Showing posts with label Camilla Lackberg. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Camilla Lackberg. Show all posts

Friday, 2 July 2021

Petrona Award Entries 2021

 

The Petrona Award are pleased to announce that 28 of the 29 titles that were eligible for the 2021 Petrona Award for the Best Scandinavian Crime Novel of the Year have been entered by the publishers.

The winner of the Award will be announced online later this year.

The rules for eligibility are:

  • The submission must be in translation and published in English in the UK during the preceding calendar year ie 1 January – 31 December 2020.

  • The author of the submission must either be born in Scandinavia* or the submission must be set in Scandinavia*.

  • The submission must have been published in its original language after 1999.

(E-books that meet the above criteria may be considered at the judges’ discretion (does not include self-published titles))
*in this instance taken to be Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.

More details about the award and the history behind it can be found on the Petrona Award website. The winner of the 2020 Award was Little Siberia by Antti Tuomainen, translated from the Finnish by Anne David Hackson and published by Orenda Books.

The award is sponsored by David Hicks.

Entries

[10 titles are by Female authors, 17 by Male and 1 title is by a M & F pairing. There are 17 translators (10 Female (17 titles) and 7 Male (11 titles)) and 6 countries are represented (9 Sweden, 8 Norway, 6 Iceland, 3 Denmark, 1 Finland, 1 Germany).]

They have tagged these titles on Goodreads.

Jussi Adler-Olsen - Victim 2117 tr. William Frost (M, Denmark) Quercus

Eva Björg Ægisdóttir - The Creak on the Stairs tr. Victoria Cribb (F, Iceland) Orenda Books

Stefan Ahnhem -X Ways to Die tr.Agnes Broomé (M, Sweden) Head of Zeus

Fredrik Backman - Anxious People tr. Neil Smith (M, Sweden) Michael Joseph

Heine Bakkeid - Scatter Her Ashes tr. Anne Bruce (M, Norway) Raven Books

Lina Bengtsdotter - For the Dead tr. Agnes Broomé (F, Sweden) Orion

Kjell Ola Dahl - Sister tr. Don Bartlett (M, Norway) Orenda Books

Katrine Engberg -The Tenant tr.Tara Chace (F, Denmark) Hodder Paperbacks

Thomas Enger & Jorn Lier Horst - Death Deserved tr Anne Bruce (M,Norway) Orenda Books

Anne Holt - A Necessary Death tr. Anne Bruce (F, Norway) Corvus

Jorn Lier Horst - The Inner Darkness tr. Anne Bruce (M, Norway) Michael Joseph

Ragnar Jonasson - Winterkill tr. David Warriner (M, Iceland) Orenda Books

Ragnar Jonasson -The Mist tr. Victoria Cribb (M, Iceland) Michael Joseph

Lars Kepler -Lazarus tr. Neil Smith (M&F, Sweden) HarperCollins

Camilla Lackberg - The Gilded Cage tr. Neil Smith (F, Sweden) HarperCollins

Jo Nesbo -The Kingdom tr. Robert Ferguson (M, Norway) Harvill Secker

Hakan Nesser - The Secret Life of Mr Roos tr. Sarah Death (M, Sweden) Mantle

Mikael Niemi -To Cook a Bear tr.Deborah Bragan-Turner (M, Sweden) MacLehose Press

Sólveig Pálsdóttir -The Fox tr. Quentin Bates (F, Iceland) Corylus Books Ltd

Agnes Ravatn - The Seven Doors tr.Rosie Hedger (F, Norway) Orenda Books

Max Seeck - The Witch Hunter tr. Kristian London (M, Finland) Welbeck

Lilja Sigurdardottir - Betrayal tr. Quentin Bates (F, Iceland) Orenda Books

Yrsa Sigurdardottir - Gallows Rock tr.Victoria Cribb (F, Iceland) Hodder & Stoughton

