Lee Child Announced as First Headliner For Shetland Noir 2026

We are delighted to reveal the first headliner for Shetland Noir 2026 - internationally bestselling author Lee Child, creator of the iconic Jack Reacher series.

Lee Child is one of the world’s leading thriller writers. He was born in Coventry, raised in Birmingham, and now lives in New York. It is said one of his novels featuring his hero Jack Reacher is sold somewhere in the world every nine seconds. His books consistently achieve the number-one slot on bestseller lists around the world and have sold over one hundred million copies. Lee is the recipient of many awards including Author of the Year at the 2019 British Book Awards. He was appointed CBE in the 2019 Queen’s Birthday Honours.

The festival will return to Mareel from the 11th-14th June 2026, bringing Shetland’s unique voice to the global stage of crime writing, with a programme packed full of author talks, workshops, panel discussions and special events. Joining Lee Child will be four more headline authors, to be announced in the coming months, as part of a programme curated by Shetland’s own Marsali Taylor and festival patron & award-winning crime writer, Ann Cleeves OBE.

Noir Cards go on sale on Friday 13th of June 2025, these weekend passes give you access to all Shetland Noir panels, workshops and artist talks. Noir Card holders will also receive priority booking when individual tickets for events go on sale in March 2026.

Don’t miss this unforgettable weekend of crime fiction in Shetland and keep your eyes peeled as we reveal five more headline authors over the coming months.

Noir Cards will go on sale Friday 13th June 2025, with an exclusive 10% early bird discount available until Sunday 15 June 2025.

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