Crime, like so much else during the coronavirus pandemic, is going online. Crime fiction, that is.

On Friday at 8:30 p.m., eight local writers will participate in D.C.’s Virtual Noir for Indie Bookstoires (that’s noir bookstores), a series of readings designed to benefit independent bookstores. The event, organized by local thriller writer Ed Aymar, will continue on Friday nights through at least June 5. It’s free to join on Crowdcast, but those who tune in are encouraged to buy books from an independent bookstore that will vary by the week.

Aymar, author of The Unrepentant (as E.A. Aymar), was inspired in part by his love for Washington’s many bookstores. “This area has an embarrassment of riches,” he says, and the indies have been welcoming and generous to the crime fiction community. While nonessential businesses remain closed to patrons, some, like Kramerbooks in Dupont Circle, One More Page Books in Arlington, and Politics and Prose in Northwest D.C., have been operating limited delivery or pickup service. So Aymar wants to give back.

“This isn’t going to set them up for the rest of the year, but it gets people engaged,” Aymar says. “And as writers, we could all use a little attention as well.”

Virtual Noir is the online spin-off of D.C. Noir at the Bar, which Aymar started hosting in 2015 (one of dozens of Noir at the Bar events held around the world). A few times a year, about 50 to 60 people gather at Columbia Heights’ Wonderland Ballroom for readings from local crime fiction writers. Aymar decided to shift the series online after learning that a virtual writing conference attracted 900 attendees.

“I started to realize, wow, people had nothing to do and were sort of starved for entertainment,” he says. Plus, he knew D.C. would show a demand for it. “In this area, there are at least 60 or so traditionally published crime fiction writers who kind of fancy themselves as unsavory, disreputable types. I mean, we’re all nerds who read all the time and write, but still.”

Around 200 people tuned in for each of the first two iterations, which were held in April. The first in the virtual series supported One More Page, and the other encouraged participants to buy from Kramerbooks. Lelia Nebeker, a book buyer who’s been with One More Page since it opened in 2011, said the experience warmed her heart. “It makes it feel more like a community of people fostering stories,” she says.

During Friday’s event, which will support Politics and Prose, each author will have eight minutes to read from his or her work. Participants include Donna Andrews, who writes sleuthing novels, and Louis Bayard, whose most recent novel is Courting Mr. Lincoln. Also on the list: John Copenhaver, Allison Leotta, and Alan Orloff, among others.

In addition to the readings, local mixologist Chantal Tseng will make an appearance to prepare a custom cocktail inspired by one of the evening’s featured books. (It’s a spin on a corpse reviver, naturally; have rye whiskey and orange bitters on hand.) Sara Jones, a Maryland-based jazz vocalist and thriller enthusiast, will join to perform two songs: an upbeat swing tune, and a thoughtful ballad.

“It’s so special—the privilege of getting to see writers read their own work,” says Jones, who’s performed with many local groups, including the National Symphony Orchestra and Soldiers’ Chorus of the U.S. Army Field Band. “You can sit in your own house with your drink, and each author sets the mood and has their own story. Some of them get super bloody, but it’s great.”

Aside from the obvious—fun, social connection, and the opportunity to support a favorite bookstore—an unexpected delight has emerged during the livestreams. All the writers pose in front of a bookcase, and the audience has pounced on the opportunity to inspect its shelves from afar. “Which is really the nerdiest way for a viewer to respond at one of these events,” Aymar says. “But everybody has to have their bookcases on point.”

As the series kicks off its weekly run, Aymar expects the audience will be excited, and perhaps turn the experience into a virtual date night. The feedback he’s received so far has been positive. “I got an e-mail from someone I didn’t know who called it a much needed reprieve,” he says. “That’s not something you expect, but it was really encouraging.”

D.C.’s Virtual Noir for Indie Bookstoires will start at 8:30 p.m. on May 8. FREE