Showing posts with label Suk Pannu. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Suk Pannu. Show all posts

Thursday, 9 April 2026

We All Want Our Just Desserts by Suk Pannu


We
ve all got an Indian Aunty - whether youre Indian or not. These are the women who helped bring you up, who fed you and nurtured you and sent you off to school on the days your mum was at work. They also have an uncanny knack for getting into your business, unravelling your deepest secrets and generally interfering with every corner of your life. 

Bertie Wooster was plagued by strong minded aunts and its not a stretch to imagine that Wodehouse was similarly plagued. However, we never got to hear about it from the aunts point of view. Growing up, and being bought up, by a rich tapestry of Indian Aunties, and in parallel developing a growing love of genre fiction - especially crime - is where the idea for Mrs Sidhu began to crystallise. The aunty skillset: a sharp eye for detail, a good instinct for human behaviour, doggedness, a strong moral compass and quite simply nosiness seemed like offered itself up as a great fit for an updated amateur sleuth. Shes since been described as Sloughs answer to Miss Marple.

Let’s tackle that location. I grew up in the area and Slough hits a resonance for most British people. Or maybe thats an anti-resonance. On the musical scale of British towns it seems to strike a bum note. I feel like it gets a bum rap. Its an industrial town, full of industrious people. Its biggest crime is that its not an architectural gem. Then again, aesthetics were not the first priority for a generation of immigrants arriving in the 60s and 70s.

The interesting thing about Slough is whats around it. This concrete dog poop is laid on the gentle pastures that house Windsor Castle, Eton College, Cookham and the Chiltern hills. So, an Indian Aunty from Slough, nosing around in the business of the rich and well heeled of Berkshire. You can see how it all came together from the world around me.

Mrs Sidhus Just Desserts” is the second novel in the series. The first Mrs Sidhus Dead and Scone” plunges her into the world of occult activities at a Wellness retreat in a quaint Berkshire village. This second novel brings a new challenge; an art heist.

Art heists have always fascinated us. Witness the global intrigue around the recent theft from the Louvre in Paris. And the shock caused by the raid that deprived the Oslo art museum of The Scream. The criminals there simply walked in and took it off the wall!

In fiction, art heists usually have a bit more finesse. Acrobatic thieves dangle from cables to circumvent laser beams, thermal sensors and pressure pads. In Just Desserts” Mrs Sidhu caters a swish gallery opening where a painting is stolen in an impossible heist and her favourite waitress is murdered in the process. No aunty worth her salted samosas is going to stand for that, and our hero sets out seeking the just desserts of the title.

This of course brings her deeper into the world of art. Its an area thats a particular challenge for a humble, Slough bred woman. Art, for the uninitiated is a daunting world. Mrs Sidhu is overawed from the start. The other wonderful thing about the art world, is that its divisive, entertaining and dramatic. Most of all it has larger than life characters doing wild things. Van Gogh slashing at his ear, Tracey Emin unmaking her bed, Damien Hirst bottling up dead animals. Then there are the waspish art critics, the sly dealers and the moneyed collectors. Its also got the reverse - bound up amateurs daubing out watercolours.Thats great material for a murder mystery thriller and its the cast of suspects.

The entertainment value of the suspect ensemble has always felt important to me, almost as entertaining as a great sleuth. Just Desserts” plunges Mrs Sidhu into the tensions and rivalries of that world. While she is daunted by all this new and unfamiliar world, an Indian aunty is never cowed and in Mrs Sidhus case curiosity always wins over fear and her search for justice is too strong to be denied.

I’ve had the somewhat unique pleasure (and privilege) of writing Mrs Sidhu for three different media. She started life on BBC Radio 4’s Mrs Sidhu Investigates” and moved across to TV with the brilliant Meera Syal playing the lead in both. Now, shes available in print too. Each medium has its own challenges and opportunities, but in the novels I relished developing her inner voice. Its been a huge amount of fun. I hope you will agree.

