THE winners of Essex Book Festival's new Crime Writing Competition have been announced.

Writers from all over the world entered the festival’s first Crime Writing Short Story Competition with three writers from the East of England winning the top awards.

Unveiled by Dave Monk during a special BBC Essex programme broadcast from Essex University to launch Essex Book Festival in March, murder, mystery and grand larceny featured in the many entries received with the winners announced at a special awards event at the university last week.

As well as announcing the winners, the evening included a discussion between Dave Monk and award-winning crime writer Jim Kelly, who has worked as a Royal Literary Fund Fellow at Essex University for the past four years.

The overall winner was Bella D'Arcy Reed, a writer and consultant from Little Totham, for her story Rogue.

She says: "I was unable to receive the prize because I was taken to hospital on that day but I heard the next day and was so delighted – I didn’t expect it at all! I was short-listed in the Essex Book Festival prize in 2013 and longlisted for the East England Words and Women competition, so was very pleased about this.

"The fact that I am 71 and have impaired mobility I hope will encourage other writers in my position."

Bella is currently writing a novel set in 16th century Rome which was inspired by the research she did for my MA in Art History which she got last November.

Second-placed was Cheryl Greyson, a marketing expert from Ramsey in Cambridgeshire who works at Anglia Ruskin University and third was Mark Bibby Jackson, a publisher based in Great Dunmow.

The winning story will now be published on the Essex Book Festival website.

The competition was established to celebrate the life and work of Essex literary legend, crime writer Margery Allingham who lived in Tolleshunt D’Arcy, with the judging panel made-up of Chair of Essex Book Festival Seona Ford, agent for Estates and Backlist at publishers Peters, Fraser and Dunlop, Camilla Shestopal, and BBC Essex presenter Dave Monk.

Seona adds: “We are keen to champion new work, create opportunities for new writers and find innovative ways to ignite a passion for writing in all its forms so we were delighted with the overwhelming response not only from within Essex, but across the country and internationally with entries received from India and Japan. The standard of writing was outstanding.”

Essex has had a long tradition of nurturing some of the UK’s best-loved crime writers, including renowned Witham-resident Dorothy L Sayers, and more recently, number one bestselling author Martina Cole, born in Aveley and Colchester's Robert Thorogood, the creator of Death in Paradise.

To checkout the winning entries go on-line at www.essexbookfestival.org.uk