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Craven wins Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year with The Botanist
M W Craven’s The Botanist, published by Constable, has been named Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2023, presented by Harrogate International Festivals.
The Botanist is the latest thriller featuring DS Washington Poe and follows the disgraced detective as he is tasked with catching a poisoner sending the nation’s most reviled people poems and pressed flowers, while his close friend, pathologist Estelle Doyle, seeks his help when she is arrested for the murder of her father.
Craven receives a £3,000 prize, as well as an engraved beer cask handcrafted by one of Britain’s last coopers from Theakstons Brewery.
A record 14,110 readers voted for their winner this year among the six shortlisted authors: Elly Griffiths (The Locked Room, Quercus), Doug Johnstone (Black Hearts, Orenda Books), Fiona Cummins (Into the Dark, Macmillan), Ruth Ware (The It Girl, S&S UK), M W Craven (The Botanist, Constable) and Gillian McAllister (Wrong Place Wrong Time, Penguin Michael Joseph).
The judges, including Simon Theakston, Steph McGovern, Matt Nixson from the Daily Express, journalist Joe Haddow, Lisa Howells and Gaby Lee from Waterstones, met the day before the awards ceremony to decide the winner, with the public vote counting as the seventh judge on the panel.
They decided to highly commend Elly Griffiths for the penultimate mystery in her Dr Ruth Galloway series, The Locked Room. Set in the early days of the pandemic, Dr Galloway is locked down in her Norfolk cottage, working to uncover why her late mother had a photo of the cottage dated years before she moved in, when DCI Nelson, who is investigating a series of deaths of women that could be murders or could be suicides, breaks curfew to visit her. Griffiths, who was festival programming chair in 2017, has been nominated for the award six times. This is the first time she has been highly commended.
Ann Cleeves was also honoured with the Theakston Old Peculier Outstanding Contribution Award in recognition of her impressive writing career. Cleeves, the author of more than 35 critically acclaimed novels, is the creator of popular detectives Vera Stanhope, Jimmy Perez and Matthew Venn, who can be found on television in ITV’s “Vera”, BBC One’s “Shetland” and ITV’s “The Long Call” respectively. She served as the first Reader-in-Residence at the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival in 2003.
Cleeves is the latest in a line of acclaimed authors who have received the award, with previous winners including Sir Ian Rankin, Lynda La Plante, James Patterson, John Grisham, Lee Child, Val McDermid, P D James and last year’s recipient Michael Connelly.
The announcement was made at The Old Swan Hotel in Harrogate, during the opening ceremony for the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival.
Cleeves said on receiving the Theakston Old Peculier Outstanding Award: “This has always been a very special festival for me because I was in at the beginning. I’m delighted to accept this award and to help the team celebrate 20 years of brilliant crime writing."
Simon Theakston, executive director of Theakston, said: “Tonight’s winners represent Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Awards’ well-earned reputation for showcasing the very best crime writing talent.
"The Botanist is a real encapsulation of masterful crime writing, pushing the boundaries of imagination and crafting narratives that are shaping the future of the genre. Elly Griffiths has kept crime fans alike hooked with Dr Ruth Galloway’s investigations and I’m overjoyed she is recognised for her ability to keep us holding our breaths until the very last page.
“We’re pleased to raise a glass of Theakston Old Peculier to their wins. Deservedly taking home the Theakston Old Peculier Outstanding Contribution prize, Ann Cleeves stands as a paragon of inspiration, and her unparalleled talent has paved the way for countless aspiring crime writers.”
