MAY GOD FORGIVE longlisted for the 2023 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award

We are delighted that MAY GOD FORGIVE by Alan Parks has been longlisted for the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award.

The Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year is one of the most prestigious prizes in crime fiction in the UK. It is presented by Harrogate International Festivals and recognises the best crime novels published in the UK and Ireland in paperback.

The public are now invited to vote for the six titles to make up the shortlist: https://harrogatetheakstoncrimeaward.com/vote/

Voting closes on 18 May.

The shortlist will be announced on 15 June, when the public vote for the winner will open. The winner of the £3,000 prize will be revealed at Harrogate on 20 July, on the opening night of the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival, which will be celebrating its 20th year.

You can watch an interview with all the longlisted authors, including Alan, here: https://harrogatetheakstoncrimeaward.com/author-interviews/

MAY GOD FORGIVE is the fifth title in Alan Parks’ highly acclaimed Harry McCoy series. It won the McIlvanney Scottish Crime Book of the Year award and was recently longlisted for the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger.

After a fatal arson attack leaves tempers frayed in Glasgow, McCoy finds himself in a race against time to find the suspects before they turn up dead one by one. In 2022 MAY GOD FORGIVE was published in the UK by Canongate and in the US by Europa. The series is sold in more than ten countries around the world and the paperback is out in the UK today, on 27 April. The next book in the series, TO DIE IN JUNE, will be released in the UK next month.

Praise for MAY GOD FORGIVE

‘MAY GOD FORGIVE is the fifth instalment in a remarkable series that began with BLOODY JANUARY. The novels, as someone once said, can be read in any order; the important thing is to read them all.’ – Mark Sanderson, The Times

‘MAY GOD FORGIVE is a bleak and violent book, full of grisly details not for the squeamish, but also tenderness, poignance and hard-earned wisdom.’ – Tom Nolan, The Wall Street Journal

‘Noir has long been the dominant colour in the palette of such Scottish writers as Ian Rankin and Denise Mina, but Parks manages to find a deeper shade of black, only slightly attenuated by Harry's willingness to go far off the grid to extract a wee bit of justice. A must for those who take their noir straight, no chaser; others should keep the Pepto handy.’ – Bill Ott, Booklist

‘Enjoyably readable… Parks is a gifted story-teller’ – Allan Massie, The Scotsman

‘Harry McCoy is the brightest dark star on the Tartan Noir scene for some time and in future critics of Scottish crime fiction will surely be referring to the triumvirate of Laidlaw, Rebus and McCoy … MAY GOD FORGIVE is crime fiction which pulls no punches, powerfully told and, at times, heartbreakingly poignant. One of the crime novels of 2022.’ – Mike Ripley, Getting Away With Murder

About Alan Parks

Photo: Euan Robertson

Alan Parks was Creative Director at London Records in the mid 1990’s, then at Warner Music, where he created ground-breaking campaigns for artists including All Saints, New Order, The Streets, Gnarls Barclay and Cee Lo Green. He was also Managing Director of 679 Recordings, a joint venture with Warner Music. His debut novel BLOODY JANUARY propelled him onto the international literary crime fiction scene immediately and his work has been hailed by contemporary writers and critics alike.

BLOODY JANUARY was shortlisted for the Grand Prix de Littérature Policière, FEBRUARY’S SON was nominated for an Edgar Award, BOBBY MARCH WILL LIVE FOREVER was picked as a Times Best Book of the Year, won an Edgar Award and has been shortlisted for the Macavity Award for Best Mystery novel, and THE APRIL DEAD was shortlisted for the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Book of the Year.

Alan was born in Scotland and attended The University of Glasgow where he was awarded a M.A. in Moral Philosophy. He still lives and works in the city that is so vividly depicted in the 1970s setting of his Harry McCoy thrillers.

Visit Alan’s website

Follow Alan on Twitter

THE LAST THING TO BURN by Will Dean makes 2022 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award shortlist

 Will Dean’s highly acclaimed thriller, THE LAST THING TO BURN, has been shortlisted for the 2022 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award.

The Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award is one of the UK’s most prestigious crime-fiction awards, with its annual winner announced in a prize ceremony at the Harrogate Crime Festival. Members of the public can now vote for their favourite crime novel over at https://harrogatetheakstoncrimeaward.com/. Voting closes on Friday 8th July, with this year’s winner announced on the 21st of July.

