Congratulations to Mark Ellis, Winner of the Inaugural Cob and Pen Award for his novel Death of an Officer at the new Barnes Crime Writing Festival. I’ve known Mark for a few years now and like many of his fellow writers I’m delighted by this news. As the editor of Aspects of Crime I’ve worked with Mark on projects, including a new podcast series with Jane Thynne, launching this week. The DCI Merlin novels are an authentic, vivid and evocative series set in WWII London, well worth checking out if you love good historical fiction. I asked Mark for his impressions of Bloody Barnes and winning the award. Paul Burke.

The Cob and Pen Award for 2026

This year a brilliant new Crime Book Festival was launched in a leafy Thames-side suburb of London. ‘Bloody Barnes’ is the brainchild of Barnes resident and prominent local arts backer Anne Mullins, and co-organisers and accomplished crime authors Victoria Dowd (the Smart Woman Mysteries and others), and Bernard O’Keefe (the DI Garibaldi series appropriately set in Barnes). It ran between February 6th and 8th and attracted a host of top-ranking authors to appear on a total of 14 panels.

List of participants

The subject matter of panels ranged from locked room mysteries (with modern locked room maestro Tom Mead) to Scandi noir (Johana Gustawsson and Thomas Enger) , to the importance of scent in crime fiction. There were also showcase author interviews featuring Mark Billingham, Frank Gardner, Martin Edwards and other writing heavyweights. I myself featured on a panel called ‘Dying In Place’ with Vaseem Khan and Barbara Nadel, in which we discussed the various locations in our books and the importance thereof. The several panels I attended had full houses as, I understand, did all the others.

On the eve of the festival a Gala Dinner was held at which the recipient of the Festival’s inaugural Crimewriting Award, named the Cob and Pen in honour of Barnes’ native swans, was announced. From a very full list of entrants from 2025’s crime fiction publications, the Award judges had picked a strong shortlist of 8. To my amazement, my entry, the latest in my Frank Merlin WW2 London detective series, Death Of An Officer, was chosen as the winner and the best crime fiction novel of 2025. Anne Mullins handed me a very fine piece of engraved glassware and I departed the dinner on Cloud 9.

Mark Billingham & Graham Bartlett
For anyone who doesn’t know, ‘cob’ is the word for a male swan’ and ‘pen’ the one for a female. I was told that for many years there had been a male and female swan couple in the pond which is at the centre of Barnes, and next to which the festival venue (The OSO Arts Centre) is located. However, recently the ‘Cob’ died. He was replaced by a younger version, but sadly that one died too! So currently the Pen is alone. Hopefully another partner is found soon!
Preparations are currently being made for the 2027 festival at which another Cob And Pen Award will be made. I understand that Gyles Brandreth, who attended this year’s festival, will be awarding the book prize next year. Elly Griffiths is one of the early confirmed participants. If there are any crime writers reading this who have a chance to attend next year’s festival, I’d suggest you do your best to do so. Likewise crime fiction fans. I believe that Bloody Barnes is going to be a highlight of the book festival season going forward. Also, anyone publishing a crime fiction book this year should make sure to enter it for the award. You might get the shock of your life, as I did, and win!
Bloody Barnes 2027 will be taking place February 5th-7th next year at The OSO Theatre on the Green, Barnes.