Capital Crime Announces Fingerprint Award nominations!

 

OVERALL CRIME BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023

THE MURDER GAME by Tom Hindle

NONE OF THIS IS TRUE by Lisa Jewell

THE SECRET HOURS by Mick Herron

IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE by Jo Callaghan

STRANGE SALLY DIAMOND by Liz Nugent

THRILLER BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023

FEARLESS by M W Craven

THE SILENT MAN by David Fennell

THE RULE OF THREE by Sam Ripley

THE ONLY SUSPECT by Louise Candlish

THE HOUSE HUNT by C. M. Ewan

HISTORICAL BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023

DEATH OF A LESSER GOD by Vaseem Khan

THE SQUARE OF SEVENS by Laura Shepherd-Robinson

THE MURDER WHEEL by Tom Mead

THE GOOD LIARS by Anita Frank

THE HOUSE OF WHISPERS by Anna Mazzola

TRUE CRIME BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023

NO ORDINARY DAY by Matt Johnson

MY GIRL by Michelle Hadaway

VITAL ORGANS by Suzie Edge

UNLAWFUL KILLINGS: LIFE, LOVE AND MURDER: TRIALS AT THE OLD BAILEY by Her Honour Wendy Joseph QC

ORDER OUT OF CHAOS by Scott Walker

AUDIO BOOOK OF THE YEAR 2023

THE RUNNING GRAVE by Robert Galbraith (narrated by Robert Glenister)

THE LAST GOODBYE by Tim Weaver (narrated by Joe Coen, Brendan MacDonald, Peter Noble, Dominic Thorburn and Candida Gubbins)

THE BEDROOM WINDOW by K. L. Slater (narrated by Clare Corbett)

CONVICTION by Jack Jordan (narrated by Sophie Roberts)

OVER MY DEAD BODY by Maz Evans (narrated by Maz Evans)

GENRE -BUSTING BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023

INK BLOOD SISTER SCRIBE by Emma Torzs

THE MYSTERIOUS CASE OF THE ALPERTON ANGELS by Janice Hallett

KILLING JERICHO by William Hussey

MURDER IN THE FAMILY by Cara Hunter

THE LOOKING GLASS SOUND by Catriona Ward

DEBUT BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023

DEATH OF A BOOKSELLER by Alice Slater

THE LIST by Yomi Adegoke

GENEVA by Richard Armitage

THE BANDIT QUEENS by Parini Shroff

THIRTY DAYS OF DARKNESS by Jenny Lund Madsen

Voting is now open and you can vote for your favourite book here.

2024 Capital Crime Programme

 LEONARDO ST PAUL’S, LONDON

30 MAY - 1 JUNE 2024

WWW.CAPITALCRIME.ORG    

THURSDAY 30TH MAY

Registration for Capital Crime 2024 12:00 - 18:00

Goldsboro Bookshop open from 12:30 – 19:30

LONDON STAGE

1. The Anatomy of a Crime: From Crime to Conviction. A factual, entertainment driven, account of the timeline from crime to conviction presented to you by specialists in their field live on stage. Experience crime scene briefings to bitesize trial and have your say in whether the accused is guilty or should walk free! Perfect for: Those writing crime novels looking for a factual representation of the events from crime to conviction; Those who want to see some of their favourite authors execute their day jobs including: Senior Investigating Officer, Detective, Crime Scene Investigator, Judge and Barristers.  With  Judge - Nicola Williams  Barrister - Helen Fields  Barrister - Nadine Matheson  Senior Investigating Officer - Graham Bartlett            Crime Scene Manager - Kate Bendelow            Detective Inspector - Kate London

SIGNINGS FROM EVENT 1 in the Goldsboro Books on-site book shop

2. Whose Crime is it Anyway? Capital Crime’s Debut Quiz Show Two teams (made up of five debut authors on each team) test their knowledge of each other’s books. The game show style event will be presented by actor Paul Clayton who will guide the teams through the rounds in the following format. The aim of our quiz is to stage an engaging, entertaining event for both audience and authors, and help welcome debut authors to the crime community with their peers.  Team 'Moguls of Mystery' Katrin Juliusdottir, T. M. Payne, Suzy Aspley, Roxie Key and Claire Coughlan vs.  Team 'Thoroughbreds of Thrillers' Claire Wilson, Liza North, Tom Baragwanath, Fiona McPhillips and Ellie Keel

