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Welcome to our #TheakstonAward podcast, a series of interviews with the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel Of The Year 2023 longlisted authors.

The Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel Of The Year is the most coveted award in crime fiction, curated and produced by Harrogate International Festivals, in partnership with Theakston Old Peculier, The Express and Waterstones.

To find out more about each of the 20 books on the longlist, to buy your copy, or to vote for your favourite to make the shortlist, please visit www.harrogatetheakstoncrimeaward.com

A lifelong smasher of glass-ceilings, Lady Hale is an inspirational figure admired for her historic achievements and for the causes she has championed. As President of the Supreme Court, Lady Hale won global attention in finding the 2019 prorogation of Parliament to be unlawful.

Yet that dramatic moment was merely the pinnacle of a career as a pioneering reformer, which saw her become the first woman and the youngest person to be appointed to the Law Commission; the first and only woman to become a Lord of Appeal in Ordinary; and the first woman to serve on the newly created Supreme Court, serving as President from 2017 to 2020.

She is interviewed live by Mark Lawson as part of Raworths Harrogate Literature Festival

Lucy Foley rocketed to the top of the bestseller charts with her astonishing crime debut The Hunting Party which was followed by another huge page-turning hit The Guest List. Her new novel The Paris Apartment is a classy thriller that’s certain to keep you up all night.

C.L. Taylor is the author of nine gripping psychological thrillers, eight of which have been Sunday Times bestsellers. She has an enviable ability to reel in readers and leave them gasping for air at twists they don’t see coming. Her latest novel, The Guilty Couple, is a masterpiece of suspense.

Two of the fastest rising stars in crime fiction go head-to-head to discuss their books, themselves and anything else that takes their fancy.

Charlie Higson is one of those annoying people who are good at everything. Not content with being an actor and comedian and formerly a singer, he is, of course, also an acclaimed author with a hugely impressive body of work.

A star of The Fast Show, Broadchurch and Grantchester, his writing career is at least equally striking. The five novels in his Young Bond series and the seven in The Enemy series have thrilled and enchanted readers of all ages . His latest novel, Whatever Gets You Through the Night, is an out and out crime thriller, a gripping and brilliant page turner with a dark heart.

Charlie Higson is interviewed by Steph McGovern.

A living legend of crime writing will take to the Theakston’s stage this July as Lynda La Plante talks about her extraordinary life and writing career.

After graduating as an actor from RADA alongside Anthony Hopkins, John Hurt and Ian McShane, she carved out a successful career on stage and the small screen.

It was while filming The Gentle Touch that she turned her hand to writing with phenomenal results. The result was Widows, a huge TV hit in the early 80s. She then turned her hand to novels, writing international bestsellers, before creating a show for ITV, the iconic and ground-breaking Prime Suspect. It set a path for unparalleled success in books and TV.

Lynda La Plante is interviewed by programme chair Denise Mina.

Kathy Reichs, one of the most popular and biggest selling crime writers of the 21st century, is the creator of the Temperance Brennan series, which now numbers 22 books and has been translated into over 30 languages.

A professor of forensic anthropology, Dr Reichs has taught FBI agents how to detect human remains, travelled to Rwanda to testify at the UN tribunal on genocide, helped exhume a mass grave in Guatemala, and helped recover body parts at the World Trade Center after 9/11. This incredible wealth of experience has made her the queen of forensic crime.

Kathy Reichs is interviewed by journalist, broadcaster and author Mark Lawson.

No one combines crime fiction, the gothic and the supernatural quite like John Connolly. He is the master of his trade, a scalpel in one hand and a bludgeon in the other, writing beautiful prose and brutal people.

As well as several blistering standalones, Connolly’s much-loved Charlie Parker series now runs to 19 novels, each more terrifying than the one before. His latest, The Nameless Ones, has a breathless international chase at its centre, starting with three butchered bodies arranged around the crucified remains of a fourth.

John Connolly will be interviewed by journalist, broadcaster and author Mark Lawson.

When Dr Tess Gerritsen was on maternity leave from her job as a physician in Hawaii, she took the chance to try to fulfil a lifelong dream to become a writer. It was something she achieved with spectacular success.

Over 40 million copies of her novels have been sold in 40 countries.

As well as writing a number of stunning standalones, she is the creator of the Rizzoli and Isles series which was made into a hit US TV series. The hugely popular pairing of homicide detective and medical examiner is back this July and in top form in what is sure to be Gerritsen’s latest bestseller, the riveting Listen To Me.

Tess Gerritsen is interviewed by author SJ Watson.

A writing career can’t be judged in numbers alone, but Michael Connelly’s certainly tell a story. He has written 36 novels, which have sold over 80 million copies and have been translated into 40 languages. His books have won leading literary prizes and been adapted into major movies and a hit TV series.

Beyond the numbers, he is a hugely talented writer, commanding the respect of his peers and the love of his worldwide army of fans. He is, of course, the creator of the iconic LA detective Harry Bosch, a character guaranteed his place in the crime fiction hall of fame. Michael Connelly is interviewed by bestseller Mark Billingham.

It is impossible to write about Paula Hawkins without reference to the book that started it all. The Girl on the Train was, and remains, a phenomenon. It has sold an estimated 23 million copies worldwide and became the template for every psychological thriller that followed it.

Yet this is clearly no one-book wonder. Hawkins came roaring back with two more Sunday Times number one bestsellers in Into the Water and A Slow Fire Burning, both published to critical and public acclaim. Her new novel, the much-anticipated Blind Spot, reaffirms her mastery of twists and intrigue.

Paula Hawkins is interviewed by author NJ Cooper.