Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2020 WInner Announced

UBER DRIVER TURNED INTERNATIONAL SENSATION ADRIAN MCKINTY WINS CRIME WRITING’S PREMIERE AWARD FOR HIS ‘LIFE-CHANGING’ THRILLER THE CHAIN  

* THEAKSTON OLD PECULIER CRIME NOVEL OF THE YEAR 2020

Adrian McKinty, winner of the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2020 for The Chain said:

“I am gobsmacked and delighted to win this award. Two years ago, I had given up on writing altogether and was working in a bar and driving an uber, and so to go from that to this is just amazing. People think that you write a book and it will be an immediate bestseller. For twelve books, my experience was quite the opposite, but then I started this one. It was deliberately high concept, deliberately different to everything else I had written - and I was still convinced it wouldn’t go anywhere… but now look at this. It has been completely life changing.”

Harrogate, Thursday 23 July: Belfast born Adrian McKinty has been awarded the UK’s most prestigious accolade in crime writing, the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year, for his best-selling thriller, The Chain, that sees parents forced to abduct children to save the lives of their own.

This phenomenal success comes after Adrian’s family were evicted from their home, forcing him to put down his pen and find work as an Uber driver and bar tender to make ends meet. Persuaded to give his dream one last go, Adrian began writing what would become his smash hit sensation The Chain, now a bestseller in over 20 countries with move rights snapped up by Universal in a seven figure deal to bring this chilling masterpiece to life on screen.

Described by Don Winslow as ‘nothing short of Jaws for parents’, The Chain was chosen by public vote and the prize Judges, triumphing against a tremendously strong shortlist – including books from Oyinkan Braithwaite, Helen Fitzgerald, Jane Harper, Mick Herron and Abir Mukherjee – at a time when the UK is experiencing a boom in crime fiction, with the genre exploding in popularity during lockdown and sales soaring since bookshops have reopened. 

The news was revealed in a virtual awards ceremony on what would have been the opening night of Harrogate’s legendary Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival, which was cancelled due to the pandemic. Instead, the announcement of this coveted trophy has marked the launch of the HIF Weekender, Harrogate International Festival’s free virtual festival bringing world-class culture to everyone at home, featuring performances and interviews with internationally acclaimed musicians, best-selling authors and innovative thinkers.

Adrian McKinty – who was previously nominated in 2011, 2014 and 2016 for his Sean Duffy

series – will now receive £3,000 and an engraved oak beer cask, hand-carved by one of Britain’s last coopers from Theakstons Brewery.

Executive director of T&R Theakston, Simon Theakston, said: “Looking at the titles in contention for the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2020, it is clear to see why crime fiction remains the UK’s genre of choice. Adrian McKinty is a writer of astonishing talent and tenacity, and we could not be more grateful that he was persuaded to give his literary career one last shot because The Chain is a truly deserving winner. Whilst we might be awarding this year’s trophy in slightly different, digital circumstances, we raise a virtual glass of Theakston Old Peculier to Adrian’s success – with the hope that we can do so in person before too long, and welcome everyone back to Harrogate next year for a crime writing celebration like no other.”

Theakston Old Peculiar Crime Novel of the Year 2020: International Shortlist Revealed

Harrogate, Tuesday 9 June 2020: The shortlist for the 16th Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the year has been announced, taking the reader on an international crime spree from New York to Calcutta, London to Lagos via Glasgow and the Australian outback.

Chosen by a public vote and the prize Academy, the titles in contention for this most prestigious of prize’s – which feature five Theakston award alumni and one debut novelist – showcase exceptional variety and originality, including spy espionage, historical crime, gallows humour, outback noir and serial killing siblings.

The news coincides with updated lockdown reading research from Nielsen Book showing that the genre is continuing to soar in popularity, a trend led by younger readers and men. Alongside an increase in the overall number of crime and thriller novels in the bestseller charts, even more people are turning to the genre in lockdown, particularly younger readers (18-44). Of the three quarters saying that their fiction interests have changed, 26% say that crime and thriller has become their genre of choice.