SIGNINGS FROM EVENT 2 in the Goldsboro Books on-site book shop

3. Goldsboro Books’ 2024 Class of Debut Authors with Jennie Godfrey, Sarah Brooks and Samuel Burr moderated by David Headley

SIGNINGS FROM EVENT 3 in the Goldsboro Books on-site book shop

4. Rob Rinder’s SUSPECT Authors: A Game of Two Truths and A Lie where nothing is quite as it seems... with Claire McGowan, Joseph Knox and Louise Candlish

SIGNINGS FROM EVENT 4 in the Goldsboro Books on-site book shop

5. Breaking the Fourth Wall: Prolific Powerhouses Anthony Horowitz and Elly Griffiths talk about writing authors as fictional characters, creating impossible puzzles, and making improbable stories probable!

SIGNINGS FROM EVENT 5 in the Goldsboro Books on-site book shop

6. LEADING WOMEN: TENNISON AND VERA MEET Lynda La Plante and Ann Cleeves in conversation with Lisa Howells on shattering the glass ceiling in male dominated worlds, creating internationally-loved characters with longevity, and would Tennison and Vera work well together on a case?

SIGNINGS FROM EVENT 6 in the Goldsboro Books on-site book shop

PUBLIC EVENTS OUTSIDE OF THE SCHEDULE: All WEEKEND & DAY TICKET HOLDERS WELCOME

12:00 – 13:45 DHH Pitch An Agent Session

19:30 – 21:00 The Annual Capital Crime Fingerprint Award Ceremony. Hosted by Paul Clayton. Taking place on the London Stage, Category finalists will be announced on 4 April 2024.

FRIDAY 31ST MAY 2024 

Registration for Capital Crime 2023 9:30 - 17:30 

Goldsboro Bookshop open from 10:00 - 19:30 

Time	LONDON STAGE	GOLDSBORO BOOKS STAGE
10:00-10:50	1. Classic Crime for the Modern Age with C. L. Miller, Tom Hindle and Paula Sutton in conversation with participating moderator Ian Moore	2. Sins of the Past: Historical Crime with L. C. Tyler, Laura Shepherd-Robinson, Sally Smith with participating moderator S. J. Parris
	SIGNINGS FROM EVENT 1 & 2 in the Goldsboro Books on-site book shop	SIGNINGS FROM EVENT 1 & 2 in the Goldsboro Books on-site bookshop
11:05 – 11:55	3. The Art of Revenge with Steve Cavanagh, Nilesha Chauvet, Saima Mir and participating moderator Araminta Hall	4. The Following Books are Based on a True Story with Hallie Rubenhold, Linda Calvey, Eleni Kyriacou  and participating moderator Matt Nixson
	SIGNINGS FROM EVENT 3 & 4in the Goldsboro Books on-site book shop	SIGNINGS FROM EVENT 3 & 4in the Goldsboro Books on-site book shop
12:10 – 13:00	5. Finding A Balance: Combining Social Tensions, Morality and ‘Entertainment Factor’ in Crime Fiction with Kellye Garratt and Vaseem Khan in conversation with participating moderator Ed James	6. A Violent Heart: Deadly Relationships with Lily Samson, Kristina Perez, David Fennell and participating moderator Fiona Cummins
	SIGNINGS FROM EVENT 5 & 6 in the Goldsboro Books on-site book shop	SIGNINGS FROM EVENT 5 & 6 in the Goldsboro Books on-site book shop
	Lunch	Lunch
14:00 – 14:50	7. Bingeable Series: The beauty of falling in love with a series with Stig Abell, Will Dean, Erin Young and participating moderator Tariq Ashkanani	8. Dissecting Science’s Impact on Crime Fiction with Jo Callaghan, Marie Tierney, Jack Anderson and participating moderator Dr Shahed Yousaf
	SIGNINGS FROM EVENT 7 & 8 in the Goldsboro Books on-site book shop	SIGNINGS FROM EVENT 7 & 8 in the Goldsboro Books on-site book shop
15:05 – 15:55	9. Argylle: Authors of Mystery Tammy Cohen and Terry Hayes in conversation with Jake Kerridge	10. Playing with Ghosts: Haunting pasts and not-so-hidden horrors with Natalie Marlow, Kaaron Warren, Syd Moore and participating moderator Anita Frank
	SIGNINGS FROM EVENT 9 & 10 in the Goldsboro Books on-site book shop	SIGNINGS FROM EVENT 9 & 10 in the Goldsboro Books on-site book shop

