Belinda
Bauer has tonight (17 July 2014, 9pm) scooped the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime
Novel of the Year Award for Rubbernecker.
Celebrating
its tenth year, the Award is considered one of the most coveted crime writing
prizes in the country.
The CWA 2010
Gold Dagger Award-winning author received glowing reviews for Rubbernecker featuring Patrick Fort, a
medical student with Asperger’s Syndrome.
Belinda was
presented the award by title sponsor Simon Theakston and broadcaster Mark
Lawson at the opening night of the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing
Festival. The annual Festival, hosted in Harrogate, is the world’s biggest
celebration of the genre.
She beat off
stiff competition from the shortlist of six, whittled down from a longlist of
18 titles published by British and Irish authors over the last year.
Belinda said:
“This is really unexpected; it feels like a very lucky accident to win this
award when my fellow shortlisted authors seem so much smarter than me! I’m
delighted. It’s a wonderful festival and such a prestigious prize. I’d like to
thank the judges who read all the shortlisted books, and Simon Theakston for
sponsoring the Festival. I’d particularly like to thank my publishers,
Transworld, and my wonderful agent, Jane Gregory.”
The 2014
Award is run in partnership with T&R Theakston Ltd, WHSmith, and Radio
Times. Belinda collected a £3,000 cash prize, as well as a handmade oak cask
provided by Theakstons Old Peculier.
Simon
Theakston, Executive Director of T&R Theakston, said:
“It was a
very tough decision as it is every year as all the books on the shortlist were
outstanding but I’m delighted to hand the trophy to Belinda.”
A special
presentation was made to Lynda La Plante - the winner of the fifth Theakstons
Old Peculier Outstanding Contribution to Crime Fiction Award.
Lynda said:
“'I am delighted to be at the Festival this year and it is a great honour to be
the recipient of such a prestigious award.
I've decided to dedicate my award to the late Verity Lambert, who had
faith in me at the very start of my writing career when she commissioned Widows.
Also to the readers of my books and viewers of my television
productions, they give me such enthusiastic and valuable feedback and without
them I wouldn't have this wonderful career that I enjoy so much.”
La Plante joins
Ruth Rendell, PD James, Colin Dexter and Reginald Hill as recipients of the Award.
The
Liverpool author began her career as an actress before turning to
scriptwriting. La Plante has written
over 170 hours of award winning television drama including Widows, Prime
Suspect and Above Suspicion. She
recently announced she has begun writing TENNSISON,
based on her character Jane Tennison (played by Helen Mirren in Prime Suspect),
which will follow the character from the age of 21 when she first joins the
police force as a WPC.
La Plante’s
new standalone novel, Twisted
continues La Plante’s run of internationally acclaimed best sellers.
Simon
Theakston added: “It’s also a great privilege to welcome Lynda La Plante to
Harrogate to collect her Outstanding Contribution to Crime Fiction Award. This
award acknowledges her huge contribution not only to crime fiction, but to
British culture as a whole with her iconic television oeuvre.”
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