The Religion of Detection

Beyond Belief

Giles Fraser and guests hear from authors of detective fiction, Kate Charles and Martin Edwards, on the subtle ways they weave faith into the crime puzzles in their novels.

Why is religious detective fiction so popular in our increasingly secular society? Did the detective replace the priest as the one who looked into the mysteries of life and battled with good and evil? Why do religion and detective fiction share so many noble pursuits in common? And, what is it about the detective genre that lends itself to such deep ethical and spiritual questions?

To explore Giles is joined by:

James Runcie, author of numerous books, including The Grantchester Mysteries, a series of six detective novels featuring the clerical detective Sidney Chambers. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and a member of both the Crime Writer’s Association and The Detection Club.

Ausma Khan, author of the Blackwater Falls crime series and the founder of the Muslim Writers Index.

Dror Mishani the author of the Avraham Avraham detective series that has been turned into a TV series by David E. Kelley. He is a literary scholar, specialising in the history of crime fiction, and the head of the creative writing program at Tel Aviv University.

Producer: Alexa Good Assistant Producer: Linda Walker Editor: Tim Pemberton