16:10 -17:00	11. The Locked In Feast with Alex Michaelides and participating moderator Lucy Foley A succulent conversation that will quench your appetite for all things ‘locked in’ - from isolated islands to dinner parties gone wrong these bestselling authors spill the beans on creating the perfect cast of characters and that authors that have influenced them.
	SIGNINGS FROM EVENT 11 in the Goldsboro Books on-site book shop
17:15 – 18:05	12.A Culture of Armchair Detectives: A J Finn & Lisa Jewell interviewed by Nadine Matheson Discussing the appeal of catching 'detective fever', and when the police get it wrong can only authors, podcasters and armchair detectives save us?
	SIGNINGS FROM EVENT 12 in the Goldsboro Books on-site book shop
18:15 – 19:10	13. Compulsive Crime: Mass consuming your favourite books and TV shows is not a new phenomenon, but it is certainly more popular than ever before. These bestselling authors reveal their secret to creating compelling characters and stories that we just can't get enough of and what it's like keeping up with demand. With A. A. Dhand, M. W. Craven & Jane Casey and participating moderator S J Watson
	PUBLIC EVENTS OUTSIDE OF THE SCHEDULE: All WEEKEND & DAY TICKET HOLDERS WELCOME
	LAUNCH PARTY ANNOUNCEMENT COMING SOON
20:30 – 22:00	CRIME QUIZ hosted by A. J. West on the London Stage Are you ready to put your crime knowledge to the test in this hilarious quiz night?

SATURDAY 1ST JUNE 2024 

Registration for Capital Crime 2023 

9:30 - 17:00 Goldsboro Bookshop open from 10:00 - 19:00 

Time	LONDON STAGE	GOLDSBORO BOOKS STAGE
10:00 – 10:50	1. Setting the Pace: A masterclass in adding fuel to high octane thrillers with Kim Sherwood, Sarah Pearse, Eva Björg Ægisdottir, T. M. Logan and participating moderator Abir Mukherjee	2. Murderous Medicine with Christie Watson, Eleanor Barker-White, Ambrose Parry and participating moderator Suzie Edge

SIGNINGS FROM EVENT 1 & 2 in the Goldsboro Books on-site book shop

11:05 – 11:55

3. Funny Fiction: Crime and comedy, a match made in heaven! With Suk Pannu, Andrew Hunter Murray and Rev Richard Coles with participating moderator A. J. West

4. From Space to the Psychological: The universal appeal of thrillers with Doug Johnstone , Luca Veste, Becca Day and participating moderator C. M. Ewan

SIGNINGS FROM EVENT 3 & 4 in the Goldsboro Books on-site book shop

12:10 – 13:00

5. Tales That Bind: The art of creating multi-layered narratives, settings and characters that will rip your heart out with Chris Whitaker, Vanessa Walters & Erin Kelly moderated by Victoria Selman

6. More Than Meets the Eye: Supernatural Sleuthing with Alice Bell and Kristen Perrin with participating moderator Stuart Neville

SIGNINGS FROM EVENT 5 & 6 in the Goldsboro Books on-site book shop

LUNCH

14:00 – 14:50

7. SPECIAL EVENT TO BE ANNOUNCED IN THE COMING

8. One Sitting Reads: What’s the secret to writing books that you just can’t put down? With Ruth Mancini, Greg Mosse, Emma Christie and participating moderator Robert Rutherford

SIGNINGS FROM EVENT 7 & 8 in the Goldsboro Books on-site book shop

15:05 – 15:55

9. John Connolly and Mark Billingham in conversation

SIGNINGS FROM EVENT 9 in the Goldsboro Books on-site book shop

16:10 -17:00

10. History in the Making with Val McDermid & Kate Mosse in conversation

SIGNINGS FROM EVENT 10 in the Goldsboro Books on-site book shop

17:15 – 18:05

11. The Scottish Masters: Ian Rankin and Irvine Welsh interviewed by Harriet Tyce

SIGNINGS FROM EVENT 11 in the Goldsboro Books on-site book shop

PUBLIC EVENTS OUTSIDE OF THE SCHEDULE: All WEEKEND & DAY TICKET HOLDERS WELCOME

18:30 – 19:30	The CWA Launch National Crime Writing Month at Capital Crime Lineup coming soon
21:00 – 23:00	FUN LOVIN’ CRIME WRITERS Val McDermid, Mark Billingham, Chris Brookmyre, Stuart Neville, Luca Veste and Doug Johnstone Rock the London Stage at Capital Crime 2024! (Individual event tickets on sale)

Capital Crime Announces Full Line up!

