Capital Crimes and an interview with a fresh voice in Antipodean Noir

Debut crime writer Tom Baragwanath at his London launch in February

Craig every second Tuesday

Kia ora and gidday everyone,

So the big crime fiction news of this week, for those in the UK in particular but also many visiting authors, is the latest edition of the Capital Crime festival being held near St Paul's Cathedral in the heart of the city later this week (Thurs 30 May-Sat 1 June). When I first moved to London nearly a decade ago, for family reasons and with no idea how long I'd stay, I enjoyed the fact there were several terrific crime fiction festivals all around the country to enjoy. I'd been once before to the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival in Harrogate, when over in 2012 for a friend's wedding, and my first weekend in the UK in 2014 I spontaneously hopped on a train up to Stirling to attend one of the early Bloody Scotland festivals. In the years to come I also went to Crimefest in Bristol a few times, Noireland in Belfast, Chiltern Kills, and appeared onstage at Deal Noir on the coast, Granite Noir in Aberdeen, Bute Noir in Rothesay, Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival in Harrogate, and many Bloody Scotlands. 

In my early years in the UK, I commented on how there were so many cool crime festivals all around the country, big and more intimate, with new ones popping up regularly (Noirwich, Morecambe & Vice, Hull Noir, etc). Some were long-lasting, others came and went. But although there were plenty of crime fiction launches and bookshop author chats and the occasional event at the likes of the British Library, there wasn't a big crime festival in London itself. 

I was told by those in the know that it had been tried before, but never really worked. London wasn't suited to creating that collegial, booklovers all hanging out together atmosphere of other UK crime fiction festivals. 

Ian Rankin and Don Winslow onstage at first Capital Crime
in September 2019 (cr Ali Karim) 

All that changed in recent years thanks to Goldsboro bookseller and literary agent David Headley, author Adam Hamdy, event whiz Lizzie Curle, and their Capital Crime team. The first Capital Crime was held in September 2019, having been conceived in the back of a New York City cab while Headley and Hamdy were at Thrillerfest the year before (as reported by Karin Salvalaggio). It was a great success, but then 2020 hit, and like so many other events Capital Crime was walloped by the pandemic (incidentally, we held our first-ever New Zealand international crime writing festivals, Rotorua Noir, in January 2019, and plans for a second in January 2021 were similarly squashed by COVID. We hope to return in future). 

After a hiatus, Capital Crime did return however, evolving and growing each year. I was fortunate enough to be part of the onstage activities for Capital Crime 2022, which was held in Battersea Park in London. I loved that festival, chairing a couple of early panels on the Thursday afternoon, meeting SA Cosby that evening (Capital Crime was the first British festival to bring the breakout crime writing star of the pandemic across the pond), and hanging out with some cool authors before I had to fly to New Zealand on the Friday. Apparently it did rain a bit over the weekend though, which may be why Capital Crime switched back to a hotel venue in 2023 rather than staying in the park. 

Capital Crime 2022: Waterstones bookseller Andreas Alambritis, me, authors BP Walter, AA Chaudhuri, SA Cosby, critic Ayo Onatade, author Tariq Ashkanani

This year's Capital Crime festival includes another fabulous line-up of authors, ranging from legendary figures and well-established bestsellers and award-winners, to some of the freshest and most fascinating new voices. Personally, I'm particularly stoked to see the likes of Crime Writers of Color co-founder Kellye Garrett, who I've had the pleasure of interviewing before via Zoom but never met in person, and terrific Kiwi debut crime writer Tom Baragwanath, onstage. It's a festival full of highlights and must-see panels and events, far too many for me to list here, so I'd just say check out the full Capital Crime programme here, and if you're in/near London, head along if you can. I have a few clashes that weekend, but will be trying to get along for at least a few events/one day.

Speaking of Tom Baragwanath, whose debut novel PAPER CAGE was a finalist (ie shortlisted) for our Ngaio Marsh Awards in New Zealand last year, and has been published in UK hardcover and US hardcover this year - and recently listed by Kirkus Reviews as one of the most addictive reads of the year so far - I had the pleasure of first meeting Tom at the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival in Harrogate. Then earlier this year I managed to make it along to his UK launch at Waterstones Covent Garden (pictures atop this column, and right). 

PAPER CAGE launch in London

And yes, the eagle-eyed may spy that Waterstones bookseller Andreas Alambritis makes another appearance, this time alongside Aussie crime writer Emma Styles. I love how book events bring great people together.

Some of you who may have read my blog, Crime Watch - which has been running since 2009 but has been in a bit of a hiatus in the past couple of years - may be aware of my long-running 9mm author interview series (225+ interviews with a huge range of crime writers from many countries between 2010-2021). I'd been toying with the idea of bringing back that regular author interview series, so thought I'd now announce its return here on Murder is Everywhere by sharing a new 9mm interview with Tom Baragwanath, a fresh new voice in Antipodean Noir. 

