THEAKSTON OLD PECULIER CRIME AWARDS 2025

2025 AWARD WINNERS:

• WINNER of the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2025: Hunted by Abir Mukherjee (Vintage; Harvill Secker)
• WINNER of the McDermid Debut Award: A Reluctant Spy by David Goodman (Headline)
• Theakston Old Peculier Outstanding Contribution Award: Elly Griffiths (Quercus)

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Hunted by Abir Mukherjee is the winner of the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2025, presented by Harrogate International Festivals at a special ceremony on the opening night of the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival.

Abir Mukerjee receives a £3,000 prize, as well as an engraved beer cask handcrafted by one of Britain’s last coopers from Theakston’s Brewery.

The McDermid Debut Award, named in recognition of world-famous crime writer Val McDermid, was won by David Goodman for A Reluctant Spy, it was also announced.

David Goodman receives a £500 cash prize. The award was presented by Chair of Judges, Val McDermid, and Simon Theakston, Chairman of T&R Theakston.

Bestselling novelist Elly Griffiths received the Theakston Old Peculier Outstanding Contribution Award in recognition of her remarkable crime fiction writing career and “unwavering commitment to the genre.”

Elly Griffiths is the author of the Dr Ruth Galloway Mysteries; the Brighton Mysteries, the Detective Harbinder Kaur series and an exhilarating new series featuring time-travelling detective Ali Dawson. 

THEAKSTON OLD PECULIER CRIME NOVEL OF THE YEAR

The Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2021 was announced last night during opening ceremonies at Theakston Old Peculier Writing Festival being held in Harrogate, England. Chris Whitaker won for We Begin at the End (Zaffre). The win also includes 3000 Pounds and an engraved oak beer cask, hand-carved by one of Britain's last coopere. 

In addition, Ian Rankin and Mark Billingham were names as recipients of the Theakston Old Peculier Outstanding Contribution to Crime Fiction Award for 2021, and 2020. 

HT: The Rap Sheet

Theakston Old Peculiar Crime Novel of the Year Longlist

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. 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 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.

LONGLIST:

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 fiction is leading the publishing 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.”