    

London’s Capital Crime Festival Announces Full Lineup With 50% Of Tickets Already Gone

London’s highly anticipated Capital Crime Festival is back this May 30th to June 1st, with an impressive 50% of weekend tickets already sold before the full schedule was announced this week. Industry giants are set to reveal all at this year's festival, giving guests the unprecedented opportunity to delve into the secrets behind their favourite mysteries, and even meet their crime fiction heroes face to face in this three day crime spectacular.

Included in the mega line up this year is Hugh Howey, the brilliant mind behind Apple TV’s Silo, Elly Griffiths, the creative force driving the Dr. Ruth Galloway series, Val McDermid, whose literary works served as the inspiration for Wire In The Blood, and Ann Cleeves, the genius behind beloved characters Vera and Jimmy Perez from Shetland. And that’s not all, fan favourite band, Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers, will be playing their first show in London for several years.

Festival Director Lizzie Curle commented: “The uptake in tickets this year has been phenomenal. 50% of weekend tickets were sold out before the complete schedule was unveiled, underscoring the escalating demand for crime fiction. It's evident that people are seeking escapism in the current climate, and this heightened interest is substantiated by the data on Google Trends - searches for terms like 'murder mystery books' have surged by an impressive 350% in the last year!

Featuring over 100 renowned writers of crime and thriller, the festival will host over 30 different events, from exclusive launch parties, thought-provoking talks and panels, interactive quiz shows and book signings throughout three jam-packed days. Huge notable names confirmed include:

• Ian Rankin, creator of Inspector Rebus

• Trainspotting author Irvine Welsh

• Ann Cleeves, author of the Vera and Shetland series

• Rising star of US crime fiction Kellye Garrett

• Author and barrister Rob Rinder

• Alex Michaelides, author of the global bestseller The Silent Patient

• And bestselling author and screenwriter Anthony Horowitz

Also returning are the festival’s Fingerprint Awards, which this year saw authors including Erin Kelly and Adele Parks celebrated; and the social outreach initiative, which aims to demystify the industry for young Londoners considering a career in publishing.

Standard weekend and day tickets are on sale now whilst stocks last, along with individual event tickets at a limited capacity. Due to the increased demand for tickets this year those interested in attending are encouraged to book early to avoid disappointment.

Capital Crime Individual tickets on sale

INDIVIDUAL EVENT TICKETS ARE NOW AVAILABLE
& WE'RE DELIGHTED TO WELCOME SHARI LAPENA, CLARE MACKINSTOCH, BEN AARONOVITCH & PETER JAMES TO OUR LINEUP!

There's only one place to be from 31st August - 2nd September 2023 and that's the Leonardo Royal St Paul's Hotel, where we will be celebrating the best genre in town.

We believe that every reader and crime fiction fan should be able to celebrate and enjoy a weekend's worth of entertaining and engaging conversations from some of the world's finest creative minds! With only four weeks to go until we're opening our doors, we're swinging them wide open with our individual event tickets that will suit every budget.

Get ready to mingle with crime fictions biggest stars and latest chart toppers as we're honoured to welcome Richard Osman, Lisa Jewell, Joanne Harris, Kate Atkinson, "Happy Valley" creator Sally Wainwright, Dorothy Koomson, Chris Carter, Peter James, Ben Aaronovitch Liz Nugent, Imran Mahmood, Will Dean, Nicola Williams, Richard Armitage, Yomi Adegoke, Mark Billingham, M W Craven, Steve Cavanagh, Adele Parks and many more of your favourite authors to Capital Crime this year! 

For our full line-up and schedule head to our website!

Tickets can be brought here.

Capital Crime Launched!

CAPITAL CRIME RETURNS END OF AUGUST WITH RICHARD OSMAN, KATE ATKINSON, RICHARD ARMITAGE, DOROTHY KOOMSON AND HAPPY VALLEY CREATOR SALLY WAINWRIGHT TO HEADLINE

Richard Armitage, Peter James, Richard Osman, Yomi Adegoke, Joanne Harris, Imran Mahmood, Liz Nugent and Nicola Williams are amongst the authors confirmed for Capital Crime, London’s largest celebration of crime and thriller writing, which returns 31st August – 2nd September.