Mrs Sidhu's Just Desserts by Suk Pannu (HarperCollins Publisher) Out Now

It's the most glamorous event of the year. Mrs Sidhu has snagged the contract of her life: the chance to cater the grand opening of Berkshire's new art gallery. But there's horror among the hors d'oeuvres. Then the gallery's star painting is stolen, and Mrs Sidhu's favourite waitress is left dead on the floor. Mrs Sidhu is back for a second helping. Can a widowed, Slough-based caterer take down a ruthless, murderous art thief? She's determined to crack the strangest case of her career and serve up her signature dish: just desserts.

Suk Pannu can be found on Instagram @suk.pannu

Friday, 19 December 2025

Forthcoming books from Harper Collins


 January 2026

A special new edition of Agatha Christie's Endless Night. Gipsy’s Acre was a truly beautiful upland site with views out to sea – and in Michael Rogers it stirred a child-like fantasy. There, amongst the dark fir trees, he planned to build a house, find a girl and live happily ever after. Yet, as he left the village, a shadow of menace hung over the land. For this was the place where accidents happened. Perhaps Michael should have heeded the locals’ warnings: ‘There’s no luck for them as meddles with Gipsy’s Acre.’ Michael Rogers is a man who is about to learn the true meaning of the old saying ‘In my end is my beginning…’

The Final Score is by Don Winslow. In six all-new short novels written with the trademark literary style, trenchant wit, and incisive characterization that have made Don Winslow “America’s greatest living crime writer” (Providence Journal), this repeat New York Times bestselling author serves up a collection of tales sure to delight Winslow’s most devoted fans and first-time readers. The multi-million-dollar casino heist is impossible—it can’t be done. That’s what makes it irresistible to a legendary robber facing the rest of his life in prison for his “Final Score.” An ambitious, hard-working college-bound teenager has a side job delivering illegal booze to “The Sunday List” until a crooked cop, a seductive customer, and a fake guru threaten to end his dreams. Two wise guys tell each other a “True Story” over breakfast at a diner. It’s all bullshit and laughs until someone else has to pick up the check. An otherwise honest patrolman has to make an excruciating choice between his loyalty to the job and his love for a ne’er-do-well cousin in “The North Wing.” The entitled, substance-addicted movie star that surfer/PI Boone Daniels and his crew are hired to babysit in “The Lunch Break” is a problem. She also has a problem—someone wants her dead. Finally, the one terrible, momentary mistake that a devoted family man makes sends him to prison and on a “Collision” course between the man he wants to be and the killer he’s forced to become to survive.

February 2026

Mrs Sidhu's Just Desserts is by Suk Pannu. It's the most glamorous event of the year. When Mrs Sidhu is hired as the caterer for the opening of Berkshire’s swankiest new art gallery, she can't believe her luck. It's the biggest pay cheque of her career, a glitzy evening, and a chance to take her cooking to the next level in front of the local crème de la crème. But there's trouble on the menu. Then the gallery's star painting is stolen. And worse than that, Mrs Sidhu's best and sweetest waitress – with her whole life ahead of her – is found dead. Mrs Sidhu wants answers. As she casts her eye over Berkshire's art scene – the murderously competitive collectors, critics and creatives – she uncovers a dastardly knot of greed and deception, obsession and revenge. Can she crack the strangest case of her career and unmask the murderer, so they can meet their just desserts?

Sociopath's Guide to a Successful Marriage. There’s a dead body in my living room. I’ve not called the police because it was I who stabbed him. Seven times in all. The truth is, it’s surprisingly difficult to dispatch someone with a vegetable knife. In case you’re wondering, the dead man is not my husband. I do resent our pitiful sex life and his woeful lack of ambition, but I wouldn’t murder him for it. Not yet, anyway. Right now, I have far more pressing concerns: scheming to get my daughter into the perfect school; buying my dream home in Hampstead; and disposing of a corpse. A woman’s work is never done. I’ve created the perfect life – and I’ll kill to keep it.