Marking a meteoric rise since being selected by Val McDermid as a spotlight author in the 2019 Festival’s highly respected ‘New Blood’ panel, Oyinkan Braithwaite remains in pursuit of the coveted trophy with the Booker nominated My Sister, the Serial Killer. Based in Nigeria, Braithwaite is the only debut author remaining, and one of the youngest ever to be shortlisted. Inspired by the black widow spider, Braithwaite turns the crime genre on its head with a darkly comic exploration of sibling rivalry, exploring society’s feelings towards beauty and perfection. 

The remaining five authors on the shortlist are all previous contenders hoping 2020 is their year to claim the trophy. The legendary Mick Herron, likened to John Le Carré, has picked up a fifth nomination with Joe Country, the latest in his espionage masterclass Slough House. A former legal editor, Herron’s commute from Oxford to London led to the creation of this much-lauded series, which is currently being adapted for television with Gary Oldman taking on the iconic role of Jackson Lamb.

Scottish-Bengali author Abir Mukherjee is vying for the title with Smoke & Ashes, described by The Times as one of the best crime novels since 1945. Accountant turned bestseller, Mukherjee was shortlisted in 2018 for the first book in the Wyndham & Banerjee series set in Raj-era India, The Rising Man. Smoke & Ashes – the third  instalment – is set in 1921 in Calcutta, where Mukherjee’s parents grew up and where he spent six weeks each year during his childhood.

Authors making it through to the shortlist for the first time include Glasgow’s Helen Fitzgerald for Worst Case Scenario, which marks her first appearance on the Theakston list since The Cry, adapted into a major BBC drama starting Jenna Colman, was longlisted in 2013. Packed with gallows humour, Worst Case Scenario takes inspiration from Fitzgerald’s time as a criminal justice social worker in Glasgow’s Barlinnie Prison, alongside her experiences with depression and going through the menopause.

Despite receiving international recognition, before Belfast’s Adrian McKinty started writing The Chain – for which he picks up his second Theakston nod – he had been evicted from his home and was working as an Uber driver to make ends meet. Persuaded to give writing one last go, McKinty started on what would become the terrifying thriller that sees parents forced to kidnap children to save their own, and for which Paramount Pictures has acquired the screen rights in a seven-figure film deal.

The final title on the shortlist is The Lost Man by former journalist Jane Harper, who was previously longlisted for her debut The Dry in 2018, for which the film adaption starring Eric Bana is due to be released this year. Inspired by the beautifully brutal Australian environment, The Lost Man explores how people live – and die – in the unforgiving outback and is a moving – particularly topical – study in the psychological and physical impact of isolation.

The full shortlist for the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2020 is:

My Sister the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite (Atlantic Books)

Worst Case Scenario by Helen Fitzgerald (Orenda Books)
The Lost Man by Jane Harper (Little, Brown Book Group, Little, Brown)
Joe Country by Mick Herron (John Murray Press)
The Chain by Adrian McKinty (Orion Publishing Group, Orion Fiction)
Smoke and Ashes by Abir Mukherjee (VINTAGE, Harvill Secker)

Executive director of T&R Theakston, Simon Theakston, said: “Seeing the huge variety and originality within this shortlist, it comes as no surprise to hear that crime fiction is lockdown reading habits. Offering both escapism and resolution, these exceptional titles transport readers around the world and I can’t wait to see where we settle on 23 July when one of these extraordinary authors takes home the 2020 Theakston Old Peculier cask.”

The award is run by Harrogate International Festivals and supported by T&R Theakston Ltd, WHSmith and the Express, and is open to full length crime novels published in paperback from 1 May 2018 to 30 April 2019 by UK and Irish authors.

The shortlist was selected by an academy of crime writing authors, agents, editors, reviewers, members of the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival Programming Committee, representatives from T&R Theakston Ltd, the Express, and WHSmith, alongside a public vote.

The shortlist will be promoted in a dedicated online campaign from WHSmith, digital promotional materials will be made available for independent bookstores, and the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival’s online community – You’re Booked – features exclusive interviews and interactive content. This forms part of the Harrogate International Festival virtual season of events, HIF at Home, which presents a raft of live music, specially commissioned performances, literary events and interviews to bring a free festival experience to your own digital doorstep.