In the Leonardo Royal London, the festival’s exciting new home, over 140 leading voices from crime fiction will be speaking about everything from horror and history in crime to the legacies of Marple, Chandler and Bond, alongside Capital Crime’s social outreach programme which has been in place since 2019, and the second year of the Fingerprint Awards, voted for by readers. Taking place in the shadow of St Paul’s Cathedral and with a Goldsboro Books pop-up bookshop, it promises to be a brilliantly entertaining and insightful weekend for crime fiction enthusiasts.

 Now in its third year, Capital Crime is proud to be a part of and contributor to the vibrant culture scene with the city, and has quickly established itself as one of the biggest festivals in the UK, with a reputation for originality, innovation, and a focus on creating an incredible reader experience with creatively curated and inclusive panels. Co-founded by Goldsboro Books MD David Headley, it has welcomed readers from around the country to see British authors such as Robert Harris, Anthony Horowitz and Paula Hawkins appearing alongside international talent including Icelandic Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir and US bestsellers Jeffrey Deaver and Chris Carter.

 Headley and his team at Goldsboro Books have helped launch the careers of so many authors since it opened almost 25 years ago, by uniting incredible writing with their loyal, ever-growing community of passionate readers. Renowned for their thoughtful and impactful new initiatives to engage communities of readers, Capital Crime is a brilliant extension of this vision with an outstanding programme of over 40 entertaining, accessible events that explore all corners of the genre, and the opportunity to meet your literary heroes. 

 On the first day of the festival (Thursday 31st August), the afternoon will start with the Future Generations Afternoon Takeover, a series of events dedicated to Capital Crime’s social outreach programme. This sees sixth form students and their teachers from schools in South London invited to meet authors and publishing professionals, with the aim of demystifying the industry and opening it up to attract new and diverse young voices into publishing. There will also be an industry panel, with Amy Baxter, Christina Demosthenous and Leodora Darlington talking to Manpreet Grewal about their journey in publishing and their goals for future.

The afternoon will also see a discussion on the moral dilemmas of crime writing with Yomi Adegoke, Jack Jordan, Lia Middleton, Nicola Williams and Nadine Matheson; and a panel on the legacy of Miss Marple with Elly Griffiths, Dreda Say Mitchell, Ruth Ware and Lucy Foley. Moderated by Ayo Onatade, Charlie Higson, Bonnie McBird, Katherine Bradley will what it’s like to continue the legacies of James Bond, Sherlock Holmes and 1984, and writing their iconic characters for a modern audience.

The evening will conclude with The Fingerprint Awards, the Capital Crime awards ceremony which allows crime and thriller lovers to select the winner of five categories, including Crime Novel of the Year; Thriller Novel of the Year; and Historical Crime Novel of the Year. 

Friday will see international bestseller Kate Atkinson interviewed by festival co-founder David Headley; top ten bestsellers Lisa Jewell and Adele Parks in conversation with Sarah Shaffi; Louise Candlish and Dorothy Koomson speaking with Lisa Howells and Happy Valley creator Sally Wainwright interviewed by Amy Raphael. 

 Panel highlights from the day include C J Taylor, Olivia Kiernan and Susi Holliday revealing the locations and relationships that create the perfect home for crime fiction with Sam Brownley; and S J Parris, A J West, K J Maitland and Anna Mazzola debating historical inspiration in crime writing with Vaseem Khan, whilst Rob Scragg, Judith O’Reilly, Chris McGeorge and Fiona Erskine of the Northern Crime Writing Syndicate will be challenged to create a bestseller in one hour. In addition, Liz Nugent, Catherine Ryan Howard and Andrea Carter will be speaking to Jane Casey about Irish crime writing, and Anna Motz, Matt Johnson and Donna Freed will discuss society’s obsession with true crime and its influence on crime fiction with Victoria Selman. 

 The first two rounds of Capital Crime’s fun-filled quiz, ‘Whose Crime Is It Anyway’, will also be taking place, featuring teams of debut authors.                                                                          

Saturday will see Fiona Cummins, Mark Edwards and Kia Abdullah speak to Araminta Hall about fictional good characters who end up doing terrible things; J P Delaney, Leye Adenle and Louise Hare in conversation with H B Lyle to talk about crime fiction across the world; and Will Dean, Louise Swanson and Gillian McAllister speak to S J Watson about high concept ideas in the world of crime-fiction. Bestsellers Joanne Harris and Sarah Pinborough will discuss the role of women and gender in thriller-writing; Gareth Rubin, Janice Hallett and Cara Hunter will dissect the importance of structure and form in crime writing; and Laura Shepherd-Robinson, Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman will talk about misdirection and illusion in crime fiction. 