Gunnar Staalesen -Fallen Angels tr. Don Bartlett (M, Norway) Orenda Books

Jesper Stein - Die For Me tr. Charlotte Barslund (M, Denmark) Mirror Books

Viveca Sten - In the Name of Truth tr.Marlaine Delargy (F, Sweden) AmazonCrossing

Mats Strandberg - The Home tr. Agnes Broomé (M, Sweden) Jo Fletcher Books

Christer Tholin - Guilty? tr. Christina Lagaris (M, Germany) Christer Tholin

---

[Not Entered – Helene Tursten - Snowdrift tr.Marlaine Delargy (F, Sweden) Soho Press]


Friday, 28 May 2021

Books to Look Forward to From HarperCollins

 July 2021

The Mother Fault is by Kate Mildenhall. To keep her children safe, she must put their lives at risk … In suburban Australia, Mim and her two children live as quietly as they can. Around them, a near-future world is descending into chaos: government officials have taken absolute control, but not everybody wants to obey the rules. When Mim's husband Ben mysteriously disappears, Mim realises that she and her children are in great danger. Together, they must set off on the journey of a lifetime to find Ben. The government are trying to track them down, but Mim will do anything to keep her family safe - even if it means risking all their lives. Can the world ever return to normality, and their family to what it was?

Two women are found dead. Both had a secret. Both had a choice.. Artemis leaves the remote Greek island she grew up on to start a shiny new life in 1990s London with her British husband, a successful entrepreneur. Finally, she has escaped the ghosts of her past. Until she is found hanging from the stairs of her beautiful family home. Two decades later, the apparent suicide of an heiress uncannily mirrors Artemis' mysterious death. And when the ensuing investigation uncovers links to a criminal cartel, National Crime Agency officer Madeleine Farrow begins to pull apart the web of deceit surrounding the two women. The Second Woman is by Charlotte Philby and is a deeply unsettling, brilliantly gripping story of a family legacy built upon lies. Secrets can be suffocating... especially in the wrong hands.

The Cellist is by Daniel Silva. Viktor Orlov had a longstanding appointment with death. Once Russia's richest man, he now resides in splendid exile in London, where he has waged a tireless crusade against the authoritarian kleptocrats who have seized control of the Kremlin. His mansion in Chelsea's exclusive Cheyne Walk is one of the most heavily protected private dwellings in London. Yet somehow, on a rainy summer evening, in the midst of a global pandemic, Russia's vengeful president finally manages to cross Orlov's name off his kill list. Before him was the receiver from his landline telephone, a half-drunk glass of red wine, and a stack of documents.... The documents are contaminated with a deadly nerve agent. The Metropolitan Police determine that they were delivered to Orlov's home by one of his employees, a prominent investigative reporter from the anti-Kremlin Moskovskaya Gazeta. And when the reporter slips from London hours after the killing, MI6 concludes she is a Moscow Center assassin who has cunningly penetrated Orlov's formidable defenses. But Gabriel Allon, who owes his very life to Viktor Orlov, believes his friends in British intelligence are dangerously mistaken. His desperate search for the truth will take him from London to Amsterdam and eventually to Geneva, where a private intelligence service controlled by a childhood friend of the Russian president is using KGB-style "active measures" to undermine the West from within. Known as the Haydn Group, the unit is plotting an unspeakable act of violence that will plunge an already divided America into chaos and leave Russia unchallenged. Only Gabriel Allon, with the help of a brilliant young woman employed by the world's dirtiest bank, can stop it.

She is safe... Faye Adelheim deserves the life she has. After fleeing from a violent marriage, she has built her business into a global brand and is living in a beautiful villa in Italy with her daughter. Or so she thought... But Faye's life is turned upside down when her murderous ex-husband escapes from prison. Faye has no choice but to return home to confront him. This will be the fight of her life... Faye will do anything to keep her family safe. But when the dark secrets of her childhood come back to haunt her, she will have to battle like never before to stop her deepest fears from coming true...Silver Tears is by Camilla Lackberg.

