Big Read starts new chapter

The festival’s ninth Big Read will be hosting a free reading group event at Dewsbury Library on Thursday 15 June.

This year’s Big Read is Ian Rankin’s breakthrough Rebus novel Black and Blue.

The Big Read takes place at 11am and will be led by award-winning writer Mari Hannah, author of the Kate Daniels and Ryan and O’Neil series.

Readers are being invited to delve into the world of Ian Rankin’s iconic detective in this celebratory year as Rankin marks 30 years of Inspector Rebus. Free copies of the book are available in advance.

Ian Rankin’s bestsellers have been translated into 36 languages worldwide. He has received the OBE for services to literature, and in 2016 Ian was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.

Mari Hannah said: “As reader-in-residence at Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival it’s my pleasure to tour the libraries of the north annually, to facilitate a discussion about crime fiction through the Big Read initiative. The idea is to reach out to communities, and bring people together by getting everyone to read the same novel simultaneously.

“Rankin is one of my all-time personal favourites who inspired my own writing. If you’re a fan or if you’re new to crime fiction, this is your chance to climb aboard the (Re)bus and chat about Ian’s wonderful characters and the intriguing worlds they inhabit. I can’t wait to welcome everyone!”

Ian Rankin said: “Black and Blue was the first book I was happy with. All the books before it had been an apprenticeship, to learn about the genre and what you can and can’t do – and become more confident about Rebus as a character.”

Tickets are free but please book your place at harrogateinternationalfestivals.com.