The day will finish with Peter James speaking about his famous creation Roy Grace; actor Richard Armitage speaking about his debut crime novel Geneva, and Richard Osman in conversation with Miles Jupp. 

There will also be exciting public events throughout the weekend, including proof parties and launch events forVictoria Selman’s exciting new thriller All the Little Liars and David Fennell’s new serial killer thriller The Silent Man, and dancing until the early hours of Sunday morning at Capital Crime’s closing party Murder on the Dance Floor. 

The full programme can be found here from 10am today (Tuesday 27th June):https://www.capitalcrime.org/capital-crime-schedule

 

 

Winners of the Fingerprint Awards 2022

S.A. COSBY, C.J. TUDOR & ABIGAIL DEAN 

AMONGST WINNERS OF THE 

INAUGURAL FINGERPRINT AWARDS

The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse named Crime Book of the Year 2021

Blacktop Wasteland by S.A. Cosby named Thriller of the Year 2021

Laura Purcell’s The Shape of Darkness wins Historical Crime Book of the year 2021

Abigail Dean wins Debut Book of the Year 2021 for Girl A

The Burning Girls by C.J. Tudor is named Genre-busting Book of the Year 2021

The Girl Who Died by Ragnar Jónasson, narrated by Amanda Redman, wins Audiobook Book of the Year 2021

Industry Award of the Year 2021 is awarded to HarperCollins for their Girl A campaign

Lifetime Achievement Award is posthumously awarded to Thalia Proctor

S A Cosby Photograph credit Camilo Queipo.

The winners of the inaugural Fingerprint Awards, celebrating international crime and thriller writing, were announced by actor and author Paul Clayton last night, Thursday 29th September, at Capital Crime, in the shadow of the iconic Battersea Power Station. 

The winners of six out of eight categories were voted for online by crime and thriller fans: Crime Book of the Year 2021; Thriller of the Year 2021; Historical Crime Book of the Year 2021; Debut Book of the Year 2021; Genre-busting Book of the Year 2021 and Audio Book of the Year 2021. 

Ragnar Jonasson & Amanda Redman Photograph credit Camilo Queipo.

Notable winners included Blacktop Wasteland by S.A Cosby for Thriller of the Year 2021; Girl A by Abigail Dean for Debut Book of the Year 2021 and The Girl Who Died by Ragnar Jónasson, narrated by Amanda Redman, for Audiobook Book of the Year 2021.

The winners of the Industry Award of the Year and the Lifetime Achievement Award were chosen solely by the Capital Crime Advisory Board. The Industry Award of the Year was won by HarperCollins for Girl A by Abigail Dean and the Lifetime Achievement Award was posthumously awarded to editor Thalia Proctor. 

Capital Crime Festival Director Lizzie Curle said: “We were honoured to kick off the inaugural Fingerprint Awards with Paul Clayton at the helm. We are grateful for all the support we have received from publishers, authors, and most importantly, the readers, who make these awards possible.”

The Fingerprint Award Winners 

Crime Book of the Year 2021

The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse (Transworld)

Thriller Book of the Year 2021

Blacktop Wasteland by S.A. Cosby (Headline)

Historical Crime Book of the Year - 2021

Shape of Darkness by Laura Purcell (Bloomsbury)

Debut Book of the Year 2021

Girl A by Abigail Dean (HarperCollins)

Genre-Busting Book of the Year 2021

The Burning Girl by C.J. Tudor (Penguin)

Audiobook of the Year 2021

The Girl Who Died by Ragnar Jonasson & Amanda Redman (Penguin)

Industry Award the year 2021

HarperCollins for Girl A

Lifetime Achievement Award (Posthumous)

Thalia Proctor

Photographs credit Camilo Queipo.

Shortlist for The Fingerprint Award 2022 announced

 

Crime novelists including Val McDermid, Janice Hallett and Abir Mukherjee have been shortlisted for the inaugural Fingerprint Awards.

The awards, which recognise the best titles in the crime genre and most of which are voted for by readers, are held as part of the Capital Crime Festival co-organised by Goldsboro Books owner and agent David Headley.

