Sophie Hannah (1971) is an English author who has written prose and poetry as well as children’s books. Estonian viewers may be especially interested in the fact that the heirs of Agatha Christie have commissioned new Hercule Poirot novels from Hannah. Agatha Christie’ last Poirot story, Curtain: Poirot’s Last Case was published in 1975. Almost 40 years later, The Monogram Murders by Hannah followed; it is set in 1929 and has links to several original stories by Christie, while missing Poirot’s sidekick Arthur Hastings, who is replaced by the Scotland Yard inspector Edward Catchpool, the narrator of the book. Hannah has written three Poirot novels so far. However, Hannah does not stand out merely for continuing the work of Christie, she also writes crime novels in her own right and is a renowned poet. Sophie Hannah will talk to the crime fiction theoretician and crime writer Martin Edwards

Martin Edwards (1955) is a notable member of the crime fiction scene, both as an author and a keen analyst of the genre. He has won the Edgar, Agatha and H.R.F. Keating awards for both his own novels as well as works dealing with the genre. Edwards has written the series of the lawyer Harry Devlin, a series set in the Lake District and several stand-alone novels and he has been especially lauded for his skill to connect the plot to a specific place and create a special and engaging atmosphere. He has also written more than 60 short stories. In 2017, Edwards was awarded the Poirot Prize for his contribution to traditional crime fiction. His greatest recognition came with the work The Golden Age of Murder. It looks at the inter-war period as the heyday of crime fiction and challenges quite a few preconceived ideas related to the period. Edwards has also edited crime fiction anthologies and written forewords and comments to reprints of classics. Sophie Hannah and Martin Edwards will talk to British crime author Jason Goodwin.