Friday, 5th September

Unsettled States

Tom Casey with PJ Coogan

Price per ticket: €27.95
Boat in: 5pm | Return: 8pm

The 2025 Spike Island Literary Festival opens with a gripping conversation between acclaimed author Tom Casey and Cork’s own PJ Coogan of 96FM.

Travelling from New York especially for the festival, Casey delves into the dark heart of international crime fiction with Unsettled States—his bold third novel exploring voyeurism, infidelity, murder, and moral decay. With a sharp eye for social commentary and unexpected flashes of humour, Casey draws on a lifetime of global experience as a former airline pilot and documentary co-producer to craft stories that are as thrilling as they are thought-provoking.

Described by Kurt Andersen as “as thoughtful and thought-provoking as it is fun,” Unsettled States promises to be the centre of a compelling discussion to open this year’s festival.

 

Tom Casey

Tom Casey’s unconventional exploration of voyeurism, infidelity, murder, and spiritual corruption is shot through with flashes of social commentary and humour.

Tom spent decades traversing the world as a professional airline pilot. In addition to flying passenger jets and writing fiction, he also co-produced a recent film documentary ‘Flying Boat’. Casey lives in Connecticut with his partner, Silvia Erskine, and Phoebe, their rescue dog. ‘Unsettled States‘ is his third novel.

“Unsettled States is as thoughtful and thought-provoking as it is fun.”— Kurt Andersen, author of Heyday

PJ Coogan