Dead Goods Aplenty

From what I can tell by keeping track of various Facebook pages and Twitter feeds, the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival—being held this weekend in Harrogate, England—is providing ample delights for its lucky participants. The event has also brought an announcement of which books and authors have won the 2018 Dead Good Reader Awards in half a dozen distinctive categories.

The Holmes and Watson Award for Best Detective Duo:
Ruth Galloway and Harry Nelson, created by Elly Griffiths

Also nominated: Arthur Bryant and John May, created by
Christopher Fowler; Jane Rizzoli and Maura Isles, created by Tess Gerritsen; Ruth Galloway and Harry Nelson, created by Elly Griffiths; Marnie Rome and Noah Jake, created by Sarah Hilary; Rosie Strange and Sam Stone, created by Syd Moore; and Gino Rolseth and Leo Magozzi, created by P.J. Tracy

The Whodunnit Award for the Book That Keeps You Guessing:
Let Me Lie, by Clare Mackintosh

Also nominated: I Am Watching You, by Teresa Driscoll; The Lucky Ones, by Mark Edwards; Skin Deep, by Liz Nugent; The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, by Stuart Turton; and The Lying Game,
by Ruth Ware

The Cabot Cove Award for Best Small-Town Mystery:
The Chalk Man, by C.J. Tudor

Also nominated: A Murder to Die For, by Stevyn Colgan; Dark Pines, by Will Dean; The Devil’s Claw, by Lara Dearman; Hell in a Handbasket, by Denise Grover Swank; and The Dry, by Jane Harper

The Wringer Award for the Character Who’s Been Put Through It All: Jack Reacher, created by Lee Child

Also nominated: Frieda Klein, created by Nicci French; Lottie Parker, created by Patricia Gibney; Ruth Galloway, created by Elly Griffiths; Michael Devlin, created by Tony Kent; and David Raker, created by
Tim Weaver

The House of Horrors Award for Most Dysfunctional Family:
Then She Was Gone, by Lisa Jewell

Also nominated: Little Sister, by Isabel Ashdown; Blood Sisters, by Jane Corry; Good Me, Bad Me, by Ali Land; Let Me Lie, by Clare Mackintosh; and The Good Samaritan, by John Marrs

The Dead Good Recommends Award for Most Recommended Book:
The Dark Angel, by Elly Griffiths

Also nominated: I Am Watching You, by Teresa Driscoll; Killer Intent, by Tony Kent; Anything You Do Say, by Gillian McAllister; The Fear, by C.L. Taylor; and The Lying Game, by Ruth Ware

These commendations are sponsored annually by the British crime-fiction books site Dead Good.