Val McDermid is a celebrated and best selling Scottish crime writer, known for her series of suspense novels and her famous creation for television, Wire in the Blood. Many of McDermids books feature locations in the North and this September she will talk about the importance of place in crime fiction, how location informs the story you can tell. McDermid will discuss A Place of Execution in Derbyshire, the Brannigan novels using Manchester and the impossibility of Bradfield feeling real without readers being able to map their experience of Northern cities on to it. Please book in advance to avoid disappointment. This event is brought to you as part of The Portico Literary Prize programme.