A priest’s death leads to sinister goings on in an old country pub… To understand the strange goings on at The Pale Horse Inn, Mark Easterbrook knew he had to begin at the beginning. But where exactly was the beginning? Was it the savage blow to the back of Father Gorman’s head? Or was it when the priest’s assailant searched him so roughly he tore the clergyman’s cassock? Or could it have been the priest’s visit, just minutes before, to a woman on her death bed? Or was there a deeper significance to the violent squabble which Mark Easterbrook had himself witnessed earlier? Wherever the beginning lies, Mark and his sidekick, Ginger Corrigan, may soon have cause to wish they’d never found it… The Pale Horse is by Agatha Christie and is a new edition of the classic novel.

How to Kill a Crime Writer is by Sarah Lotz. She wrote for a living.But who wanted her dead? When bestselling author Annie Morrissey is found dead, her daughter Niamh knows in her gut it’s no accident – even if the case needs a good edit. The village is strangely uneventful. The suspects are suspiciously normal. The leads quickly turn into dead ends… But when Annie’s final manuscript lands on the doormat, the pages humming with mystery and suspense, the lines between fiction and reality begin to blur.This can’t be a coincidence. Because if Niamh learnt anything from her mother’s crime fiction, it’s that there’s no such thing. And that village secrets never stay buried for long…

An atmospheric crime mystery featuring DI Georgina Lennox and DI Richard Stewart, set in the Scottish highlands. Deep in the Scottish Highlands, the body of a young woman is found on the cursed road, a narrow track with a bloody history. It initially looks like an accident, but a name scratched on the dead woman’s arm links to an unsolved case from years ago. Glaswegian detectives Georgina Lennox and Richard Stewart are sent north to investigate, and they discover a community riven by a centuries’ old blood feud and modern rivalries. As George and Richie attempt to get to the truth behind the dark rumours, a killer is waiting, determined that some secrets are never uncovered. The Cursed Road is by Laura McCluskey.

Deception Island is by R S Burnett. When a rescue team arrives at Deception Island to evacuate scientists from an erupting volcano, they discover everyone has vanished without a trace. Cut off from the outside world and trapped on an island with deadly secrets, Abbie must uncover the truth before the volcano – or something far more sinister – claims her life. Deception Island, a sunken volcano, is about to blow – and the scientists studying it need evacuating. It’s a race against time, and nature. But when they land on the island they find it completely deserted. As they search for signs of life other strange things start to happen: the radio is cut-off and then their boat disappears…Deception Island holds many secrets, but Abbie is worried about just one question: Will she make it off it alive?

You want answers. The house won't give them up. An unexplained death. In stormy West Cornwall, a woman lies dead at the bottom of a waterfall. A year later, her children are possessed by strange visions. A house full of secrets. Forensic psychologist Karenza Bray arrives to work with the children. She discovers a grand ancestral home, full of details that don’t quite make sense. The children sleepwalk into the sea, and claim to speak with dark spectres. An centuries-old mirror shows them impossible things. A family with everything to hide. Someone knows the truth about what happened to Natalie Tyack. Her husband. The housekeeper. The neighbours. But the more Karenza tries to help, the deeper she steps into a mystery, into a haunting. This house has a history that has not been put to rest. Will any of them escape sane, and unscathed? The Wrecker's Girl is by SK Tremayne.

Make You Mine is by Claire Kendall. You can run. You can hide. But you belong to me. It was the case of the decade. A 15-year-old girl on her way to school, vanished without a trace. The world feared the worst – but then, after months, she was discovered in a church crypt, lying alive beside the dead body of her kidnapper. Now, 26 years later, Esmeralda Avelar has worked hard to leave her traumatic past behind. She has forged a new identity, and a new career as a police detective. But the past refuses to stay buried. Because notorious serial killer Jason Thorne has escaped from his secure psychiatric hospital, and he has a new obsession… to find Esmeralda, the girl who got away, and make her his.