What if your mother had been writing to a serial killer? A convicted murderer with a story to tell. Serial killer Michael Reave - known as The Red Wolf - has been locked in Belmarsh Prison for over 20 years for the brutal and ritualistic murders of countless women. A grieving daughter with a secret to unearth. Ex-journalist Heather Evans returns to her childhood home after her mother's inexplicable suicide and discovers something chilling - hundreds of letters between her mother and Reave, dating back decades. A hunt for a killer ready to strike againWhen the body of a woman is found decorated with flowers, just like his victims, Reave is the only person alive who could help. After years of silence, he will speak to Heather, and only Heather. If she wants to unearth the truth and stop further bloodshed, she'll have to confront a monster.  Dog Rose Dirt is by Jen Williams.

Agatha Christie's Midsummer Mysteries. An all-new collection of summer-themed mysteries from the master of the genre, just in time for the holiday season. Summertime - as the temperature rises, so does the potential for evil. From Cornwall to the French Riviera, whether against a background of Delphic temples or English country houses, Agatha Christie's most famous characters solve even the most devilish of conundrums as the summer sun beats down. Pull up a deckchair and enjoy plot twists and red herrings galore from the bestselling fiction writer of all time. INCLUDES THE STORIES: -The Blood-Stained Pavement, The Double Clue, A Death on the Nile, Harlequin's Lane, The Adventure of the Italian Nobleman, Jane in Search of a Job, The Disappearance of Mr Davenheim, The Idol House of Astarte, The Rajah's Emerald, The Oracle at Delphi, The Adventure of the Sinister Stranger, The Incredible Theft

I have killed several people (some brutally, others calmly) and yet I currently languish in jail for a murder I did not commit. When I think about what I actually did, I feel somewhat sad that nobody will ever know about the complex operation that I undertook. Getting away with it is highly preferable, of course, but perhaps when I'm long gone, someone will open an old safe and find this confession. The public would reel. After all, almost nobody else in the world can possibly understand how someone, by the tender age of 28, can have calmly killed six members of her family. And then happily got on with the rest of her life, never to regret a thing. A wickedly dark romp about class, family, love... and murder. How to Kill Your Family is by Bella Mackie. 

August 2021

Nick Miller is Central Division’s maverick Detective Sergeant. Disliked and distrusted by friends and foes, he works alone. He crosses the line. And he gets results. The Graveyard Shift… Nick Miller is new to the graveyard shift – the midnight hours when the driven and the desperate come out to play. Tonight Ben Garvald is out of prison. After nine years inside, he’s back in the old neighbourhood. Back to his remarried ex-wife. Back for revenge. Brought in Dead… Then after a fatal night out, a girl’s body is pulled from an isolated stretch of river. The last person to see her alive had enemies on both sides of the fence. Miller wants justice. But so does her father – with or without the law on his side. Hell Is Always Today… And the Rainlover. Whose victims are always women. Always at night when the streets are wet. He could be any one of a thousand men. Hounded by the public and the press, Miller needs to find him before he strikes again. It’s time to throw out the rule book in the line of duty. GRAVEYARD TO HELL. Jack Higgins’ gritty police saga set in the 1960s, first released as three short volumes and long out of print, is now reimagined as one gripping novel, packing a punch as only ‘The Legend’ of thriller fiction knows how.

September 2021

Meet Kenny Bond. A murderer. A gangster. A good family man. Kenny Bond is finally out of prison after doing a long stretch for killing a copper, and is determined to get back to life on the straight and narrow. He's got a lot of time to make up for, he's missed his beloved wife, Sharon, and his family is growing up fast. His son Donny might lack his father's edge but his twin grandsons, Beau and Brett - well, they are Bonds through and through. Like him, they won't let anyone stand in their way. Family comes before everything else for Kenny. There's nothing he won't do for them. But there are enemies from his past he can't shake off, and a family feud is brewing. Kenny's determined that nothing, and no one, will threaten his family. But can the Bond family stick together when someone's out to take them down? The Family Man is by Kimberley Chambers.

