CWA Dagger Awards Longlists Announced

The 2025 longlists for the prestigious Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) Dagger awards, which honour the very best in the crime-writing genre, are announced.

 Created in 1955, the world-famous CWA Daggers are the oldest awards in the genre and have been synonymous with quality crime writing for over half a century.

The longlist for the prestigious Gold Dagger, which is awarded for the best crime novel of the year, includes five debut novels including Bonnie Burke-Patel’s Died at Fallow Hall, the debut whodunnit from Kristen Perrin, How to Solve Your Own Murder, and the first book from bestselling author Harriet Evans, under her penname, Harriet F Townson: D is for Death.

The debuts are up against established authors in the genre, including RJ Ellory, Tana French, and Attica Locke.

The Ian Fleming Steel Dagger, sponsored by Ian Fleming Publications Ltd, showcases the thriller of the year.

The longlist for 2025 includes Chris Whitaker with All the Colours of the Dark. Whitaker has previously taken home the CWA John Creasey New Blood Dagger in 2017 and CWA Gold Dagger in 2021. 

He’s up against firm favourites including MW Craven with Nobody’s Hero, Liz Moore’s The God of the Woods, and Abir Mukherjee’s Hunted. 

The much-anticipated ILP John Creasey First Novel Dagger highlights the best debut novels.

Among the rising stars of 2025 is the debut set in the shadow of the Yorkshire Ripper, Katy Massey’s All of Us Are Sinners, former prison officer Claire Wilson’s assured debut, Five by Five, and the moody neo-noir love letter to New York, An Honest Living by Dwyer Murphy.

DV Bishop makes two longlists with A Divine Fury – the Gold and the Historical Dagger. The book is the fourth in the Cesare Aldo series featuring a sixteenth century detective in Florence.

The Historical Dagger is sponsored by Morgan Witzel in memory of Dr Marilyn Livingstone. The longlist also includes Clare Whitfield’s Poor Girls: Meet the Female Peaky Blinders, which exposes the criminal underbelly of 1920s London, and Anna Mazzola’s The Book of Secrets set in 17th century Italy.

Maxim Jakubowski, Chair of the CWA Daggers’ committee, said: “Once again our independent and rotating judging panels have come up with surprises galore, highlighting the impressive efforts of both major authors and newcomers, with a convincing demonstration of how diverse and talented the crime, mystery and thriller field is at present. A wonderful embarrassment of outstanding titles.”

The Crime Fiction in Translation Dagger, sponsored in honour of Dolores Jakubowski, features the smash-hit, Waterstones Book of the Month, Butter by Asako Yuziki, translated by Polly Barton.

From France comes Artifice, a thriller with a twist from Claire Berest translated by Sophie Lewis, and the queer debut gangland thriller The Night of Baba Yaga from Japan’s Akira Otani also makes the longlist.

The ALCS Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction includes giants of the genre with John Grisham and Jim McCloskey’s Framed, which looks at ten wrongful convictions, Lynda La Plante’s memoir, Getting Away with Murder and Kate Summerscale’s retelling of the Christie murders, The Peepshow: The Murders at 10 Rillington Place.

The CWA Daggers are one of the few high-profile awards that honour the short story.

This year sees multiple bestselling names from the genre up for the award including Ann Cleeves, Elly Griffiths, Janice Hallet, Clare Mackintosh, Ruth Ware and Vaseem Khan.

The Best Crime and Mystery Publisher of the Year Dagger, which celebrates publishers and imprints demonstrating excellence and diversity in crime writing, pits big publishing houses including Michael Joseph (Penguin Random House), Hemlock Press (HarperCollins) and Sphere (Little Brown) against independent publishers, Bitter Lemon Press and Canelo. 

2025 sees the announcement of two new CWA Dagger Awards.

The Twisted Dagger celebrates psychological thrillers and dark and twisty tales that often feature unreliable narrators, disturbed emotions, a healthy dose of moral ambiguity, and a sting in the tail.

Longlist titles include NJ Cracknell’s The Perfect Couple, Beautiful People by Amanda Jennings and Catherine Steadman’s Look in the Mirror. Tracy Sierra’s Nightwatching also makes two longlists: the Twisted and the Gold Dagger.

The Whodunnit Dagger celebrates books that focus on the intellectual challenge at the heart of a good mystery. Books in this category include cosy crime, traditional crime, and Golden Age-inspired mysteries.

