FINGERPRINT Awards Shortlists: Capital Crime Festival

 

The Capital Crime Festival  (London, UK) announced the shortlists for its annual Fingerprint Awards, which champion the very best in crime writing from the past year across the globe, as voted for by readers. The shortlists were selected by the festival’s board members from a longlist curated by the Tastemakers Committee, a panel of leading independent bloggers and reviewers, who championed their standout titles across each category. 

Readers can now vote for their preferred winners in each category on the Capital Crime website through Saturday, May 30th. The winners will be revealed at the Fingerprint Awards on the evening of Thursday, June 18th as part of the Capital Crime event in London at the Royal Leonardo Hotel. Congrats to this year's finalists!

 

Audiobook of the Year

Don’t Let Him In by Lisa Jewell 

King of Ashes by  S A Cosby

We Live Here Now by Sarah Pinborough 

Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney

Artificial Wisdom by Thomas R. Weaver

True Crime Book of the Year

Story of a Murder by Hallie Rubenhold 

Nobody’s Girl by Virginia Roberts-Guiffre 

Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers by Caroline Fraser 

A History of Modern Britain in Twenty Murders by Prof. David Wilson 

A Flower Travelled in My Blood by Haley Cohen Gilliland  

Debut Crime Book

Broken by Jón Atli Jónasson

Deadline by  Steph McGovern 

Death at the White Hart by Chris Chibnall

The Day of the Roaring by Nina Bhadreshwar

This is Not A Game by Kelly Mullen

Genre-Busting Book

Kill Them with Kindness by Will Carver 

Little Red Death by A. K. Benedict Book

Blood Like Ours by Stuart Neville

Small Fires by Ronnie Turner

Manhattan Down by Michael Cordy  

Historical Crime Book of the Year

The Art of A Lie by Laura Shepherd-Robinson 

The Rush by Beth Lewis 

Dangerous by Essie Fox

Burning Grounds by Abir Mukherjee

Marble Hall Murders by Anthony Horowitz 

Thriller Book of the Year

The Chemist by A A Dhand

Don’t Let Him In by Lisa Jewell 

Human Remains by Jo Callaghan 

The Man Made of Smoke by Alex North

Some of Us Are Liars by Fiona Cummins

Overall Crime Book of the Year

The Midnight King by Tariq Ashkanani

The Final Vow by M W Craven

Quantum of Menace by Vaseem Khan

The Good Father by Liam McIlvanney

We Live Here Now by Sarah Pinborough

Capital Crime Full Lineup Revealed

The wait is over! The full Capital Crime 2025 programme has landed, and it’s our biggest, boldest lineup yet.

Join us in London on 12th-13th June for an unforgettable festival packed with thrilling conversations, exclusive events, and the chance to meet your literary heroes.

Expect bestselling authors, award-winning storytellers, and crime fiction’s biggest names, including:

Michael Connelly, Steph McGovern, Jeremy Vine, Vaseem Khan, Linwood Barclay, Karin Slaughter, Richard Armitage, Ruth Ware, Lisa Jewell, Clare Mackintosh, Andrew Child and many many more.

Plus, we’ve just announced the Fingerprint Awards shortlists - will your favourite take the prize?

Whether you’re a fan of psychological thrillers, gripping spy fiction, or classic crime stories, there’s something for everyone. 

Weekend & day tickets are selling fast - secure yours now to avoid disappointment.

With an electrifying mix of bestselling authors, expert panels, and thrilling discussions, this year’s festival is set to be truly unforgettable.

Here’s just a taste of what’s in store over two packed days:

FRIDAY:

Thrillers That Go Bump in the Night with Linwood Barclay and Andrew Child & Nadine Matheson

Criminal Minds Throughout History with Conn Iggulden, Kate Williams & Hallie Rubenhold

Espionage for the Modern Reader: Ava Glass, Charles Cumming and Nick Harkaway & Vaseem Khan

The One You Least Suspect: Dilemmas and Decisions with David Goodman, S. M. Govett and Remi Kone & Brian McGilloway

Deception in Crime Fiction - Mark Edwards, Nicci French, Erin Kelly & Claire McGowan 

Found in Translation: Jón Atli Jónasson, Lex Noteboom, Johana Gustawsson, Thomas Enger & Quentin Bates

Terror on and off the page: social injustices in horror and high concept thrillers:  Chris Carter, Erin E. Adams, Jessie Elland & Andrea Carter

Masters of Mystery: a panel of crime writing experts: Dr Duncan Harding (forensic psychologist), Graham Bartlett (police) and Nicola Williams (practising Judge)  in conversation with criminal defence lawyer Ruth Mancini 

Crime to cool you down this summer: Will Dean, Heidi Amsinck, R. O. Thorp & Ed James

SATURDAY: 

Crime Writing Masters discussing craft and creativity: Michael Connelly in conversation with M. W. Craven 

The Appeal of Unlikeable Characters with Richard Armitage, Lisa Jewell and Steph McGovern & Jon Coates

25 Years in the Making: Mark Billingham and Karin Slaughter in conversation with Louise Minchin

Exploring the Human Mind One Thriller at a Time: with Dorothy Koomson, Ruth Ware & Anna Sharpe

From Page to Screen: Bringing crime thrillers to life: with Jane Casey, Michael Connelly andRagnar Jonasson, interviewed by Lisa Howells

Agatha Christie for the ‘Knives Out’ Generation: Kelly Mullen, Ram Murali, Jeremy Vine & Rob Rinder

Silver Anniversary Stories: celebrate 25 books with Adele Parks in conversation with David Headley

Not-so Domestic Bliss: toxic families and friendships with Andrea Mara, Asia Mackay, Claire Douglas, Caz Frear & Heidi Perks 

‘C’ is for creating communities in Crime Fiction: Suk Pannu, Rev Richard Coles, Blake Mara & Tim Sullivan

Making your mark: the different routes to telling your thriller: Barnaby Martin, Jo Callaghan and Dominic Nolan & C. B. Everett

And so much more! With over 30 incredible events, the Fingerprint Awards, surprises throughout the weekend, and the chance to meet your favourite authors, this is one festival you don’t want to miss.

The full schedule can be found here and tickets can be found here.