saturDAY, NOVember 7 SCHEDULE
festival check-in + registration
Sat 8:20am on
The Alida Lobby
Check-in continues for Hamptons Whodunit guests arriving Saturday. Sign up here for a Mock Crime Scene time slot.
true crime / coffee & crime with joe giacalone
Coastal 15, Hotel Orielle
Weekend Pass required
Sat 8:30-9:30am
Grab a coffee while former NYPD Bronx Cold Case commander Joe Giacalone takes on the hottest cases in the headlines in an open Q&A.
An all-day interactive challenge, stop by this brilliant reproduction of a real crime scene created by CSI Sheryl McCollum to test your sleuthing skills. Examine the evidence as if you were an actual crime scene investigator. What do you deduce from the clues you see?
MOCK CRIME SCENE FORENSIC CHALLENGe
Location TBD
Requires signup, no ticket required, open to the public
Sat 9am-4pm
FICTION / don’t look away
Sat 9-9:50am
Franklin Room, The Alida
What happens when the truth becomes impossible to ignore? These authors write characters who see something they can no longer unsee — and must decide what they're willing to risk once they know the truth.
Gilbert Room, The Alida
Sat 9-9:50am
TRUE CRIME / wanted, watched and worshipped: the luigi Mangione case
A CEO is gunned down on a Manhattan street. A nationwide manhunt follows. Then the arrest of Luigi Mangione transforms a murder case into a cultural phenomenon. When the public turns a defendant into an icon, what happens to the pursuit of justice?
FICTION / GUEST OF HONOR GREGG HURWITZ
Sat 10-10:50am
Franklin Room, The Alida
In conversation
TRUE CRIME workshop / forensic ART: Facial approximation from skeletal remains
Sat 10-11am
Williamson Room, The Alida
What does a skull tell you? Join forensic artist Joe Mullins and learn hands-on how the skull reveals vital clues about age, ancestry, sex, facial structure, and people’s unique anatomical features. Through a blend of science and art, the session demonstrates the methods used in forensic facial approximation to assist investigators to identify unknown individuals.
FICTION / bloodlines & lies
Sat 11-11:50am
Franklin Room, The Alida
Every family has hidden sins. What happens when pulling at a single thread of memory unravels decades of deception? Our panelists explore domestic suspense, dark inheritances, and the deadly cost of breaking the family silence.
Join reporters from Daily Mail’s The Crime Desk for a behind-the-scenes look at two stories that have captivated millions: the Chris Watts murders and the Lindsay Clancy trial.
TRUE CRIME / INSIDE DAILY MAIL’S CRIME DESK: REPORTING THE CASES AMERICA CAN’T STOP TALKING ABOUTE
Sat 11-11:50am
Gilbert Room, The Alida
TRUE CRIME workshop / from first impression to confession
Sat 11am-12pm
Williamson Room, The Alida
Brad Beeler is a retired Special Agent with the U.S. Secret Service, where he served for 25 years in both protective and investigative roles. A 17-year veteran polygraph examiner, Brad conducted more criminal polygraphs than anyone in Secret Service history. A look inside the interview room — building trust, reading behavior, and the real techniques used in criminal interviews and interrogations.
FICTION + TRUE CRIME book signing
Sat 12-1pm
Pool Deck, The Alida
Free, open to the public
lunch break
Sat 1-2pm
A southern tea & book signing
Sat 1-1:50pm
Pool Deck, The Alida
Included in Weekend Pass
An Afternoon of Southern Charm, Storytelling & Suspense
Join us on the Pool Deck of The Alida for a relaxed Southern afternoon celebrating great books, intriguing stories, and the art of a good gathering.
FICTION / guest of honor jessica knoll
Sat 11am-12pm
Franklin Room, The Alida
In conversation with Carrie Doyle
TRUE CRIME workshop / witness for the prosecution
Sat 2-3pm
Williamson Room, The Alida
Participants watch a short video, then test their own eyewitness memory against the case — a hands-on look at memory, forensic interviewing, and composite sketches.
FICTION / under the lens: writing when readers are already listening
Sat 3-3:50pm
Franklin Room, The Alida
These authors built direct relationships with audiences through social media, podcasts, and reader communities. What changes when you write knowing your audience is already listening?
true crime / THE death investigator with barbara butcher
Sat 3pm-3:50pm
Gilbert Room, The Alida
In conversation with Carrie Doyle. In this talk, Barbara offers a candid look inside the world of death investigation and the real life cases that have shaped her career and inspired both television appearances and her writing.
TRUE CRIME workshop / x-ray identity portrait booth
Williamson Room, The Alida
Free, signup at event required
Sat 3-5pm
Forensic artist Joe Mullins will demonstrate how a side-profile photo becomes a personalized forensic facial approximation. Each participant keeps their skull portrait as a keepsake.
FICTION / no one is coming
Sat 4.4:50pm
Franklin Room, The Alida
When help isn't coming, ordinary people step outside the rules and become their own last resort.
true crime / zenith man
Sat 4.4:50pm
Gilbert Room, The Alida
Join author McCracken Poston Jr. for a fascinating presentation about Zenith Man: Death, Love, and Redemption in a Georgia Courtroom, the remarkable true story of Alvin Ridley and the mysterious death of his wife Virginia.
true crime / HAPPY HOUR
Franklin Room & Pool Deck,
The Alida
No ticket required
Sat 5pm
Happy Hour-priced drinks and food available for purchase. Come join us for Happy Hour and wind down with our renowned experts in forensics and law enforcement.
Fiction / trivia night
Sat 7-9pm
Trade Room, The Alida
Ticket $125 includes dinner & drinks
Hosted by bestselling author Brendan Slocumb, join us for a pub-style quiz game with other bestselling authors on your team. Test your knowledge of all things crime and thriller over a delicious dinner and drinks. A thrilling evening for mystery and crime aficionados!