Founded in 2023, Hamptons Whodunit is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that hosts an annual festival bringing best-selling fiction authors, true crime experts and devoted fans of suspense together for an intimate, weekend-long experience that goes beyond the page. Through author conversations, interactive panels and workshops, attendees can get closer to the stories they love and connect directly with the storytellers and specialists behind them. 

The Savannah festival will be held at The Alida, Savannah, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel, with Hotel Orielle, Autograph Collection also hosting several events and welcoming guests. Together, the hotels will serve as more than a place to stay for the weekend, giving attendees a home base from which to immerse themselves in Hamptons Whodunit while experiencing Savannah's historic streets, Spanish moss-draped squares and legendary ghost stories. By bringing the festival to a destination where storytelling is part of the fabric of the city, Marriott Bonvoy is not just welcoming guests but creating an experience that connects travelers with a passion they love while helping them discover more of the place they're visiting.

The Festival will feature some of the genre's most popular fiction voices, including Jessica Knoll, the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of "Helpless" and "Luckiest Girl Alive," which became a Netflix film; Heather Graham, a New York Times and USA Today bestseller with more than 75 million books in print; Wanda M. Morris, the award-winning Atlanta crime writer whose “Anywhere You Run” was named one of The New York Times Book Review’s Best Books of 2022 and “What You Leave Behind” earned a 2025 NAACP Image Award nomination; Emma C. Wells, USA Today bestselling author of “This Girl's a Killer,” who joins the festival fresh off the September 8 release of her new thriller, “We Already Dug the Grave”; and Shanora Williams, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than 30 novels.

The festival will also bring together some of true crime’s most familiar faces including Barbara Butcher, a respected medical examiner who starred in Oxygen’s true crime series “Death Investigator with Barbara Butcher” and was featured on the Netflix series “Homicide New York,” forensic expert Joseph Scott Morgan and retired NYPD Sgt. Joe Giacalone, host of the popular podcast “True Crime with the Sarge.”

Guests can also put their detective skills to the test through a lineup of signature experiences, including:

• Wine and Crime: A simulated crime-solving experience where guests work alongside cold case investigator Sheryl “Mac” McCollum to solve a real case.
• Trivia Night: Guests test their crime and thriller knowledge alongside bestselling authors including Brendan Slocumb, author of “The Violin Conspiracy,” while enjoying dinner and beverages.
• Panels and Workshops: Two simultaneous tracks exploring mystery and thriller fiction, as well as true crime and forensics including: “From First Impression to Confession” – going inside the interview room to learn how to interrogate a witness; and “So You Want to Be a Writer?” – a best-selling author gives hands on tips to take your hobby to the next level.

“We’re excited to bring Hamptons Whodunit to Savannah and give our community a new city to discover,” said Carrie Doyle, co-founder and CEO of Hamptons Whodunit. “What makes our festival unique is the amount of interaction our audience has with our authors and experts and this new setting gives us a fresh way to do that without losing the intimate atmosphere that we are renowned for. We’re looking forward to taking this next step with Tribute Portfolio and Marriott Bonvoy, and seeing where this first chapter takes us.”

Education has also been central to Hamptons Whodunit's mission. Since its founding, the festival has introduced more than 250 students to careers in forensic science, forensic art, investigation, criminal justice and law enforcement, and this year, awarded its first two scholarships to graduating seniors pursuing journalism, fiction writing, forensic science or criminal justice. As part of the Savannah event, the organization plans to extend that mission locally through an education collaboration with the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) through a program that will introduce students to forensic and true crime-adjacent careers.

Tickets for Hamptons Whodunit's Savannah event can be purchased at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1998004763031. For more information on Hamptons Whodunit, or to view the Savannah weekend schedule of events, visit the Whodunit website. For more information on Marriott Bonvoy and to explore its collection of Tribute Portfolio hotels, visit Marriott.com.