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Elly Griffiths, Abir Mukherjee and Rosamund Lupton are among the six authors shortlisted for the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year, chosen by a public vote and the prize academy.
Griffiths (pictured) has been nominated for the seventh time since the competition began, for The Lantern Men (Quercus) the 12th instalment in her Ruth Galloway series. Mukherjee, who has been nominated three times, is vying for the prize again with his latest Wyndham & Banerjee novel Death in the East (Vintage), described as "a mesmerising portrait of India, Assam and East End London."
Lupton’s Three Hours (Viking), a "thrilling story" of gunmen opening fire on a Somerset school follows the fate of hostages in a "nail-biting exploration of white supremacy and radicalisation". Chris Whitaker who hopes to claim the trophy with We Begin at The End (Zaffre), a "powerful story of crime, punishment, love and redemption" set in coastal California.
Trevor Wood's The Man on the Street (Quercus), which explores the life of a homeless Falklands veteran with severe PTSD, who becomes a criminal investigator, also gets a nod. Brian McGilloway’s second prize nomination is for his political thriller The Last Crossing (Constable) which looks at the Troubles from the perspective of former operatives.
The public are now invited to vote for the winner, and the results will be announced on the opening night of the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival on 22nd July. They will receive £3,000, and a handmade, engraved beer barrel provided by Theakston Old Peculier.
Executive director of the sponsor, Simon Theakston, said: “This is it: the crème de la crème of crime. This shortlist really does showcase the breadth and depth of the genre. It’s going to be a fiercely fought prize this year so make sure you vote for your favourite. Until then, I look forward to raising a glass of Old Peculier at the winner’s announcement on 22 July.”
The award is run by Harrogate International Festivals, sponsored by T&R Theakston in partnership with W H Smith and the Express, and is open to full-length crime novels published in paperback between 1st May 2020 to 30th April 2021 by UK and Irish authors.