The public vote for the winner is now open on  www.harrogatetheakstoncrimeaward.com, with the champion set to be revealed in a virtual awards ceremony on Thursday 23 July marking what would have been the opening evening of the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival. The legendary gathering – which formed part of Harrogate International Festival Summer Season – was cancelled, with much sadness, due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The winner will receive £3,000 and an engraved oak beer cask, hand-carved by one of Britain’s last coopers from Theakstons Brewery.

Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year -Longlist

Harrogate, 7 May 2020: Today, the longlist of the UK and Ireland’s most prestigious crime novel award is unveiled with literary legends and dynamic debuts in contention for the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year…

Now in its 16th year, the most coveted prize in crime fiction, presented by Harrogate International Festivals, received a record number of submissions and this highly anticipated longlist of 18 titles – 10 of which by women – represents crime writing at its best: celebrating four former winners, a Booker Prize contender, and the fresh new voices taking the genre by storm.

The line-up of returning champions is led by Scottish supernova Denise Mina, vying to become the first author to complete a hat trick with the deeply unsettling thriller Conviction. Mina is joined by fellow Glaswegian bestseller Chris Brookmyre and his psychological suspense Fallen Angel, ‘Queen of Crime’ Val McDermid’s latest masterful Tony Hill and Carol Jordan investigation, How the Dead Speak, and Lee Child CBE, with the final Jack Reacher, Blue Moon, before sharing authorship with his brother Andrew.

The longlist also features several previously nominated authors hoping to go one step further and claim the trophy with Mick Herron securing a fifth pick for his much-lauded Slough House series with Joe Country and a nod for Abir Mukherjee’s new Wyndham & Banerjee instalment, Smoke and Ashes, and fan favourite Vera and Shetland author Ann Cleeves returns with The Long Call, marking the launch of a new North Devon series. Further Theakston alumni in the running include Adrian McKinty with his electrifying thriller The Chain, Helen Fitzgerald and the darkly comic Worst Case Scenario, and outback noir from Jane Harper in The Lost Man. 

Rising stars of the genre are celebrated with three debuts on the list. Oyinkan Braithwaite, who was spotlighted in the Festival’s highly respected ‘New Blood’ panel in 2019, has been recognised for her Booker longlisted My Sister the Serial Killer. Harriet Tyce is in contention for her electrifying domestic noir Blood Orange that draws on her own experience as a criminal barrister, and Laura Shepherd-Robinson for the deeply atmospheric Blood & Sugar, bringing the 1780s Deptford Docks to life.

Established voices joining the Theakston ranks for the first time include Jane Casey and her latest Maeve Kerrigan instalment Cruel Acts, Alex North with his chilling police procedural The Whisper Man, Louise Doughty, who is longlisted for the eerily unnerving Platform Seven, Will Carver with the mesmerising thriller Nothing Important Happened Today; and Val McDermid’s 2018 New Blood selection: Will Dean and his eagerly awaited follow-up to Dark Pines, the stunning Scandi noir Red Snow.

The full longlist for the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2020 is:

My Sister the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite (Atlantic Books)

Fallen Angel by Chris Brookmyre (Little, Brown Book Group, Abacus)

Nothing Important Happened Today by Will Carver (Orenda Books)

Cruel Acts by Jane Casey (HarperCollins, Harper Fiction)

Blue Moon by Lee Child (Transworld, Bantam)

The Long Call by Ann Cleeves (Pan Macmillan, Macmillan/Pan)

Red Snow by Will Dean (Oneworld, Point Blank)

Platform Seven by Louise Doughty (Faber & Faber)

Worst Case Scenario by Helen Fitzgerald (Orenda Books)

The Lost Man by Jane Harper (Little, Brown Book Group, Little, Brown)

Joe Country by Mick Herron (John Murray Press)

How the Dead Speak by Val McDermid (Little, Brown Book Group, Little, Brown)

The Chain by Adrian McKinty (Orion Publishing Group, Orion Fiction)

Conviction by Denise Mina (VINTAGE, Harvill Secker)

Smoke and Ashes by Abir Mukherjee (VINTAGE, Harvill Secker)

The Whisper Man by Alex North (Penguin Random House, Michael Joseph)

Blood & Sugar by Laura Shepherd-Robinson (Headline Publishing Group, Wildfire)

Blood Orange by Harriet Tyce (Pan Macmillan, Mantle/Pan)

Executive director of T&R Theakston, Simon Theakston, said: “Year on year, I’m astounded and delighted by how this exceptional genre continues to excel – we were deluged with record submissions and these 18 impressive titles demonstrate the quality and power of contemporary crime fiction. From the familiar faces to the new voices, we are immensely proud of this year's longlist and raise a virtual glass of Old Peculier to all the authors, and what will be another fierce contest for this much-wanted award.”   

