The Short Mystery Fiction Society, Crime Writers Association, and Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival all have come out of their holes long enough to share some news.
INAUGURAL DERRINGER AWARD FOR BEST ANTHOLOGY FINALISTS
The Short Mystery Fiction Society has announced the finalists for the inaugural Derringer Award for Best Anthology.
- Devil’s Snare: Best New England Crime Stories 2024, edited by Susan Oleksiw, Ang Pompano, and Leslie Wheeler
- Friend of the Devil: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of the Grateful Dead, edited by Josh Pachter
- Larceny & Last Chances: 22 Stories of Mystery & Suspense, edited by Judy Penz Sheluk
- Murder, Neat: A SleuthSayers Anthology, edited by Michael Bracken and Barb Goffman
- New York State of Crime: Murder New York Style 6, edited by D.M. Barr and Joseph R.G. De Marco
- The 13th Letter, edited by Donna Carrick
DIAMOND DAGGER
The Crime Writers Association have selected Mick Herron as the 2025 recipient of the Diamond Dagger lifetime achievement award
The award recognizes authors whose crime writing careers have been marked by sustained excellence, and who have made a significant contribution to the genre.
His first novel, Down Cemetery Road, was published in 2003. This was the start of Herron’s Zoë Boehm series.
In 2008, inspired by world events, he began writing the Slough House series, featuring MI5 agents who have been exiled from the mainstream for various offences. The first novel, Slow Horses, was published in 2010. Some years later, it was hailed by the Daily Telegraph as one of “the twenty greatest spy novels of all time.”
THEAKSTON OLD PECULIER CRIME WRITING FESTIVAL
The Special Guest headliners have been named for the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival, a celebration of crime fiction taking place July 17-20 in Harrogate.
Lee and Andrew Child, Irvine Welsh, Attica Locke, Kate Atkinson, Paula Hawkins, Kate Mosse, Steph McGovern, Val McDermid and Mark Billingham feature in a stellar line up of crime writing icons, TV talent and reader favourites on a programme curated by 2025 Festival Programming Chair and ‘Slow Horses’ creator Mick Herron.
Headline events include:
- International bestseller Irvine Welsh makes his Festival debut talking about Resolution, the final instalment in his ‘Crime’ trilogy, now a hit TV series, starring Dougray Scott.
- Multi-million copy bestselling writing duo Lee and Andrew Child discuss their latest Jack Reacher thriller In Too Deep – and offer an exclusive preview of the 30th Reacher novel Exit Strategy.
- ‘Queen of Crime’ Val McDermid teams up with TV presenter Steph McGovern,wholaunches her debut Deadline at the Festival.
- Leading US crime writer Attica Locke showcases her hard-hitting, topical novel Guide Me Home.
- Fan favourites Kate Atkinson, Kate Mosse, Mark Billingham and Paula Hawkins return to the Festival tointroduce their latest bestsellers, with Mark Billingham celebrating his twenty-fifth book What The Night Brings.
Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival is the epicentre of the global crime fiction community offering readers from around the world an unmissable opportunity to meet the superstar writers of today and discover the bestsellers of tomorrow. [Based on a press release.]