Programme highlights include an all-star lineup of acclaimed writers and global bestsellers including Mick Herron, Louise Candlish, M.W. Craven, James Comey, Lucy Foley, Femi Kayode and Saima Mir joining Special Guest headliners Chris Carter, Jane Casey, Elly Griffiths, Peter James, Erin Kelly, Vaseem Khan, Dorothy Koomson, Shari Lapena, Abir Mukherjee, Liz Nugent and Richard Osman, the crowning of the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year and the much anticipated Critics’New Blood panel which showcases four talented debut novelists. This year’s cohort, selected by a panel of the UK’s leading crime fiction critics, are Jonny Sweet, Martta Kaukonen, Claire Coughlan and Colin Walsh. For aspiring writers, Creative Thursday offers an immersive day of workshops and talks led by bestselling writers and industry experts, with the unique opportunity to pitch work in the ‘Dragon’s Pen’.
A Festival for everyone, the evening events offer a host of opportunities for readers to engage with their favourite writers and include the hotly contested Late Night Quiz hosted by Val McDermid and Mark Billingham and the highly anticipated Confessions of a Crime Writer where well-known authors disclose deliciously dreadful secrets from their past and the audience decide if they should be forgiven, or not. Two hot-ticket Author Dinners will seereaders join forces with crime writers Kia Abdullah, Chris Brookmyre, Sunny Singh, Imran Mahmood,Lesley Thomson, Syd Moore, John Sutherland, Trevor Wood, Araminta Hall and many more to solve a murder mystery with a twist.
Ruth Ware, bestselling author and 2024 Festival Programming Chair said:
“After so many months of plotting and planning, I’m thrilled with the incredible showcase of crime writing talent the Festival committee has put together. From newcomers to titans of the genre, from cosy crime to hard-boiled whodunnits, from psychological thrillers to forensic procedurals, therereally is something for everyone at this year’s Festival. But for me the true joy of the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival has always come down to one thing: the sheer pleasure of being among so many fellow book lovers, in a festival that puts the reader at the heart of everything. If you’re a booklover, this Festival is for you.”
I am really excited to share the incredible longlist for this year’s award. I’ve read almost all of the books and will try to read the rest ASAP. The link to vote is also below, so do join in. Good luck to all the amazing writers.
This year’s longlist features twenty incredible crime novels, with literary icons vying with debut authors for the prestigious award. Contenders include: Bad Actors, the gruelling bestseller from 2022 winner Mick Herron; the penultimate Dr Ruth Galloway thriller The Locked Room by Elly Griffiths; All I Said Was True, the ticking clock thriller from barrister-turned-author Imran Mahmood; historical mysteries set on a 18th Century mail-ship bound for Philadelphia in Blue Water by Leonora Nattrass, and the turbulent streets of 1950s Bombay in The Lost Man of Bombay by Vaseem Khan; Sarah Vaughan with her masterful psychological page-turner Reputation; the deftly suspenseful The Twyford Code by Janice Hallett; and many more.
You can vote for your favourites at harrogatetheakstoncrimeaward.com. The shortlist will be announced on 15 June, with the winner of the most coveted award in crime fiction crowned at the opening night of the world’s largest celebration of crime fiction and thriller writing – Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival – which runs from 20 – 23 July 2023 and is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year with an extra special line-up of killer events.
The full Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2023 longlist is:
· The Murder Book by Mark Billingham (Little, Brown Book Group; Little Brown)
· The Botanist by M.W. Craven (Little, Brown Book Group; Constable)
· Into The Dark by Fiona Cummins (Pan Macmillan; Macmillan/Pan)
· The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley (HarperCollins; HarperFiction)
· The Locked Room by Elly Griffiths (Quercus)
· The Twyford Code by Janice Hallett (Profile Books; Viper)
· Bad Actors by Mick Herron (John Murray Press; Baskerville)
· The Family Remains by Lisa Jewell (Cornerstone; Century Fiction)
· Black Hearts by Doug Johnstone (Orenda Books)
· The Lost Man of Bombay by Vaseem Khan (Hodder & Stoughton)
· The Last Party by Clare Mackintosh (Little, Brown Book Group; Sphere)
· All I Said Was True by Imran Mahmood (Bloomsbury Publishing; Raven Books)
· Wrong Place Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister (Penguin Random House; Michael Joseph)
· 1989 by Val McDermid (Little, Brown Book Group; Little Brown)
· The Heretic by Liam McIlvanney (HarperCollins; HarperFiction)
· Blue Water by Leonora Nattrass (Profile Books; Viper)
· May God Forgive by Alan Parks (Canongate Books)
· Truly Darkly Deeply by Victoria Selman (Quercus)
· Reputation by Sarah Vaughan (Simon & Schuster)
· The It Girl by Ruth Ware (Simon & Schuster)
*this post was created using information from a press release but all opinions remain my own.
I am always envious of the genuinely amazing line ups for the Theakston Old Peculiar Crime Writing Festival held in Harrogate, this year 20-23 June. It looks incredible. If you’re going, you’re in for an amazing time.
