Home - New England Crime Bake 2026

Joseph Finder

Joseph Finder is the New York Times bestselling author of 17 suspense novels, most recently the forthcoming The Oligarch’s Daughter. His most recently published novel House On Fire is the fourth featuring “private spy” Nick Heller. His books have won numerous awards, including the Strand Critics Award for Best Novel for Buried Secrets (2011), the International Thriller Writers Award for Best Novel for Killer Instinct (2006) and the Barry Award for Best Thriller for Company Man (2005). The Boston Globe has called him a “master of the modern thriller.” Two of his novels have been made into major motion pictures, including High Crimes, adapted into the hit 2002 movie starring Ashley Judd and Morgan Freeman; and Paranoia, the 2013 film starring Harrison Ford, Gary Oldman, and Liam Hemsworth. A founding member of the International Thriller Writers, as well as a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Association of Former Intelligence Officers. Joe is a graduate of Yale and the Harvard Russian Research Center. He lives in Boston.

Lisa Gardner

Lisa Gardner is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of over two dozen thrillers, published across thirty countries. Her novel, The Neighbor, won Best Hardcover Novel from the International Thriller Writers. She has also been honored for her work with animal rescue and at-risk children. When not researching how to get away with murder, she enjoys hiking, gardening and traveling the world.

2025 Flyer

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The New England Crime Bake is the premier conference for writers and lovers of crime writing in New England

Featuring:

Master Class Workshops and Lectures

Ask the Experts Roundtables

Expert Sessions (law, policing, medicine, and other fields of interest in crime writing)

Manuscript Critiques

Agents & Editors Track

Practice Your Pitch Sessions

Flash Fiction Contest - Flashwords!

Al Blanchard Short Story Award

New England Crime Bake Lifetime Achievement Award

Books for sale by guests of honor, presenters, panelists, and first time published authors!

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Conference Updates:

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Crime Bake Swag

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We want to extend a huge thank you to every author who applied to be on a panel at Crime Bake 2026!

Curating this year's schedule was a true labor of love. Our committee worked to build panels that balance subgenres, highlight traditional, indie, and hybrid authors, and feature a blend of longtime conference favorites alongside new voices.

Although space limitations meant we couldn't place every author on the program this year, we have saved all applicant information to consider for future years. Thank you for being such a vital part of our community and we’ll see you at Crime Bake!