Longlisted authors include Tess Gerritsen with The Spy Coast, Tom Spencer with The Mystery of the Crooked Man, and Lisa Hall with The Case of the Singer and the Showgirl.

The Dagger in the Library nominee longlist is voted by librarians and library users, chosen for the author’s body of work and support of libraries. This year sees firm favourites from the genre including Richard Osman, Kate Atkinson, Robert Galbraith, and Barbara Nadel.

The Emerging Author Dagger, which has been going for over 20 years, celebrates aspiring crime novelists and is sponsored by Fiction Feedback.

The competition is open to unpublished authors and is judged on the best opening for an unpublished crime novel. The winner will gain the attention of leading agents and top editors; over two dozen past winners and shortlisted Debut Dagger authors have signed publishing deals to date.

The CWA Diamond Dagger, awarded to an author whose crime-writing career has been marked by sustained excellence, is announced in early spring and in 2025 was awarded to Mick Herron.

The CWA Dagger shortlists will be announced later in the year on 29 May.

The winners will be announced at the award ceremony at the CWA gala dinner on 3 July.

The Longlists in Full:

GOLD DAGGER 

D V Bishop: A Divine Fury (Macmillan)

Bonnie Burke-Patel: I Died at Fallow Hall (Bedford Square Publishers)

Ben Creed: Man of Bones (Mountain Leopard Press/Headline)

R J Ellory: The Bell Tower (Orion)

Tana French: The Hunter (Penguin Books Ltd)

Attica Locke: Guide Me Home (Profile Books Ltd)

Anna Mazzola: Book of Secrets (Orion)

Kristen Perrin: How to Solve Your Own Murder (Quercus)

Tracy Sierra: Nightwatching (Penguin Books Ltd)

Marie Tierney: Deadly Animals (Bonnier Books Ltd)

Harriet F Townson: D is for Death (Hodder & Stoughton)

Bridget Walsh: The Innocents (Pushkin Press)

IAN FLEMING STEEL DAGGER

Lou Berney: Dark Ride (Hemlock Press/ HarperCollins)

I S Berry: The Peacock and the Sparrow (No Exit Press)

Chris Brookmyre: The Cracked Mirror (Abacus/Little Brown, Hachette)

M W Craven: Nobody's Hero (Constable/Little Brown, Hachette)

Blake Crouch: Run (Macmillan/Pan Macmillan)

Garry Disher: Sanctuary (Viper/Profile Books)

Dervla McTiernan: What Happened to Nina? (HarperCollins)

Liz Moore: The God of the Woods (The Borough Press/(HarperCollins)

Abir Mukherjee: Hunted (Harvill & Secker/ Penguin Random House)

Stuart Neville: Blood Like Mine (Simon & Schuster)

Chris Whitaker: All the Colours of Dark (Orion/Hachette)

Don Winslow: City in Ruins (Hemlock Press/HarperCollins)

ILP JOHN CREASEY (NEW BLOOD) DAGGER

Jack Anderson: The Grief Doctor (Bloomsbury/Raven Books)

Eleanor Barker-White: My Name Was Eden (HarperCollins/ HarperNorth)

Jessica Bull: Miss Austen Investigates (Penguin Random House/ Michael Joseph)

Justine Champine: Knife River (Bonnier Books UK/ Manilla Press)

Anders Lustgarten: Three Burials (Penguin Random House/ Hamish Hamilton)

Gay Marris: A Curtain Twitcher's Book of Murder (Bedford Square Publishers)       

Katy Massey: All Us Sinners (Little, Brown /Sphere)

Alice McIlroy: The Glass Woman (Watkins Media/ Datura Books)

Dwyer Murphy: An Honest Living (No Exit Press)

Marie Tierney: Deadly Animals (Bonnier Books UK/ Zaffre)

Claire Wilson: Five by Five (Penguin Random House/ Michael Joseph)

 

HISTORICAL DAGGER

Rory Clements: Munich Wolf (Bonnier Books UK, Zaffre)

Emily Critchley: The Undoing of Violet Claybourne (Bonnier Books UK, Manilla Press)

D.L. Douglas: Dr Spilsbury and the Cursed Bride (Orion Publishing)

Douglas Jackson: Blood Roses (Canelo)

Chris Lloyd: Banquet of Beggers (Orion Fiction/Orion Publishing)

Anna Mazzola: The Book of Secrets (Orion Fiction/Orion Publishing)

Lizzie Pook: Maude Horton’s Glorious Revenge (Picador)

Sally Smith: A Case of Mice and Murder (Raven Books/Bloomsbury Publishing)

L.C. Tyler: The Three Deaths of Justice Godfrey (Constable/Little, Brown)

A.J. West, The Betrayal of Thomas True (Orenda Books)

Clare Whitfield: Poor Girls (Aries / Head of Zeus)

CRIME FICTION IN TRANSLATION DAGGER

Claire Berest: Artifice (Mountain Leopard) tr. Sophie Lewis

Carlo Fruttero & Franco Lucentini: The Lover of No Fixed Abode (Bitter Lemon Press) tr. Gregory Dowling

Anne Mette Hancock: Ruthless (Swift Press) tr. Tara Chase

Kotaro Isaka: Hotel Lucky Seven (Harvill Secker) tr. Brian Bergstrom

Andrey Kurkov: The Silver Bone (Maclehose Press) tr. Boris Dralyuk

Hervé Le Corre: Dogs and Wolves (Europa Editions UK) tr. Howard Curtis

Pierre Lemaitre: Going to the Dogs (Maclehose Press) tr. Frank Wynne

Patrícia Melo: The Simple Art of Killing a Woman (The Indigo Press) tr. Sophie Lewis

Akira Otani: The Night of Baby Yaga (Faber & Faber) tr. Sam Bett

Satu Rämö: The Clues in the Fjord (Zaffre) tr.  Kristian London 

Asako Yuziki: Butter (4th Estate) tr. Polly Barton

Alia Trabucco Zerán: Clean (4th Estate) tr. Sophie Hughes

ALCS GOLD DAGGER FOR NON-FICTION

Jared Cade: Secrets From the Agatha Christie Archive (Pen & Sword) 

Chris Chan with Patricia Meyer Chan, Ph.D.: The Autistic Sleuth (MX Publishing) 

Jonathan Coffey & Judith Moritz: Unmasking Lucy Letby (Seven Dials)  

Jeremy Craddock: The Lady in the Lake (Mirror Books)  

John Grisham & Jim McCloskey: Framed (Hodder & Stoughton) 

Duncan Harding: The Criminal Mind (PRH/Michael Joseph)  

Henry Hemming: Four Shots in the Night (Quercus)  

Joseph Hone: The Book Forger (Chatto & Windus)  

Emma Kenny: The Serial Killer Next Door (Sphere)  

Lynda LaPlante: Getting Away with Murder (Zaffre/Bonnier Books)  

Jane Rosenberg: Drawn Testimony (Manilla Press/Bonnier Books)  

Kate Summerscale: The Peepshow: The Murders at 10 Rillington Place (Bloomsbury Circus)  

SHORT STORY DAGGER

S.J Bennett: ‘The Glorious Twelfth’ in Midsummer Mysteries edited by Martin Edwards (lame Tree Publishing/Flame Tree Collections)

J.C Berthal: ‘A Date on Yarmouth Pier’ in Midsummer Mysteries edited by Martin Edwards (Flame Tree Publishing/Flame Tree Collections)

Ann Cleeves: ‘Parkrun’ in Murder in Harrogate edited by Vaseem Khan (Orion Publishing Group/Orion Fiction)

Elly Griffiths: ‘The Valley of the Queens’ in The Man in Black and Other Stories (Quercus)

Janice Hallett: ‘Why Harrogate?’ in Murder in Harrogate edited by Vaseem Khan (Orion Publishing Group/Orion Fiction)

Vaseem Khan: ‘Murder in Masham’ in Murder in Harrogate edited by Vaseem Khan (Orion Publishing Group/Orion Fiction)

Clare Mackintosh: ‘The Perfect Smile’ in Murder in Harrogate edited by Vaseem Khan (Orion Publishing Group/Orion Fiction)

William Burton McCormick: ‘City Without Shadows’ in Midsummer Mysteries edited by Martin Edwards (Flame Tree Publishing/Flame Tree Collections)

Meeti Shroff-Shah: ‘A Ruby Sun’ in Beyond and Within: Midsummer Mysteries edited by Martin Edwards (Flame Tree Publishing/Flame Tree Collections)

Ruth Ware: ‘Murder at the Turkish Baths’ in Murder in Harrogate edited by Vaseem Khan, (Orion Publishing Group/ Orion Fiction)

WHODUNNIT DAGGER

SJ Bennett, A Death in Diamonds Bonnier Books UK, Zaffre

Andreina Cordani, Murder at the Christmas Emporium Bonnier Books UK, Zaffre

Tess Gerritsen, The Spy Coast, Transworld, Penguin Random House, Bantam

Lisa Hall, The Case of the Singer and the Showgirl Hera Hera

Ellery Lloyd, The Final Act of Juliette Willoughby, Macmillan         

Laura Marshall,  A Good Place to Hide a Body, Hodder & Stoughton    

Nita Prose, The Mystery Guest, HarperCollins Publishers, HarperFiction

Meeti Shroff-Shah, A Matrimonial Murder, Joffe Books   

Sally Smith, A Case of Mice and Murder, Bloomsbury Publishing Plc. Raven Books

Tom Spencer, The Mystery of the Crooked Man, Pushkin Press, Pushkin Vertigo

Benjamin Stevenson, Everyone On This Train Is A Suspect, PRH, Michael Joseph

Jamie West, Murder at the Matinee, Brabinger Publishing

 TWISTED DAGGER

Sharon Bolton: The Neighbour's Secret (Orion Publishing Group/ Orion Fiction)

NJ Cracknell: The Perfect Couple (Bloodhound Books)      

Clara Dillon: The Playdate (PRH/Penguin Sandycove)

Caz Frear: Five Bad Deeds (Simon & Schuster UK)

Kellye Garrett: Missing White Woman (Simon & Schuster UK)

Andrew Hughes: Emma, Disappeared (Hachette Books Ireland)

Amanda Jennings: Beautiful People (HarperCollins/ HQ FICTION)

John Marrs: The Stranger In Her House (Amazon Publishing/ Thomas & Mercer)

Hannah Richell: The Search Party (Simon & Schuster UK)

CS Robertson: The Trials Of Marjorie Crowe (Hodder & Stoughton)            

Tracy Sierra: Nightwatching (PRH/ Viking)

Catherine Steadman: Look In The Mirror (Quercus)   

     

DAGGER IN THE LIBRARY

Richard Osman

Janice Hallett

Kate Atkinson

Barbara Nadel

CJ Tudor

Edward Marston

Julia Chapman

Lisa Jewell

Robert Galbraith

Tim Sullivan

PUBLISHERS’ DAGGER

Allison & Busby

Bitter Lemon Press

Canelo

Faber & Faber

Michael Joseph (Penguin Random House)

Hemlock Press (HarperCollins)

Orenda

Orion Books

Pan Macmillan

 

Narratives of Captivity: An Interdisciplinary Symposium - Call for Abstracts

 

Narratives of Captivity: An Interdisciplinary Symposium

18^th June 2025

Northumbria University

Newcastle and Online

Call for Abstracts

The Northumbria Centre for Evidence and Criminal Justice Studies, in association with the Crime Studies Network, is holding a one-day interdisciplinary symposium on Narratives of Captivity on Wednesday 18th June  2025. This will be a hybrid event, held on campus in central Newcastle and online.

We are interested in how literature, popular culture and law understand situations of loss of liberty or severely restricted freedom, including in the context of imprisonment, kidnapping, (irregular) migration (e.g. visa regimes, human trafficking or migrant smuggling) and coercive and controlling behaviour. In particular, we welcome papers which discuss how far individuals in situations of captivity are portrayed as retaining moral or legal responsibility for their actions, and on the parallels or contrasts between the depiction of ostensibly legitimate imprisonment and illegal forms of confinement. Contributions are welcome from any discipline including literature, history, philosophy, sociology, media studies, criminology and law.

Attendance is free of charge.

Please send abstracts (approximately 300 words) to tony.ward@northumbria.ac.uk by 16 May  2025.

Elmore Leonard - Penguin Modern Classics

Penguin are delighted to announce the re-release of fourteen books by the legendary American crime writer Elmore Leonard, as part of the hugely successful Penguin Modern Classics Crime series. The first three titles are set to publish on 5th June: fan favourites Swag, The Switch and the brilliant Rum Punch, which spawned Quentin Tarantino’s hit film Jackie Brown. 

Widely regarded as one of the greatest crime writers of all time, Elmore Leonard (1925-2013) began his long and extraordinary career as a writer of Westerns, most famously a story which was made into the film 3:10 To Yuma. He later became known for a remarkable sequence of crime novels, generally set in Michigan or Florida. A master of funny and threatening dialogue, his influence has been incalculable, inspiring numerous successful film and TV series including Jackie Brown, Get Shorty, Out of Sight and Justified. Leonard received the Lifetime Achievement Award from PEN US and the Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America.

With the centenary of Elmore Leonard’s birth approaching later this year, this is the perfect opportunity to revisit the unmatched brilliance of the king of crime.  

Full Programme Announced for Final CrimeFest - Mark Gatiss and Chris Chibnall join line-up

The full programme for the final CrimeFest in Bristol, which takes place 15 – 18 May at Bristol’s Mercure Grand Hotel has been announced.

2025’s featured guest is icon of the genre, Lee Child, who will be in conversation with his brother and co-writer of the Reacher series, Andrew Child.

One of the UK’s leading crime fiction conventions supported by title sponsor, Specsavers, CrimeFest announced 2025 will be its final event after 16 years. Organisers have said they are putting all their energy into making the final event one to remember.

New authors announced for the final line-up include journalist, broadcaster, author and cultural historian and Doctor Who fan, Matthew Sweet. He’ll be joined by the actor, novelist, and screenwriter Mark Gattis to discuss Bookish, the upcoming TV series created by Gatiss. Set in post-WWII London Bookish follows a bookseller who uses books to help crack crime cases. A novelisation by Sweet is published by Quercus in July.

Gatiss is best known for his acting work and co-creating shows including The League of Gentleman and Sherlock, as well as writing for Doctor Who.

Also announced is TV writer Chris Chibnall, best known as the creator and writer of the award-winning TV drama, Broadchurch. He brings to CrimeFest his crime-writing debut Death at the White Hart, a whodunnit set in a small village with dark secrets.

A highlight of the event is the Ghost of Honour panel, which this year celebrates John le Carré, featuring his two sons, Simon Cornwell and Nick Harkaway.

A film producer, Simon Cornwell is behind adaptations of his father’s work, including The Night Manager for the BBC starring Tom Hiddleston and Olivia Colman. Author Nick Harkaway recently brought back his father’s famous literary creation - George Smiley - with his acclaimed novel, Karla’s Choice. His new book, Sleeper Beach, is out 10 April.

Adrian Muller, co-host and founder of CrimeFest, said:

“Programming CrimeFest for the past 16 years has been a labour of love. We’ve had the privilege of bringing together some of the best crime writers in the world, and the sense of community we’ve built is something truly special. While we’re saddened that this will be the final convention, we’re determined to make it one to remember—with an outstanding lineup of authors and panels to ensure CrimeFest goes out with a bang.”

As part of the celebrations the first 450 registered delegates will be gifted an advance copy of CrimeFest, Leaving the Scene, an anthology with 20 newly commissioned short stories from past (and present) attending authors. Contributors include Jeffery Deaver, Lindsey Davis, Simon Brett and many more.

The celebratory finale features a record number of Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) Diamond Dagger recipients in attendance. Alongside Lee Child, fellow Diamond Dagger recipients include Lindsey Davis, Martin Edwards, and John Harvey. Harvey has written over 100 books, including his series of jazz-influenced Charlie Resnick novels. They’ll appear on the panel: A Cluster of Diamonds: Diamond Dagger Winners in Conversation.

The CWA chair, author Vaseem Khan, will also feature as Toastmaster at the CrimeFest Awards night.

Panels include a focus on the adaption of crime fiction to film and TV, moderated by Lee Child with the award-winning Barbara Nadel, author of the much-loved Inspector Cetin Ikmen series, adapted for the BBC as The Turkish Detective starring Haluk Bilginer. The panel also welcomes Barry Ryan - managing director and creative director of TV production company Free@LastTV, best known for its flagship series for Sky TV, Agatha Raisin.

Free@LastTV is currently adapting the Cait Morgan Mysteries by Welsh Canadian author Cathy Ace, starring the Welsh actress, Eve Myles. Cathy returns to CrimeFest on a number of panels, including a discussion on mental health for writers: Keeping Yourself Sane in a Toxic World alongside the author, playwright and radio producer, Simon Brett, and author, Zoë Sharp.

Topics up for discussion include Evil Crimes in Foreign Climes with the author famed for his love of Greece, Jeffrey Siger, Michael Ridpath (writer of the Magnus Iceland Mysteries), the Danish-born author and journalist Heidi Amsinck, and Singapore’s acclaimed author, Ovidia Yu.

The Icelandic author known as the Queen of Nordic thrillers, Yrsa Sigurdardottir, takes part on numerous panel discussions exploring topics such as writing violence in crime fiction. She’ll also take part in 2008 Revisited with authors who attended the very first CrimeFest who are now taking part in the last, alongside authors Kevin Wignall and Steve Mosby. Mosby writes under the pen name Alex North. His book The Whisperer Man, is being filmed for Netflix starring Robert De Niro, Michelle Monaghan, and Adam Scott.

Author Donna Moore, co-host and founder of CrimeFest, said:

“It has been an absolute joy to organise CrimeFest over the years, and we are so grateful to everyone—authors, readers, and panellists—who have made it such a vibrant and welcoming event. While it’s bittersweet to say goodbye, we couldn’t be prouder of this final year’s programme, which promises to be one of our best yet. We’re going out in true CrimeFest style—with unforgettable discussions, brilliant talent, and plenty of surprises along the way.”

Other topics book lovers can delve include panels on historical fiction and high society, comedy in crime fiction, Brit Grit, and the evolving role of traditional publishing.

It also features regular favourites, including the Criminal Challenge Quiz, moderated by the author and publishing polyglot, Maxim Jakubowski, with the chance to win a pair of passes to 2025’s Iceland Noir.

CrimeFest was created following the hugely successful one-off visit to Bristol in 2006 of the American Left Coast Crime convention, and CrimeFest runs on the US model. The first CrimeFest was organised in June 2008.

Unlike other major crime fiction events in the UK, any commercially published author who signs up can feature on a panel. In this way, CrimeFest has provided many authors with a platform they would not have been offered elsewhere in the UK.

The convention also continues its Community Outreach Programme. In partnership with the independent Max Minerva’s Bookshop and participating publishers, CrimeFest gifts thousands of pounds of crime fiction books for children and young adults to school libraries.

With thanks to sponsor Specsavers, librarians, students, and those on benefits are offered significantly discounted tickets.

Full passes are now available, and individual entry is open on the door dependant on availability: https://www.crimefest.com/

Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival 2025 Programme Revealed

 

'STORIES AND STORYTELLERS’ CELBRATED AS PROGRAMME REVEALED FOR THEAKSTON OLD PECULIER CRIME WRITING FESTIVAL 2025

Festival Dates: 17 – 20 July 2025

www.harrogateinternationalfestivals.com

#TheakstonsCrime

Tuesday 1st April: Harrogate International Festivals today revealed the full programme for the 2025 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival, the globally renowned celebration of crime fiction, at a special reception at Hachette, Carmelite House in London.

The Festival, which takes place at Harrogate’s Old Swan Hotel from 17-20 July, has been curated by 2025’s Programming Chair and bestselling author of the ‘Slough House’ spy thrillers, Mick Herron, and offers readers from around the world a unique opportunity to meet the superstar writers of today, discover the bestsellers of tomorrow and hear from innovators pushing the boundaries of the genre. From dark domestic noir to murder in far galaxies; from twisty missing persons investigations to the tangled webs of spies; from high-stake legal thrillers to gritty crime scene investigations, there is plenty to enthral and entertain at this year’s Festival.  

Acclaimed writers Reverend Richard Coles, Belinda Bauer, AA Dhand, Abigail Dean, Nick Harkaway, Janice Hallett, Abir Mukherjee, Broadchurch creator Chris Chibnall and others join Special Guest headliners Lee Child and Andrew Child, Steph McGovern, Attica Locke, Kate Atkinson, Paula Hawkins, Kate Mosse, Val McDermid, Mark Billingham – and, making his Festival debut, Irvine Welsh – on the packed programme. Highlights include the prestigious Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award ceremony, and an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the hugely popular Slow Horses TV series with Mick Herron and Emmy award-winning showrunner Will Smith.

Celebrating the Festival’s mission to champion emerging talent, the Critics’ New Blood panel platforms four extraordinary debut novelists R.S. Burnett, A.E. Goldin, Daniel Aubrey and Kate Kemp selected by a panel of leading crime fiction critics; while four of New Blood’s most accomplished alumni, Fiona Cummins, Chris Hammer, Abir Mukherjee and Stuart Neville return for a special showcase event. For aspiring writers, Creative Thursday offers an immersive day of workshops and talks led by industry experts and authors including Vaseem Khan, Will Dean and Laura Shepherd-Robinson.

A Festival for all crime fiction readers, the iconic Late Night Quiz compèred by Val McDermid and Mark Billingham, and two murder mystery Author Dinners hosted by Ajay Chowdhury, Will Dean, C.L. Taylor, Chris Brookmyre, William Hussey, Emma Christie, Xaviere Musih Tedji, A.J. West and others, offer unmissable opportunities for fans to engage with authors at relaxed evening events.

 Mick Herron, bestselling author and 2025 Festival Programming Chair said:

“The first committee meeting for the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival 2025 took place the day before the 2024 Festival began, so it’s been in the planning for a year and a day – a suitably storybook length of time. Because it's stories that we're celebrating – stories and storytellers – we’re looking forward to another long weekend of criminal inquiries, forensic examinations and manifold ways of laying bare the human heart without shedding a drop of blood. Or so we hope... The line-up is as varied as ever, and there are enough tales waiting to be told to fill a thousand and one nights. We don't guarantee fairy tale endings, but we do promise the very best in crime writing.”

Simon Theakston, Chairman of T&R Theakston Ltd, said:  

“We are delighted to support the world’s biggest and best crime writing Festival for an incredible twenty-second year and to welcome so many legends of the genre and exciting debut writers once again. It has been remarkable to see the Festival transform into a truly international event over the years, with authors and fans travelling from far and wide to become part of our global crime fiction community here in Harrogate.  I eagerly look forward to what promises to be another unforgettable Festival this July.’

Sharon Canavar, Chief Executive of Harrogate International Festivals, said:

“I am thrilled to reveal the full programme for this year’s Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival, curated by Mick Herron and the Programming Committee. With over 120 writers taking part and a fantastic mix of crime writing icons and talented new discoveries, behind-the-scenes exclusives, innovative panels and fun-filled evening events, there really is so much for every crime fiction and thriller fan to enjoy. We can’t wait to welcome everyone to Harrogate again this summer.” 

 PROGRAMME HIGHLIGHTS:

THURSDAY 17 JULY:

Creative Thursday: Crime Fiction Writing Workshops

An immersive day of workshops and talks for aspiring crime writers with bestselling authors including Vaseem Khan, Mick Herron, Will Dean, Laura Shepherd-Robinson, Greg Mosse and Lex Noteboom, and industry experts including N.J. Cooper, Sam Eades, Maddalena Cavaciuti, Ellen Gleeson, Manpreet Grewal, Ed Wood, and Theo Jones from the Society of Authors. 

Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award

A celebratory event as the winner of crime fiction’s most prestigious prize is announced, with the McDermid Award for debut fiction and the Outstanding Contribution to Crime Fiction Award also presented.

FRIDAY 18 JULY:

Special Guest: Attica Locke

Former ‘New Blood’ discovery, award-winning author and TV writer Attica Locke discusses her new novel Guide Me Home, a blistering portrayal of Trump’s America with journalist Matt Nixson.

Panel: Post Mortem Postcode Lottery

Authors Belinda Bauer, AA Dhand, Mel Pennant, Trisha Sakhlecha and Broadchurch creator Chris Chibnall explore the dark heart of crime fiction on a murderous journey around the UK, chaired by Simon Mayo.

Panel: Keeping It in The Family

Bestselling authors Claire Douglas, Andrea Mara, Sam Blake and Kia Abdullah discuss deadly domestic noir with journalist Lisa Howells.

Panel: The Writers Staying Out in the Cold

Masters of spy fiction Charles Cumming, Louise Doughty, Alan Judd and Nick Harkaway, son of John Le Carré, examine all things espionage with chair N.J. Cooper.   

Panel: On Behalf of My Client

Four lawyers-turned-novelists, Imran Mahmood, Abigail Dean, Douglas Bruce-Lockhart and Guy Morpuss plead the case for some famous fictional villains with chair Nicola Williams.

Special Guest: Mark Billingham

Celebrating his milestone twenty-fifth book – the highly-anticipated new Tom Thorne novel, What the Night Brings - and twenty-five years as a bestselling author, Mark Billingham will be in conversation with Mick Herron.

Author Dinner

A unique opportunity for crime fans to solve a murder mystery, written and presented by Mick Herron, with host crime writers D.V. Bishop, Angela Chadwick, Ajay Chowdhury, Emma Christie, Rebecca Collomosse, Will Dean, Carmel Harrington, Samantha Hayes, David Hewson, Ruth Mancini, A.J. McDine, Lesley McEvoy, L.K. Pang, Paula Sutton, Bridget Walsh, Sean Watkin, A.J. West, Clare Whitfield and Judith Woolf.