March 2026

Essex Wives is by Kimberley Chambers. Don’t get mad, get even… 1999, Essex. Sharon, Jolene, and Evie have one thing in common – they’ve all been burned by one of the Bond boys. Sharon’s seeking retribution after her husband’s affair. Jolene yearns to get her own back on the man that destroyed her life. And Evie is fighting to protect her family from the bad boy her daughter married. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned … As the turn of the millennium rounds the corner, this is one year that will go out with a bang. The Essex wives are back, and they’re out for revenge.

A woman convinced of her partner's infidelity discovers that the situation is even more murky when he turns up dead. He has a secret. She knows he’s lying… You think you know the people you love. Nadeeka is certain Jamie is having an affair. She knows the tell-tale signs. She’s been here before. You think you know who you can trust. When Jamie claims to be at work late, she knows he’s lying. He’s with another woman, and she’s determined to catch him in the act. You think you know how the story ends. But when Nadeeka arrives home to confront him, Jamie can't explain himself. The house has become a crime scene… Jamie is dead. It's Not What You Think is by Clare Mackintosh.

A Burnt Moor is by Nina Bhadreshwar. A brutal murder. The charred remains of a man are discovered, showing signs of torture. The body was abandoned on the wild moors of the peak district, but he wasn’t killed there. A life gone up in flames. An arson fire in Sheffield reveals the site of another murder, this time of a young woman, and DI Diana Walker finds herself investigating two murders. A dark truth. When the victim’s identities are revealed, Diana begins to dig into Sheffield’s criminal underworld where she uncovers webs of corruption at the city’s heart.

April 2026

Who Can You Trust is by Susan Lewis. A terrible crime. A shocking confession. Do you believe her? Twenty years ago, Nicole’s twins disappeared without a trace. No bodies. No witnesses. Despite her pleas of innocence, Nicole was convicted. Now she’s out. And she’s finally confessed. But for true crime podcast host Cristy Ward, the story doesn’t add up. Having worked on the case as a young reporter, Cristy can’t help but wonder whether Nicole is the villain everyone believes her to be. Why did Nicole confess after so many years … and is the truth still out there, waiting…?

A beautiful summer day. When young nurse Claire Davidson goes missing on the riverbank, the only clues left behind are her phone and shoes. A mystery that sweeps the nation. People disappear all the time, but this case sparks an online frenzy. Amateur investigators descend on the rural idyll. Is Claire Davidson just the story of a swim that went wrong, or could there be truth to the conspiracies? A killer growing bolder. Then another woman is discovered dead in the river. Jake Jackson, a former detective who came to the countryside searching for peace, must investigate before more lives are lost. A Twist in the River is by Stig Abell.

Turn The Dial for Death is by Jeremy Vine. An impossible death. A seaside town on the brink. Stay tuned for murder… Sidmouth is gearing up for summer – but murder is all year round… When a doctor is found dead in the woods, shot through the heart with a crossbow, his wife is the prime suspect, despite an ironclad alibi. Desperate to clear her name, she appeals to radio presenter Edward Temmis for help. But Edward has troubles of his own. With his beloved radio station in crisis and a mysterious motorbike crash on the seafront, the doctor’s death isn’t the only problem he has to face. Edward, Kim and Stevie must reunite on a treacherous path to uncover the truth. Can they solve the case before everything tumbles down?

Honey is by Imani Thompson. The first time, Yrsa doesn’t intend to kill. But the Cambridge professor sitting opposite has manipulated her friend, stolen her research. When she flicks the bee into his Sanpellegrino, she thinks he’ll get a nasty sting. Then he’s dead. And Yrsa, who – let’s face it – has been bored for a while, is alive. It’s a sweet feeling, finally having some control.