High-flying lawyer Jessica Wells has it all. A successful career, loving husband Tom and a family she adores. But one case - and one client - will put all that at risk. Edward Blake. An ordinary life turned upside down - or a man who quietly watched television while his wife was murdered upstairs? With more questions than answers and a case too knotted to unravel, Jay suspects he's protecting someone... Then she comes home one day and her husband utters the words no-one ever wants to hear. Sit down... because I've got something to tell you.... Now Jay must fight not only for the man she defends, but for the man she thought she trusted with her life - her husband. I Have something to Tell You is by Susan Lewis.

This annual anthology of rare stories of crime and suspense brings together tales from the Golden Age of Detective Fiction for the first time in book form, including a short novel by Christianna Brand. Mystery stories have been around for centuries-there are whodunits, whydunits and howdunits, including locked-room puzzles, detective stories without detectives, and crimes with a limited choice of suspects. Countless volumes of such stories have been published, but some are still impossible to find: stories that appeared in a newspaper, magazine or an anthology that has long been out of print; ephemeral works such as plays not aired, staged or screened for decades; and unpublished stories that were absorbed into an author's archive when they died . . .Here for the first time are three never-before-published mysteries by Edmund Crispin, Ngaio Marsh and Leo Bruce, and two pieces written for radio by Gladys Mitchell and H. C. Bailey-the latter featuring Reggie Fortune. Together with a newly unearthed short story by Ethel Lina White that inspired Hitchcock's The Lady Vanishes, and a complete short novel by Christianna Brand, this diverse mix of tales by some of the world's most popular classic crime writers contains something for everyone. Complete with indispensable biographies by Tony Medawar of all the featured authors, the fourth volume in the series Bodies from the Library once again brings into the daylight the forgotten, the lost and the unknown. Bodies From the Library 4.

October 2021

Judas 62 is the second book in Charles Cumming's gripping new thriller series surrounding BOX 88 - a covert intelligence organization that operates beneath the radar. A young spy in one of the most dangerous places on Earth... 1993: Student Lachlan Kite is sent to post-Soviet Russia in the guise of a language teacher. In reality, he is there as a spy. Top secret intelligence agency BOX 88 has ordered Kite to extract a chemical weapons scientist before his groundbreaking research falls into the wrong hands. But Kite's mission soon goes wrong and he is left stranded in a hostile city with a former KGB officer on his trail. An old enemy looking for revenge... 2020: Now the director of BOX 88 operations in the UK, Kite discovers he has been placed on the 'JUDAS' list - a record of enemies of Russia who have been targeted for assassination. Kite's fight for survival takes him to Dubai, where he must confront the Russian secret state head on... Who will come out on top in this deadly game of cat and mouse?

Over My Dead Body is by Jeffrey Archer. In London, the Metropolitan Police have set up a new Unsolved Murders Unit – a cold case squad – to catch the criminals nobody else can. Four victims. Four cases. All killers poised to strike again. In Geneva, millionaire art collector Miles Faulkner – convicted of forgery and theft – was pronounced dead two months ago. So why is his unscrupulous lawyer still representing a dead client? And who is the mysterious man his widow is planning to marry? On board luxury cruise liner the Alden, a wealthy clientele have signed up for the opulence and glamour of a trans-Atlantic voyage. But the battle for power at the heart of a wealthy dynasty is about to turn to murder. And at the heart of all three investigations lies Detective Chief Inspector William Warwick, rising star of the Met. Only Warwick's genius for deductive reasoning, his fierce intelligence and his occasionally rash bravery – combined with that of ex-undercover operative Ross Hogan, reluctantly brought in from the cold – can bring the criminals to justice, and put his nemesis behind bars. But can they catch the killers before it's too late?

The Cult is by Abby Davies. Thirty years ago, in the English countryside, a commune was set up. Led by Uncle Saviour, it was supposed to be a place of love, peace and harmony. But what started out as paradise turned into hell. A shocking abduction... Now, two young children have vanished from their home in the middle of the night. Their parents are frantic, the police are at a loss. A twisting case...DI Ottoline is leading the search - her only clue a mask found in the woods. Could the key lie in events that took place decades ago, when a dream of a new way of life became something far more sinister?

