Capital Crime 2025 - my first ever panel

This past weekend I was lucky enough to be on stage for my first ever panel at a literary festival. I was on a debut panel called 'The One You Least Suspect', all about ethical dilemmas and hidden intentions. It was excellently chaired by the crime writer Brian McGilloway and I was on stage with S.M. Govett and Remi Kone, both fellow debuts whose books have either only just come out or are about to.

It was also my first proper time in a green room (I had access to the one at Bloody Scotland last year, but felt a bit over-awed and fled as soon as I had my badge) and having a chance to chat with other debut authors I hadn't met before. It was really interesting comparing our experiences and sharing advice with each other.

Capital Crime is quite a new festival still, but it's a fantastic one. It takes place inside the Leonardo Royal Hotel St Paul's, right across from the cathedral. It's quite a venue. I had my usual problem at literary festivals, which is wanting to go to all the panels, but having the time and energy to go to about half, especially when things are scheduled opposite each other. As usual I drank too many fizzy drinks, ate too many unhealthy things and didn't get enough sleep, but I had a fantastic time.

I lived in London for about six years. While I'm very glad I don't live there anymore, I do love to visit, and I get to do that five or six times a year between my day job and publishing events. This time, I was just across the river in Southwark, and it was really amazing starting and ending each day of the festival with a walk across the Millennium Bridge.

I also got to do a bit of signing! Last year at the Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival in Harrogate, a bookseller called Andreas from the Waterstones in Wimbledon was the first ever person to walk up to me in public and ask "Excuse me, are you David Goodman?" - I'm not entirely sure that I'm fully over that happening, to be honest. Andreas had heard about A RELUCTANT SPY and was keen to get a copy. Since then, he's been an incredible supporter of the book, stocking it in hardback and now paperback and arranging both a window display and an in-store dedicated table. He asked if I'd be willing to make an early morning trip to Wimbledon to sign his stock, which I was absolutely delighted to do.

It was a brilliant start to the day and a genuine pleasure to visit the store. Passionate booksellers like Andreas are the lifeblood and backbone of the publishing industry and their recommendations and handselling can make a huge difference, especially to debut authors like me.

Huge thanks to Andreas - it was a perfect start to my Capital Crime weekend and a real boost to see so many copies in store. If you're in South London, there's a couple of dozen signed and stamped copies in the Wimbledon store (though they're going fast apparently!) so get yourself down there.

I had an incredible weekend at Capital Crime and I heartily recommend it whether you're a reader, an author or both. If you love crime and thriller fiction, get yourself to London next June.