The shortlist for this year’s McDermid Debut Award – named in recognition of world-famous crime writer Val McDermid – has been announced in the run-up to this year’s Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival in Harrogate.

Now in its third year, the award has established a successful track record for discovering emerging talent, with the two previous winning books, Deadly Animals by Marie Tierney (2024), and A Reluctant Spy by David Goodman (2025), going on to become bestsellers.

The six talented authors shortlisted for the McDermid Debut Award are: Frances Crawford, Leodora Darlington, Remi Kone, Barnaby Martin, Mel Pennant and Rebecca Philipson.

Internationally bestselling crime writer Val McDermid, best know for TV adaptations Karen Pirie and Wire in the Blood, said: “This festival has a rich and long-established reputation for plucking out the debut gems from the crime writing pack.

Theakston's McDermid Debut Award shortlist - A Murder for Miss Hortense by Mel Pennant (Baskerville, John Murray) is one of six books nominated. (Picture contributed)

placeholder image — Theakston's McDermid Debut Award shortlist - A Murder for Miss Hortense by Mel Pennant (Baskerville, John Murray) is one of six books nominated. (Picture contributed)

"This year is no exception. Dive into the Debut Award shortlist and I guarantee you'll find six novels with something special to offer.”

The shortlist for this year’s award showcases ‘original and assured’ new voices writing across a broad range of subgenres - including serial killer thrillers, detective fiction, cosy crime and dystopian chillers - and introducing a range of unforgettable protagonists, including a 12-year-old Glaswegian dog walker and a Windrush generation retiree who is Birmingham’s answer to Miss Marple.

McDermid Debut Award 2026 shortlist

A Bad, Bad Place by Frances Crawford (Transworld, Penguin Random House) 

The Exes by Leodora Darlington (Penguin Michael Joseph)

Innocent Guilt by Remi Kone (Quercus)

The Quiet by Barnaby Martin (Pan Macmillan) 

A Murder for Miss Hortense by Mel Pennant (Baskerville, John Murray)

How to Get Away With Murder by Rebecca Philipson (Transworld, Penguin Random House) 

Honouring bestselling crime writer, Val McDermid, who co-founded the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival in 2003, the award seeks to continue her legacy, celebrating and platforming the best debut crime writers in the UK.

The winner will be revealed on the opening night of the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival, Thursday, July 23, 2026. 

More information on the festival: https://harrogateinternationalfestivals.com/festival/theakston-old-peculier-crime-writing-festival/

More information on author Val McDermid: https://www.valmcdermid.com/