The 2023 Festival Chair, award winning crime and thriller author Vaseem Khan, has curated a ground-breaking programme. Alongside the special guests headlining the Festival, including literary legends Lee Child, Andrew Child, Lisa Jewell, Ruth Ware, Ann Cleeves, Jeffery Deaver, Lucy Worsley, S. A. Cosby, Val McDermid,and Chris Hammer, the full programme includes some of the biggest names in crime fiction.
Exploring everything from the perfect murderous opening, police procedurals and dark obsessions to legal thrillers and the golden age of crime, this year’s 20th anniversary programme will see a variety of acclaimed crime and thriller authors discussing the genre and influences on their writing, including Janice Hallett, Shari Lapena, Louise Candlish, Abir Mukherjee, Steve Cavanagh, Elly Griffiths, Ragnar Jónasson, Clare Mackintosh, Mick Herron, Will Dean, Laura Shepherd-Robinson, Chris Brookmyre, and many more!
Get the full line up and event schedule at the website and follow on Twitter and Instagram for updates and sneak peaks.
Image via Twitter
*This post was created using information from a press release but all opinions remain my own.
I read this incredible book what feels like a million years ago in June 2020 and sent my copy to my Grandad, a big thriller fan, to enjoy in lockdown, you can read my thoughts on this book from way back then here.
It’s a powerful story of crime, punishment, love and redemption set in coastal California – and one that Whitaker credits as saving his life after being brutally mugged and stabbed as a teenager (he tells the story here).
Chris Whitaker said: ‘I began writing this book as a form of therapy after being mugged and stabbed. Without doubt this story saved my life, so to win this award feels like the most wonderful, dreamlike end to a journey that has been twenty years in the making. I have read the shortlisted books, so know with some certainty that I’m not a worthy winner, but I am a grateful one, and I don’t think I’ll ever stop smiling now.”
Whitaker has clinched the title on his very first nomination after being chosen by a public vote, the prize Academy and a panel of expert judges, receiving £3,000 and an engraved oak beer cask, hand-carved by one of Britain’s last coopers from Theakstons Brewery.
An unprecedented decision has been taken to recognise Northern Irish author Brian McGilloway’s exceptional political thriller The Last Crossingas Highly Commended. McGilloway will also receive a handmade, engraved beer barrel provided by Theakston Old Peculier for his novel which explores The Troubles from the perspective of former operatives who like to think they have moved on.
Executive director of T&R Theakston, Simon Theakston, said: “The contest for this year’s Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year award has been fiercely fought – a reflection of the outstanding quality of all the longlisted and shortlisted crime fiction published within the last year. I offer Chris Whitaker my hearty congratulations for clinching the title on his first ever nomination for his powerful and insightful We Begin at the End.”
Gary Jones, Express Editor-in-Chief, said: “It’s a great pleasure to be associated with the world’s most famous celebration of crime writing and we’re thrilled the Theakston Old Peculier Festival is back this year in the flesh and better than ever. Congratulations to all the shortlisted authors for crime book of the year and especially to winner Chris Whitaker.”
Special presentations were also made to Ian Rankin OBE and Mark Billingham, the winners of the Theakston Old Peculier Outstanding Contribution to Crime Fiction Award for 2021 and 2020, respectively.
Simon Theakston added:“It was an absolute pleasure to award crime fiction legends Ian Rankin and Mark Billingham with the Theakston Old Peculier Outstanding Contribution to Crime Fiction Award 2021 and 2020 respectively. They are two titans of crime fiction and richly deserving of this latest recognition of their mastery of the genre.”
Ian Rankin OBE, recipient of Theakston Old Peculier Outstanding Contribution to Crime Fiction Award 2021, said: “It’s such a privilege and an honour to receive this award, and especially to be in Harrogate to receive it in person. I’ve been a published writer for over thirty years but this past year has been uniquely challenging – for writers, readers and booksellers. It’s heartening to see the Theakston Festival rise like a phoenix. Books continue to provide us with that wonderful mix of food for thought and escapism. I couldn’t be prouder to be a crime writer.”
Mark Billingham, recipient of Theakston Old Peculier Outstanding Contribution to Crime Fiction Award 2020, said: “It goes without saying that – presuming it’s not some sort of administrative error – this is an enormous honour. I’m as gobsmacked as I am grateful to be joining a list containing the likes of Ruth Rendell, PD James and Lee Child and while there are many individuals to whom I’m hugely indebted, first and foremost I want to say ‘thank you’ to the readers. Without them, there’s no point to any of it.”
This year’s Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival continues until Sunday at the Old Swan Hotel, Harrogate. Special Guests this year include Mark Billingham, Ann Cleeves, Elly Griffiths, Mick Herron, Clare Mackintosh, Val Mcdermid and Richard Osman, curated by Festival Programming Chair Ian Rankin OBE.
The award is run by Harrogate International Festivals sponsored by T&R Theakston Ltd, in partnership with WHSmith and the Express, and is open to full length crime novels published in paperback 1 May 2020 to 30 April 2021 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.
**this post was created using material provided by a press release and is not necessarily representative of the opinions of ramblingmads.com**
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