Time to pick your favourite crime novel - how to vote

There are six contenders on the shortlist of the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award

The shortlist is:

Belinda Bauer – Snap, one of the very few crime-genre novels ever to be considered for the Man Booker prize after making the 2018 longlist.

Steve Cavanagh – Thirteen, a courtroom drama hailed by Ian Rankin for ‘plotting that takes your breath away.’

Mick Herron - London Rules, from his widely-acclaimed Jackson Lamb series. Herron was dubbed the ‘UK’s new spy master’ by the Sunday Times.

Val McDermid - Broken Ground Val has sold 15 million copies of her novels and is considered the ‘queen of crime’.

Liam McIlvanney - The Quaker Liam has already scooped the McIlvanney Prize for this book drawing on the real-life serial murderer, Bible John.

Khurrum Rahman - East of Hounslow The only debut on the shortlist from Senior IT Officer turned novelist, his book was shortlisted for the CWA John Creasey Debut Dagger Award 2018.

The public vote opens on Monday July 1 and closes on Sunday July 14.

Vote at www.theakstons.co.uk

The overall winner will be decided by the panel of judges, alongside the public vote.

Executive director of T&R Theakston, Simon Theakston, said: “All shortlisted authors are deserving of the title, but there’s only one novel of the year.

"The public vote will be invaluable, readers have real power, so I’d encourage everyone to make their voice heard - it’s free and simple to vote online. It will be fascinating to see which of these remarkable titles prevails, all are simply outstanding.”

The winner is announced on the opening night of the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival, on Thursday July 18.

The winner will receive £3,000 and a handmade, engraved beer barrel provided by Theakston Old Peculier.

The awards ceremony, hosted by Mark Lawson, will also reveal the recipient of the 2019 Outstanding Contribution to Crime Fiction Award, who will join a roll-call of crime writing giants. Past recipients include Colin Dexter, Reginald Hill, PD James, Ruth Rendell, Lynda La Plante, Sara Paretsky, Val McDermid, Lee Child and John Grisham.