Arresting... best crime novel of '25

A PULSE-pounding thriller with pro- tagonists racing across the US and Canada to stop an atrocity has been named the year's best crime novel.

- By Matt Nixson and Jon Coates

Abir Mukherjee, known for his Rajera bestsellers, last night won the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year, backed by the Express, for contemporary thriller Hunted.

Set in the final week of a toxic presidential campaign, it sees two devastated parents in a race against time, and the FBI, to find their children who are suspected of terrorism.

Topical and with themes of racism and radicalisation, it was described by judges including broadcaster Steph McGovern as "thought-provoking, intriguingly taut, propulsive".