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Celebrating the best debut crime writers
Named in recognition of world-famous crime writer, Val McDermid, who co-founded the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival in 2003 and whose dedication to fostering new voices in crime fiction through the New Blood panel is legendary, the McDermid Debut Award seeks to continue her legacy, celebrating and platforming the best debut crime writers in the UK. The Award creates an opportunity for readers to discover the next generation of crime authors, showcasing the most original, compelling new voices in the genre and shining a spotlight on the stars of the future.
A shortlist of six titles is selected by an academy of established crime and thriller authors, and the winner is determined by a judging panel of industry experts, including literary, broadcasting and media figures. The Award is presented on the opening night of the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival.
Past McDermid Debut Award winners
In July 2025, David Goodman was announced as the winner of the McDermid Debut Award for his debut novel, A Reluctant Spy.
The high-concept spy thriller is about a tech executive who agrees to lend his identity to an elite intelligence agency in return for a helping hand through life, but gets far more than he bargained for when he finds himself in hostile territory having to do the job of a trained espionage operative to avoid a global conflict. David Goodman is a writer of espionage and speculative fiction who lives in East Lothian, Scotland.
Previous Winners
2024 | Deadly Animals | Marie Tierney
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