The Irish Murderesses WhatsApp group was originally started by a group of us who were going to the Harrogate Crime Festival, mainly to make sure we all got to various panels, dinners and drinks – and of course Betty’s – at the right time. Every year since then, it’s grown, and the Irish ‘team’ photo on the steps of the Old Swan Hotel has become legendary.
Now this group of crime writers is so much more than a festival weekend chat – it’s where we rant about articles in The Bookseller, discuss cases, ask questions about decomposition (doesn’t everyone?!) the half life of poisons and where to buy them, what a broken hyoid bone tells you, and where we discuss the best place for drinks after a launch. It’s grown into a mighty community of women who have one thing in common – we all write crime fiction. Then one day in January 2025, a chat about being frightened of cockroaches grew to an incredible, in-depth conversation, all about the things that frighten us.
It was fascinating – and then I said, ‘this would make a great short story collection…’
And it has!
Kitty (CL Murphy) volunteered immediately to coordinate the editorial side and has put trojan work into bringing together thirty-two Irish female crime authors to explore some of life’s greatest fears. This is an anthology of original stories, and is teeming with terror. Due to deadlines not everyone could join in, but every one of the Irish Murderesses is cheering it on.
This collection explores a wide and electrifying spectrum of the fears that keep us awake at night – from dolls, clowns and ghosts, to fire, heights and doors in hidden rooms. Here you’ll find tales of being buried alive, being forgotten, of loss and betrayal. My story is about birds, about a murmuration of starlings and a girl who is terrified that they will catch their claws in her hair…
Full of thrilling twists and chilling reveals, the collection is introduced by Mr Fear himself, the incredible Emmett J Scanlan, who plays Jimmy Kinsella in Kin, and who you may have seen in MobLand, Peaky Blinders, or Harlan Coben’s Fool Me Once amongst others. When I called him about the collection, he was being driven through the Cotswolds on the way to a MobLand shoot (MobLand features Pierce Brosnan, Tom Hardy and Helen Mirren). Emmett agreed to join us without hesitation, and his own story of facing fear is one that we can all relate to (but most of our stories don’t involve Guy Ritchie!)
We hope Fear will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last page – and at the same time raise much needed funds for an incredible charity: Women’s Aid.
Fear contributor Fiona Gartland said, “Fear is essential for our survival, isn’t it? It’s the fight, flight or freeze response that has kept us alive for millennia. The problem is when our fears no longer mirror reality. Nothing will happen to me if a Daddy Long Legs lands on my head, but try telling my amygdala and hypothalamus that!”
Sharon Dempsey explains, “It’s hardly surprising that we have become crime writers when we consider the old adage write what you know. We know and understand fear so we are drawn to writing crime fiction. Within the confines of a story we get to control the narrative and see justice served. Women are conditioned to be fearful through the real threat of violence in our every day lives. This makes us exceptionally good at recreating it on the page.”
And Edel Coffey added, “For me I was very intrigued by the prospect of writing about the subject of fear. I am really interested in exploring the origin of fear and how something might come to be a fear in one’s life or one’s psyche. A lot of our fears are deeply rooted in past experiences and I loved having the opportunity to dig into that in my story. It was also so lovely to be part of a group doing something together, and for such a good cause.”
Fear features: Cecelia Ahern, Alice Bell, Sam Blake, Jen Bray, Andrea Carter, Amanda Cassidy, Marie Cassidy, Edel Coffey, Kit Conway, Claire Coughlan, Sharon Dempsey, Michelle Dunne, Fiona Gartland, Karen Gillece, Carmel Harrington, Catherine Ryan Howard, Arlene Hunt, Amy Jordan, E.V. Kelly, Olivia Kiernan, Casey King, Hannah King, Catherine Kirwan, Siobhan MacDonald, Andrea Mara, Michelle McDonagh, CL Murphy, Gill Perdue, Louise Phillips, Eithne Shortall, Michelle Teahan and Mary Watson.
As CL Murphy says: “32 cracking writers, 32 original stories, one great book, for a good cause.”
It’s a GREAT read!
To grab your copy, pre-order here and watch this space for launch details!
The editors’ royalty earnings from worldwide sales of this book (expected to be at least €8,000) will be donated to domestic violence charity Women’s Aid (RCN 20012045). Contributing authors have donated their stories without renumeration to help make this possible.