Faye's ex-husband is dead, but she is threatened by her father who is still on the run from prison. The man who should be her safety net is her greatest fear. But it's not just Faye that's in danger. Faye also has to protect her loved ones and her life's work, the Revenge company. Faye gathers her circle of women and enlists the help of the only man she trusts to plan the final revenge. But will she succeed, now that her father seems to be working with a criminal network and is more dangerous than ever? Dreams of Bronze is by Camilla Läckberg

You Are Mine is by Alex Lane. Mary Jordan is walking along the street when she spots a sign on a lamppost. If you’re reading this, I’m watching you. You’re now part of my collection. If you’re unlucky, that is what you will remain. But if you’re lucky, you will be chosen, and your life will never be the same again. Mary is shocked. Her skin crawls at the idea she is being watched. She searches the buildings, looking, perhaps, for a face at a window. She is terrified.But only for a moment. There’s nothing to fear. It’s obviously just a harmless prank. She is wrong…

May 2026 

Rebel's Gambit is by S J Parris. England, 1601.Treason threatens the realm. When the body of a Scottish envoy washes up on the banks of the Thames, the Queen’s most powerful spymaster, Robert Cecil, is accused of arranging the murder. Cecil turns to his covert intelligencer Sophia de Wolfe to discreetly discover what the dead man was doing in London, and why he was killed. But this murder is borne of treacherous political currents. As loyalties shift and rebellion foments, as the Earl of Essex makes a dangerous play for power, Sophia is fast drawn into perilous waters. Everyone wants the Queen’s hard-won favour, even as tensions rise and the country begins to look for new answers. And Sophia has her own secrets to hide…

Adventure can be a deadly business. It began in the manner of all the very best adventures: in a coffee house. When one Richard Hannay—intrepid, inquisitive, and on the hunt for intrigue—encounters an old acquaintance in Constantinople, he has an inkling that something thrilling is afoot. Charged with an item of great mystery and import—a washbag, no less!—he soon finds himself in a very dangerous pursuit: from the luxurious confines of the Orient Express to the decks of the Titanic herself, all with the very fate of Europe in his care. Can he slip the net of Count Schwabing, whose long arm stretches from Berlin to the Bosphorus? And what of Madame Zara, the cabaret enchantress—does she play at affection, deception, or something far more deadly? In over his head, often a step—or thirty-nine—behind, but absolutely, resolutely determined to save the day, Hannay is about to embark on an escapade that will test his wits, his courage, and his ability to keep hold of a blasted washbag. A Very Dangerous Pursuit is by Ben Miller.

The return of 007. Agent 003, Joanna Harwood, has finally found James Bond after nearly two years of searching. All she has to do is get him out of Russia alive and convince him he can trust her again. A mission for revenge. But Bond trusts no one. And he wants revenge on Mora, the monstrous figure at the head of Rattenfänger – a terrorist organisation with links to the past. The final showdown MI6’s Double O section is in pieces. Moneypenny is captured. 000 has switched sides. And all of Rattenfänger’s plans for hijacking the cyber-intelligence of the West are finally about to be realised. The remaining Double Os must work together – and figure out which of them are still loyal… Hurricane Room is by Kim Sherwood.

The Killer in Room Five is by Sam Holland. A terrible confession. In an isolated room in Hollowpines, an infamous psychiatric hospital, Joe Sinclair is confessing to a violent murder. An impossible crime. Locked away, Joe couldn't possibly have killed the man, so how does he know so many of the horrifying details? A detective at her limits. Suspended after a colleague was stabbed on her watch, DC Abby Fox has only just returned to work. But at Hollowpines, she must find out what really happened and how exactly Joe is involved. Is he to blame, or the only one who can stop the killer?

June 2026

Three Reasons For Revenge is by Dervla McTiernan. Someone’s been watching. Someone’s been waiting.  Alexis Turner walks into the police station to report an assault. By the end of the day, she is nowhere to be found. Soon after she disappears, three identical packages arrive at three very different doors: a respected psychologist's home, a socialite's mansion, and a struggling single father's run-down apartment. Inside, each gift is perfectly tailored to its recipient — and each will tear apart the life of its intended victim. Detective Sergeant Judith Lee is smart and experienced, but this is no ordinary case. Someone with intimate knowledge of their targets is orchestrating these attacks. Someone who knows exactly how to hurt each victim where they're most vulnerable. And she’s convinced that somehow, it connects back to Alexis Turner. As she races to uncover the connection between four seemingly unrelated people, Judith discovers she's no longer just investigating the game – she's being forced to play.

