Laura Shepherd-Robinson and Joseph Knox both shortlisted for the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year

We’re absolutely thrilled that DAUGHTERS OF NIGHT (Pan Macmillan) by Laura Shepherd-Robinson and TRUE CRIME STORY (Transworld) by Joseph Knox have been shortlisted for the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year. Now in its 18th year, the prize celebrates crime fiction at its best.

Laura Shepherd-Robinson continues her Theakston streak, as her second novel, DAUGHTERS OF NIGHT, is shortlisted, two years after her debut made the longlist in 2020. Her novel transports readers to the seedy underworld of Georgian London, as Caroline “Caro” Corsham tries to solve the murder of a prostitute in the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens.

TRUE CRIME STORY, the first standalone novel from Joseph Knox, blends fact and fiction to tell the story of a 19-year-old university student who leaves a party in her student halls and is never seen again. Knox, who was selected by Val McDermid as a New Blood panellist in 2017, and was longlisted for the prize in 2018 with his debut novel, SIRENS. This is his first time on the shortlist.

The public are now invited to vote for a winner at www.harrogatetheakstoncrimeaward.com. Voting closes on Friday 8th July, with the winner to be revealed on the opening night of Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival, Thursday 21st July. The winner will receive a hand-made, engraved beer barrel provided by its sponsor T&R Theakston, in addition to the £3,000 cash prize.