As a genre, crime writing, whether it be fiction or true crime, brings in much more intrigue than any other type of writing, believes Srikrishna Ramamoorthy. “I specifically use the word intrigue because after you’ve read something, you often find it so hard to believe that someone would have gone to those lengths to do those things,” says the Bengaluru-based venture capital investor and co-founder of the Bangalore Literature Festival (BLF).

Crime writing, therefore, was an “obvious choice” to kickstart BLF’s foray into a genre festival, with Dead Write, a literary festival dedicated exclusively to crime writing, debuting in the city this weekend.

“This has been something that has been on our minds for a while,” says Srikrishna, pointing out that with BLF now entering its 15th year, “we should look at ways in which we grow as an organisation, expand our offerings, our repertoire.” The idea, in the long run, is to go beyond just BLF and have a few genre-focused festivals in addition to the flagship one, he says. “It all comes down to the response we get to this, and how it plays out.”

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While, of course, Dead Write is not as big or diverse as BLF, it does boast an impressive line-up that includes crime fiction writers, journalists, police officials, and even the former-gangster-turned-writer Agni Sreedhar. “He used to be an underworld don in Bengaluru, now reformed, and has written two books: My Days in the Underworld: Rise of the Bangalore Mafia and The Gangster’s Gita,” says Srikrishna, noting that Sreedhar is a popular, deeply engaging conversationalist.

Some other speakers at the event, he lists, are: IPS officer Amit Lodha, journalist and author Rudraneil Sengupta, Bengaluru-based author Anita Nair, creator of the memorable Inspector Gowda series, former Delhi cop Maxwell Pereira, who led the team investigating the 1995 tandoor murder and London-based editor Leodora Darlington, who has just come out with her debut thriller, The Exes.

“What is interesting is that while she’s a debut crime writer, she’s been an editor at Hachette in the UK for many years, commissioning books of other crime writers, including MJ Arlidge,” he says, adding that Leodora will be part of a panel titled Crime Clues: Writing a Bestseller.

“I’m hopeful that a session like that is interesting for the lay audience, but also equally interesting for someone who’s thinking of becoming a crime writer,”

According to a release, Dead Write joins an elite global fraternity: Bloody Scotland (founded in 2012 by Tartan Noir writers Lin Anderson and Alex Grey, now one of Scotland’s most beloved cultural institutions), Crimefest in Bristol, and Noirwich Crime Festival in the UK, Bouchercon in the United States, and Thrillerfest in New York.

“What these festivals share is the electrifying understanding that crime fiction is not pulp. It is literature’s sharpest mirror, reflecting society’s darkest corners with wit, moral urgency, and breathtaking storytelling,” it states.

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Dead Write, says Srikrishna, who thinks of Bloody Scotland as “the absolute pinnacle”, has been inspired by these other international crime festivals. “The aspiration is to make it to that level, and I’m hoping that in a few years we will,” he says.

In addition to the actual festival, there is also a special murder mystery dinner, a fully immersive, theatrical, interactive whodunnit experience. “A drama of sorts gets enacted through a four or five-course meal, things unfold, and everyone is asked to solve this mystery,” says Srikrishna, who thinks of it as an apt way to end a day at a crime lit fest.

Registrations for this ticketed event, which also includes a buffet dinner, the festival’s only chargeable session, must be made in advance by completing a form available on the festival’s website. Since crime-solving takes place in groups of five, this form asks questions that help you get a sense of who you are as a person, he explains. “There’s an algorithm in the background that will match you to a table. I think this may be a great way to meet like-minded folks and make some new friends who enjoy the same things you do.”

Dead Write, Bengaluru’s first crime writing genre festival by BLF, will be held on May 23 and 24, 10.30 am onwards at the Bangalore International Centre (BIC), Domlur, Bengaluru. Entry is free, but registration is required at deadwrite.bangaloreliteraturefestival.org. To know more, follow BLF on @blrlitfest on X, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube for all updates

Published – May 19, 2026 10:11 am IST