Everything She Didn't Say is by Jane Casey. Victim? Witness? Killer? A woman is found in bloodstained clothes on the lonely coast of County Mayo. At first, she won’t speak. Then a name comes: Ruth. And a story about her missing friend: Maura. Ruth says she and Maura were staying in a clifftop house together.But there’s no trace of her there. Nothing but a pool of blood. Ruth says Maura was paranoid before she disappeared. But the locals say they only ever saw one woman. Ruth says all she wants is to make sure Maura is safe. But someone is dead, someone is a killer, someone is lying. Ruth says she’s being honest, but are the answers in everything she didn’t say?

Welcome back to North Falls―a small town with big secrets. Sheriff Emmy Clifton and her sister, ex-federal agent Jude Archer, investigate a brutal attack that shatters their town's fragile peace. But the deeper Emmy digs, the more dangerous it gets… The Secrets We Hide is by Karin Slaughter.





















Thursday, 13 June 2024

Theakston's Old Peculair and McDermid Debut Award Shortlists revealed

 



SHORTLISTS REVEALED FOR THE

THEAKSTON OLD PECULIER CRIME NOVEL OF THE YEAR 2024 AND INAUGURAL McDERMID DEBUT AWARD

Festival Dates: 18 – 21 July 2024               

www.harrogateinternationalfestivals.com

#TheakstonsAwards #TheakstonsCrime

Harrogate International Festivals has announced the shortlists for the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2024, the UK and Ireland’s most prestigious crime fiction award, and the inaugural McDermid Debut Award for new writers. The winners of both awards will be revealed on the opening night of the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival, Thursday 18 July. 

The six books shortlisted for the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year, now in its twentieth year, take readers on a roller-coaster ride from serial-killer stalked fairgrounds and Blackpool backstreets to the Houses of Parliament, as established bestsellers compete with talented newcomers for the coveted awards. Crime fiction fans are now invited to vote for their favourite book to win at www.harrogatetheakstoncrimeaward.com.

 Two former winners in contention for the award are 2022 champion Mick Herron, the author behind Apple TV’s hit series ‘Slow Horses,’ who is nominated for his mesmerising stand-alone spy thriller The Secret Hours and two times winner Mark Billingham, shortlisted for the first time in eight years with The Last Dance, the first novel in the captivating new Detective Declan Miller series set in Blackpool.

They face stiff competition from two rising stars of the genre who are shortlisted for the first time: William Hussey with Killing Jericho where Traveller detective Scott Jericho must unpick a deadly mystery at a fairground before he becomes a killer’s next victim, and Jo Callaghan for her stunningly original debut In the Blink of An Eye, where DCS Kat Frank is partnered with an AI colleague as human experience combines with logic to solve a complex missing persons case. Jo was selected for the prestigious ‘New Blood’ panel celebrating outstanding debut talent at the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival in 2023.

Two bestselling authors hoping to add the Award to their trophy cabinets are recent British Book Award Winner Lisa Jewell, shortlisted for her addictive domestic noir None of This is True, about a podcaster under threat from her ‘birthday twin’; and four-times Irish Book Award winner Liz Nugent, nominated for Strange Sally Diamond, a darkly humorous character-driven murder mystery set in rural Ireland.

The full Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2024 shortlist (in alphabetical order by surname) is: 

The Last Dance by Mark Billingham (Sphere; Little, Brown Book Group) 

In the Blink of an Eye by Jo Callaghan (Simon & Schuster UK) 

The Secret Hours by Mick Herron (Baskerville; John Murray Press) 

Killing Jericho by William Hussey (Zaffre, Bonnier) 

None of This is True by Lisa Jewell (Century; Cornerstone) 

Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent (Sandycove; Penguin Ireland) 

The shortlist for the inaugural McDermid Debut Award, named in recognition of world-famous crime writer Val McDermid, showcases six outstanding new voices writing across a broad range of subgenres from thrillers to cosy crime, locked room mysteries and historical crime.