The award is run by Harrogate International Festivals in partnership with T&R Theakston Ltd, WHSmith and the Express, and is open to full length crime novels published in paperback from 1 May 2018 to 30 April 2019 by UK and Irish authors. 

The longlist was selected by an academy of crime writing authors, agents, editors, reviewers, members of the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival Programming Committee, and representatives from T&R Theakston Ltd, the Express, and WHSmith.

The 18 titles will be promoted in a dedicated online campaign from WHSmith, digital promotional materials will be made available for independent bookstores, and the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival’s online community – You’re Booked – will raise a virtual glass to the titles and authors through interviews, features and a variety of further interactive content, as well as giving the opportunity to see a selection of events from the Festival’s extensive archive. This forms part of the Harrogate International Festival virtual season of events, which presents a raft of live music, specially commissioned performances, literary events and interviews to bring a free festival experience to your own digital doorstep. 

The public are now invited to vote for a shortlist of six titles on www.harrogatetheakstoncrimeaward.com, which will be announced on 8 June.

The winner of this pre-eminent prize has historically been awarded on the opening evening of the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival as part of Harrogate International Festival Summer Season, which this year was cancelled, with much sadness, due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. This year, the winner will be revealed at a virtual awards ceremony on 31 July, and will receive £3,000, and a handmade, engraved beer barrel provided by Theakston Old Peculier.

Winner of 2019 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Unmasked

Steve Cavanagh has been unmasked as the winner of The Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award for 2019.

Now in its fifteenth year, the Award is considered the most coveted crime writing prizes in the country, and one that receives substantial interest from authors, publishers, booksellers and fans of the genre in equal measures.

Thirteen is the Lisburn author’s fifth book in the Eddie Flynn series of crime thrillers, serving up a delicious twist to the traditional courtroom thriller, where in this instance the real killer is not the one on trial, but a member of the jury!

Cavanagh was presented the award by title sponsor Simon Theakston at the event hosted by broadcaster Mark Lawson at the opening night of the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival, staged by Harrogate International Festivals in the Old Swan Hotel, Harrogate.

He was one six shortlisted authors vying for the title from an original longlist of 18 crime novels, published by UK and Irish authors, available in paperback from May 1, 2018 to April 30, 2019.

The 2019 Award is supported by title sponsor T&R Theakston Ltd, WHSmith, 

and The Mail on Sunday.

He collected a £3,000 cash prize, as well as a handmade, engraved oak beer cask crafted by the coopers at Theakston’s Masham brewery.

The winner was decided by the panel of judges, comprising of literary and media figures chaired this year by Mari Hannah, alongside a public vote.

A special presentation was also made to James Patterson - the winner of the tenth Theakston Old Peculier Outstanding Contribution to Crime Fiction Award.

James Patterson - whose books have sold in excess of 300 million copies and has been the most-borrowed author of adult fiction in UK libraries for the past 11 years in a row - joins John Grisham, Lee Child, Val McDermid, Sara Paretsky, Lynda La Plante, Ruth Rendell, PD James, Colin Dexter and Reginald Hill as recipients of the Award.

Simon Theakston, title sponsor and executive director of T&R Theakston Ltd, said: “It is always a privilege to present the winning author with their richly-deserved award. As ever, the standard of both the short and long lists has been astonishingly high, and it is never an easy task to choose a winner.”

Simon Theakston added: “James Patterson is a literary giant and it was an absolute honour to present him with the Theakston Old Peculier Outstanding Contribution to Crime Fiction Award. “James is as passionate about reading as he is about writing and is a huge supporter of independent bookstores and libraries.

“We are delighted that he is joining us here in Harrogate for a few days, and I’m sure many budding crime writers will draw inspiration from his very presence.”

This year’s Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival - Europe’s biggest celebration of the genre - continues until Sunday at the Old Swan Hotel, Harrogate.

