A pulse-pounding action thriller that sets its protagonists characters racing around the US and Canada to prevent a terror atrocity was last night named Britain’s best crime novel. Bestselling historical crime author Abir Mukherjee, hitherto best-known for his Raj-era novels, won the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year, supported by the Daily and Sunday Express, for his brilliant contemporary thriller, Hunted.

Set in the final week of a toxic presidential campaign, two devastated parents find themselves in a race against time – and the FBI – to track down their children who are suspected of terrorist atrocities. Highly topical, and exploring themes of radicalisation, prejudice and racism, judges, including broadcaster Steph McGovern, described Hunted as “a thought-provoking, intriguingly taut, propulsive and highly original thriller”.

Mukherjee, 51, who was born in London but grew up in Scotland, received a £3,000 prize, as well as an engraved beer cask handcrafted by one of Britain’s last coopers from Theakston’s Brewery at the opening of the world-famous crime writing festival at the Old Swan Hotel in Harrogate, North Yorkshire.

Mukherjee, wearing shorts, told the audience: “I’m in shock. I haven’t got a speech. I haven’t even got trousers! It’s an honour to have been shorlisted. Thank you to the judges and thanks you to the readers. This was a very hard book to write. It took a long time and a lot of great writers helped me.

“It’s a serious book. It’s very different to everything else I’ve written. Its about conflict and polarisation but it’s also a book about hope – that the distance between us isn’t as fare as we might think it is.” 

Meanwhile, festival favourite Elly Griffiths, whose The Last Word was in contention for the crime novel of the year award, the seventh time she has been shortlisted, was honoured with the festival’s outstanding contribution award in recognition of her remarkable crime fiction writing career and “unwavering commitment to the genre”.

Griffiths, the author of the Dr Ruth Galloway Mysteries; the Brighton Mysteries, the Detective Harbinder Kaur series and an exhilarating new series featuring time-travelling detective Ali Dawson, said: “It means the world to me to receive this award.”

Griffiths thanked her publisher, Quercus, for publishing all 32 of her novels. And her editor, Jane Wood, who has edited every single one. “Of all the things crime writing has given me, the greatest are the friends,” she added.

Before she received her award, fellow writer William Shaw paid tribute, describing Griffiths as “one of the nicest people in the business”. “She has empathy in spades, she is one of the most welcoming people in the crime writing community,” he added.

The second annual McDermid Debut Award, named in recognition of crime writer Val McDermid, went to David Goodman for A Reluctant Spy – a high-concept thriller about a tech executive who agrees to lend his identity to an elite intelligence agency in return for a helping hand through life, but gets far more than he bargained for when he finds himself in hostile territory having to do the job of a trained espionage operative to avoid a global conflict. 

Goodman, who lives in East Lothian, Scotland, receives a £500 cash prize. The award was presented by Chair of Judges, Val McDermid, Chair of Judges, said:”If you think you’ve read every twist in every area of the genre, think again. Our winner has found a new take and delivers it with pace and propulsive storytelling.”

He said thanks his wife, Valerie, adding: “I couldn’t do what I do without you.”

The other authors shortlisted for the Crime Novel of the Year were Chris Brookmyre for The Cracked Mirror; M W Craven for The Mercy Chair, The Last Word by Elly Griffiths; Deadly Animals by Marie Tierney; and All The Colours of the Dark by Chris Whitaker.

Simon Theakston, Chairman of title sponsor T&R Theakston, said: “It is fantastic to have two highly original thrillers winning top honours at the Theakston Old Peculier Awards tonight. Our Novel of the Year winner, Hunted by Abir Mukerjee is a high-octane masterpiece with a rollercoaster plot that will stay with me for a long time, while A Reluctant Spy’ by David Goodman is an engrossing and highly entertaining novel that had me hooked right from the start.”

Sharon Canavar, Chief Executive of Harrogate International Festivals, said: “The awards ceremony is the perfect way to open the Festival, and we are thrilled to celebrate the work of three incredible crime writers at different stages of their career this year.”

Marvel Rivals developer NetEase is getting ready to release a new set of skins, just hours after the launch of the Summer Special Event.

New summer skins for Marvel characters Loki and Psylocke are about to be available to purchase from the in-game store.

Psylocke’s new skin is the Breezy Butterfly, while Loki will receive the Robe of Relaxation. For UK fans, the new skins have a July 18 release date and a 3am BST release time.

In terms of pricing, the Breezy Butterfly Psylocke bundle is said to cost 2,200 Units.

The Legendary pack contains the Breezy Butterfly Costume, as well as a Spray, Emote, MVP and Nameplate.

Elsewhere, the Epic rarity Loki Robe of Relaxation bundle costs 1,600 Units. It contains the costume itself, as well as a Spray, Emote, MVP and Nameplate.

The new skins arrive just hours after the start of the Summer Special Event, which also features a host of new skins, albeit for owners of the Battle Pass.

Running until Sunshine Thing and Cool Summer Luna Snow are available to unlock via the Summer Special Premium Battle Pass, while the new Worthy Waves Thor skin is available for free.

Finally, the Summer Special Event launched alongside a new balance update, which you can read about in the patch notes below.

ADJUSTMENTS

DUELIST

Wolverine

• Time to temper Logan’s rage and slightly reduce his survivability.

– Increase Berserk Claw Strike Base Damage from 6 to 8. Reduce Percentage Damage per attack at maximum Rage from 4.5% to 3.5%.

– Increase Regenerative Healing Factor cooldown from 90s to 105s. Increase cooldown reduction from 10s to 12s when participating in KOs.

TEAM-UP ABILITIES

Primal Flame (Phoenix – Wolverine)

• Our fiery mutant duo’s bond has been a little too hot to handle. So we’re cooling down Wolverine’s healing when teaming up with Phoenix.

– Reduce Lifesteal gained during Phoenix Warrior from 33% to 25%.

If you’re after some new PS5 games, then now is the perfect time to spend some cash. That’s because the PlayStation Summer Sale has just gone live from now until July 30.

According to Sony, the promotion includes deep discounts on EA Sports FC 25 Standard Edition and Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 – Cross-Gen Bundle.

There are smaller discounts on the likes of Assassin’s Creed Shadows Digital Deluxe Edition, Forza Horizon 5 Standard Edition and even Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

Assassin’s Creed Digital Deluxe is down to £63.74, while the standard edition costs £52.49. Forza Horizon 5 is reduced to £41.24 and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is reduced to £40.49.

Other discounts include Gran Turismo 7 for £34.99, or just £25.19 for the PS4 version. If you’re looking for something with plenty of hours of gameplay, then Oblivion Remastered is down to £39.99, Red Dead 2 costs £14.99 and GTA 5 is reduced to £17.49.

There are also discounts on NBA 2K25 (£6.99), Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 (£44.99), Baldur’s Gate 3 (£46.39), Hogwart’s Legacy (£16.24), Elden Ring (£29.99) and Star Wars Jedi Survivor (£13.99).

One of the best deals sees The Witcher 3 slashed in price, costing just £4.99 for PS4 and PS5.

In addition to discounts on digital PS4 and PS5 games, Sony has reduced the price of digital and regular PlayStation 5 consoles.

Sony explains more: “PlayStation is also celebrating Summer Sale with exciting console and game promotions from PlayStation Direct in the UK, Germany, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Austria, Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg.

“Deals on PS5 console offerings are available from July 16 through July 29 while supplies last, including £45 off PlayStation 5 console (Standard) and £90 off PlayStation 5 console (Digital).

“When ordering directly from PlayStation Direct, enjoy free standard shipping and free returns on eligible orders.”