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Simon Mason - Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award 2024 Longlist Interview by Harrogate International Festival

An ageing population, political turmoil, and staff shortages. These are just three of the issues facing the NHS today as it recovers from a global pandemic, and it’s hard to see how it will take on these issues and more in the next few years. Our expert panel will discuss the future of the NHS, the problems it is currently having to deal with and what new challenges may arise in the coming decade, and most importantly, how it might go about tackling those issues.

On the panel is Dr Waheed Arian, an emergency medicine doctor based in Chester. He has been recognised with several awards for his innovation and humanitarian work, including awards from the United Nations, UNESCO and UK Prime Minister. Joined with Stephanie Snow, Professor of Health, History and Policy at the University of Manchester and has directed NHS at 70: The Story of Our Lives since 2017, creating the first digital archive of NHS history.

Join Dr. Peter Olusoga live from Berwins Salon North as he sheds light on the pitfalls of ‘grind’ culture and highlights the benefits of embracing ‘unproductivity’ in the pursuit of living well.

Dr Olusoga is a Chartered Psychologist, Senior Lecturer in Psychology and Sport Psychology consultant with over 15 years’ experience. His current research focuses on burnout, well-being and sustainability in high performance environments, with a particular focus in sports and elite coaching.

He also produces and hosts the award-winning podcast, Eighty Percent Mental and champions that ‘the thing that separates the great from the good is the ability to understand what’s going on between your ears and to use that to your advantage.’

Recorded live at the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival 2023.

A living legend, a national treasure, and quite simply, one of the greatest writers the crime fiction genre has ever known. Val McDermid is the author of 38 outstanding novels, a body of work unrivalled in the modern age.

She is the creator of several unforgettable protagonists including Lindsay Gordon, Tony Hill and Carol Jordan, Kate Brannigan, and most recently, Allie Burns. Several have leapt from page to screen, including the brilliant Karen Pirie who was brought to life in a major ITV series last autumn.

Val’s most recent novel, the spellbinding 1989, is the second in an ambitious series of five books chronicling both the career of Allie Burns and the ever-changing world in which she fights to survive and uncover the truth.

Val McDermid is interviewed by Mark Billingham.

Podcast music by Joseph McDade.

Recorded live at the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival 2023.

Rising international stars S.A. Cosby and Chris Hammer are two of the most vibrant and vital voices in crime fiction today.

Shawn Cosby rocketed to global prominence with two highly celebrated, award-winning novels. The stunning Blacktop Wasteland, a powerful and stylish slice of noir, was followed by the poignant and pugnacious Razorblade Tears which tackles the most important questions of our times head on. His new novel All the Sinners Bleed is much anticipated.

Chris Hammer enjoyed a celebrated thirty-year career as a journalist in his native Australia and internationally. His searing debut novel, Scrublands, was the Sunday Time Crime Book of the Year and won the CWA John Creasey Dagger. Four further novels, each gripping and meaningful, have cemented Hammer’s place as one of the world’s leading thriller writers.

Podcast music by Joseph McDade.

Recorded live at the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival 2023.

Lisa Jewell and Ruth Ware have both topped global bestseller lists while pushing the boundaries of the genre; leading crime fiction in new and exciting directions.

Lisa is published in over 25 languages and has sold more than 10 million books worldwide. The queen of psychological suspense, she effortlessly and expertly leads readers down twisting dark alleys. Her latest novel is the addictive and unsettling None of This is True.

Ruth’s first seven novels have been translated into 40 languages and deservedly garnered an army of ardent fans across the world. From In a Dark, Dark Wood to The IT Girl, she has displayed a unique talent for storytelling, at once both classic and innovative

Podcast music by Joseph McDade.

Recorded live at the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival 2023.

Celebrated historian and author Lucy Worsley is the face of television history following a succession of popular BBC documentaries. She is Chief Curator of Royal Palaces with responsibility for the Tower of London and Hampton Court Palace. Like her charges, she has an elegant, charming façade, but like them she is also a keeper of dark secrets.

Lucy’s book A Very British Murder explores the national obsession with the most heinous of crimes, both real and imagined, as she expertly leads us through celebrated murder cases and the evolution of the crime novel. Her latest work is an acclaimed biography of Agatha Christie. With access to personal letters and papers that have rarely been seen, Lucy reveals an extraordinary woman and a literary pioneer.

Lucy is interviewed by broadcaster Natasha Knight.

Podcast music by Joseph McDade.

Recorded live at the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival 2023.

A brother and Child reunion as the creators old and new of the iconic Jack Reacher come together to discuss his legacy.

Reacher is a global phenomenon – it’s said one of his novels is sold somewhere in the world every nine seconds. He’s the world’s favourite literary action hero, a figure who transcends the genre, a character for the ages. He’s a streetwise Hercules to fight the rising odds.

When Lee Child made the decision to ease an extraordinary career towards retirement, it was his brother Andrew Child, a successful author in his own right, who was charged with the daunting task of continuing the dynasty. He’s done so brilliantly and No Plan B, the third collaboration between the brothers is as taut, twisty and terrific as ever.

Lee and Andrew Child is interviewed by Steph McGovern.

Podcast music by Joseph McDade.

Recorded live at the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival 2023.

Jeffery Deaver is the author of 42 novels, sold in 150 countries and translated into over 25 languages. He has sold over 150 million books worldwide. All very impressive but the numbers barely begin to tell the story of a storied career. Deaver is a maestro of suspense with precious few equals.

From his debut Manhattan is My Beat through The Bone Collector to his latest, Hunting Time, he has created a succession of expertly plotted novels, each gripping and ingenious, each racing along fuelled by pace, originality, invention and heart.

He has given his legion of readers a series of memorable protagonists including Lincoln Rhyme, Kathryn Dance and Colter Shaw. Each leap from the page, crafted at the fingertips of a master storyteller.

Jeffery Deaver is interviewed by broadcaster and author Mark Lawson.

Podcast music by Joseph McDade.

Recorded live at the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival 2023

With three outstanding crime series, two much-loved television dramas, thirty-six novels translated into over twenty languages, and a legion of fans both in the UK and around the world, Ann Cleeves has enjoyed an almost unrivalled career.

As the creator of both Vera Stanhope and Jimmy Perez, the protagonists of Vera and Shetland, she has brought joy to millions. Ann’s novel The Long Call, the first in her Two Rivers series, was also successfully adapted for TV.

Ann’s new novel, The Raging Storm, is the third in the Devon-set series and sees DI Matthew Venn face up to ghosts from his past after the body of a celebrity adventurer is found in a dinghy anchored off a local cove.

Ann is interviewed by award-winning crime writer and Festival Programming Chair 2023 Vaseem Khan.

Podcast music by Joseph McDade.