Commending the Best of This Genre

Harrogate International Festivals this morning announced its shortlist of nominees for the 2026 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award, which is intended to recognize the “most prestigious crime fiction” published in the UK and Ireland. From an original list of 18 titles, the following six remain:

• The Midnight King, by Tariq Ashkanani (Viper)
• The Death of Us, by Abigail Dean (Hemlock Press)
• Beautiful Ugly, by Alice Feeney (Pan Fiction)
• The Frozen People, by Elly Griffiths (Quercus)
• Clown Town, by Mick Herron (Baskerville)
• Quantum of Menace, by Vaseem Khan (Zaffre)

Readers are now invited to choose their favorite from among these books by clicking here. Voting will close on Thursday, July 16, at 23:59 GMT. The winner is to be revealed on Thursday, July 23, the opening night of this year’s Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival.

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Meanwhile, Lambda Literary offers the recipients of its 38th Annual Lambda Awards (the “Lammys”) for excellence in LGBTQ+ books. Taking top honors in the Best LGBTQ+ Mystery category is A Queer Case, by Robert Holtom (Titan). The other finalists were Every Sweet Thing Is Bitter, by Samantha Crewson (Crooked Lane); Girl Falling, by Hayley Scrivenor (Flatiron); Mirage City, by Lev AC Rosen (Minotaur); and The Case of the Missing Maid, by Rob Osler (Kensington).