November 2021

A woman living alone in Manhattan wakes up to find that items in her apartment have moved during the night. Someone has broken into her flat and, worse than that, there are signs they have stayed to watch her sleep... Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs are asked by City Hall to lead the investigation into this new and dangerous criminal: He calls himself the 'Locksmith', and can break through any lock or security system ever devised. But their hunt is interrupted when a police investigation uncovers a crucial mistake in one of Rhyme's old cases. Fired as a consultant for the NYPD, he risks jail if the police discover he's still investigating the Locksmith. Rhyme and his team must work in secret to untangle the web of forensic evidence that stands between the criminal and justice. The Midnight Lock is by Jeffrey Deaver,

Forensic pathologist Kay Scarpetta has returned to Virginia as the chief medical examiner. She and her husband Benton are headquartered five miles from the Pentagon, in a post-pandemic world that's been torn apart by civil and political unrest. Just weeks into the job, Scarpetta is called to investigate a woman's body which has been shockingly displayed on railroad tracks. As Scarpetta follows the trail, it leads unnervingly close to her own neighbourhood... At the same time, two scientists are found dead in a top-secret laboratory in outer space. Scarpetta is summoned to the White House Situation Room and tasked with finding out what happened. But even as she's working the first crime scene in space from the ground, an apparent serial killer strikes again. And this time, Scarpetta could be in greater danger than ever before... Autospy is by Patricia Cornwell.















Thursday, 7 March 2013

Books To Look Forward To From Harper Collins


Terrifyingly authentic, London-set debut crime novel with a psychological edge, by an ex-Met detective.  DI Sean Corrigan is not like other detectives.  The terrible abuse he suffered in childhood has not stopped him enjoying family life with his wife and two daughters, or pursuing an impressive career with South London's Murder Investigation Unit.  Nevertheless, it has left him with an uncanny ability to identify the darkness in others - a darkness he recognises still exists deep within his own psyche and battles to keep buried there.  Now Sean's on the trail of the most dangerous killer he has ever encountered.  The perpetrator has no recognisable MO, leaves no forensic evidence and his victims have nothing in common.  But Sean knows they were all murdered by the same man.  Now all he has to do is find the evidence, convince his bosses and stop the killing ...before his adversary gets too close to home.  Cold Killing is by Luke Delaney and is due to be published in March 2013.

Professor Morley's guide to Norfolk is a story of bygone England; quaint villages, eccentric locals - and murder!  It is 1937 and disillusioned Spanish Civil War veteran Stephen Sefton is stony broke.  So when he sees a mysterious advertisement for a job where 'intelligence is essential', he applies.  Thus begins Sefton's association with Professor Swanton Morley, an omnivorous intellect.  Morley's latest project is a history of traditional England, with a guide to every county.  They start in Norfolk, but when the vicar of Blakeney is found hanging from his church's bell rope, Morley and Sefton find themselves drawn into a rather more fiendish plot.  Did the Reverend really take his own life, or was it - murder?  Beginning a thrilling new detective series, 'The Norfolk Mystery' is the first of The County Guides by Ian Sansom and is due to be published in June 2013.

Touch is by Mark Sennen and is due to be published in April 2013.  Harry likes pretty things.  He likes to look at them.  Sometimes that is not enough.  He wants to get closer.  Naughty Harry.  DI Savage and her team in Plymouth are struggling with their investigation into a string of horrific attacks on young women.  The victims are being drugged, abducted, assaulted and then abandoned with only a dull memory of what has happened.  However, when the mutilated body of one of these women is found on a beach, the case becomes a chilling murder inquiry.  Stopping at just one victim will never be enough ...not for this killer.  Part thriller, part police procedural, Touch will take you deep into the madness of a serial killer's mind.