Shortlisted for the Crime Book of the Year is McDermid’s 1979 (Little, Brown), Mick Herron’s Slough House (John Murray Press) and Hallett’s debut, The Appeal (Viper), which won the John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger earlier this year. Also in the running is fellow debut novelist Sarah Pearse with The Sanatorium Transworld) and Eva Björg Ægisdóttir for her second novel, Girls Who Lie (Orenda).

Lisa Jewell and Paula Hawkins have made the cut for Thriller Novel of the Year with The Night She Disappeared (Cornerstone) and A Slow Fire Burning (Transworld) respectively, while Gold Dagger-winning M W Craven is in the running for Dead Ground (Little, Brown).

Multi-award winner author Mukherjee is among those shortlisted for the Historical Crime Novel of the Year for The Shadows of Men (Vintage), his latest Wyndham & Banerjee novel, alongside Daughters of Night by Laura Shepherd-Robinson (Pan Macmillan).

Two other categories will be selected solely by the Capital Crime advisory board, comprised of authors, bloggers, journalists and industry figures. The categories are the Industry Award of the Year, recognising the best marketing campaign, editorial work, or publishing strategy, and the Thalia Proctor Lifetime Achievement Award, marking an outstanding contribution to the crime-writing industry.

"My vision for Capital Crime was always to make it a festival for readers and what better way to celebrate the readers who make it all worthwhile than to give them the power to decide the winners of the Fingerprint Awards?" Headley said. "Narrowing down the incredible body of work published last year to six categories of five books [each] was no mean feat but with the well-informed advisory board we’ve gathered together, I’m confident that these shortlists represent the very best of crime and thriller writing from around the world."

Readers can vote for their preferred winners here by 19th September. The winners will be announced at 7.30pm on 29th September.

Capital Crime will be hosting pitch-an-agent sessions with David Headley (D H H), Emily Glenister (DHH), Camilla Bolton (Darley Anderson) or Phillip Patterson (Marjaq).The slots are open to all unrepresented ticket holders working on their crime novel (completed novels or full synopsis preferred) as part of the Next Generation of Voices afternoon takeover at the festival this autumn. To apply for a slot, contact info@capitalcrime.org.

The shortlists in full:

Crime Book of the Year 2021

The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse (Transworld)

1979 by Val McDermid (Little, Brown)

The Appeal by Janice Hallett (Viper)

Girls Who Lie by Eva Björg Ægisdottir (Orenda Books)

Slough House by Mick Herron (John Murray Press)

Thriller Book of the Year 2021

A Slow Fire Burning by Paula Hawkins (Transworld)

Dead Ground by M W Craven (Little, Brown)

The Night She Disappeared by Lisa Jewell (Cornerstone)

Knife Edge by Simon Mayo (Transworld)

Last Thing to Burn by Will Dean (Hodder & Stoughton)

Historical Crime Book of the Year 2021

A Net for Small Fishes by Lucy Jago (Bloomsbury)

The Shape of Darkness by Laura Purcell (Bloomsbury)

Daughters of Night by Laura Shepherd Robinson (Pan Macmillan)

The Shadows of Men by Abir Mukherjee (Vintage)

A Comedy of Terrors by Lindsay Davis (Hodder & Stoughton)

Debut Book of the Year 2021

Girl A by Abigail Dean (HarperCollins)

Greenwich Park by Katherine Faulkner (Bloomsbury)

Welcome to Cooper by Tariq Ashkanani (Amazon Publishing)

How to Kidnap the Rich by Rahul Raina (Little, Brown

Edge of the Grave by Robbie Morrison (Pan Macmillan)

Genre-Busting Book of the Year 2021

The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris (Bloomsbury)

How To Kill Your Family by Bella Mackie (HarperCollins) 

The Burning Girls by C J Tudor Penguin Books)

Eight Detectives by Alex Pavesi (Penguin Books)

What Abigail Did That Summer by Ben Aaronovitch (Orion)

Audiobook of the Year 2021

People Like Her by Ellery Lloyd (Pan Macmillan)

The Girl Who Die by Ragnar Jónasson (Orenda Books

True Crime Story by Joseph Knox (Transworld)

A Line to Kill by Anthony Horowitz (Cornerstone)

I know what I Saw by Imran Mahmood (Bloomsbury)

Capital Crime Returns in September 2022

 Capital Crime Returns in September With Richard Osman, 

Anthony Horowitz, Dorothy Koomson and Paula Hawkins to Headline. 

