CHILLS
AND THRILLS DOMINATE THEAKSTONS OLD PECULIER CRIME NOVEL OF THE YEAR AWARD
SHORTLIST 2012
COLIN
DEXTER TO RECEIVE OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO CRIME FICTION AWARD
Chilling suspense thrillers lead the way on this
year’s Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award shortlist. One of the most prestigious crime writing
prizes in the country, the 2012 shortlist reflects the ever increasingly
popularity of psychological and suspense-driven narratives.
In a move away from the grittier whodunits that have
long dominated the crime fiction genre, this year’s shortlist is comprised of
four thrillers out of six: SJ Watson’s smash
hit debut Before I Go To Sleep; The Burning Soul by
veteran author John Connolly; SJ Bolton’s multi-layered, page-turner Now
You See Me; and Steve Mosby’s
horror-tinged tale Black Flowers.
The two non-thriller titles are Where the
Bodies Are Buried and The End of the Wasp Season by Chris Brookmyre and Denise Mina
respectively, both of whom have based their plots on the streets of Glasgow and
have focused on a police procedural style.
The presence of two Scots on the list also reaffirms the consistent
level of success enjoyed by crime writers north of the border.
The shortlist in full:
· Now
You See Me by SJ Bolton (Transworld)
· Where
the Bodies are Buried by Chris Brookmyre (Little, Brown)
· The
Burning Soul by John Connolly (Hodder & Stoughton)
· The
End of the Wasp Season by Denise Mina (Orion)
· Black
Flowers by Steve Mosby (Orion)
· Before
I Go to Sleep by SJ Watson (Transworld)
Now in its eighth year, the Theakstons Old Peculier
Crime Novel of the Year Award, in partnership with Asda - who will promote the
shortlisted titles in stores nationwide from today - and in association with
the Daily Mirror, was created to celebrate the very best in crime
writing and is open to British and Irish authors whose novels were published in
paperback from 1st June 2011 to 31st May 2012.
The overall winner will be decided by a public vote
and a panel of experts which this year comprises DI Tom Thorne actor David Morrissey, Festival chair Mark Billingham, Daily
Mirror Literary Editor and crime novelist Henry Sutton,
Asda Fiction Buyer Ruth Lewis, and Simon Theakston,
Executive Director of T&R Theakston Ltd.
The public vote opens today, Thursday 5th July, and
closes on Tuesday 17th July at www.theakstons.co.uk
The
winner of the prize will be announced by title sponsor Simon Theakston at an
award ceremony hosted by radio broadcaster and Festival regular Mark
Lawson on Thursday 19th July, the opening night of the 10th Theakstons
Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival. The winner will receive a £3,000 cash
prize as well as a handmade, engraved beer barrel provided by Theakstons
brewery.
On
the same night a special presentation will be made to the winner of the third
Theakstons Old Peculier Outstanding Contribution to Crime Fiction Award, which
this year is awarded to Colin Dexter, creator of Inspector
Morse.
Born
in Lincolnshire in 1930, Dexter won a scholarship to the local grammar school
and, after completing his National Service, went on to study at Cambridge.
Since 1966 he has lived in Oxford with his wife, with whom he has two children.
After retiring from a 13-year teaching career, he began writing mysteries in
1973 while on a family holiday. His debut novel, Last Bus to Woodstock,
was published in 1975 and introduced the world to Inspector Morse for the first
time. One of the most iconic detectives ever to have been created, Morse’s
crime-solving talents found a whole new audience in the successful TV series,
bringing further acclaim for Dexter. Inspector Morse has appeared in 13 novels
and numerous short stories. Dexter has won many awards for his novels,
including the CWA Silver Dagger twice and the CWA Gold Dagger for both The
Wench is Dead and The Way Through the Woods. In 1997, he
was presented with the CWA Diamond Dagger for outstanding services to crime
literature and, in 2000, was awarded the OBE in The Queen's Birthday Honours.
Dexter said: "Never had I thought that the gods would be
kindly enough to give me such a huge honour so late in my life. Yet here I am,
in my early eighties, feeling a profound and heartfelt gratitude for the great
honour bestowed on me.”
