McDermid and Mackintosh hit Hachette-heavy Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Novel longlist

Hachette has dominated the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2023 longlist, securing eight of the 20 titles, while Lisa Jewell is nominated for the first time.

The Little, Brown Book Group is the most successful division so far, securing four nominations for the £3,000 prize including Mark Billingham’s The Murder Book (Little, Brown) as well as The Botanist by M W Craven (Constable) along with The Last Party (Sphere) by Clare Mackintosh and 1989 (Little, Brown) by Val McDermid.

There are five shortlistings for independent presses including two for Profile’s Viper Press imprint: The Twyford Code by Janice Hallett and Blue Water by Leonora Nattrass.

Other indie nominations include Black Hearts by Doug Johnstone (Orenda Books), May God Forgive by Alan Parks (Canongate Books) and All I Said Was True by Imran Mahmood (Raven Books).

Penguin Random House, HarperCollins and Simon & Schuster all secured two shortlistings each while Pan Macmillan was represented with one title.

Some well-known writers are honoured for the first time including “the tantalisingly tense" Wrong Place Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister and Jewell’s "chilling" new domestic noir The Family Remains alongside Victoria Selman’s "nerve-jangling" Truly Darkly Deeply, the "deftly suspenseful" The Twyford Code by Hallett and "chilling" police procedural May God Forgive by Alan Parks.

Simon Theakston, executive director of Theakston, said: “Every year I’m reminded of the phenomenal talent in the crime fiction writing world, whether a returning icon or a rising star.” 

Sharon Canavar, c.e.o. of Harrogate International Festivals, commented: “The award is an integral part of the festival and with a gripping mix of subgenres nominated, from psychological thrillers to murder mysteries, we can’t wait to see how the public vote this year.”

The longlist was selected by an academy of crime writing authors, agents, editors, reviewers, members of the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival Programming Committee, along with representatives from the media partner, the Daily Express.

The public are now invited to vote to create a shortlist of six titles with voting running from 10am on Thursday (27th April) to 18th May here. The shortlist will be announced and winner voting opening on 15th June.

The winner will be revealed on the opening night of Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival on 20th July, receiving £3,000 and a handmade, engraved beer barrel provided by T&R Theakston.

The longlist in full: 

• The Murder Book by Mark Billingham (Little Brown) 
• The Botanist by M W Craven (Constable) 
• Into The Dark by Fiona Cummins (Macmillan/Pan) 
• The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley (HarperFiction) 
• The Locked Room by Elly Griffiths (Quercus) 
• The Twyford Code by Janice Hallett (Viper) 
• Bad Actors by Mick Herron (Baskerville) 
• The Family Remains by Lisa Jewell (Century Fiction) 
• Black Hearts by Doug Johnstone (Orenda Books) 
• The Lost Man of Bombay by Vaseem Khan (Hodder & Stoughton) 
• The Last Party by Clare Mackintosh (Sphere) 
• All I Said Was True by Imran Mahmood (Raven Books) 
• Wrong Place Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister (Michael Joseph) 
• 1989 by Val McDermid (Little Brown) 
• The Heretic by Liam McIlvanney (HarperFiction) 
• Blue Water by Leonora Nattrass (Viper) 
• May God Forgive by Alan Parks (Canongate Books) 
• Truly Darkly Deeply by Victoria Selman (Quercus) 
• Reputation by Sarah Vaughan (Simon & Schuster UK)
• The It Girl by Ruth Ware (Simon & Schuster UK)