2020 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award Submissions Information A-Z by Author Surname
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2020 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award Submissions Information A-Z by Author Surname Abbott, Rachel Rachel Abbott began her career as an independent author in 2011, with Only the Innocent, which became a No.1 bestseller on Kindle, topping the chart for four weeks. Since then, she has published ten further psychological thrillers, plus a novella, and sold over 4 million copies in the English language. She is one of the top-selling authors of all time in the UK Kindle store (published and self- published), and her novels have been translated into over 20 languages. Her latest novel, THE MURDER GAME, publishes in April 2020. And So It Begins WHO WILL BELIEVE YOUR STORY IF THE ONLY WITNESS IS DEAD? Cleo knows she should be happy for her brother Mark. He's managed to find someone new after the sudden death of his first wife - but something about Evie just doesn't feel right... When Evie starts having accidents at home, her friends grow concerned. Could Mark be causing her injuries? Called out to their cliff-top house one night, Sergeant Stephanie King finds two bodies entangled on blood-drenched sheets. Where does murder begin? When the knife is raised to strike, or before, at the first thought of violence? As the accused stands trial, the jury is forced to consider - is there ever a proper defence for murder? Anderson, Lin Lin Anderson is a Scottish author and screenwriter known for her bestselling crime series featuring forensic scientist Dr Rhona MacLeod. Four of her novels have been longlisted for the Scottish Crime Book of the Year, with Follow the Dead being a 2018 finalist. Her short film River Child won both a Scottish BAFTA for Best Fiction and the Celtic Film Festival's Best Drama Award and has now been viewed more than one million times on YouTube. Lin is also the co-founder of the international crime writing festival Bloody Scotland, which takes place annually in Stirling. Time For The Dead When forensic scientist Rhona MacLeod returns to her roots on Scotland's Isle of Skye, a chance encounter in the woods behind a nearby activities centre leads her to what seems to be a crime scene, but without a victim. Could this be linked to a group of army medics, who visited the centre while on leave from Afghanistan and can no longer be located on the island? Enlisting the help of local tracker dog Blaze, Rhona starts searching for a connection. Two days later a body is found at the base of the famous cliff known as Kilt Rock, face and identity obliterated by the fall, which leads Rhona to suspect the missing medics may be on the island for reasons other than relaxation. Furthermore, elements of the case suggests a link with an ongoing operation in Glasgow, which draws DS Michael McNab into the investigation. As the island's unforgiving conditions close in, Rhona must find out what really happened to the group in Afghanistan, as the consequences may be being played out in brutal killings on Skye... Askew, Claire Claire Askew is a poet, novelist and the current Writer in Residence at the University of Edinburgh. Her debut novel in progress was the winner of the 2016 Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize, and longlisted for the 2014 Peggy Chapman-Andrews (Bridport) Novel Award. Claire holds a PhD in Creative Writing from the University of Edinburgh and has won a variety of accolades for her work, including the Jessie Kesson Fellowship and a Scottish Book Trust New Writers Award. Her debut poetry 2020 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award Submissions Information A-Z by Author Surname collection, This changes things, was published by Bloodaxe in 2016 and shortlisted for the Edwin Morgan Poetry Award and a Saltire First Book Award. In 2016 Claire was selected as a Scottish Book Trust Reading Champion, and she works as the Scotland tutor for women's writing initiatives Write Like A Grrrl! and #GrrrlCon. What You Pay For DI Birch joined the police to find her little brother, who walked out of his life one day and was never seen again. She stayed to help others, determined to seek justice where she could. On the fourteenth anniversary of Charlie's disappearance, Birch takes part in a raid on one of Scotland's most feared criminal organisations. It's a good day's work - a chance to get a dangerous man off the streets. Two days later, Charlie comes back. It's not a coincidence. When Birch finds out exactly what he's been doing all those years, she faces a terrible choice: save the case, or save her brother. But how can you do the right thing when all the consequences are bad? As she interrogates Charlie, he tells his story: of how one wrong turn leads to a world in which the normal rules no longer apply, and you do what you must to survive. From one of the most acclaimed new voices in crime fiction, What You Pay For is a brilliantly tense and moving novel about the terrible disruption caused by violence and the lines people will cross to protect those they love... Barton, Fiona Fiona Barton's debut, The Widow, was a Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller and has been published in thirty-five countries and optioned for television. Her second novel, The Child, was a Sunday Times bestseller. Born in Cambridge, Fiona currently lives in south-west France. Previously, she was a senior writer at the Daily Mail, news editor at the Daily Telegraph, and chief reporter at the Mail on Sunday, where she won Reporter of the Year at the British Press Awards. While working as a journalist, Fiona reported on many high-profile criminal cases and she developed a fascination with watching those involved, their body language and verbal tics. Fiona interviewed people at the heart of these crimes, from the guilty to their families, as well as those on the periphery, and found it was those just outside the spotlight who interested her most... The Suspect The police belonged to another world, the world they saw on the television or in the papers. Not theirs.' When two eighteen-year-old girls go missing on their gap year in Thailand, their families are thrust into the international spotlight: desperate, bereft and frantic with worry. Journalist Kate Waters always does everything she can to be first to the story, first with the exclusive, first to discover the truth, and this time is no exception. But she can't help but think of her own son, who she hasn't seen in two years, since he left home to go travelling. This time it's personal. And as the case of the missing girls unfolds, they will all find that even this far away, danger can lie closer to home than you might think... Beattie, Geoffrey Geoffrey Beattie is Professor of Psychology at Edge Hill University and an expert in body language. He is often asked whether he can tell when people lie and always wanted to write a thriller about an expert such as himself placed in jeopardy. He obtained his PhD in Psychology from the University of Cambridge (Trinity College) and was awarded the Spearman Medal by the BPS for 'published psychological research of outstanding merit'. In addition, he was the resident psychologist on eleven 2020 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award Submissions Information A-Z by Author Surname 'Big Brother' series and has also presented a number of television programmes for BBC1, Channel 4 and UKTV Style (including 'Life's Too Short', 'Family SOS', 'Dump Your Mates in Four Days' and 'The Farm of Fussy Eaters'). He has also written for a diverse range of newspapers and magazines including: The Guardian, The Times, The Independent, The Sunday Telegraph, The Observer, The New Statesman, and Marie Claire. The Body's Little Secrets After his revered brother dies in a freak accident during the miners' strikes, Matt moves to the town where he last lived for research into body language. Then Adele, his brother's girlfriend, turns up and Matt's life suddenly starts to spin out of control. Who was his brother? Slowly Matt is sucked into the city's criminal night life with its shifty inhabitants and strange codes. He has to make sense of his situation before it is too late. Like, now! Billingham, Mark Mark Billingham has twice won the Theakston's Old Peculier Award for Crime Novel of the Year, and has also won a Sherlock Award for the Best Detective created by a British writer. Each of the novels featuring Detective Inspector Tom Thorne has been a Sunday Times bestseller. Sleepyhead and Scaredy Cat were made into a hit TV series on Sky 1 starring David Morrissey as Thorne, and a series based on the novels In the Dark and Time of Death was broadcast on BBC1. Mark lives in north London with his wife and two children. Their Little Secret The sixteenth book in the Tom Thorne series, from bestselling author Mark Billingham. She says she's an ordinary mother. He knows a liar when he sees one. Sarah thinks of herself as a normal single mum. It's what she wants others to think of her. But the truth is, she needs something new, something thrilling. Meanwhile, DI Tom Thorne is investigating a woman's suicide, convinced she was driven to do it by a man who preys on vulnerable women. A man who is about to change Sarah's life.