Special Guests this year include Jeffery Deaver, Harlan Coben, Ian Rankin, Jo Nesbo, MC Beaton, Stuart MacBride, Val McDermid, Jed Mercurio, Nicola Sturgeon, Belinda Bauer and Eva Dolan. 2019’s programme is chaired by Mari Hannah.

The shortlist in full:

Belinda Bauer – Snap 

Snap is a gripping novel about a teenage boy’s hunt for his mother’s killer. Jack’s in charge, said his mother as she disappeared up the road to get help. I won’t be long. Now eleven-year-old Jack and his two sisters wait on the hard shoulder in their stifling, broken-down car, bickering and whining and playing I-Spy until she comes back. But their mother doesn’t come back. She never comes back.

Steve Cavanagh – Thirteen

Murder wasn't the hard part. It was just the start of the game. Joshua Kane has been preparing for this moment his whole life. He's done it before. But this is the big one. This is the murder trial of the century. And Kane has killed to get the best seat in the house. But there's someone on his tail. Someone who suspects that the killer isn't the man on trial. Kane knows time is running out - he just needs to get to the conviction without being discovered.

Mick Herron – London Rules

London Rules might not be written down, but everyone knows rule one. Cover your arse. Regent's Park's First Desk, Claude Whelan, is learning this the hard way. Tasked with protecting a beleaguered prime minister, he's facing attack from all directions himself: from the showboating MP who orchestrated the Brexit vote, and now has his sights set on Number Ten; from the showboat's wife, a tabloid columnist, who's crucifying Whelan in print; and especially from his own deputy, Lady Di Taverner, who's alert for Claude's every stumble. Meanwhile, the country's being rocked by an apparently random string of terror attacks, and someone's trying to kill Roddy Ho.

Val McDermid – Broken Ground

Six feet under in a Highland peat bog lies Alice Somerville’s inheritance, buried by her grandfather at the end of World War II. But when Alice finally uncovers it, she finds an unwanted surprise—a body with a bullet hole between the eyes. Meanwhile, DCI Pirie is called in to unravel a case where nothing is quite as it seems. And as she gets closer to the truth, it becomes clear that not everyone shares her desire for justice. Or even the idea of what justice is.

Liam McIlvanney – The Quaker

Glasgow, 1969. In the grip of the worst winter for years, the city is brought to its knees by a killer whose name fills the streets with fear: The Quaker. He’s taken his next victim — the third woman from the same nightclub — and dumped her in the street like rubbish. The police are left chasing a ghost, with no new leads and no hope of catching their prey. After six months, DI Duncan McCormack, a talented young detective from the Highlands, is ordered to join the investigation — with a view to shutting it down for good.

Khurrum Rahman – East of Hounslow

Javid – call him Jay – is a dope dealer living in West London. He goes to mosque on Friday, and he’s just bought his pride and joy – a BMW. He lives with his mum, and life seems sweet. But his world is about to turn upside-down. Because MI5 have been watching him, and they think he’s just the man they need for a delicate mission. One thing’s for sure: now he’s a long way East of Hounslow, Jay’s life will never be the same again.

In The Spotlight - Denise Mina

Name: Denise Mina 

Job:     Author

Website:- http://www.denisemina.com

Twitter:- @DameDeniseMina

Introduction:-

Denise Mina is the author of 14 novels which includes 3 different series the Garnethill Trilogy, the Paddy Meehan series and the Alex Morrow series along with 3 standalone novels.  The most recent being Conviction.  The first book in the Garnethill trilogy won the John Creasey Dagger from the CWA for Best Crime novel in 1998.  In 2011 The End of the Wasp Season won the Martin Beck Award. Whilst in 2012 and 2013 the novels The End of the Wasp Season and Gods and Beasts won the Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime. Novel of the Year Award. In 2017 The Long Drop won the Gordon Burn Prize and the Mcllvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Novel of the Year.  The first Paddy Meehan novel, The Field of Blood, was filmed by the BBC and broadcast in 2011 whilst the second book The Dead Hour was broadcast in 2013.  She is also the author of two different graphic novels Hellblazer and the Millennium Trilogy and two plays Ida Tamson (2006) and A Drunk Man Looks at the Thistle (2007) and a radio play The Meek which was performed on BBC3 in 2009

Current book?     

