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Discover the opening chapters of this year’s shortlisted titles for the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award.
These exclusive extracts offer the perfect introduction to the books competing for the prize, giving you a flavour of the gripping plots, unforgettable characters and thrilling suspense before casting your vote.
About the Book
Isabel and Edward meet as teenagers.
When she tells him she loves him, it feels like the bravest thing she’s ever done.
But years later, a stranger walks into their home and tears their world apart.
This is where their story really begins.
“Taut, elegant and heartbreaking’” — Monica Ali
Read the first chapter: The Death Of Us – Chapter 1
About the author
Abigail Dean was born in Manchester and now lives in South London with her husband and two children. Abigail has worked as a Waterstones bookseller and a lawyer. Her debut novel, Girl A, was a New York Times and Sunday Times bestseller, and a television series is being adapted with Sony. The Death of Us is Abigail’s third novel. It is inspired by a long-held terror of home invasions and a long-held dream to write a love story. Film rights have been acquired at auction.
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About the Awards
The Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award celebrates excellence, originality, and the very best in crime fiction by UK and Irish authors. A highlight of the literary calendar, it is recognised as one of the most prestigious accolades in the genre.
Each year, a longlist of 18 titles is carefully selected by a panel of industry experts. The public is then invited to take part in two key stages of the voting process: first, to help determine the shortlist of six novels from the longlist, and later, to help choose the overall winner from the shortlist. In both stages, the public vote is combined with the judging panel’s decision to reach the final outcome. The winner will be announced at the Opening Ceremony of the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival, which will next take place on Thursday 23 July 2026.
The winner will receive a £3,000 cash prize and a hand-engraved oak beer cask, crafted by one of Britain’s last remaining coopers at Theakston’s Brewery in Masham, North Yorkshire. Past winners include Mark Billingham, Denise Mina, Lee Child, Val McDermid, M.W. Craven, Jo Callaghan and 2025’s winner, Abir Mukherjee.