Bodies in the Library

26TH OCTOBER 2023 / NEWS

This month saw two enjoyable literary events as part of the Liverpool Book Club, held at the iconic Athenaeum in central Liverpool.

This month marks the first of a new detective thriller series by award-winning writer Margaret Murphy, published under the pen name M.K. Murphy. The novel, described as ‘a compulsive thriller’ by bestseller Ann Cleeves, has been optioned for television.

Over almost three decades, the Liverpool born author has written 12 internationally-acclaimed psychological suspense novels under her own name, and 5 forensic thrillers as Ashley Dyer and AD Garrett.

Margaret was in conversation with Professor Catherine Cole, Professor in Creative Writing in The Screen School, Liverpool John Moores University. Professor Cole and Margaret discussed the influences that have inspired Margaret’s range of writing styles, the importance of resilience as a writer and the power of reinvention.

The approach of Halloween was a unique opportunity to hear the acclaimed Liverpool born author Ramsey Campbell discuss what horror means to him. The Oxford Companion to English Literature describes Ramsey as “Britain’s most respected living horror writer”, and the Washington Post sums up his work as “one of the monumental accomplishments of modern popular fiction”.

Ramsey entertained the audience with a reading and fascinating anecdotes about his career.

These events were supported by the Research Institute for Literature and Cultural History, Faculty of Arts, Professional and Social Studies at Liverpool John Moores University.