Murder in Merton is a collection of crime writing events across South West London, organised and often hosted by Joy Kluver. It includes workshops, author talks and interviews, and competitions, alongside many other events.
Murder in Merton has run events in conjunction with Merton Libraries, Wimbledon Bookfest, and the Friends of West Barnes Library. Many of the events take place at Joy’s local library – West Barnes Library.
See below for details about upcoming and previous Murder in Merton events.
CURRENT AND UPCOMING EVENTS
Murder in the Mountains with authors Simon McCleave & John Sutherland on Monday 27th October at 7.30pm
On Monday 27th join Simon McCleave and John Sutherland as they chat to Joy Kluver about their latest police procedural books. Simon takes us to North Wales with his DI Ruth Hunter series, while John transports his normally London based police pair, Alex and Pip, to Scotland. Books will be available to buy on the night.
Entry is £2 in cash on the night. Call, email, or book in person with the library using the details in the poster. Alternatively, click here to sign up via Eventbrite.
West Barnes Library Writing Group once a month on a Monday at 5.30pm till 7pm
It’s a new year and a chance to start writing! The West Barnes Library Writing Group meets monthly to share writing, encouraging one another to improve and develop ideas. Come along for free – any level of experience and type of literature is welcome! These workshops are run in conjunction with the Friends of West Barnes Library and Merton Libraries, and are hosted by Joy Kluver.
Currently, the writing group is full, but watch this space for future announcements regarding the group and other workshops.
PREVIOUS EVENTS
Click below to view previous Murder in Merton events.
UK vs US Thriller with Sam Frances & Rod Reynolds – Monday 16th June 2025 7.30pm at West Barnes Library
June is fast approaching and it’s National Crime Reading Month! What better way to celebrate than joining Sam Frances and Rod Reynolds as they discuss their latest police procedural books with Joy Kluver.
All Eyes on You is Sam Frances’ debut novel and set in the UK. On the other hand, set in the US, Shatter Creek is Rod Reynold’s second Casey Wray book. Books will be available to buy on the night.
Entry is £2 in cash on the night. Call, email, or book in person with the library using the details in the poster. Alternatively, click here to sign up via Eventbrite.
Read Joy Kluver’s blog post about this event by clicking here.
Behind Closed Doors with Lily Samson & S E Lynes – Tuesday 25th March 2025 7.30pm at West Barnes Library
What goes on behind closed doors in your neighbourhood? This March join Lily Samson and S.E. Lynes as they chat to Joy Kluver about their latest books.
The Switch is Lily Samson’s debut. Set in Wimbledon, it features two couples whose lives become entwined. The Perfect Boyfriend is S.E. Lynes fourteenth book! We move to Aberdeen for this psychological tale of betrayal. Books will be available to buy on the night.
Entry is £2 in cash on the night. Call, email, or book in person with the library using the details in the poster. Alternatively, click here to sign up via Eventbrite.
Read Joy Kluver’s blog post about this event by clicking here.
Murder in Turkey and Wiltshire with Barbara Nadel & Joy Kluver – Tuesday 28th January 2025 7.30pm at West Barnes Library
This January join Barbara Nadel and Joy Kluver as they interview one another about their police procedural series.
With over 20 books in the series, Barbara Nadel’s The Turkish Detective Series has recently been adapted into a BBC show following the lead protagonist, Inspector Ikmen.
And with the latest addition of Rewind to her DI Bernie Noel Series, Joy Kluver will be in conversation with Barbara, looking at writing crime in the settings of Wiltshire and Turkey respectively.
Entry is £2 in cash on the night. Call, email, or book in person with the library using the details in the poster.
Read Joy Kluver’s blog post about this event by clicking here.
An Evening with Authors Janice Hallett & Joanna Wallace – Tuesday 19th November 2024 7.30pm at West Barnes Library
We have an absolute treat for you this November as Janice Hallett and Joanna Wallace join Joy Kluver at West Barnes Library for one evening only!
