Theakstons Old Peculier Award shortlist unveiled
5th July 2012 - 1:23pm
The shortlist for the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award, which recognises the finest thrillers written in English over the last 12 months, has been revealed.
Six titles are in contention for the GBP 3,000 prize, including Now You See Me by S. J. Bolton and genre stalwart John Connolly's latest novel, The Burning Soul.
They will go up against S. J. Watson's Before I Go to Sleep, which won the thriller and crime prize at the 2011 Galaxy National Book Awards, and Steve Mosby's horror-tinged novel Black Flowers.
The shortlist is completed by two books set on the streets of Glasgow - The End of the Wasp Season by Denise Mina and Where the Bodies Are Buried by Christopher Brookmyre, whose 2005 comic-crime novel All Fun and Games Until Someone Loses an Eye scooped the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for Comic Fiction.
A public vote to help determine the winner of the award will open today (July 5th) at www.theakstons.co.uk and remain live until July 17th.
When the votes have been counted, they will be weighed against the opinion of a panel of judges including actor David Morrissey, crime novelist Henry Sutton and festival chair Mark Billingham, with the winner announced on July 19th at the 10th annual Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival in Harrogate.
Commenting on this year's shortlist, Simon Theakston, executive director of T&R Theakston, said: 'The variety of narratives within crime fiction means that every year we have a shortlist that reflects the diversity of the genre; this year, the thriller seems to be the popular choice.'
'It's great to see crime writing in such rude health, although it doesn't make the job of picking a winner any easier!'
The festival will also feature Inspector Morse creator Colin Dexter being honoured with the Outstanding Contribution to Crime Fiction Award, in recognition of his body of work and role in promoting the genre.
Mr Theakston said the award acknowledges Dexter's 'huge contribution' to crime fiction and British culture in general.
'Few writers are as prolific as Colin has been over his long and varied career and even fewer create a character as iconic and well-loved as Morse,' he added.