Food writer, broadcaster and Master Chef star Orlando Murrin is shortlisted for Knife Skills for Beginners, a delicious mystery set in an exclusive residential cookery school in Belgravia. Another shortlisted novel with a culinary twist, Mrs Sidhu’s Dead and Scone by Suk Pannu introduces a mystery solving Indian caterer who is Slough’s answer to Miss Marple. Suk Pannu has written for much-loved TV comedy shows ‘Goodness Gracious Me’ and ‘The Kumars at No.42.’

Suzy Aspley, a former journalist who lives in Scotland, is nominated for Crow Moon, a chilling thriller centred around a mysterious disappearance, the first novel in the Martha Strangeways series. Daniel Aubrey, who also lives in Scotland, is shortlisted for Dark Island, a thriller about a neurodivergent reporter who uncovers a disturbing conspiracy after human remains are discovered on Orkney’s coast.

Manchester based Kuchenga Shenjé’s gripping historical crime novel The Library Thief explores identity and belonging as book binder’s daughter Florence sets out to uncover the dark mystery at the heart of a gothic mansion. A similarly unforgettable amateur sleuth features in Marie Tierney’s thriller Deadly Animals where a roadkill obsessed teenager embarks on a daring quest to unravel the truth behind the string of chilling deaths plaguing her Birmingham community.

Honouring internationally bestselling crime writer, Val McDermid, who helped to co-found the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival in 2003 and whose dedication to fostering new voices in crime fiction through the New Blood panel is legendary, this new Award seeks to continue her legacy, celebrating and platforming the best debut crime writers in the UK. The Shortlist was selected by an academy of established crime and thriller authors and the Winner will be chosen by a panel of industry experts, without a public vote. All shortlisted authors receive a full weekend pass to the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival and the Winner will receive a £500 cash prize.

Val McDermid said: ‘Curating the New Blood panel over twenty years exposed me to an extraordinary range of crime fiction I might otherwise have missed. I’m hoping that this new award will do the same for the army of avid readers out there looking for new talent.

The full McDermid Debut Award 2024 shortlist (in alphabetical order by surname) is: 

Crow Moon by Suzy Aspley (Orenda Books) 

Dark Island by Daniel Aubrey (Harper Collins) 

Knife Skills for Beginners by Orlando Murrin (Bantam, Transworld) 

Mrs Sidhu’s Dead and Scone by Suk Pannu (Harper Collins) 

The Library Thief by Kuchenga Shenjé (Sphere, Little Brown) 

Deadly Animals by Marie Tierney (Bonnier Books) 

Commenting on the shortlist for the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2024, Simon Theakston, Chairman of T&R Theakston, said: “Congratulations to all of the exceptional writers shortlisted for this year’s Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year. This year’s list is particularly exciting, with big names at the top of their game competing against impressive newcomers. I can’t wait to see who the public and the judges vote for and look forward to awarding the coveted beer cask trophy to the winner at the opening night ceremony.

Commenting on the shortlist for the McDermid Debut Award, Sharon Canavar, Chief Executive of Harrogate International Festivals, said: “Awards night is always a special way to open the Festival but this year it promises to be more exciting than ever with the new McDermid Debut Award being presented alongside our other awards. The shortlisted books are all so original and introduce some compelling new voices. We are looking forward to welcoming the talented shortlisted authors to the Festival and finding out which of these stars of the future will carry off the Award.

The Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2024 is presented by Harrogate International Festivals and sponsored by T&R Theakston Ltd, in partnership with Waterstones and the Daily Express, and is open to full-length crime novels published in paperback between 1 May 2023 and 30 April 2024.  The winner will receive £3,000 and a handmade, engraved beer barrel provided by T&R Theakston Ltd. 

The Winners of both Awards will be revealed on the opening night of the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival, Thursday 18 July.