We’re thrilled to unveil this year’s shortlist! This year our longlist was carefully curated by our Tastemakers Committee - a panel of 15 leading independent bloggers and reviewers - who championed their standout titles across each category. All selected books were first published in English between 1 January and 31 December 2025.

From this exceptional longlist, our board members chose a shortlist of five titles in each category and now it’s over to you. 

Cast your vote and help decide this year’s winners!

We’re also delighted to announce that this year’s ceremony will be hosted by acclaimed radio and TV broadcaster, and host of The Bookshelf Podcast, Ryan Tubridy.

Voting is open until 30 May. The winners in each category will be revealed at the Fingerprint Awards on the evening of Thursday 18 June 2026, as part of the Capital Crime festival in London.

A black-and-silver maze coin displayed in the foreground with a blurred sign that reads "CAPITAL GONE" in the background.
A group of women at a conference or event, with one woman in the center taking a selfie with her phone, holding a glass of champagne, and smiling.
A man in a tuxedo standing at a podium with a máñdatory speaker mic, smiling, at an awards event with a woman nearby. There is a screen in the background with text, and the podium has a yellow and black stripe sign that reads 'Step into the Crime Sce
A woman in a white ruffled top and earrings speaking at a podium with a man in a tuxedo standing behind her. The podium has a yellow and black sign that reads 'STEP INTO THE CRIME SCENE.' The background features large letters and a screen with partia
Two people standing on stage in front of a large screen and the word "CAPTA" in big 3D letters. One person is holding an award, and the screen displays the cover of the book "The Mercy Chair" by M.W. Craven, along with text indicating the award won f
A woman speaking at a podium during an awards ceremony, with three people standing beside her on stage. The background displays a large screen with text about Amer Anwar, referencing his memory and his winning an award. The stage features large white
A woman speaking at a podium with a sign that reads 'Step into the Crime Scene,' in front of a large screen displaying 'Author, Amer Anwar.' She is wearing a dark blue dress and a red lanyard. Two people, a man in a tuxedo and a woman in a white dres
A woman in a red blouse standing at a clear podium with a microphone, smiling on stage at an event. Behind her is a large screen displaying the covers of five books, including 'Holmes, Margaret Patey', 'Close To Death', 'The List of Suspicious Things
An award ceremony with four people on stage. A man in a white shirt is smiling and holding a clear award. A woman in red is speaking into a microphone, and in the background are a man and a woman, both dressed in formal attire. The stage has a large
Two people standing on stage at an award ceremony holding a trophy, with large letters spelling 'CAPITAL CRIME' behind them, and a large screen displaying a book cover and award information.
A woman with blonde hair wearing a red blouse and black pants standing behind a lectern with 'STEP INTO THE CRIME SCENE' tape design, speaking at an event.
A woman with glasses and a blue dress with pink and white floral patterns is speaking at a podium holding a black award or plaque. Another woman in a red dress is standing behind her. The podium has a sign that reads 'STEP INTO THE CRIME SCENE' with
An older woman with short white hair is standing at a podium, smiling and holding an award shaped like a UFO. Behind her, a younger woman with blonde hair is smiling, holding a smartphone. The background displays a large screen with the words 'CJ TUD
Audience members seated in a conference or event, clapping and smiling.
A man in a dark blazer and white t-shirt speaking at a podium with a microphone, holding an award, with a woman in a red blouse and black skirt standing behind him on stage. The podium has a 'Step Into The Crime Scene' sign, and a large screen with a
A man is standing at a podium holding a shiny silver object, wearing a black t-shirt with pink and white text, glasses on his head, and has tattoos on his arms. A woman in a red blouse with puffed sleeves and black pants is standing nearby, watching
Two women at a party, one holding an award and taking a selfie. The woman with glasses has blonde hair, and the other woman has wavy blonde hair. They are smiling and enjoying the moment.
Five women standing on a stage at an awards ceremony, smiling, holding an award, with a large screen behind them displaying text about the award for the
A man with a bald head and tattoos on his arms stands in front of a backdrop with various logos, holding a trophy and smiling at the camera during an event, while a photographer captures his photo.
Four women standing together holding awards, behind a backdrop with logos and crime scene tape decorations, at an event or ceremony.
Two women at a book event, one applying lipstick while the other looks on, with a backdrop reading 'Goldsboro Books celebrating 25 years in business'.
A woman with curly brown hair smiling and holding a glass of champagne, engaged in conversation with a man at a social event with many people in the background.
Two individuals standing together at an award ceremony, holding an award. Behind them, a large screen displays the book cover of 'The Dream Home' by T.M. Logan, and text indicating they are the winner of the Audiobook of the Year Fingerprint Award 20
