Winners will be announced on Thursday 25th October 2018, at a ceremony in East London

Martin Edwards Chair of the Crime Writers Association (CWA), together with Master of Ceremonies Barry Forshaw, will be hosting the evening.

Gold Dagger

The Liar by Steve Cavanagh (Orion)
London Rules by Mick Herron (John Murray)
Since We Fell by Dennis Lehane (Little Brown)
Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke (Serpent’s Tail)
A Necessary Evil by Abir Mukherjee (Harvill Secker)
Resurrection Bay by Emma Viskic (Pushkin Vertigo)

The CWA Historical Dagger

A Necessary Evil by Abir Mukherjee (Harvill Secker)
Lightning Men by Thomas Mullen (Little Brown)
Money in the Morgue by Ngaio Marsh & Stella Duffy (HarperCollins)
Fire by L. C. Len Tyler (Constable)
Nine Lessons by Nicola Upson (Faber & Faber)
Nucleus by Rory Clements (Zaffre Publishing)

The CWA International Dagger

Zen and the Art of Murder by Oliver Bottini tr. Jamie Bulloch (MacLehose)
Three Days and a Life by Pierre Lemaitre tr. Frank Wynne (MacLehose)
After the Fire by Henning Mankell tr. Marlaine Delargy (Harvill Secker)
The Frozen Woman by Jon Michelet tr. Don Bartlett (No Exit Press)
Offering to the Storm by Dolores Redondo tr. Nick Caistor & Lorenza Garzía, (HarperCollins)
The Accordionist by Fred Vargas tr. Sian Reynolds (Harvill Secker)

Ian Fleming Steel Dagger

London Rules by Mick Herron (John Murray Publishers)
If I Die Before I Wake by Emily Koch (Harvill Secker)
Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke (Serpent’s Tail)
An Act of Silence by Colette McBeth (Wildfire)
The Chalk Man by C J Tudor (Michael Joseph)
The Force by Don Winslow (HarperFiction)

The CWA John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger

Gravesend by William Boyle (No Exit Press)
I.Q by Joe Ide (Weidenfeld & Nicolson)
Girl In Snow by Danya Kukafka (Picador)
Lola by Melissa Scrivner Love (Point Blank)
East Of Hounslow by Khurrum Rahman (HQ)
Resurrection Bay by Emma Viskic Pushkin Vertigo

The CWA Short Story Dagger

The Last Siege of Bothwell Castle by Chris Brookmyre from Bloody Scotland (Historic Environment Scotland)
Second Son by Lee Child from No Middle Name: The Complete Collected Jack Reacher Stories(Bantam Press)
Smoking Kills by Erin Kelly from “The Body” Killer Women Crime Club Anthology 2 Edited by Susan Opie (Killer Women Ltd)
Nemo Me Impune Lacessit by Denise Mina from Bloody Scotland (Historic Environment Scotland)
Accounting for Murder by Christine Poulson from Mystery Tour: CWA Anthology of Short Stories Edited by Martin Edwards (Orenda Books)

CWA Debut Dagger

The Eternal Life of Ezra Ben Simeon by Bill Crotty
The Last Googling of Beth Bailly by Luke Melia
Riverine Blood by Joseph James
Original Sins by Linda McLaughlin
Trust Me, I’m Dead by Sherryl Clark

CWA ALCS Gold Dagger For Non-Fiction

Black Dahlia Red Rose by Piu Eatwell (Coronet)
Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann (Simon & Schuster)
Blood on the Page by Thomas Harding (Heinemann
The Fact of a Body by Alexandria Mariano-Lesnevich (Macmillan)
A False Report by Christian Miller & Ken Armstrong (Hutchinson)
Rex V Edith Thompson by Laura Thompson (Head of Zeus)

CWA Dagger In The Library

Selected by nominations from libraries.
Martin Edwards
Nicci French
Simon Kernick
Edward Marston
Peter May
Rebecca Tope

CWA DIAMOND DAGGER 2018

Michael Connelly

The winners of the 2018 CWA Daggers were announced at a dazzling Dagger Awards Gala Dinner, held at the Grange City Hotel, London on 26th October.Ann Cleeves was awarded the Diamond Dagger, and Mari Hannah was presented with the Dagger in the Library award. The after-dinner speaker was Robert Thorogood, writer and creator of Death in Paradise, and master of ceremonies was noted crime fiction buff, Barry Forshaw.

CWA Gold Dagger

The Dry (Little, Brown) by Jane Harper

Also shortlisted:
The Beautiful Dead (Bantam Press) by Belinda Bauer
Dead Man’s Blues (Mantle) by Ray Celestin
Spook Street (John Murray) by Mick Herron
A Rising Man (Harvill Secker) by Abir Mukherjee
The Girl in Green (Faber & Faber) by Derek B. Miller

The Ian Fleming Steel Dagger

Spook Street (John Murray) by Mick Herron

Also shortlisted:
You Will Know Me (Picador) by Megan Abbott
The Killing Game (Bookouture) by J S Carol
We Go Around in the Night and Are Consumed by Fire (Myriad Editions) by Jules Grant
Redemption Road (Hodder & Stoughton) by John Hart
The Constant Soldier (Mantle) by William Ryan