Simon Theakston, Executive Director of T&R
Theakston, said:
"The variety of narratives within crime
fiction means that every year we have a shortlist that reflects the diversity
of the genre; this year, the thriller seems to be the popular choice. It’s
great to see crime writing in such rude health, although it doesn’t make the
job of picking a winner any easier!
“I’m also delighted and privileged to welcome
Colin Dexter to Harrogate to collect his much- deserved Outstanding
Contribution to Crime Fiction Award. Few writers are as prolific as Colin has
been over his long and varied career and even fewer create a character as
iconic and well-loved as Morse. This award acknowledges Colin’s huge
contribution to crime fiction and to British culture.”
--Ends--
For
further information or to request interviews with any of the authors please
contact Liz Hyder on 07939 372 865 /liz@riotcommunications.com or
Preena Gadher on 07833 431 119 / preena@riotcommunications.com
NOTES TO EDITORS
KEY DATES
5th July: shortlist titles on promotion in 252 Asda stores
nationwide
19th July: 10th Theakstons Old Peculier Crime
Writing Festival opens in Harrogate
19th July: Winner of the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of
the Year Award announced; Colin Dexter collects award
PREVIOUS WINNERS
2011 – 61 Hours by
Lee Child
2010 - A Simple Act of
Violence by RJ Ellory
2009 – Death Message by
Mark Billingham
2008 – The Tenderness of
Wolves by Stef Penney
2007 – Two Way Split by
Allan Guthrie
2006 – The Torment of Others by
Val McDermid
2005 – Lazy Bones by
Mark Billingham
OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO CRIME
FICTION AWARD
2011 – PD James
2010 – Reginald Hill
THE 2012 CRIME NOVEL OF THE YEAR
LONGLIST
· Rivers
of London by Ben Aaronovitch (Gollancz)
· Darkside by
Belinda Bauer (Corgi)
· Now
You See Me by SJ Bolton (Corgi)
· Where
the Bodies Are Buried by Christopher Brookmyre (Abacus)
· The
Burning Soul by John Connolly (Hodder Paperback)
· The
Calling by Neil Cross (Simon & Schuster)
· The
Hanging Shed by Gordon Ferris (Corvus)
· Bryant
and May and the Memory of Blood by Christopher Fowler (Bantam)
· Blue
Monday by Nicci French (Michael Joseph)
· The Fear
Index by Robert Harris (Arrow)
· The
Retribution by Val McDermid (Sphere)
· The
End of the Wasp Season by Denise Mina (Orion)
· Black
Flowers by Steve Mosby (Orion)
· Collusion by
Stuart Neville (Vintage)
· The
Impossible Dead by Ian Rankin (Orion)
· Mice by
Gordon Reece (Pan Books)
· Agent
6 by Tom Rob Smith (Simon & Schuster)
· Before I Go To Sleep by SJ Watson
(Black Swan)
ABOUT THE FESTIVAL
The Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing
Festival is Europe’s largest event dedicated to the celebration of crime
fiction. Taking place annually over four days each July, the Festival
programmes over 70 best-selling UK and international crime authors and over 20 events. It is promoted by the north of England’s
leading arts festival organisation, Harrogate International
Festivals. Ranked in the top three
literary festivals in the UK by the Guardian, it is also featured
in the Independent ‘50 Best Festivals’.
ABOUT
THEAKSTONS
Title sponsor of the Festival since 2005, Theakstons
Old Peculier ale is produced by T & R Theakston Ltd. It is one of the country’s most famous and
highly regarded traditional ale brewers.
Theakstons was established in Masham, North Yorkshire in 1827 by Robert
Theakston. After a brief period in the
1980s when the company was acquired by Scottish & Newcastle plc, the
company has been back under family ownership since Autumn 2003. It now
operates as an independent brewer producing five permanent brands in the
Theakstons range including the iconic Old Peculier – its best-known beer with a
rich, dark flavour, celebrated by ale enthusiasts all over Britain and around
the world. The brewery also produces
twelve seasonal cask ales, together with keg and bottled brands. Now appreciated by real ale lovers on the
other side of the Atlantic, thanks to a recent agreement between the brewer
and Latis Imports of Connecticut Theakstons Old Peculier is once again
available in eighteen States in the USA.
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