Revealed: Longlist for this year's Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2023 in Harrogate

The search for the best crime novel of the past year can now get underway as the public are invited to vote for their favourites to reach the next stage of the prestigious competition.

With thrilling stories transporting readers from a burnt-out Glasgow under threat, to the hidden backstreets of Paris, from the bustle of 1950s Bombay and a mail ship bound for Philadelphia, the longlist celebrates the very best of the crime genre.

The winning book will be announced on Thursday, July 20 at the Old Swan Hotel in Harrogate on the opening night of the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival, which this year celebrates its 20th anniversary.

To mark the momentous occasion, for the first time the longlist includes 20 outstanding authors, rather than the traditional 18, competing for the UK and Ireland’s most coveted crime fiction writing award.

The full Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2023 longlist

The Murder Book by Mark Billingham (Little, Brown Book Group; Little Brown)

The Botanist by M.W. Craven (Little, Brown Book Group; Constable)

Into The Dark by Fiona Cummins (Pan Macmillan; Macmillan/Pan)

The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley (HarperCollins; HarperFiction)

The Locked Room by Elly Griffiths (Quercus)

The Twyford Code by Janice Hallett (Profile Books; Viper)

Bad Actors by Mick Herron (John Murray Press; Baskerville)

The Family Remains by Lisa Jewell (Cornerstone; 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 (Little, Brown Book Group; Sphere)

All I Said Was True by Imran Mahmood (Bloomsbury Publishing; Raven Books)

Wrong Place Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister (Penguin Random House; Michael Joseph)

1989 by Val McDermid (Little, Brown Book Group; Little Brown)

The Heretic by Liam McIlvanney (HarperCollins; HarperFiction)

Blue Water by Leonora Nattrass (Profile Books; Viper)

May God Forgive by Alan Parks (Canongate Books)

Truly Darkly Deeply by Victoria Selman (Quercus)

Reputation by Sarah Vaughan (Simon & Schuster)

The It Girl by Ruth Ware (Simon & Schuster)

Chief executive of Harrogate International Festivals, Sharon Canavar, said: “We are delighted to announce the 2023 longlist for the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year, with an exceptional collection of the UK and Ireland’s best crime fiction novels from the past year.

"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.”

Simon Theakston, executive director of sponsors Theakston, said: “Each year I eagerly await the long list announcement for the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year and every year I’m reminded of the phenomenal talent in the crime fiction writing world, whether a returning icon or a rising star.

"I’m looking forward to a celebratory toast of Old Peculier in July.”

The award is one of the few UK book prizes where the final verdict is in the hands of the general public who are now invited to vote to create a shortlist of six titles from 10am on Thursday, April 27 at: www.harrogatetheakstoncrimeaward.com.

Voting closes on Thursday, May 18.