Richard Osman, Rev. Richard Coles, Kate Mosse, Robert Harris, Dorothy Koomson, Bella Mackie and Paula Hawkins are amongst the authors confirmed for Capital Crime, London’s only crime and thriller festival, which returns 29th September-1st October after its hugely successful inaugural event in 2019

Taking place in London’s stunning Battersea Park, Capital Crime will be hosting over 164 panellists, bringing together readers, authors, industry figures and the local community for the first major literary festival held on the site. With a Goldsboro Books pop-up bookshop in the iconic Pump House Gallery, the first ever Fingerprint Awards ceremony, alongside an array of London’s tastiest local street food vendors and bar area, it promises to be a weekend of fun, innovation and celebration of crime fiction.

On the opening night (Thursday 29th September), Anthony Horowitz, Kim Sherwood and Charlie Higson will be discussing all things Bond, and the role the capital city has played in the fictional spy’s life, and the 007 car from Sherwood’s incredible new novel, ‘DOUBLE OR NOTHING’ will be on display at the heart of the festival, in association with Alpine and Ian Fleming Publications

Thursday’s programming will comprise of a series of events dedicated to Capital Crime’s social outreach programme, in which two sixth form students and their teachers from schools in and around the capital will be invited to meet with authors and publishing professionals to demystify the industry and attract new and diverse young voices into publishing.

Robert Harris will be in conversation with comedian and podcaster Andrew Hunter Murray, discussing dystopian fiction, and there will also be a very special opportunity for aspiring authors to pitch their novel idea to agents David Headley (DHH), Emily Glenister (DHH), Camilla Bolton (Darley Anderson) or Phillip Patterson (Marjacq). The first evening will close with the very first Fingerprint Award Ceremony. The winners, selected by readers across five categories Crime Novel of the Year; Thriller Novel of the Year; Historical Crime Novel of the Year; Debut Novel of the Year and Genre-Busting Novel of the Year, will be announced alongside a very special Lifetime Achievement Award and Industry Award of the Year.

Friday’s events include Jeffrey Deaver, Michael Robotham and Mark Billingham interviewed on the theme of ‘Crime Across Continents’ by Victoria Selman, and Mark Edwards, Will Dean, Erin Young and Chris Whitaker speaking to Tariq Ashkanani about setting their thrillers in the US. In addition, Abir Mukherjee, Laura Shepherd-Robinson, Anna Mazzola and Jessica Fellowes will be speaking to Suzy Edge about historical crime writing, and Dorothy Koomson and Kate Mosse will be in conversation about their work with the Women's Prize and the versatility of crime fiction. Claire McGowan, David Beckler, Catriona Ward, Chris Carter, Nicci French, W.C. Ryan, Stuart Neville and Eva Bjorg Aegisdottir will also be taking part in panels on the themes of courtroom dramas, ghost stories, crime set in Brighton and medicine in crime fiction, amongst other topics, throughout the day, and the first two rounds of Capital Crime’s quiz ‘Whose Crime Is It Anyway?’ will take place, featuring teams of debut authors.

Saturday will see Peter James interviewed on his writing career by clinical psychologist Chris Merritt; bestsellers Jeffrey Archer, Lucy Foley and Clare Mackintosh in conversation with Barry Forshaw and a Polari Panel hosted by Paul Burston. Other events include former President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom Baroness Hale in conversation with Harriet Tyce; bestselling Icelandic author Ragnar Jonasson in conversation with the Prime Minister of Iceland Katrin Jakobsdottir; Sarah Vaughan, Louise Candlish and Paula Hawkins discussing the experience of screen adaptations, before rounding off the festival with Richard Osman in conversation with Bella Mackie.

The final round of ‘Whose Crime is it Anyway?’ will also take place, as well as panels on the topics of spies, Grand Dames, detectives and comedy crime featuring Vaseem Khan, Robert Thorogood, Antti Tuomainen, Steve Cavanagh, Jane Casey, Catherine Ryan Howard and Steph Broadribb

As well as panels and events, there will be exciting public events throughout the weekend, including launch events for Elly Griffiths’ breath-taking new thriller Bleeding Heart Yard, The Perfect Crime Anthology, which brings twenty-two bestselling crime writers from across the world together in a razor sharp and deliciously sinister collection of crime stories, and an interactive treasure hunt inspired by Peter James’s latest blockbuster, Picture You Dead. There will also be entertainment, including a crime-themed comedy performance from The Noise Next Door on Thursday.

The full programme can be found here.