JK Rowling nominated for crime novel award under Robert Galbraith name

Career of Evil is one of six titles now in the running for the Theakston Old Peculier crime novel of the year award

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J.K. Rowling's alter ego Robert Galbraith is one of six novelists to be nominated for the title of Theakston Old Peculier crime novel of the year.

Galbraith's Career of Evil is the third novel in the adventures of the fabulously named, private investigator Cormoran Strike; in which a mysterious package containing a woman's severed leg arrives at his practice, containing a note which links to Strike's past.

"The new writing identity that Rowling has forged for herself is not only utterly unlike that of her fantasy endeavors, but quirkily different from most of the already established confrères she is befriending in the crime writing world," our review declared it; reflecting what was, on whole, a resoundingly positive reception to the novel.

Also on the shortlist are former TV documentary maker Renee Knight's debut Disclaimer, often heralded as the new Gone Girl; former police officer Clare Mackintosh's first thriller, I Let You Go; 2005 and 2009 winner Mark Billingham, here with his 13th novel in the popular Tom Thorne series, Time of Death; Northern Irish writer Adrian McKinty's Rain Dogs; and Eva Dolan's Tell No Tales, which focuses on murdered migrants and racial tension.

The award ceremony will be hosted on 21 July, as the opening night of the 14th annual Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival in Harrogate. Executive Director of T&R Theakston Ltd and Judge, Simon Theakston, said: "It’s a remarkable shortlist that shows the crime genre shapes our cultural landscape and dominates publishing."

Gemma Rowland, Operations Manager at Harrogate International Festivals, the arts organisation that delivers the festival, added: "2016’s winner will join the list of game-changing authors who have won one of the most coveted awards over the last decade, including Denise Mina, Lee Child, and Sarah Hilary. The public’s vote is incredibly important as ultimately readers decide when it comes to judging a book’s worth, so I’d encourage everyone to make their voice heard – it’s free and simple to vote online."

The winner will be decided by both a panel of judges, and the online public vote; with voting opening on 1 July and closing 15 July. You can vote for the award here.