They’ve made the final cut! Our fantastic crime authors IAN RANKIN and R.J. ELLORY are both shortlisted for the THEAKSTONS OLD PECULIER CRIME NOVEL OF THE YEAR AWARD. And with brilliant novels such as DOORS OPEN and A SIMPLE ACT OF VIOLENCE, it is no wonder the public backed them.

Now in its sixth year, the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award was created to celebrate the very best in crime writing, and is open to British and Irish authors whose novels were published in paperback in 2009.

A major accolade in the crime writing field, this award is unique in that it is the only one of its kind which is largely voted for by the general public. You chose the shortlist. Now it’s time to choose the winner! The public vote has reopened and counts for 20% of the judging panel’s final decision. Please visit www.theakstons.co.uk, and and cast a vote for your favourite book to win.

Doors Open by Ian Rankin

Doors Open by Ian Ranin

The new No.1 bestseller - Ian Rankin's first stand-alone thriller for a decade. Mike Mackenzie is a self-made man with too much time on his hands. Together with two close friends from the art world, he devises a plan to a lift some of the most valuable artwork around.

Ian Rankin

Born in the Kingdom of Fife in 1960, Ian Rankin graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 1982. His first Rebus novel was published in 1987, and the Rebus books are now translated into thirty-six languages and are bestsellers worldwide. He is the recipient of four Crime Writers' Association Dagger Awards including the prestigious Diamond Dagger in 2005. In 2004, Ian won America's celebrated Edgar Award for Resurrection Men. Rankin is a number one bestseller in the UK and has received the OBE for services to literature, opting to receive the prize in his home city of Edinburgh, where he lives with his partner and two sons.

A Simple Act of Violence by R.J. Ellory

A Simple Act of Violence by R.J. Ellory

Washington has a new menace...a serial killer whose victims don't exist. "An awesome achievement - a thriller of such power, scope and accomplishment that fanfares should herald its arrival." GUARDIAN

R.J. Ellory

R.J. Ellory is the author of seven previous novels including the bestselling A Quiet Belief in Angels and was winner of the Nouvel Observateur Crime Fiction Prize. His work has been translated into twenty-three languages.