The Lost Boy is the seventh book in the Patrik Hedstrom and Erika Falck series by Camilla Lackberg and is due to be published in March 2013.  On a late summer's night, a young woman jumps in her car, her hands slippery with blood on the steering wheel.  Taking her five-year-old son, Nathalie flees to the only safe haven she knows: the island of Graskar off the coast of Fjallbacka...Meanwhile, Detective Patrik Hedstrom has barely stepped foot inside his office following a lengthy sick leave before he catches a murder investigation.  A man has been murdered in his home: the victim, Mats Sverin, was the council's financial director, heading up a regeneration project worth millions.  But when Patrik and his team start digging into the dead man's life, all they can uncover is unanswered questions.  Why was Mats in such a rush to return to his home town of Fjallbacka after years in Gothenburg?  And is it pure coincidence that Mats's childhood sweetheart Nathalie has also suddenly returned to the area?  Mats visited Nathalie on Graskar before his death.  The locals call the island 'The Ghost Isle' - they say that it is haunted, and that the dead have something to tell the living.  But will anyone get close enough to uncover the dark secrets that lurk there?

He's posted on your wall.  He's following you on Twitter.  He knows where you are right now...When Amy receives an email from her older sister, Becky, announcing that she's off travelling and "don't try to find me", she is worried.  Becky would never do such a thing on a whim.  Amy - who is recovering from an abusive relationship that has left her terrified of love - soon finds that Becky had started using online dating sites.  Aided by Becky's neighbour, Gary, Amy sets about tracking down the men her sister had dated, following a trail that leads her into the darkly seductive world of internet hook-ups.  But Amy is unaware that a sadistic killer is watching - a killer who's been using the internet to stalk, torture and kill.  Now he's got something very special planned for Amy and she is about to find out that romance really is dead.  Slash Forward is by Louise Voss and Mark Edwards and is due to be published in July 2013.

As teenagers, Maggie Donaldson and Johnny Taylor fell hard and fast in love.  But they did not know they were from rival gangland families in London's criminal underworld.  Going public with their relationship would have brought them more trouble than they could handle, so for years they concealed the truth.  But their house of cards will not be safe for much longer.  Maggie's violent father Max has always been out for the Taylors' blood and treats his own family with barely more sympathy.  There is a long-buried reason for the vendetta that no one talks about, a secret so shocking it could tear each family - and Maggie and Johnny - apart...  Trapped is a gritty story of bitter feuds and unbreakable bonds by Jacqui Rose and is due to be published in March 2013.

Thursday, 26 April 2012

News about Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival

Harrogate celebrates the 10th Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival
 2012 programme announced: Jo Nesbo, Harlan Coben, John Connolly, Kate Mosse, Peter Robinson, Peter James and Ian Rankin to headline
19-22 July 2012 at the Old Swan Hotel, Harrogate

This year, the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival celebrates its tenth year. To mark the occasion, the cream of international crime fiction will once again gather in Harrogate to raise a glass of Theakstons’ finest to the biggest festival in the country championing crime writing, the most popular literary genre in the UK today. 

Headlining the festival this summer are heavyweights Jo Nesbo, Harlan Coben, John Connolly, Kate Mosse, Peter Robinson, Peter James and Ian Rankin. Each year the festival is chaired by a different high-profile crime writer, and this year popular British author Mark Billingham, creator of D.I. Tom Thorne, takes the helm.
Billingham said: “In just ten years, the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival in Harrogate has become the biggest and best of its kind in the world and it’s an honour to be chairing the Programming Committee once again. I’m confident that we’ve handpicked a programme this year that will rival anything seen at the festival before. Big names? Of course. But this festival has always been about introducing crime fiction lovers to the very best of the newer talent on offer too, and we’ve got plenty from all over the world. Whether you like your crime fiction cosy as crumpets or dark as a bloodstain in the shadows, at this year’s festival there will be something for everyone!