The other shortlisted titles are: THE NIGHT HAWKS by Elly Griffiths, SLOUGH HOUSE by Mick Herron, MIDNIGHT AT MALADAR HOUSE by Vaseem Khan, TRUE CRIME STORY by Joseph Knox, and DAUGHTERS OF NIGHT by Laura Shepherd-Robinson. None of the shortlisted authors have ever won this coveted prize before, making this year’s competition even more exciting.

The prize’s executive director Simon Theakston said: ‘What a fantastic shortlist, six thrilling tales which deliver shocking twists and unforgettable characters! We raise a glass of Theakston Old Peculier to all of the shortlistees and look forward to revealing the winner in July as we kick off the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival.’

Sharon Canavar, chief executive of Harrogate International Festivals, added: ‘We are delighted to announce this year’s Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year shortlist, featuring six novels by some of the most exciting crime writers working today. Whisking readers around the world and through time, this shortlist is a fantastic demonstration of the variety to be found in crime fiction. The public have a tough task ahead choosing just one winner and we can’t wait to see who they vote for.’

THE LAST THING TO BURN is an extraordinary story of resilience and determination in the most horrific of circumstances. As well as winning praise from both readers and reviewers, THE LAST THING TO BURN has been longlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger and the Goldsboro Books Glass Bell Award, and was voted International Book of the Year by the Rick O’Shea Book Club.  It was first published by Hodder Books in January 2021 and is now available to buy in paperback.

Will’s most recent standalone, FIRST BORN, was published by Hodder on the 14th of April 2022. He is also the author of the Tuva Moodyson Mysteries, a crime series set in Sweden and published by Oneworld. The fifth instalment of the series, WOLF PACK, will be published in the Autumn.

Praise for THE LAST THING TO BURN:

‘This is a brilliant, chilling depiction of life on the very edges of society. I read it in one sitting, and lived every second of the book with the characters. Compelling, horrifying and gripping, and written with such empathy and control, it's probably the best thing I will read this year’ — Jane Casey

‘MISERY meets ROOM ... a triumph’ — Marian Keyes

‘Ratchets up the tension to the point where I had to check my pulse’ — Liz Nugent

‘Brilliantly written... Terrifying’ — Ruth Ware

‘Outstanding. The best thriller in years’ — Martina Cole

Credit: Rosalind Hobley

‘THE LAST THING TO BURN is one of the best thrillers I have read in years: I consumed it in great gulps, desperate to find out how Thanh Dao’s story played out, and then read it again, more slowly, savouring her courage and her unvanquished sense of self, despite everything.’ — Alison Flood, The Observer

About Will Dean:

Will Dean grew up in the East Midlands, living in nine different villages before the age of eighteen. After studying law at the LSE, and working many varied jobs in London, he settled in rural Sweden with his wife. He built a wooden house in a boggy forest clearing and it's from this base that he compulsively reads and writes.

Follow Will on Twitter and Instagram, and visit his YouTube channel.

THE LAST THING TO BURN LONGLISTED FOR THE 2022 THEAKSTON OLD PECULIER CRIME NOVEL OF THE YEAR AWARD

Will Dean’s highly acclaimed first standalone novel, THE LAST THING TO BURN, has been longlisted for the 2022 Theaktson Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award.

The Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award is one of the UK’s most prestigious crime-fiction awards, with its annual winner announced in a prize ceremony at the Harrogate Crime Festival. Members of the public can vote for their favourite crime novel over at https://harrogatetheakstoncrimeaward.com/.This year’s winner will be announced on the 21st of July.

On a remote farm Jane is kept under close surveillance by her husband. If he catches her doing something he doesn’t like, then she is punished. One day, though, everything changes, and she sees her chance to escape…

THE LAST THING TO BURN is an extraordinary story of resilience and determination in the most dire of circumstances. As well as winning praise from both readers and reviewers, THE LAST THING TO BURN has been longlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger 2022 and was voted International Book of the Year by the Rick O’Shea Book Club.  It was first published by Hodder Books in January 2021, and is now available to buy in paperback.

Will’s most recent standalone, FIRST BORN, was published by Hodder on 14th April 2022. He is also the author of the Tuva Moodyson Mysteries, a crime series set in Sweden and published by Oneworld.

