Exeter author makes awards shortlist

The shortlist for the inaugural McDermid Debut Award, named in recognition of world-famous crime writer Val McDermid, showcases six outstanding new voices including an Exeter-based author.

Food writer, broadcaster and Master Chef star Orlando Murrin is shortlisted for Knife Skills for Beginners, a delicious mystery set in an exclusive residential cookery school in Belgravia.

Honouring internationally bestselling crime writer, Val McDermid, who helped to co-found the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival in 2003 and whose dedication to fostering new voices in crime fiction through the New Blood panel is legendary, this new award seeks to continue her legacy, celebrating and platforming the best debut crime writers in the UK.

The shortlist was selected by an academy of established crime and thriller authors and the winner will be chosen by a panel of industry experts, without a public vote. All shortlisted authors receive a full weekend pass to the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival and the winner will receive a £500 cash prize.

Val McDermid said: "Curating the New Blood panel over twenty years exposed me to an extraordinary range of crime fiction I might otherwise have missed. I'm hoping that this new award will do the same for the army of avid readers out there looking for new talent."

The full McDermid Debut Award 2024 shortlist (in alphabetical order by surname) is:

The full Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2024 shortlist (in alphabetical order by surname) is: 

• The Last Dance by Mark Billingham (Sphere; Little, Brown Book Group) 
• In the Blink of an Eye by Jo Callaghan (Simon & Schuster UK) 
• The Secret Hours by Mick Herron (Baskerville; John Murray Press) 
• Killing Jericho by William Hussey (Zaffre, Bonnier) 
• None of This is True by Lisa Jewell (Century; Cornerstone) 
• Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent (Sandycove; Penguin Ireland)

The winner will be announced at Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival, The Old Swan Hotel, Harrogate on Thursday, July 18.