Milkman by Anna Burns

Favourite book? 

Heart of a Dog by Mikhail Bulgakov

Which two characters would you invite to dinner and why?  

Tom Ripley and a smug uberman, someone like James Bond. I know I’d get killed in the cross fire but it would be a great fight to watch.

How do you relax?  

I can’t remember. Watch box sets? Is this what the young are doing now? 

What book do you wish you had written and why? 

Not a book but ‘The Still Beating Heart’by Edgar Allan Poe 

What would you say to your younger self if you were just starting out as a writer?

Remember to enjoy your triumphs. It’s so easy just to move onto the next worry. Also, in the future everyone will be precariously self-employed so what you’re doing isn’t as foolish as you think.

How would you describe your series character?

Well, I haven’t really got one at the moment but Anna McDonald is rude, impatient and a better friend than most of us deserve.

Conviction by Denise Mina (Published by Vintage Publishing, May 2019) 

Conviction stars a strong female protagonist who is obsessed by true-crime podcasts and decides, one day, to investigate one of the unsolved crimes herself. It's just a normal morning for Anna McDonald. Gym kits, packed lunches, getting everyone up and ready. Until she opens the front door to her best friend, Estelle. Anna turns to see her own husband at the top of the stairs, suitcase in hand. They're leaving together and they're taking Anna's two daughters with them. Left alone in the big, dark house, Anna can't think, she can't take it in. With her safe, predictable world shattered, she distracts herself with a story: a true-crime podcast. There's a sunken yacht in the Mediterranean, multiple murders and a hint of power and corruption. Then Anna realises she knew one of the victims in another life. She is convinced she knows what happened. Her past, so carefully hidden until now, will no longer stay silent. This is a murder she can't ignore, and she throws herself into investigating the case. But little does she know, her past and present lives are about to collide, sending everything she has worked so hard to achieve into freefall. 

THEAKSTON FESTIVAL ROUNDS UP SIX SUSPECTS ON CRIME NOVEL AWARD SHORTLIST

The shortlist for crime writing’s most wanted accolade, the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year, has been announced.

The shortlist in full:

Snap by Belinda Bauer

Thirteen by Steve Cavanagh

London Rules by Mick Herron

Broken Ground by Val McDermid

The Quaker by Liam McIlvanney

East of Hounslow by Khurrum Rahman

The shortlisted six were whittled down from a longlist of 18 titles. The prize, now in its 15th year, was created to celebrate the very best in crime fiction.

Belinda Bauer, a previous winner of the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award for her novel Rubbernecker in 2014, is shortlisted with her 2018 Man Booker long-listed, Snap. 

Snap, which is inspired by the murder of a pregnant woman, Marie Wilks, on the M50 in 1988 (the real-life crime remains unsolved), became one of the very few crime-genre novels ever to be considered for the Man Booker prize. The judges described it as “an acute, stylish, intelligent novel about how we survive trauma.”

Bauer battles courtroom drama, Thirteen, by Steve Cavanagh, hailed by Ian Rankin for “plotting that takes the breath away.” Cavanagh is an Irish lawyer and author born and raised in Belfast. Thirteen offers an original twist on the courtroom thriller, where the serial killer isn’t on trial - he’s on the jury.

Both Mick Herron and Val McDermid were shortlisted for the 2018 Theakston Old Peculier Novel of the Year - the title went to Stav Sherez with The Intrusions. 

McDermid last won Novel of the Year in 2006. The No.1 bestseller and ‘queen of crime’ could reclaim the title with her latest, Broken Ground. The Karen Pirie thriller digs up a secret buried for 70 years in a Highland peat bog and has been praised for its ‘masterly handling of pace and plot.’

Her novels have been translated into more than 30 languages and have sold over 15 million copies. McDermid has won many awards including in 2016 the Outstanding Contribution to Crime Fiction Award at the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival.

Mick Herron’s widely acclaimed Jackson Lamb novels have been shortlisted twice for the Crime Novel of the Year and London Rules puts him back in the running. London Rules is the fifth outing for the misfit disgraced band of spies at Slough House with the backdrop of Brexit Britain and a terror plot. Dubbed ‘the UK’s new spy master’ by the Sunday Times, Herron’s writing was praised by critic Barry Forshaw for, “the spycraft of le Carré refracted through the blackly comic vision of Joseph Heller’s Catch-22.”

