About the event
"It is my belief, Watson, founded upon my experience, that the lowest and vilest alleys in London do not present a more dreadful record of sin than does the smiling and beautiful countryside." So declares Sherlock Holmes in The Adventure of the Copper Beeches—a sentiment that perfectly captures the spirit when speaking of novel crime scenes.
Whether you're a fan of classic whodunits or modern thrillers, Christina Hardyment offers a fresh perspective on how place and plot intertwine in British crime fiction. She will explore novels where landscape is not just a backdrop but a driving force in the narrative. From windswept moors to shadowy city streets, these settings shape the crimes, the characters, and the atmosphere in unforgettable ways. It’s a journey through literary landscapes where beauty and menace walk hand in hand.
Speaker
Christina Hardyment is an author and journalist with wide interests, including a fascination with the historical background to our everyday lives – the way we run our homes and bring up our children, and the food we eat – and a love of literary geography: exploring the settings that inspired writers classic and modern. She is the author of numerous books, including Arthur Ransome and Captain Flint’s Trunk, and Novel Houses: Twenty Famous Fictional Dwellings. Her new book, Novel Crime Scenes: Twenty Deadly Landscapes from Dartmoor to Cape Wrath, will be published by Bodleian Library Publishing in 2026. She lives in Oxford.
Event information
The talk is hosted by the Friends of the Bodleian, but is open to all.
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