Elly Griffiths' novel The Frozen People has been named the 2026 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year. The book follows a detective working for a time-travelling police cold case team.
Plot and Author Background
The novel is the first in a new series and sees investigator Ali Dawson travel to Victorian London in 1850 to explore a series of killings that have 21st century consequences for politicians and her own family.
British author Griffiths, whose real name is Domenica de Rosa, has been shortlisted for the prize eight times and is known for intricately plotted novels such as her Dr Ruth Galloway Mysteries series.
Competition and Winners
Her latest book saw off competition from five other shortlisted authors. Griffiths said: “I’m so excited and just so grateful to everybody. I’ve been honoured to be shortlisted eight times but to win is just incredible. A bigger twist than I’ve ever dreamed up in my books.”
Other novels up for the prize included Clown Town by Mick Herron, The Midnight King by Tariq Ashkanani, The Death Of Us by Abigail Dean, Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney, and Quantum Of Menace by Vaseem Khan.
Scottish writer Frances Crawford won the McDermid Debut Award for A Bad, Bad Place, a gritty thriller set in 1970s Glasgow about a 12-year-old who discovers a murdered woman's body. Crawford said she was “incredibly proud” after being presented with the prize.
Scottish writer Val McDermid said: “The 2026 shortlist for the McDermid Debut Award was exceptional, and the judges struggled to say goodbye to any of the contenders. But we couldn’t resist Frances Crawford’s A Bad Bad Place, a moving and engaging thriller set in Glasgow’s Possilpark in the 1970s. It’s an engrossing read, and a remarkable debut from a first-time author in her 60s.”
Other Awards
During the ceremony at the Old Swan Hotel in Harrogate, author Mel Pennant was named Highly Commended for A Murder For Miss Hortense. US novelist David Baldacci was honoured with the Theakston Old Peculier Outstanding Contribution award.
Baldacci said: “Having cut my youthful teeth on British crime fiction, this award has special significance for me. ... To join a group of some of the finest writers of any genre is humbling but also immensely thrilling.”
Simon Theakston said: “Congratulations to all of our brilliant winners. ... Our Novel of the Year winner, The Frozen People by Elly Griffiths, an enthralling and endlessly entertaining high-stakes mystery by one of our very best storytellers, had me gripped right from the start.”
