Mark Billingham at literary festivals
Last checked: 28 October 2026
For a reader who has followed Tom Thorne through case after case, a Mark Billingham talk offers time with the writer who keeps that relationship going. His newer Declan Miller books give a second doorway, with a dancing detective and a Blackpool setting. The appeal is not limited to catching up with the latest plot: a festival conversation can let you think about why one continuing character has kept you reading.
Quick facts
- Best known for
- Tom Thorne and Detective Declan Miller
- Genre or subject
- Crime fiction and police thrillers
- Latest book
- The Shadow Step (2026)
- 2026 festivals
- Cheltenham Literature Festival
About Mark Billingham
Billingham created the Tom Thorne and Detective Declan Miller series. His official bibliography identifies What the Night Brings as the nineteenth Thorne novel and The Shadow Step as the third Miller thriller. For a new reader, those are two different starting choices. You can begin with a long-established detective at the start of his series or meet a newer character whose working life has a different setting and rhythm.
His work has moved onto television. Sleepyhead and Scaredy Cat became a Sky1 drama with David Morrissey as Thorne, while In the Dark and Time of Death underlie a BBC1 adaptation. If television brought you to the books, the novels offer a way to spend more time with the writing beyond the screen. A festival talk can be an enjoyable next step after that move back to the page.
He has won the Theakston crime-novel award twice and received the Sherlock award for a detective created by a British writer. In 2026 the Crime Writers’ Association awarded him the Diamond Dagger for his contribution to the genre. These are parts of a continuing writing career, alongside the series that readers return to for the people as well as the investigations.
The latest novel, The Shadow Step, was published on 2 July 2026. Miller’s dancing supplies its central image: a shadow step has partners facing in the same direction. That detail sits within a crime story, giving a reader something more individual to follow than the promise of another police case. The older detective and the newer series offer contrasting routes through Billingham’s work.
Where to start with their books
Sleepyhead
Alison Willetts survives an attack but cannot move or communicate, and Thorne challenges the police’s interpretation of what the killer intended. This opens the established detective series. Choose it if you want to meet the character at the beginning and see an investigation turn on a mistaken assumption, without learning the resolution in advance.
The Last Dance
Two apparently unconnected men are killed in a seaside hotel, bringing the grieving Declan Miller back into an investigation in Blackpool. His dancing and clashes with authority give this detective his own identity. Begin here for the newer series; it offers a different setting from Thorne’s cases and a character coping with loss while returning to work.
The Shadow Step
An apparently innocent man’s confession and a kidnapped student lead Miller towards dangerous criminal interests. An ex-soldier and a gangland enforcer are among the people surrounding the case. Read this if you already follow the newer detective and want his third mystery; if you prefer meeting a recurring character in order, begin with the earlier Miller novel first.
Festival appearances
For tickets, use the host festival’s official box office. Confirm the date, venue and access details before paying.
2026
| Festival | Date | Event and venue | Official source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheltenham Literature Festival | Mark Billingham The Hive | Official listing |
What their events are like
His featured Cheltenham appearance was on 16 October at the The Hive.
He also interviewed Richard Osman at Bloody Scotland’s Albert Halls on 18 September. That conversation covered Osman’s career and We Chase Shadows. If you enjoy listening to crime writers talk to one another, the connection gives you another author to explore, alongside Billingham’s own novels. It was an interviewing role, separate from his featured Cheltenham event.
Where to see them next
No 2027 appearances announced yet. Check the festival guides for programme dates.
Plan your trip
If you are travelling with another crime reader, choose whether the day is about Thorne, Miller or a broader look around the programme. You need not agree on a favourite detective to enjoy the same talk. A short conversation about what makes a series worth returning to can be a good way into the journey.
Take care with spoilers if your companion is only beginning a sequence you have already read. Keep a question about character or writing free of a solution from a recent case. Before carrying several hardbacks, check whether the event includes signing and what the organiser permits. Use the Cheltenham guide for the The Hive visit and the Stirling guide for a separate Bloody Scotland trip; the interviewer connection is not a second ticket for Billingham’s own books.
- Cheltenham Literature Festival: festival guide · Where to stay · 2027 programme
Read more
Explore Mark Billingham’s official writing information and the publisher’s author page.
Authors you might also like
Richard Osman
Billingham interviewed him at Bloody Scotland, linking two different crime-writing careers.
Ian Rankin
For another police series followed over many books and investigations.
Val McDermid
Another crime writer with recurring characters and a place on the Bloody Scotland programme.
Your questions about Mark Billingham
Which Mark Billingham series should I begin with?
Start with Sleepyhead for Tom Thorne or The Last Dance for Declan Miller. The reading section sets out the different premises. Choosing the first book in either sequence lets you meet its detective without having to catch up on a long series before a festival visit.
Did he interview another novelist at Bloody Scotland?
He interviewed Osman at Bloody Scotland. Their official event page is linked in the sources below. That connection is a reason to explore both writers, but it is distinct from Billingham’s own Cheltenham talk in the appearances table.
What was his Cheltenham venue?
The Garden Theatre hosted his named event. For a new booking, check the room on the current ticket and ask the box office about access or companion support before paying. A venue used in one year need not be the venue of a later talk.
Do I have to finish the newest thriller before going?
Only if you want to. You can enjoy hearing a writer through an earlier book or an interest in crime fiction generally. If you avoid spoilers, tell a companion where you have reached and keep any audience question about the craft of the story.
Can I buy festival tickets through this page?
Tickets come from the organiser’s box office, reached through the official event and guide links. This page helps you choose the trip and reading that appeal. Check the session’s time, location and ticket conditions before adding travel or an overnight room.
Sources
- Cheltenham Literature Festival: Mark Billingham
- Mark Billingham: official website
- Mark Billingham: official publisher information
- Mark Billingham: official book and event information
- Mark Billingham: official book and event information
- Mark Billingham: official book and event information
- Mark Billingham: official book and event information
- Mark Billingham: official book and event information
- Mark Billingham: official book and event information