John Dean – Crime Writer

Hunted by Abir Mukherjee has won the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2025, which was presented by Harrogate International Festivals on the opening night of the recent Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival.

Hunted is a thriller set in London and the US in the final week of a toxic presidential campaign, as two parents find themselves in a race against time – and the FBI – to track down their children who are suspected of terrorist atrocities.

Abir, who received a £3,000 prize, as well as an engraved beer cask handcrafted by one of Britain’s last coopers from Theakston’s Brewery, said: “Hunted was a tough book to write – it took me four years – and it’s such a privilege that the judges and the readers have taken it to their hearts.”

Hunted was selected from a shortlist which also included The Cracked Mirror by Chris Brookmyre, The Mercy Chair by M.W. Craven, The Last Word by Elly Griffiths, Deadly Animals by Marie Tierney and All the Colours of the Dark by Chris Whitaker.

The McDermid Debut Award, named in recognition of crime writer Val McDermid, was won by David Goodman for A Reluctant Spy, a thriller about a tech executive who agrees to lend his identity to an elite intelligence agency in return for a helping hand through life.

David received a £500 cash prize. The award was presented by Chair of Judges, Val McDermid, and Simon Theakston, Chairman of T&R Theakston.

Val McDermid, Chair of Judges, said: “If you think you’ve read every twist in every area of the genre, think again. Our winner has found a new take and delivers it with pace and propulsive storytelling.”

David said: “It’s an incredible honour to win the McDermid Debut Award. It’s an amazing feeling!”

Bestselling novelist Elly Griffiths received the Theakston Old Peculier Outstanding Contribution Award in recognition of her crime fiction writing career and “unwavering commitment to the genre.”

Elly is the author of the Dr Ruth Galloway Mysteries; the Brighton Mysteries, the Detective Harbinder Kaur series and a new series featuring time-travelling detective Ali Dawson.

Shortlisted seven times for the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year, including this year, and highly commended in 2023 for The Locked Room, Elly said: ‘It means the world to me to receive this award. I’m thrilled to be honoured in this way.”