Morecambe & Vice, the North West’s only crime writing festival, has announced its 2019 festival line-up, including two academics from Lancaster University.

Professor Dame Sue Black and Dr Liz Brewster will be take part on panels during the festival, due to take place at The Midland Hotel, Morecambe, over the weekend of September 28 and 29.

The University’s Pro-Vice Chancellor for Engagement, Professor Dame Sue Black, is one of the world’s leading anatomists and forensic anthropologists.

Her expertise has been crucial to many high-profile criminal cases, and in 1999 she was the lead anthropologist for the British Forensic Team’s work in the war crimes investigations in Kosovo.

She was one of the first forensic scientists to travel to Thailand following the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004 to provide assistance in identifying the dead.

Professor Black will be the headline speaker on the Sunday discussing her life, her work and her latest book, ‘All That Remains’.

Dr Liz Brewster is a lecturer at Lancaster Medical School and a crime fiction aficionado.

In her day job, she researches the relationship between creativity and well-being, as well as teaching medical students to remember that patients are people too.

Her research on ‘bibliotherapy’ (the use of books to improve mental health and well-being) has examined the way that reading crime fiction can make us feel better about the world.

Dr Brewster will lead a panel discussing the themes of mental health in crime fiction and her work in bibliotherapy and the healing power of books, along with other professionals in the world of mental health.

Morecambe & Vice 2019, now in its third year, has established itself as a staple in the UK crime fiction events calendar.

This year, it has the support of Arts Council England, as well as continued support from Waterstones and Morecambe BID.

For more information on Morecambe & Vice, visit their website at www.morecambecrimefest.co.uk or follow them on Twitter @MorecambeVice