A Cumbrian author has made the long list for the Theakston Old Peculier crime novel of the year award.

Carlisle born, Newcastle raised author M W Craven is longlisted for the UK and Ireland’s most prestigious crime fiction award this year for his novel Fearless.

M W Craven is a Sunday Times bestselling author and for his Cumbria-set Washington Poe series, winner of the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2023 as well as the 2019 Crime Writers' Association Gold Dagger and the 2022 Ian Fleming Steel Dagger. He is longlisted in 2024 for his novel Fearless.

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Craven's success extends beyond the UK, with his works translated into 27 languages with Bulgarian being the most recent addition to the list.  

His captivating beloved detective storytelling has even inspired a tour operator in London to offer Washington Poe tours, attracting visitors from the capital to the sites of John Watts, Bookends and the King's Head in Carlisle.