Longlist revealed for Harrogate’s top crime-writing prize

Ian Rankin and Mark Billingham are among those on today’s longlist for the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year award.

Organised by Harrogate International Festivals, the award is widely regarded as the most prestigious in crime fiction.

This year’s 18-person longlist transports readers around the world from California to Sweden and Calcutta to a remote Irish island and explores every subgenre from Scandi noir to murderous families.

The line-up of returning champions is led by crime fiction titan Ian Rankin, who has received a nod for his A Song for The Dark Times, Mark Billingham, hoping for a third win with his Cry Baby, and Steve Cavanagh looking to beat the competition with Fifty Fifty.

Elly Griffiths has received her seventh nomination for The Lantern Men.

New names include Lucy Foley with her number one Sunday Times Best Seller ‘The Guest List’ and Chris Whitaker with ‘We Begin at The End’.

The winner of the awards, which are being held for the 17th year, will be announced on July 22 at the opening evening of the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival.

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People can vote for the winner here.

The longlist was selected by an academy of crime writing authors, agents, editors, reviewers and members of the Theakston Old Peculier crime writing festival programming committee. Representatives from sponsors T&R Theakston Ltd, the Express, and WHSmith also took part.

The winner receives £3,000 and a handmade, engraved beer barrel from Theakston Old Peculier.

The full longlist for the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2021 is:

10,000 tune into to Harrogate International Festivals’ virtual weekender

Harrogate International Festivals says its first ever virtual event was a success, with over 10,000 people tuning in from more than 60 different countries worldwide.

The HIF weekender had to adapt to an online format for the first time in its history. The festival saw people enjoying the event from countries such as Brazil, Japan, Australia and Canada.

The weekend began with the announcement of the winner of the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award. This year the award was given to Uber driver and barman Adrian McKinty for his book The Chain. 

Cover of the crime novel 'The Chain'

McKinty’s book has since been published in 36 countries with its movie rights sold in a seven figure deal.

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This was followed by a line-up featuring internationally acclaimed musicians and best selling authors. The weekend also saw the world premiere of Eclipse, an exclusive new piece of music written by internationally renowned composer Dr David Lancaster.

In an interview with the Chief Executive of Harrogate International Festivals, Sharon Canavar told the Stray Ferret that the online event was a different experience. She said:

“We are an arts charity which delivers live events, so not having that in our arsenal was really strange for the organisation. What makes great events is the fact that people come together to share a live experience, not having that was very odd.”

The Theakston Old Peculiar Crime Writing Festival usually welcomes nearly 15,000 people to its three day event. Sharon said that it was important that the festival still took place. She said:

“The crime festival runs across three days so it is very different when you put an event like that online, but the reach and opportunity is much more. We wanted to make sure artists and our team were kept in work. We felt there was an element there that we wanted to keep people in work but also still offer the viewers a taste of Harrogate.”

Winner of Harrogate’s prestigious crime writing award announced

Harrogate International Festivals has awarded its prestigious crime novel award to Adrian McKinty for his book The Chain.

The Theakston Old Peculiar Crime Novel of the Year, hosted by Harrogate International Festivals, was awarded this evening to McKinty’s novel after the public and prize judges picked him out from a shortlist of six.

The author was close to giving up his writing career two years ago when his family was evicted from their home and he was working as an Uber driver and barman. McKinty was persuaded to give writing one final go, and he wrote his hugely successful novel The Chain.

His book has since been published in 36 countries with its movie rights sold in a seven figure deal. The plot centres around a chain of child abductions, where a child can only be released when its parent kidnaps another child.

Author Adrian McKinty

Adrian McKinty was “gobsmacked” when he was announced as the winner of the prestigious award.

Adrian McKinty said:

“I am gobsmacked and delighted to win this award. Two years ago, I had given up on writing altogether and was working in a bar and driving an Uber, and so to go from that to this is just amazing. People think that you write a book and it will be an immediate bestseller. For twelve books, my experience was quite the opposite, but then I started this one.

“It was deliberately high concept, deliberately different to everything else I had written – and I was still convinced it wouldn’t go anywhere… but now look at this. It has been completely life changing.”

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The award marks the launch of the Harrogate International Festivals Weekender – a free virtual festival featuring performances and interviews with dozens of musicians and authors.

Adrian McKinty will receive £3,000 and an engraved oak beer cask, hand-carved by one of Britain’s last coopers from Theakstons Brewery.

 

WATCH: New York Brass Band brings music to Harrogate streets

An open top bus has brought live music to the streets of Harrogate today.

New York Brass Band was touring the town thanks to a collaboration with Harrogate International Festivals.

The band – which regularly performs around the UK and has played Glastonbury in the past – is known for its engaging style and interactive performances. Its music had shoppers dancing in the streets this morning.

 

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New York Brass Band Harrogate

New York Brass Band by the war memorial

Meanwhile, HIF said its digital material has gained a worldwide following since lockdown began. More than 6,000 hours of podcasts, featuring top musicians, authors  and inspirational speakers, have been listened to by audiences  around the world, including Finland, Australia and New Zealand.

HIFAtHome combines archive recordings with resources for families, giving a virtual festival experience with highlights from previous live events.

HIF chief executive Sharon Canavar said:

“Since our first Festival in 1966, our mission has been to promote the arts – and despite the cancellation of our entire summer programme, 2020 won’t be an exception!

“With HIFAtHome we are able to continue with our goal to deliver the very best in the arts. Instead of simply shutting down, or bemoaning our festival position and lack of income, we have harnessed the creativity and agility we are famed for.

“We have spun on a pin to ensure that we can still create and deliver both with artists and for audiences, and the result has been to bring Harrogate International Festivals to life, digitally. At the click of a mouse button, you can now access new commissions and exciting projects, together with looking back at some of the highlights of the last few years.

“The arts is worldwide and people are craving the arts to help make sense of the world right now.”

HIF is now preparing for four days of music performances and star interviews from Thursday, July 23. It will begin with the announcement of the winner of the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel on the Year – usually the popular opening ceremony to the crime writing festival, which draws authors and fans from around the world.