Jon Coates

Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville will host the annual Football For Change fundraising gala in Liverpool on November 14, with performances by Tom Grennan and Gabrielle. The campaign supports grassroots charities and community projects that provide education, sport, training and other opportunities for children affected by poverty. It has already raised more than £1.5 million and is backed by numerous celebrities, while logistics company DSV is the event’s chief sponsor.

David Baldacci argues that the American Dream has fractured as corporate greed, education costs, housing unaffordability and insecure retirement prospects leave younger Americans burdened by debt and without a clear path to prosperity. He also warns that artificial intelligence may displace workers, be weaponized and threaten authors’ livelihoods; he is participating in a copyright lawsuit against Microsoft and OpenAI alongside other writers. His latest thrillers, Nash Falls and Hope Rises, reflect themes of economic injustice and recovering after forces beyond one’s control. Baldacci and his wife Michelle have committed $13 million to a Virginia Commonwealth University and Library of Virginia initiative promoting civil discourse and civic engagement, while continuing their literacy philanthropy. He remains active with forthcoming novels and screen adaptations, but urges people to spend less time on phones and read more books.

Elly Griffiths won the 2026 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year for The Frozen People after being shortlisted for the award eight times. The time-travel crime novel features Detective Ali Dawson investigating murders in Victorian London with modern implications. Frances Crawford won the McDermid Debut Award for A Bad, Bad Place, while Mel Pennant was highly commended. US thriller novelist David Baldacci received the Outstanding Contribution Award, with John Grisham paying tribute to his career. The ceremony opened the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival in Harrogate.

Steve Cavanagh’s new Eddie Flynn thriller, One Of Us Is Guilty, examines how the ultra‑rich often evade accountability, drawing inspiration from Gone Girl and Succession. The plot follows a wealthy couple entangled in a murder case in which Flynn must determine whom he can trust. Cavanagh discusses themes of power, AI‑driven wealth, and legal inequality while reflecting on his career, the success of his earlier novel Thirteen, and his appearance at the upcoming Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival.