Theakston Old Peculiar Crime Novel of the year award announced

 STELLAR SHORTLIST REVEALED FOR THEAKSTON OLD PECULIER CRIME NOVEL OF THE YEAR 2023 – WITH THE PUBLIC VOTE NOW *OPEN* TO CROWN THE WINNER…

M.W. CRAVEN | FIONA CUMMINS | ELLY GRIFFITHS | DOUG JOHNSTONE | GILLIAN MCALLISTER | RUTH WARE

Harrogate, 15 June 2023: The shortlist for the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2023, produced by Harrogate International Festivals, has been announced today, with six bestselling authors competing to win the UK’s most wanted crime writing prize.

The public is now invited to vote for the winner at www.harrogatetheakstoncrimeaward.com.

The prestigious award – now in its 19th year – celebrates crime fiction at its very best, with this year’s shortlist taking readers on spine-tingling journeys of murder, stalking, ghosts, mysterious disappearances and much more.Selected with help from a public vote from a longlist of twenty novels to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival, the list features newcomers and previous prize contenders alike – but none of this year’s shortlisted novelists have ever taken home the coveted award before, making this year’s competition even more tense…

Challengers for the trophy include Elly Griffiths, former Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival Programming Chair in 2017, who is in the running for an impressive sixth time for The Locked Room: the penultimate mystery in the series featuring Norfolk’s favourite forensic archaeologist, Dr Ruth Galloway.

Fellow award alumni on the shortlist are: Ruth Ware with her deliciously dark The It Girl, which unpicks the secrets of university friends in an unputdownable story of suspense and shock; Doug Johnstone’s latest instalment in the much-acclaimed ‘Skelfs’ series – which has been optioned for TV – also makes the list, with the heart-racing twists and turns of Black Hearts featuring an obsessive stalker, a faked death and a devastating spectre from the past; and best-selling author M.W. Craven is shortlisted for the latest DS Washington Poe thriller The Botanist, where the  disgraced detective is tasked with catching a poisoner sending the nation's most reviled people poems and pressed flowers.

Two novelists have made the shortlist for the first time: Gillian McAllister with her Sunday Times Thriller of the Year, Wrong Place Wrong Time, the jaw-dropping, plot twisting, mind bending Groundhog Day style murder mystery and Fiona Cummins – who was selected by Val McDermid for New Blood in 2017 – takes the final shortlist spot for her eerily unnerving thriller Into The Dark. The novel follows DS Saul Anguish as he aims to uncover the truth behind the mysterious disappearance of a whole family that takes the reader on a journey through revenge, greed, ambition, and the true cost of friendship.

The six novels shortlisted for the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2023 are:

The Botanist by M.W. Craven (Little, Brown Book Group; Constable)

Into The Dark by Fiona Cummins (Pan Macmillan; Macmillan/Pan)

The Locked Room by Elly Griffiths (Quercus)

Black Hearts by Doug Johnstone (Orenda Books)

Wrong Place Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister (Penguin Random House; Michael Joseph)

The It Girl by Ruth Ware (Simon & Schuster)

 Sharon Canavar, Chief Executive of Harrogate International Festivals, commented: “We are delighted to announce this year’s Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year shortlist, featuring six gripping reads that celebrate the best of the crime genre. With an array of subgenres spanning gripping thrillers to murder mysteries, the public have a tricky task ahead choosing only one from this talented bunch – we can’t wait to unmask the winner at the 20th anniversary of the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival on 20th July!”

Simon Theakston, Executive Director of T&R Theakston Ltd, added: “What an exceptional line-up of crime writers in this year’s shortlist! We raise a glass of Theakston Old Peculier to all of the shortlistees and look forward to awarding the coveted beer cask trophy during the opening night ceremony!”

The Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year is run by Harrogate International Festivals and sponsored by T&R Theakston Ltd, in partnership with Waterstones and Daily Express, and is open to full-length crime novels published in paperback between 1 May 2022 to 30 April 2023 by UK and Irish authors.

The public is now invited to vote for a winner at  www.harrogatetheakstoncrimeaward.com

Harrogate's New Blood authors

Harrogate, Thursday 18 June 2020: The undisputed ‘Queen of Crime’ Val McDermid has unveiled the hotly tipped ‘New Blood’ authors for 2020, showcasing the year’s best breakout crime writing talent:

Deepa Anappara – Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line (Chatto & Windus)

Elizabeth Kay – Seven Lies (Sphere)

Jessica Moor – Keeper (Penguin)

Trevor Wood – The Man on the Street (Quercus)

Since 2004, the best-selling Scottish author of the Tony Hill & Carol Jordan series has curated an annual celebration of the most formidable debuts taking the crime and thriller genre by storm, with an invitation to join the line-up of the world’s largest and most prestigious crime fiction festival: Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival.

This year, Deepa Anappara has been selected for her part coming-of-age, part detective mystery Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line, a heart-breaking and thought-provoking social commentary of modern India’s slums that has been recognised for the Women’s Prize. Elizabeth Kay is on the list for her explosive Seven Lies, taking domestic noir to a whole new level in a deliciously dark blurring of truth and lies, and Jessica Moore is recognised for her brutal and beautiful Keeper, the addictive literary thriller that has had everyone talking. Concluding this year’s New Blood contingent is Trevor Wood and his debut The Man on the Street, a gritty thriller set on the streets of Newcastle.

Val McDermid said: “I have been hosting the New Blood showcase since the festival began in 2003 and, in my book, discovering and sharing new talent with an eager audience is the best job in crime fiction. I know exactly what I’m looking for on my quest: fresh and distinctive voices, a well-told, convincing story and the almost indefinable sense that these authors all have much more to say. Deepa, Elizabeth, Jessica and Trevor tick all of these boxes and more, and if this year’s debuts share a theme, it is the irresistible and devastating way in which crime fiction shines a light on our times: homelessness, domestic violence, child trafficking and mental health are all dissected with an unflinching gaze. Whilst we can’t gather en masse at the Old Swan Hotel in Harrogate this year, I hope that readers will enjoy our virtual introduction to these brilliant new writers.”

The unveiling of McDermid’s selection has become one of the most anticipated moments of the publishing calendar, with readers on the lookout to uncover their new favourite author and add the ‘next big thing’ to their bookshelves.

Former ‘New Blood’ alumni include Clare Mackintosh, SJ Watson, Stuart MacBride, Liam McIlvanney and Belinda Bauer, as well as three authors on this year’s shortlist for the UK’s most prestigious crime writing award – Theakston Old Peculier: Abir Mukherjee, Jane Harper and Oyinkan Braithwaite, who was chosen just last year for her Booker longlisted My Sister, the Serial Killer.

As part Harrogate International Festivals’ year round programme of events, each year the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival welcomes the world’s famous authors each year to Harrogate’s Old Swan Hotel – the scene of Agatha Christie's mysterious disappearance in 1926 – for a celebration of the crime genre like no other.

This year’s instalment – which formed part of Harrogate International Festival Summer Season – was cancelled, with much sadness, due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, and so the 2020 ‘New Blood’ showcase will be streamed on the festival’s HIF Player on what would have been the legendary weekender on Saturday 25 July 2020.

Val McDermid will also interviewed by Mark Lawson about the legacy of the New Blood panel, discussing the vital role of the showcase in giving a platform to new writers in the industry and the crime community, and giving a peek behind the scenes into how and why she chooses the books.

Trevor Wood said: “As a kid I dreamt of playing in the cup final. I’m a fraction older now but being chosen for Harrogate’s New Blood panel feels exactly like that did.”

Jessica Moor said: "To have been chosen for this panel, which has included some of my favourite new authors of the last decade, and to have been chosen by the legendary Val McDermid, is a such an honour."

Deepa Anappara said: “I am thrilled and honoured to be picked for the New Blood panel, and grateful to Val McDermid for her immense generosity and support of debut novelists.”

Elizabeth Kay said: “I’m absolutely thrilled to have been selected for such a prestigious event. The ‘New Blood’ panel has an incredible history, and I’m delighted to be participating this year alongside three really exciting other authors.”

Killer Line up for 2019 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival

The Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival unveiled its 2019 programme at an exclusive launch party at Browns Courtrooms in London (Wed April 3, 6.30pm).

Chair of the 2019 Programming Committee, Mari Hannah, unveiled a packed line-up for the world’s most celebrated crime writing festival, with authors ‘in conversation’, in action and in the bar.

Now in its 17th year, the festival takes place at Agatha Christie’s old haunt, The Old Swan Hotel in Harrogate from 18 to 21 July.

Mari Hannah, award-winning author and festival reader-in-residence said: “The Theakston programming committee has a reputation for attracting the finest crime writers to the festival from around the world and we’ve done it again. The response to this year’s line-up has been incredible. I’m looking forward to welcoming readers in July.”

Special Guests are James Patterson, MC Beaton, Stuart MacBride, Jeffery Deaver, Belinda Bauer, Eva Dolan, Erin Kelly, Harlan Coben, Ian Rankin and Val McDermid, who will be in conversation with Scotland’s First Minister and bookworm, Nicola Sturgeon.

Jo Nesbo will also launch his much anticipated new Harry Hole thriller, Knife, at the festival. A special TV panel will feature Jed Mercurio, author of BBC smash-hit, The Bodyguard.

Simon Theakston, Executive Director of T&R Theakston and title sponsor, said: “Our celebration of the genre is no doubt the best in the world. 2019 is another remarkable line-up and it is a huge privilege to welcome one of the world’s biggest selling authors, James Patterson, a remarkable advocate for reading who has donated millions to reading initiatives in schools, colleges and libraries."

Serving up its usual helping of heated debate, panels will look at Irish fiction exploring borders and Brexit, the rise of Antipodean Noir, the on-going controversy of the role of gratuitous violence, and how crime fiction can put the spotlight on the big social issues of the day.

Up to 90 authors from around the world will take part. The diverse roll call includes

Australia’s hottest author Jane Harper, Jackson Lamb creator Mick Herron, Scotland’s supernova Denise Mina, and Alex North, the pseudonym behind The Whisper Man pitched as 2019’s biggest thriller.

The line-up includes Renee Knight, Stuart Neville, Stella Duffy, Brian McGilloway, Steve Cavanagh, Mark Billingham, Chris Brookmyre, AA Dhand, Joseph Knox, Robert Crais, Elly Griffiths, Sarah Hilary, Imran Mahmood, Martyn Waites and Jonathan Freedland aka Sam Bourne.

Val McDermid’s annual New Blood panel, one of the most anticipated events in publishing, features four hand-picked debuts from the Queen of Crime. 2019 picks are Gytha Lodge’s She Lies in Wait, Holly Watt’s with To the Lions, Chris Hammer’s Scrublands, and Oyinkan Braithwaite’s My Sister the Serial Killer.

The opening night features the crime writing equivalent of The Oscars, with the 15th Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award. Hosted by Mark Lawson, the Award is in association with sponsor T&R Theakston Ltd, retail partner WHSmith, and media partner, the Mail on Sunday. The ceremony will also honour a giant of the genre with the Outstanding Contribution to Crime Fiction Award - previous recipients include PD James, Ruth Rendell, Lee Child and John Grisham.

The day-long writing workshop, Creative Thursday also returns. The festival, delivered by the north’s leading arts organisation Harrogate International Festivals, is one of the most important events in the crime publishing calendar. Agents, publishers, publicists, readers and authors attend from all over Europe and the world.

Famed for its no barriers approach, crime fiction fans, fledgling writers and established superstar authors mingle in the hotel bar, bookshop and Papakåta tents in the hotel grounds.  Tickets for all events go on sale 9 April.

The 2019 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival takes place at the Old Swan Hotel, Harrogate 18-21 July. Box office: 01423 562 303, harrogateinternationalfestivals.com