Praise for THE LAST THING TO BURN

‘This is a brilliant, chilling depiction of life on the very edges of society. I read it in one sitting, and lived every second of the book with the characters. Compelling, horrifying and gripping, and written with such empathy and control, it's probably the best thing I will read this year’ — Jane Casey

‘MISERY meets ROOM ... a triumph’ — Marian Keyes

‘Ratchets up the tension to the point where I had to check my pulse’ — Liz Nugent

‘Brilliantly written... Terrifying’ — Ruth Ware

‘Outstanding. The best thriller in years’ — Martina Cole

‘THE LAST THING TO BURN is one of the best thrillers I have read in years: I consumed it in great gulps, desperate to find out how Thanh Dao’s story played out, and then read it again, more slowly, savouring her courage and her unvanquished sense of self, despite everything.’ — Alison Flood, Observer

About Will Dean

Photo credit: Rosalind Hobley

Will Dean grew up in the East Midlands, living in nine different villages before the age of eighteen. After studying law at the LSE, and working many varied jobs in London, he settled in rural Sweden with his wife. He built a wooden house in a boggy forest clearing and it's from this base that he compulsively reads and writes.

Follow Will on Twitter and Instagram, and visit his YouTube channel.

Will Dean longlisted for the 2021 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award

BLACK RIVER, the third book in Will Dean’s Tuva Moodyson series, has been longlisted for the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel Award. The award, which is now in its 17th year, celebrates excellence, originality, and the very best in crime fiction from UK and Irish authors. Past winners include Denise Mina, Steve Cavanagh, Val McDermid and Chris Brookmyre. Executive director of T&R Theakston, Simon Theakston said:

“The way the global obsession with the crime genre continues to grow year on year is simply astonishing and this year’s longlist proves the remarkable talent on offer in crime writing, from legends of the craft to eager-eyed newcomers.

The shortlist is already too close to call, so we encourage all to get voting.

A hearty toast of Old Peculier to all longlisted authors for this coveted award, and we look forward to what we know will be a fiercely fought competition.”

The public can vote on the shortlist which will be announced in June as well as pick an overall winner on harrogatetheakstoncrimeaward.com which will then be announced on 22 July during the opening of the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival. The winner will receive a cheque for £3,000, and an engraved oak beer cask, hand-carved by one of Britain’s last coopers from Theakstons Brewery.

BLACK RIVER was first published by Point Blank in 2020. When Tuva’s best friend Tammy Yamnim goes missing she races back to Gavrik at the height of Midsommar. Tuva fears for Tammy’s life. Who has taken her, and why? And who is sabotaging the small-town search efforts? Surrounded by dark pine forest, the sinister residents of Snake River are suspicious of outsiders. Unfortunately, they also hold all the answers. On the shortest night of the year, Tuva must fight to save her friend. The only question is who will be there to save Tuva?

Praise for Will Dean:

'A complex plot, suffused with the nightmarish quality of Twin Peaks, and a tough-minded, resourceful protagonist add up to a stand-out read.' — The Guardian

'Dean effectively re-creates the frustration and discomfort of high summer in the forested hills... [Tuva] is becoming more credible with each novel in the series and Dean brings a refreshingly different voice and setting to the subgenre of “femjep” crime writing.’ — Natasha Cooper, Literary Review

‘Dean masterfully ramps up the tension and claustrophobia throughout the story’s sinister series of events before delivering an unexpected and satisfying finale.  Tuva is a wonderful creation and Dean’s series is not to be missed.’ — Daily Express

About Will Dean:

Will Dean grew up in the East Midlands, living in nine different villages before the age of eighteen. After studying law at the LSE, and working many varied jobs in London, he settled in rural Sweden with his wife. He built a wooden house in a boggy forest clearing and it's from this base that he compulsively reads and writes.

DARK PINES, the first in the Tuva Moodyson series, was published to huge critical acclaim in 2018, was shortlisted for Not the Booker prize, selected for Zoe Ball’s TV Book Club and named as a Daily Telegraph Book of the Year. THE LAST THING TO BURN, his first standalone novel, was published by Hodder earlier this year.

Follow Will on Twitter

Visit Will’s YouTube channel