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    23

    Jul 2020

    Last Updated: 28/07/2020

    Winner of Harrogate's prestigious crime writing award announced

    by Suzannah Rogerson

    | 23 Jul, 2020
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    The Theakston Old Peculiar Crime Novel of the Year has been awarded to Adrian McKinty for his book 'The Chain'. Harrogate's crime award marks the beginning of the HIF weekender, a virtual festival starting today.

    the-chain-by-adrian-mckinty

    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.



    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.