Desmond Bagley (pictured) was one of the world’s best-loved thriller writers from the 1960s to the 1980s and wrote 17 novels before his early death at the age of 59 in 1983.

To mark the centenary of his birth, a blue plaque is to be unveiled on the house in Blackpool where he grew up, developing his love of books at the nearby Central Library.

Come and join us for this very special occasion, which will be followed by a celebration event at the library from 2.30pm (see separate event listing). It’s free and there’s no need to book. Just come along and pay tribute to the man dubbed by his contemporaries ‘the best’.

Continuing the celebrations to mark the centenary of Blackpool’s worldwide bestselling thriller writer Desmond Bagley, join us for a special author event at the town’s Central Library, where Bagley first developed his love of books and reading.

David Brawn, estates publisher at HarperCollins, who publish all Bagley’s books, will be hosting this special ‘in conversation’ event with me, Michael Davies. And if you don’t know what my connection is to Desmond Bagley, well, you haven’t been paying attention, have you?!

There’ll be tea, coffee and possibly even biscuits on offer at this free event, staged by the wonderful team at the library, and it would be wonderful to get as many people there as possible to celebrate the life and legacy of this superb author.

The new Bill Kemp novel Thin Ice gets its first public airing as the hardback, ebook and audiobook go live. Welcome to a world of pain and freezing challenges, Bill!