Theakstons Old Peculiar Crime Novel of the Year Shortlist

Last month the organizers of the annual Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year announced their longlist. Great books there. Today they announced the shortlist. The winner of the award will be announced at Harrogate.

This award celebrates excellence, originality, and the very best in crime fiction from UK and Irish authors. Awarded annually as part of Harrogate International Festivals’ Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival, the winner of the most wanted accolade in crime fiction receives a cheque for £3000, and an engraved oak beer cask, hand-carved by one of Britain’s last coopers from Theakstons Brewery. 

THEAKSTON OLD PECULIER CRIME NOVEL OF THE YEAR SHORTLIST

• The Night Hawks, by Elly Griffiths (Quercus)
• True Crime Story, by Joseph Knox (Penguin)
• Daughters of Night, by Laura Shepherd-Robinson (Pan)
• Slough House, by Mick Herron (John Murray)
• Midnight at Malabar House, by Vaseem Khan (Hodder Paperbacks)
• The Last Thing to Burn, by Will Dean (Hodder Paperbacks)

THEAKSTON OLD PECULIER CRIME NOVEL OF THE YEAR LONGLIST

Crime Novel Of The Year longlist 

My Sister The Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
Fallen Angel by Chris Brookmyre
Nothing Important Happened Today by Will Carver
Cruel Acts by Jane Casey
Blue Moon by Lee Child
The Long Call by Ann Cleeves
Red Snow by Will Dean
Platform Seven by Louise Doughty
Worst Case Scenario by Helen Fitzgerald
The Lost Man by Jane Harper
Joe Country by Mick Herron
How The Dead Speak by Val McDermid
The Chain by Adrian McKinty
Conviction by Denise Mina
Smoke And Ashes by Abir Mukherjee
The Whisper Man by Alex North
 Blood And Sugar by Laura Shepherd-Robinson
Blood Orange by Harriet Tyce

2020 marks the 16th 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 2019 to 30 April 2020. 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.

The shortlist of six titles will be announced later this month.