A woman and man hugging and smiling at a social gathering, with the woman holding a glass of dark beverage.
An award ceremony with a large screen displaying the recognition of Michael Connelly for lifetime achievement, set against a cityscape background. Two people are standing on the left, one of whom is holding a microphone, and a woman stands on the rig
Two men in tuxedos with glasses of champagne, talking at an event with banners in the background.
Two people, a man in a tuxedo and a woman in a striped shirt, celebrating with champagne at an event. The background has logos for 'Capital Crime' and booksellers.
Two men in conversation at an event, one holding a glass of champagne and the other holding a plaque, with a step-and-repeat backdrop featuring various logos and text in the background.
Two people standing on stage at an awards event, one holding a trophy. Behind them is a large screen displaying the text: 'Historical Crime Book of the Year Fingerprint Award 2025 Winner' and an image of a book titled 'City of Destruction' by Vaseem
Four copies of the book titled "The Mercy Chair" by M.W. Craven stacked horizontally, with one copy standing upright behind them. The book cover features a black and white photo of an empty stairway in a house and has red and black text. There are tw
Two women standing on stage at the Capitagram event, one holding a large award. Behind them, a big screen displays the cover of the book 'The Gathering' by C. J. Tudor, and text indicating they are the winners of the 2025 Genre-Busting Book of the Ye
Three women are having a conversation at the London Crime & Thriller Festival, which took place on June 13-14, 2025. One woman is wearing a pink shirt and holding a glass of champagne, while the other two women are dressed in floral and leopard print
A group of people at a crime writing festival, smiling and chatting, with some holding glasses of champagne. The background includes banners related to the festival and crime genre.
Group of people at a social event, with two women in the foreground and a man in conversation, in front of a black banner with a red and white logo and the text 'CAPITAL CRIME'.
A woman with short brown hair and a dark blue dress is smiling and talking to two women with long hair at a crime and thriller festival. She is wearing a badge that says 'London's Crime & Thriller Festival,' and holding a glass of champagne.
Three people at a London Crime & Thriller Festival, with a woman smiling and talking. In the background, a sign displays information about the event.
Two women standing on stage, one holding an award, at the Captivating Crime awards ceremony. Behind them, a large screen displays the cover of the book "The List of Suspicious Things" by Jennie Godfrey and announces the winner of the 2025 debut book
Bookshelf with three rows of books, including 'You Can't See Me' by Eva Björg Ægisðóttir, 'The Betrayal of Thomas True' by A. J. West, 'One of the Good Guys' by Araminta Hall, 'Hotel Lucky Seven' by Kotaro Isaka, '25' edited by Emily Glenister, 'Holm
Two women are smiling and talking at a book event, with one woman holding a book and the other holding a drink. Books are displayed on tables in the foreground, with a blue and gold backdrop featuring the letters 'GB' in the background.
A group of people at a book fair or literary event, engaging in conversation and browsing books.
A man with a bald head smiling at a crowded event, wearing a black blazer and a white shirt, with a red event badge around his neck. The background shows other attendees mingling at a book festival.
People sitting in an audience at a conference or seminar, smiling and engaged.
Man in a tuxedo speaking at a podium with a woman standing nearby at the Fingerprint Awards ceremony.
A man in a tuxedo and glasses stands at a podium with a microphone, delivering a speech. The podium has a sign that reads 'STEP INTO THE CRIME SCENE' and 'CAPITAL CRIME.' The background is a plain wall with warm lighting.
Group of women at an award ceremony with one woman speaking at a podium that has 'STEP INTO THE CRIME SCENE' written on it, and others standing nearby, some smiling and holding an award.
A man in a beige blazer speaking at a podium with a microphone, a woman in a red blouse behind him looking at her phone, and a sign on the podium that reads 'STEP INTO THE CRIME SCENE' with caution tape design.
A woman with blonde hair wearing a red blouse speaking at a podium during a presentation at an event called Capital Crime. The podium has a yellow and black tape design with the words "Step into the Crime Scene" and the event logo. Behind her is a la
A display of multiple books arranged on a table, including titles such as "The List of Suspicious Things," "The Gathering," "City of Destruction," "Lynda La Plante" series, "A Violent Heart," "The Mercy Chair," and "Getting Away with Murder."
A man in a tuxedo and glasses standing at a podium with a microphone, smiling, at an awards ceremony. Behind him is a woman in a white ruffled blouse. The podium has a sign that reads "STEP INTO THE CRIME SCENE" with yellow and black caution tape des
Group of people holding awards at the Fingerprint Awards ceremony, standing in front of a screen that reads 'The Fingerprint Awards, the awards where the winners are chosen by the readers.'