Other highlights include a dedicated look at award-winning BBC TV series Luther (including insights into the new series) with author/screenwriter Neil Cross, journalist Miranda Sawyer and cast and crew; Swedish superstar Camilla Lackberg discussing the art of translation; Creative Thursday – a master class in writing crime fiction; Dragons’ Pen, where punters get a chance to pitch their would-be bestsellers to a panel of professionals; and Val McDermid revealing the most exciting emerging crime authors in her New Blood panel.

With four days packed with events, and over 80 authors in attendance, the festival will also serve up its usual helping of heated debate including: whether we are currently in a golden age of crime fiction; an author’s moral responsibility when writing in the genre; why women are the biggest consumers of crime fiction; plus former intelligence agents, investigative journalists and criminal prosecutors discuss putting top secrets into print.
The annual Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year will also be announced on the opening night of the festival, Thursday 19 July.

Simon Theakston, Executive Director of T&R Theakston, said: “I am hugely proud of our association with Harrogate’s world-class crime fiction festival. This year’s line-up is a fantastic mix of household names and brand new talent and, for this tenth festival, we look forward to giving both writers and ticket-holders a warm welcome and catching up on all the latest crime writing gossip over a pint of Old Peculier ale!”
The annual Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival started in 2003 and is held at The Old Swan Hotel in the beautiful spa town of Harrogate. Ranked one of the top three literary festivals in the UK by The Guardian, featuring in The Independent’s ‘The 50 Best Festivals’, and with fans including broadcaster Mark Lawson, the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival is a must for both dedicated crime fiction fans and newcomers to the genre. 

Many of the authors are available for interview both beforehand and throughout the festival. For press passes, interview bookings, or further information contact Liz Hyder on 07939 372 865/ liz@riotcommunications.com or Preena Gadher on 07833 431 119 / preena@riotcommunications.com


About the festival
The Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival is the UK’s biggest and longest running event dedicated to the celebration of crime fiction. Taking place annually over four days each July, the Festival programmes over 80 of the best UK and international crime authors across over 20 events. It is promoted by the north of England’s leading arts festival organisation, Harrogate International 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.

Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year
2012 will see the announcement of the eighth Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award. A major accolade in the crime writing field, the prestigious prize is voted for by members of the public. Previous winners of the £3,000 prize and handmade engraved beer barrel are Mark Billingham (who scooped the award twice in both 2005 and 2009), Lee Child (2011), RJ Ellory (2010), Val McDermid (2006) and debut authors Alan Guthrie (2007) and Stef Penney (2008). The winner will be announced by broadcaster and festival regular Mark Lawson on the opening night of the festival.
·      Longlist announcement: week beginning 14th May
·      Shortlist announcement week beginning 2nd July
·      Winner announced 19th July

Festival tickets
Festival tickets will go on sale on 26th April. For booking information contact the box office on: +44 (0) 1423 502 116. Weekend Break packages are available to book now. Packages include a pass to all Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival events* with three nights bed and English breakfast accommodation at either the Festival venue, or at other high quality Festival Hotels close by, (*excludes Creative Thursday and the Come Die With Me Dinner on the Saturday evening of the Festival). 
Weekend packages for the 2012 Festival start from as little as £349 per person based on twin or double accommodation) or from £399 per person for single accommodation. For booking and information call the Festival Office on: +44 (0) 1423 562303.

The Old Swan Hotel 
The Old Swan in Harrogate is a fitting venue for the festival as it is where legendary crime novelist Agatha Christie was eventually discovered after her mysterious disappearance in 1926. It is the newest member of Classic Lodges Hotel Group which features nine hotels in fabulous locations from the Scottish Borders to the Sussex Downs, the Cotswolds to the Yorkshire Dales. Each hotel has a fascinating history and shares the Classic Lodges' signature warm welcome, and the very highest standards of comfort and hospitality. All well located, Classic Lodge Hotels are idea for leisure breaks, conferences and weddings.




Saturday, 17 July 2010

Newsy Stuff


A bit late but nevertheless important!

