These 6 gripping thrillers are competing for Crime Novel of the Year | Books | Entertainment

A team of washed-up spies entangled in a dangerous game of blackmail dating from The Troubles are competing against a time-travelling cold-case detective and a witty James Bond spin-off for the most prestigious prize in crime writing. They are joined on the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year shortlist by a psychological thriller about marriage, grief and revenge; a son who discovers his late father was a serial killer; and the lingering effects of a brutal home invasion.

The six books, picked from a longlist of 18 titles, feature three previous winners and three debut nominees, with readers invited to vote for their favourite book. Now in its 22nd year and supported by the Daily and Sunday Express and Waterstones, the award celebrates crime fiction at its thrilling best.

The winner will be revealed on the opening night of the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, on July 23, when he or she will receive a carved oak Theakston beer barrel and £3,000

The three former nominees shortlisted again are Mick Herron, who took the gong in 2022 for Slough House and is nominated this year for Clown Town, the latest in his Slow Horses series – entertainingly televised and starring Gary Oldman as ageing spymaster Jackson Lamb; Elly Griffiths, who has been nominated a record eight times – this time for The Frozen People, the first in a new series featuring cold-case investigator and time-traveller Ali Dawson – but never won; and Vaseem Khan who was shortlisted in 2022 for Midnight at Malabar House and is honoured again for Quantum of Menace, the first in his new 007 spin-off featuring Major Boothroyd, aka Q.

The three debut nominees for 2026 are Tariq Ashkanani for The Midnight King – a dark thriller about the son of a famous author and never-caught serial killer who, after his father’s death, discovers an unpublished confessional manuscript; Alice Feeney for Beautiful Ugly, featuring a once-successful writer who retreats to a remote Scottish island after his wife’s disappearance only to find himself drawn into a web of secrets and deception; and Abigail Dean, whose psychological thriller The Death of Us explores the long-term impact of a horrendous crime when a couple’s lives are shattered by a masked intruder attacking them at home.

Simon Theakston, chairman of the festival’s title sponsor T&R Theakston Ltd, said: “Congratulations to all of the incredible writers shortlisted for this year’s Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year.

“The highly entertaining books on this year’s shortlist will take readers on an unforgettablerollercoaster ride from remote Scottish islands to frozen Victorian London, the down-at-heel offices of MI5 and far beyond.

“I’m looking forward to finding out who the public and the judges vote for and presenting the coveted beer-cask trophy to the winner at the opening ceremony.”

Sharon Canavar, chief executive of Harrogate International Festivals, said: “We’re delighted to reveal the shortlist for this year’s Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year.

“Showcasing the broad range of the world’s favourite genre – from spy thrillers to time-travel mysteries, from James Bond spin-offs to twisty psychological thrillers – the six books on this year’s shortlist are hugely ambitious and innovative but above all else, cracking great reads! We encourage all readers to get involved and vote for their favourite novel on the list to win.”