The shortlist for the 2022 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year has been announced.

The prize was created to celebrate “excellence, originality, and the very best in crime fiction from UK and Irish authors” whose novels were published in paperback during the eligibility period.

 The winner receives £3,000 and a handmade, engraved beer barrel provided by Theakston Old Peculier. 

The public are now invited to vote for the winners here; voting closes July 8. The prize winner will be revealed July 21.

The shortlist:

• The Night Hawks by Elly Griffiths (Quercus Fiction)
• True Crime Story by Joseph Knox (Doubleday)
• Daughters of Night by Laura Shepherd Robinson (Mantle/Pan)
• Slough House by Mick Herron (Baskerville)
• Midnight at Malabar House by Vaseem Khan (Hodder & Stoughton)
• The Last Thing to Burn by Will Dean (Hodder & Stoughton)