9MM INTERVIEW: TOM BARAGWANATH

Tom Baragwanath is originally from Masterton, New Zealand, and now lives in Paris. His debut PAPER CAGE won the 2021 Michael Gifkins prize for unpublished manuscripts, and was released in Australia and New Zealand by Text Publishing. It was a finalist for the 2023 Ngaio Marsh Award for Best First Novel, and longlisted for Best Novel. It was also shortlisted for the 2023 Ned Kelly Award for Best International Crime Fiction, and has now been published in hardcover in the UK and USA in 2024. Between pastries, Tom is working on his next novel.

Who is your favourite recurring crime fiction hero/detective?

It's not exactly classic crime fiction, but the unnamed narrator of Haruki Murakami's 'Trilogy of the Rat' series (Hear the Wind Sing, A Wild Sheep Chase, and Dance Dance Dance) is a personal favourite of mine. He's cool and detached in typical hard-boiled fashion, but slightly bungling and remote in that special Murakami kind of way – and just resourceful enough to get to the bottom of things (even the more existential or philosophical mysteries). 

What was the very first book you remember reading and really loving, and why?

The first book I remember truly loving was a book about space shuttles my grandmother used to read to me before I could read for myself. I loved that book so much it disintegrated. As for novels, a friend put a copy of Catch-22 in my hands when I was around thirteen, and I just couldn't believe what I was reading: the gallows humour, the bleak yet oddly uplifting tone, and the incredible inventiveness of the language. Just an incredible book for a teenager to discover.

Before your debut crime novel, what else had you written (if anything) unpublished manuscripts, short stories, articles?

I had a bunch of short stories published in my twenties and early thirties, mostly presenting thinly-veiled versions of myself in situations taken loosely from my own life. I still like some of them – but some of them I'm pretty happy to forget. 

Outside of writing and writing-related activities (book events, publicity), what do you really like to do, leisure and activity-wise?

I live in Paris, so I'm morally obligated to see a lot of films – it's pretty much part of the application for residency there. This habit has been curtailed a bit by the presence of a toddler in my life, but it's still my favourite thing. Besides that, I try to run in Buttes-Chaumont as much as I can. 

Castlepoint Scenic Reserve on the Wairarapa Coast

What is one thing that visitors to your hometown should do, that isn't in the tourist brochures, or perhaps they wouldn’t initially consider?

Take a walk up Castle Rock at Castlepoint on the east coast past Masterton, and walk over to Christmas Bay for good measure. Bonus points if you manage to find the one day in a hundred when it isn't blowing a gale. 

If your life was a movie, which actor could you see playing you?

Mark Ruffalo. Looks nothing like me, but he's my guy. 

Of your writings, which is your favourite or a bit special to you for any particular reason, and why?

The final chapter in Paper Cage is probably my favourite. I won't say too much about why, but I was working on the version that ended up going to print when my wife and I were expecting our son, and I was reaching for a sense of care and protectiveness I couldn't quite describe at that moment – but I think I managed it. A big thanks to my publisher at Knopf, Caitlin Landuyt – she really pushed me to reflect on the kind of tone we wanted to end on in the final section of the book. 

What was your initial reaction, and how did you celebrate, when you were first accepted for publication? Or when you first saw your debut novel in book form on a bookseller’s shelf?

I had a call with Michael Heyward and Mandy Brett of Text Publishing to let me know I'd won the Gifkins Prize at about 9am one summer morning in Paris. I was exploding with excitement, but I had to wait until I finished work to go out and celebrate.

What is the strangest or most unusual experience you have had at a book signing, author event, or literary festival?

On the train from London to Harrogate for the crime festival in 2023, I was having a delightful chat with the writer SA Cosby about Don Delillo, Cormac McCarthy, and all the rest, when some chap's laptop bag fell off the rack and beaned me in the head. He was so apologetic he pre-ordered Paper Cage right then and there. A few more head injuries and I'll be a best-seller.

Thanks, Tom, we appreciate you having a chat with us. 

If you're in or near London this week, you can catch Tom Baragwanath, among many other fantastic crime writers -  legendary, well-established, and fresh new voices - at the Capital Crime festival near St Paul's Cathedral. 

Tom will be appearing on Thursday as part of the 'Whose Crime Is It Anyway?' event, where two teams of crime writers battle game-show style.

Until next time. Ka kite anō.

Whakataukī of the fortnight: 

Inspired by Zoe and her 'word of the week', I'll be ending my fortnightly posts by sharing a whakataukī (Māori proverb), a pithy and poetic thought to mull on as we go through life.

Nāu te rourou, nāku te rourou, ka ora ai te iwi

(With your food basket and my food basket the people will thrive)