Abir Mukherjee's Hunted won the £3,000 (about $4,050) Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award, which "celebrates crime fiction at its very best" by U.K. and Irish authors. The judges described Hunted as "a thought-provoking, intriguingly taut, propulsive and highly original thriller."
The £500 (about $675) McDermid Debut Award went to David Goodman for A Reluctant Spy. Chair of judges McDermid called the winning title "a sparkling new entry in the canon, with a vivid and unfamiliar setting as well as a gripping cast of characters."
The prize is run by Harrogate International Festivals and sponsored by T&R Theakston. Both winners also receive an engraved oak beer cask, hand-carved by one of Britain's last coopers from Theakston's Brewery.
As previously announced, bestselling novelist Elly Griffiths received this year's Theakston Old Peculier Outstanding Contribution Award in recognition of her remarkable crime fiction writing career and "unwavering commitment to the genre."
Simon Theakston, chairman of T&R Theakston, said: "It is fantastic to have two highly original thrillers winning top honors at the Theakston Old Peculier Awards tonight. Our Novel of the Year winner, Hunted by Abir Mukherjee is a high-octane masterpiece with a rollercoaster plot that will stay with me for a long time, while the McDermid Debut Award winner A Reluctant Spy by David Goodman is an engrossing and highly entertaining novel that had me hooked right from the start. We are delighted that Elly Griffiths has been awarded the Theakston Old Peculier Outstanding Contribution award in recognition of her exceptional contribution to crime fiction and unwavering commitment to the genre over a remarkable career."