The Quaker by Liam McIllvanney has already scooped the 2018 McIlvanney Prize which was named to honour his father, the late ‘godfather of tartan noir’, William McIlvanney. Liam, an author and a professor of Scottish studies in New Zealand, set The Quaker in Glasgow in 1969 drawing on the real-life, never-caught serial murderer Bible John.

The only debut author on the list is that of Senior IT Officer turned novelist, Khurrum Rahman, with his first novel, East of Hounslow.  Mixing edgy humour and pulse-racing tension, Khurrum was shortlisted for the CWA John Creasey Debut Dagger Award 2018. East of Hounslow follows his young hero Jay, a dope dealer who ends up reluctantly working undercover for MI5 while undergoing radical Islamist training. Khurrum lives in Berkshire with his wife and two sons.

Shortlist titles will feature in a dedicated online campaign with WHSmith and a nationwide library promotion.

The overall winner will be decided by the panel of Judges, alongside a public vote. The public vote opens on 1 July and closes 14 July at www.theakstons.co.uk.

Executive director of T&R Theakston, Simon Theakston, said: “All shortlisted authors are deserving of the title, but there’s only one Novel of the Year. The public vote will be invaluable, readers have real power, so I’d encourage everyone to make their voice heard - it’s free and simple to vote online. It will be fascinating to see which of these remarkable titles prevails, all are simply outstanding.”

The winner is announced on the opening night of the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival, on 18 July.

The winner will receive a £3,000 cash prize, as well as a handmade, engraved beer barrel provided by Theakston Old Peculier.

The awards ceremony, hosted by Mark Lawson, will also reveal the recipient of the 2019 Outstanding Contribution to Crime Fiction Award, who will join a roll-call of crime writing giants. Past recipients include Colin Dexter, Reginald Hill, PD James, Ruth Rendell, Lynda La Plante, Sara Paretsky, Val McDermid, Lee Child and John Grisham.

The award is run in partnership with T&R Theakston Ltd, WHSmith, and The Mail on Sunday.

For further media information please contact Ann Chadwick at Cause UK 07534892715 ann@causeuk.com

2019 THEAKSTON OLD PECULIER CRIME NOVEL OF THE YEAR LONGLIST REVEALED

A novel longlisted for the Man Booker is up against debut authors in the most hotly contended crime writing prize in the country.

 

2019 marks the 15th year of the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year award. The prize was created to celebrate the very best in crime fiction and is open to UK and Irish crime authors whose novels were published in paperback from 1 May 2018 to 30 April 2019.

Belinda Bauer, a previous winner of the Crime Novel of the Year Award for her novel Rubbernecker in 2014, enters the longlist with her 2018 Man Booker longlisted, Snap. Bauer however battles an awards-heavy longlist. 

Multiple-award winner Val McDermid, the No.1 bestseller and ‘queen of crime’, received the Outstanding Contribution to Crime Fiction at the Festival in 2016 and won the Crime Novel of the Year in 2006. Her latest, Broken Ground, makes the 2019 longlist.

Chris Brookmyre won the Novel of the Year award in 2017 for Black Widow. He returns in the guise of Ambrose Perry, the pseudonym for his collaboration with his wife, consultant anaesthetist Dr Marisa Haetzman, for their gripping historical crime novel, The Way of All Flesh.

Liam McIllvanney also makes the longlist with The Quaker, awarded the 2018 McIlvanney  Prize which was set up in memory of his father, William. Stuart Turton weighs in with. The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, a debut which won the Costa First Novel Award 2018.

Mick Herron’s widely-acclaimed Jackson Lamb novels have been shortlisted three times for the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year, the fifth in the series, London Rules puts him back in the running.

Senior IT Officer turned novelist, Rahman Khurrum, is also on the list for his first novel, East of Hounslow.  Mixing edgy humour and pulse racing tension, Khurrum was shortlisted for the CWA John Creasey Debut Dagger Award 2018.

The winner is announced at the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival, hosted in Harrogate each July. The festival was co-founded in 2003 by Val McDermid, agent Jane Gregory, and arts charity Harrogate International Festivals.

