Hunted, Abir Mukherjee’s “striking” thriller about two parents desperate to find their children, was singled out by our judges as a “blockbuster story”. Harvill Secker set out to make Mukherjee’s first contemporary crime & thriller novel a hit, and delivered his most successful hardback publication ever.

Hunted was a “brave” book to write, our judges agreed. “More people should be reading it”, they declared. Harvill Secker’s “bold” strategy was an example of “superb publishing”, pronounced our judges. Readers were at the heart of the campaign from the beginning, and Harvill Secker rolled out enticing proof mailings and an interactive scratch card game at Harrogate Crime Writing Festival.

An ambitious nationwide tour included more than 30 programmed events and Mukherjee’s largest event to date. For our panel, the publisher’s unparalleled commitment to Mukherjee stood testament to its belief in the story and its desire to build him into a brand author.