The woman seated alongside me is from Finland. “I managed to book the room Agatha Christie stayed in at the Old Swan,” she says. “I can’t believe it!”

She has made friends with an American woman, who whoops wildly later when David Baldacci, who has sold over 200 million books, makes an anti-Trump joke after accepting the outstanding contribution award.

We are part of an expectant crowd in a giant marquee at the back of the Old Swan, the hotel in Harrogate where Agatha Christie vanished to in 1926, waiting for Thursday’s (July 23) opening night awards ceremony at the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival to begin.

The four-day gathering is not only a big deal for crime writing aficionados, but also for Harrogate.

The arts charity Harrogate International Festivals sells more tickets for this event than all its other festivals put together and its success cascades around the town, as restaurants, bars and hotels fill up.

The first festival in 2003 sold 3,000 tickets; this one is expected to flog a record 20,000-plus over four days featuring best-selling authors such as Ardal O’Hanlon, Abir Mukherjee, Elly Griffiths, Anthony Horowitz, Alice Feeney, Ann Cleeves and Brenda Blethyn. It’s an impressive line-up, although festival regular Nicola Sturgeon does not appear to be present this year.

A hotbed of crime

Harrogate International Festivals’ chief executive Sharon Canavar kicks off the ceremony by saying how “our elegant Yorkshire town becomes a hotbed of crime” for four days — and she’s not talking about fuel prices.

Former Tory MP Lady Victoria Borwick, who chairs Visit England, follows by describing the long weekend as “the world’s largest celebration of crime fiction”, adding: “It puts Harrogate on the map not just nationally, but internationally. For these few days the town becomes the centre of the writing world. Hotels are full. The whole place has a sense of occasion.”

Then Simon Theakston, chairman of T&R Theakston, which has sponsored the event for 23 years, gives a speech that blends well-pitched humour with plugs for his Masham-based company. “He does this every year,” says a voice behind me after yet another mention of Theakston Old Peculier.

Mr Theakston is cheered when he says all businesses should contribute to local arts and cultural organisations. This festival, he says, pumps £10 million into the Harrogate district economy.

Battling AI

Then it’s on to the serious business as former Harrogate resident Steph McGovern, a published crime author, speaks with the six shortlisted authors one-by-one on stage.

To keep the tension bubbling, Ms McGovern then announces the winners of the two other awards: the McDermid debut award and outstanding contribution to crime fiction.

Frances Crawford, who wrote her first novel aged 62, wins the debut award for A Bad, Bad Place. Val McDermid, who the award is named after, presents the prize. Ms Crawford gives a brilliant speech that ends by thanking everyone who has read her book, “even if you think it’s shite”.

American thriller writer John Grisham then appears on a big screen to say his friend Mr Baldacci has won the outstanding contribution award. 

Baldacci is gracious and funny, describing British crime novels as "the gold standard”. He talks briefly about his years spent years battling artificial intelligence and Microsoft: AI can now write a 90,000-word novel based on one of his characters in 30 minutes, he says. “This should be impossible,” he says. “But here we are.”

Finally, Elly Griffiths lands the crime novel of the year award for The Frozen People. “Never stop believing,” she tells the crowd.

Harrogate will be hoping the festival never stops. At the post-awards drinks, Dan Siddle, general manager of the nearby Crown Hotel, underlines the festival's value by saying July is his best month, with 95% occupancy, due to the Great Yorkshire Show, the Home and Gift Buyers’ Festival and the crime writing festival.

It would be a crime if it were ever to leave Harrogate.