Janice’s debut, The Appeal, turned normal prose on its head as the story is cleverly told through emails and text messages. Janice has continued this style with all her books, including her latest – The Examiner. The Dead Friend Project is Joanna Wallace’s second book. A very dark comedy – you’ll never look at the school run in quite the same way again!
We are expecting this to be popular, so make sure you save your seat! Call, email, or book in person with the library using the details in the poster. Alternatively, click here to sign up via Eventbrite. Entry is £2 in cash on the night.
Read Joy Kluver’s blog post about this event by clicking here.
Murder & Mayhem with Graham Bartlett & Biba Pearce – Monday 17th June 2024 7.30pm at West Barnes Library
June is National Crime Reading Month and we’ve got two fabulous police procedural authors coming on Monday 17th June at 7.30pm. Graham Bartlett is a retired chief superintendent from Sussex Police. He used to be in charge of policing in Brighton and Hove, so if you’ve watched Night Coppers on Channel 4, you’ll have some idea of what that involved. He’s also a police advisor to other authors such as Peter James, Elly Griffiths and Joy! He also advises our other author, Biba Pearce. Her DCI Rob Miller books are set along the River Thames so have a real local flavour to them.
Alongside this, we’re running a murder mystery competition in the library, starting the beginning of June. Can you solve Murder in Motspur Park? Enter in person at West Barnes Library now and all will be revealed on the night of the event with a winner chosen.
Books from the authors will be available to buy and be signed.
£2 cash entry on the door. Free nibbles. Please book by either emailing the library on westbarnes.library@merton.gov.uk, ringing on 020 8274 5789, or pop into the library to sign up in person. Alternatively, click here to sign up via Eventbrite.
Read Joy Kluver’s blog post about this event by clicking here.
Secrets & Suspense with AA Chaudhuri & Jacqueline Sutherland – Monday 20th November 2023 7.30pm at West Barnes Library
The next Murder In Merton event is at West Barnes Library on Monday 20th November at 7.30pm. I’ll be chatting to psychological authors, AA Chaudhuri and Jacqueline Sutherland. £2 cash entry on the night but please book your place by emailing westbarnes.library@merton.gov.uk and leave your contact details.
Read Joy Kluver’s blog post about this event by clicking here.
An Audience with Janice Hallett – Saturday 21st October 2023 4pm at Wimbledon High School
I can now announce the next event for Murder In Merton. I’ll be chatting to Janice Hallett, author of The Appeal and The Twyford Code, at Wimbledon Bookfest on Sat 21st October at 4pm. Tickets go on general sale on Thur 13th July. Click here to book tickets.
Introduction to Crime Writing Workshop – Saturday 24th June 2023 11.30-1.30pm at Wimbledon Library
I’ll be running a beginner’s workshop along with Biba Pearce. If you’ve ever wanted to try your hand at crime writing or maybe you’ve been writing for a while and would like some feedback, then here’s your chance. £20 for the session but there are some limited free tickets for unwaged/low-income customers. To find out more, click here.
Crime in the Library – Tuesday 20th June 2023 7-8.15pm at Wimbledon Library
I’ll be interviewing Saima Mir (The Khan), Olivia Kiernan (The End Of Us) and Robert Gold (Eleven Liars) about their latest novels. Entry is free but you must book. To do so click here.
Read Joy Kluver’s blog post about this event by clicking here.
Crime Authors’ Fair – Saturday 10th June 2023 2-4pm at West Barnes Library
With Sarah Clarke, Lucy Martin, Biba Pearce, M L Rose, Amer Anwar & Alex Khan. There will be books available to buy and the opportunity to chat with the authors.
2:15pm Author introductions
3:00pm Amer Anwar will talk about his writing career.
Refreshments will be provided for a small cost. And there’ll be a competition to enter. No booking or entry fee – just turn up and stay as long as you like!
Read Joy Kluver’s blog post about this event by clicking here.