Panel: The Way We Lived Then

From the Elizabethan court to the dying days of WW1, gold fever Yukon to Victorian India, four bestselling historical crime writers Andrew Taylor, Beth Lewis, S.J. Parris and Shylashri Shankar discuss murder then – and now – with chair T.E. Tinsey.  

Special Guest: Irvine Welsh

Making his Festival debut, globally renowned Trainspotting author Irvine Welsh discusses Resolution, the final instalment in his ‘Crime’ trilogy, now a hit TV series, with Abir Mukherjee.  

Fun Lovin Crime Writers

Join crime fiction’s greatest super-band - Mark Billingham, Chris Brookmyre, Doug Johnstone, Val McDermid, Stuart Neville and Luca Veste - for some murder on the dance floor!

SATURDAY 19 JULY:

Special Guests in Conversation: Kate Mosse and Paula Hawkins

Join fan favourites Kate Mosse and The Girl on the Train author Paula Hawkins as they introduce their latest novels and reveal how they create compelling characters and craft riveting plots.

Panel event: True Grit

Crime scene experts turned writers, including forensic anthropologist Clea Koff, former murder detective Russell Wate, crime scene investigator Kate Bendelow and historian Hallie Rubenhold, separate the facts from the fiction, with lawyer and crime writer Nadine Matheson.

Critics’ New Blood

Showcasing the stars of tomorrow, four outstanding debut novelists R.S. Burnett, A.E. Goldin, Daniel Aubrey and Kate Kemp, selected this year by a panel of the UK’s top crime fiction critics, will be in conversation with Mick Herron.

Panel event: Gone But Not Forgotten

Four authors with missing persons investigations at the heart of their latest novels, Tariq Ashkanani, Simon Mason, Rob Parker and Icelandic writer Snæbjörn Arngrímsson discuss secrets, lies and twisty plots with Sarah Hilary.

Panel event: What Planet Are They On

Four extraordinary writers pushing the boundary of crime fiction, Ben Aaronovitch, Sarah Pinborough, Adam Oyebanji and Eve Smith discuss their innovative fiction with Doug Johnstone.

Mick Herron and Will Smith: Inside Slow Horses

An unmissable event for Slow Horses fans, as creator Mick Herron and Emmy award-winning showrunner Will Smith take an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the popular TV series.  

Author Dinner

‘Who dunnit?’ A second chance for crime fiction fans to test their detective skills by solving a murder mystery written with authors A.K. Benedict, Chris Brookmyre, A.A. Chaudhuri, Nicci Cloke, R.N. Cogley, Kerry J. Donovan, Hannah Hendy, Tom Hindle, William Hussey, Jill Johnson, Ellie Keel, Ambrose Parry, Heidi Perks, Leah Pitt, David F. Ross, Bee Rowlatt, Lily Samson, C.L. Taylor and Xaviere Musih Tedji.  

Panel Event: Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads and Lasses

In celebration of New Blood’s incredible success as a launchpad for emerging talent, four of its most accomplished alumni, Fiona Cummins, Chris Hammer, Abir Mukherjee and Stuart Neville star in a special showcase event chaired by Val McDermid.

Special Guests: Lee and Andrew Child

Multi-million copy bestselling writing duo Lee Child and Andrew Child discuss their latest Jack Reacher thriller In Too Deep - and offer an exclusive preview of Exit Strategy the 30th Reacher novel ahead of its publication in November – with broadcaster Paddy O’Connell.

Late Night Quiz

Authors and readers go head-to-head in a battle of crime fiction wits with quizmasters Val McDermid and Mark Billingham.

SUNDAY 20 JULY:

Special Guest: Kate Atkinson

Globally bestselling literary crime novelist Kate Atkinson discusses her latest Jackson Brodie novel At the Sign of the Rook, a witty take on a classic murder mystery, with Lee Child.

It’s The Way You Tell ‘Em

Fiendish plotters John Finnemore, Janice Hallett, Antony Johnston and Cara Hunter reveal how they craft the twistiest mysteries and perfect puzzles, with chair Reverend Richard Coles. 

 Special Guests: Steph McGovern and Val McDermid

‘Queen of Crime’ Val McDermid teams up with TV presenter and avid crime fiction fan Steph McGovern, who launches her debut Deadline at the Festival.  

Full programme details are available here. 

Tickets for individual events are on general sale from Tuesday 8 April. Classic Weekend Break Packages, Author Dinners and tickets for Creative Thursday are on sale now. To book tickets, please call +44(0)1423 562 303 or email info@harrogate-festival.org.uk. More information about tickets and packages can be found here.