SHARJAH, 31st October, 2026 (WAM) — Ten Arab and international authors will explore the psychology of crime fiction, ethical dilemmas and storytelling techniques at the fifth Thriller Festival, taking place from 7th to 10th November during the 45th Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF).
Organised in collaboration with Thriller Festival New York and Capital Crime London, the four-day event at Expo Centre Sharjah will feature panel discussions, creative writing workshops and interactive sessions for students.
British novelist Clare Mackintosh will open ThrillerFest’s panel discussions on 7th November, alongside Egyptian novelist Noha Dawood and Emirati writer and filmmaker Ibrahim Al Marzooqi. Their session, titled “Why Does the Whole World Read Crime?”, will explore the appeal of crime fiction and how cultural settings influence storytelling.
Dawood will launch a three-day paid workshop, “Writing Crime and Mystery Novels,” where participants will learn to develop story ideas, construct intricate plots, create convincing characters and craft endings that keep readers guessing.
On 8th November, British novelist Abir Mukherjee will join Syrian novelist and journalist Islam Abu Shakir and Emirati writer Adil Al Sumaiti for a discussion titled “Where Truth Ends and the Novel Begins”. The session will examine artistic freedom, privacy and writers’ responsibilities when drawing inspiration from real-life events.
On 9th November, American novelist Karen Dionne and author Elizabeth Moore will explore the appeal of morally complex characters and villains in a panel titled “Inside the Dangerous Mind: Villains, Narcissists and Why We Can’t Look Away”. The writers will examine how villains are brought to life on the page and how cultural attitudes shape the limits of what readers are willing to accept.
Earlier that day, Dionne will meet students for The Book That Changed Everything, sharing how she wrote her breakout novel, the lessons she learned along the way and what happened when the book was adapted into a major motion picture.
The familiar image of the fictional detective faces a fresh challenge on 10th November, as British novelists Vaseem Khan joins David Fennell to explore how crime writers across cultures are reimagining the people who solve mysteries. Their panel, “Who Gets to Solve the Crime? The Detective Beyond the Old Template,” will examine how the genre is moving beyond traditional detective stereotypes and drawing on investigative figures and storytelling traditions from different parts of the world.
Earlier that day, Khan will lead an interactive session for students, titled “How to Write the Opening of a Mystery”. It will introduce participants to the structure of mystery fiction before challenging them to write an opening paragraph of their own.
Source: Emirates News Agency