2019’s longlist also sees the return of previous shortlisted authors, Elly Griffiths for her Dr Ruth Galloway novels, with her latest The Dark Angel, and Ann Cleeves for Wild Fire, the eighth, and final book, in the bestselling Shetland series – a major BBC One drama starring Douglas Henshall as Jimmy Perez.

The Longlist in Full:

Snap by Belinda Bauer - Transworld

Our House by Louise Candlish - Simon & Schuster UK

Thirteen by Steve Cavanagh - Hachette

Wild Fire by Ann Cleeves - Pan Macmillan

This Is How It Ends by Eva Dolan - Bloomsbury Publishing

Take Me In by Sabine Durrant - Hodder & Stoughton

The Dark Angel by Elly Griffiths - Quercus

London Rules by Mick Herron - John Murray Press

Broken Ground by Val McDermid - Little, Brown Book Group

The Quaker by Liam McIlvanney - HarperCollins

The Way of All Flesh by Ambrose Parry - Canongate Books

East of Hounslow by Khurrum Rahman - HarperCollins

Hell Bay by Kate Rhodes - Simon & Schuster UK

Salt Lane by William Shaw - Quercus

The Chalk Man by C. J. Tudor - Penguin Random House

The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton - Bloomsbury Publishing

Anatomy of a Scandal by Sarah Vaughan - Simon & Schuster UK

Changeling by Matt Wesolowski - Orenda Books

Executive director of T&R Theakston, Simon Theakston, said: “So many authors on our longlist have been nominees for major mainstream awards. The literary world is perhaps catching up to the fact that crime fictionis leading thepublishing world and shaping our cultural landscape. In 2018, sales of crime novels outstripped general fiction for the first time. It’s a genre that dominates the small and big screen, and attracts critical acclaim, as well as being incredibly popular. There is however, only one Crime Novel of the Year, and the reputation of our Award, built over 15 years, makes this accolade hotly contended.”

Established authors on the list include Louise Candlish, the bestselling author of 12 novels; Our House has been optioned for TV by Death in Paradise producers Red Planet Pictures.

Take Me In is the fourth sensational thriller from Sabine Durrant, author of the Richard & Judy bestseller Lie With Me. Kate Rhodes, an acclaimed author 

and award-winning poet, makes the list with Hell Bay.

Courtroom drama, Thirteen by Steve Cavanagh was hailed by Ian Rankin for ‘plotting that takes the breath away.’ CJ Tudor, dubbed Britain’s ‘female Stephen King’ became a Sunday Times bestseller with The Chalk Man.

Praised as a savage indictment of class, privilege and toxic masculinity, Sarah Vaughan’s Anatomy of a Scandal combined Vaughan's experiences as a political correspondent on the Guardian with her time as a student reading English at Oxford, in the Nineties.

Eva Dolan, won the CWA Dagger for unpublished authors as a teen. Her Zigic and Ferreira series - addictive socially aware stories - are a magnet for acclaim. Her first standalone This is How it Ends propels her onto the A-list.

Pop culture journalist William Shaw also joins the list with Salt Lane, alongside Matt Wesolowski, who made a stir with his debut thriller, Six Stories, with film rights sold to a major Hollywood studio. He enters the longlist with the third book in his series. Changeling.

The award is run in partnership with T&R Theakston Ltd, WHSmith, and The Mail on Sunday.

The longlist of 18 titles were selected by an Academy of crime writing authors, agents, editors, reviewers and members of the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival Programming Committee.

Titles will be promoted in a dedicated online campaign with WHSmith and a nationwide library promotion.

The shortlist of six titles will be announced on 19 May.

The winner will be announced at an award ceremony hosted by broadcaster Mark Lawson on 18 July on the opening night of the 17th Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival at the Old Swan Hotel, Harrogate. They’ll receive a £3,000 cash prize, as well as a handmade, engraved beer barrel provided by Theakston Old Peculier.

The night will also feature the Outstanding Contribution to Crime Fiction Award, with past recipients over the years including PD James, Ruth Rendell, Reginald Hill and Colin Dexter.

For further media information please contact Ann Chadwick at Cause UK 07534892715 ann@causeuk.com