The 2010 ITW Thriller Awards have been announced. The winners were announced on July 10 during the 5th annual Thrillerfest Festival which took place in New York at Manhattan’s Grand Hyatt Hotel

Best Hard Cover Novel: The Neighbor by Lisa Gardner (Random House)
Best Paperback Original: The Coldest Mile by Tom Piccirilli (Random House)
Best First Novel:Running from the Devil by Jamie Freveletti (Harper Collins)
Best Short Story: A Stab in the Heart by Twist Phelan (Ellery Queen Magazine)

A full list of the nominees can be found here.

Ken Follett
was awarded ThrillerMaster in recognition of his legendary career and outstanding contributions to the thriller genre. Ken Follett was presented with the award by last year’s winner, David Morrell.

Mark Bowden (Blackhawk Down) was awarded the True Thriller Award
Linda Fairstein was awarded the Silver Bullet Award
US Airways was given the Silver Bullet Award (Corporate)
Congratulations to all the winners!

According to The Bookseller Julia Wisdom at Harper Collins has seen off 4 other publishers in a heated auction to nab a conspiracy trilogy called Sanctus by Simon Toyne.

With all this spy swapping going on there is an excellent article in the Guardian from John Le Carré where he talks about the recent swaps done between the USA and Russia.

Stephen King
has added another award to his collection. He was recently awarded a 2009 Shirley Jackson Award for his novelette Morality which was published in Esquire. The winners were announced on Sunday, July 11th 2010, at Readercon 21, Conference on Imaginative Literature, in Burlington, Massachusetts. A full list of the winners and nominees can be found here.

The Steig Larsson saga continues to run and run. According to an article in the Guardian the fourth book was due to be set in the remote part of Canada. The article by Alison Flood can be found here. John-Henri Holmberg revealed to The Associated Press that he had received an email by the late author shortly before his death in November 2004.

For those of you not yet fed up with Dan Brown, it appears that when the paperback version of The Lost Symbol is released on 22 July that it will (hopefully) according to Transworld Publishers (via The Bookseller) dominate Summer reading. Capitalising on its success there will also be an enhanced ebook and illustrated version in time for the Christmas rush.

At the recent Ways with Word Festival in Devon, (which is currently running from 9 to 19 July) crime writer P D James explains to the Daily Telegraph the enduring appeal of detective fiction.

Egmont Press have acquired American author Jessica Warman. Her novel Pretty Deadly, is (according to the press release via book trade) a truly thrilling murder mystery story. It has been described as a cross between The Lovely Bones and Lynda La Plante and has been written for the Young Adult market.

According to The Bookseller Catnip have acquired the world rights to a debut teen thriller novel for teenagers by Colin Mulhern. The novel Clash pits the lives of two different characters one an underground cage-fighting champion and the other a talented artist together.

According to The BigMoney.com blog Janet Evanovich is not leaving St Martin's Press her long time publishers as alleged by Deadline.com. The originally article by Deadline.com can be found here. Evanovich has said that the article in Deadline.com is inaccurate! Further information can be found in an article in Forbes

According to Bookbrunch Simon & Schuster have acquired Taboo the debut novel by Casey Hill. It is said to be "a terrifying transatlantic forensic thriller".

The Strand Awards were given out on 7 July at an invitation only ceremony in New York.
The winners were -
Best Novel - Nine Dragons by Michael Connelly
Best First Novel – Beat the Reaper by Josh Bazell and Starvation Lake by Bryan Gruley.
Lifetime Achievement Award –Elmore Leonard. Elmore Leonard was presented with his award by Otto Penzler. A full list of the nominees can be found here.

NPR.org are inviting readers to vote for their favourite top 100 thrillers in their Killer Thriller contest, which can be found here. The list was whittled down from a massive 600 nominations to a manageable 182. Everyone gets 10 votes!

US readers will be pleased to hear that the paperback deal for Camilla Lackberg's series (translated by Steven Murray)has been agreed according to Publishers Weekly. The full article can be found here. Here in the UK the paperback edition of The Stonecutter will be released in March 2011 along with the hardback release of The Gallows Bird.