Sue Black

Crime writer Val McDermid and anatomist and forensic anthropologist Professor Dame Sue Black talk about the interaction between real forensics and crime writing and some of the projects they have shared. McDermid’s fiction has been keeping up with modern forensics since her first Lindsay Gordon novel in 1987 and the first conviction based on DNA in 1986.

McDermid is an international bestselling author whose books have been translated into more than 40 languages. Her multi-award-winning series and standalone novels have been adapted for television and radio, most notably the Wire in the Blood series featuring clinical psychologist Dr Tony Hill and DCI Carol Jordan. An ITV adaptation of the Karen Pirie series, featuring a Scottish cold case detective, is underway. Among her many awards are the Crime Writers’ Association Diamond Dagger recognising lifetime achievement and the Theakstons Old Peculier award for Outstanding Contribution to Crime Writing.

Black frequently advises on both crime fiction and crime fact. She is lifetime professor of anatomy for the Royal Academy of Scotland. Black was awarded an OBE for her work on war crimes investigations in Kosovo. She is a cross bench peer and president of St John’s College Oxford.

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