The John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger

Tall Oaks (Twenty 7) by Chris Whitaker

Also shortlisted:
The Pictures (Point Blank) by Guy Bolton
Ragdoll (Trapeze) by Daniel Cole
Distress Signals (Corvus) by Catherine Ryan Howard
Sirens (Doubleday) by Joseph Knox
Good Me, Bad Me (Michael Joseph) by Ali Land
The Gold Dagger For Non-Fiction

CWA Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction

Close But No Cigar: A True Story of Prison Life in Castro’s Cuba (Weidenfeld & Nicolson) by Stephen Purvis

Also shortlisted:
A Dangerous Place (The History Press) by Simon Farquhar
The Scholl Case: The Deadly End of a Marriage (Text Publishing) by Anja Reich-Osang
The Wicked Boy: The Mystery of a Victorian Child Murderer (Bloomsbury Publishing) by Kate Summerscale
A Passing Fury: Searching for Justice at the End of World War II (Jonathan Cape) by A. T. Williams
Another Day in the Death of America (Guardian Faber Publishing) by Gary Younge

The CWA Endeavour Historical Dagger

A Rising Man (Harvill Secker) by Abir Mukherjee

Also shortlisted:
The Devil’s Feast (Fig Tree) by M J Carter
The Ashes of Berlin (No Exit Press) by Luke McCallin
The Long Drop (Harvill Secker) by Denise Mina
By Gaslight (Point Blank) by Steven Price
The City in Darkness (Constable) by Michael Russell

The CWA International Dagger

The Dying Detective (Doubleday) by Leif G W Persson, Tr Neil Smith

Also shortlisted:
A Cold Death (4th Estate) by Antonio Manzini, Tr Antony Shugaar
A Fine Line (Bitter Lemon Press) by Gianrico Carofiglio, Tr Howard Curtis
Blood Wedding (MacLehose Press) by Pierre Lemaître, Tr Frank Wynne
Climate of Fear (Harvill Secker) by Fred Vargas, Tr Siân Reynolds
The Legacy of the Bones (HarperCollins) by Delores Redondo, Tr Nick Casiter & Lorenza Garcia

The CWA Short Story Dagger

‘The Trials of Margaret’ by LC Tyler in Motives for Murder (Sphere) Edited by Martin Edwards

Also shortlisted:
‘The Assassination’ by Leye Adenle in Sunshine Noir (White Sun Books) Edited by AnnaMaria Alfieri & Michael Stanley
‘Murder and its Motives’ by Martin Edwards in Motives for Murder (Sphere) Edited by Martin Edwards
‘The Super Recogniser of Vik’ by Michael Ridpath in Motives for Murder (Sphere) Edited by Martin Edwards
‘What You Were Fighting For’ by James Sallis in The Highway Kind (Mulholland Books) Edited by Patrick Millikin
‘Snakeskin’ by Ovidia Yu in Sunshine Noir (White Sun Books) Edited by AnnaMaria Alfieri & Michael Stanley

CWA Debut Dagger

Sponsored by Orion Publishing Group | For the opening of a crime novel from a writer with no publishing contract.

Strange Fire by Sherry Rankin

Also shortlisted:
The Reincarnation of Himmat Gupte by Neeraj Shah
Lost Boys by Spike Dawkins
Red Haven by Mette McLeod
Broken by Victoria Slotover

2016 CWA Dagger Winners Announced

At an Awards Gala Dinner, in London,  the Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) announced the winners of the 2016 Dagger Awards.

CWA GOLDSBORO GOLD DAGGER

Dodgers, Bill Beverly, No Exit Press

Also on the shortlist:
Black Widow, Christopher Brookmyre, Little Brown
Real Tigers, Mick Herron, John Murray
Blood Salt Water, Denise Mina, Orion

CWA INTERNATIONAL DAGGER

The Great Swindle, Pierre Lemaître, (Translator Frank Wynne), Quercus/Maclehose

Also on the shortlist:
The Truth and Other Lies, Sascha Arango (Translator Imogen Taylor), Simon & Schuster
The Murderer in Ruins,(Translator Cay Rademacher) Peter Millar, Arcadia
Icarus, Deon Meyer, (Translator K L Seegers) Hodder & Stoughton

CWA IAN FLEMING STEEL DAGGER

The Cartel, Don Winslow, William Heinemann

Also on the shortlist:
Rain Dogs, Adrian McKinty, Serpent’s Tail
Real Tigers, Mick Herron, John Murray
Make Me, Lee Child, Bantam Press

CWA NON-FICTION DAGGER

You Could Do Something Amazing With Your Life (You Are Raoul Moat), Andrew Hankinson, Scribe

Also on the shortlist:
The Golden Age of Murder, Martin Edwards, HarperCollins
Sexy Beasts: The Hatton Garden Mob, Wensley Clarkson, Quercus
A Very Expensive Poison, Luke Harding, Faber

CWA JOHN CREASEY (NEW BLOOD) DAGGER

Dodgers, Bill Beverly, No Exit Press

Also on the shortlist:
Fever City, Tim Baker, Faber&Faber
Freedom’s Child, Jax Miller, HarperCollins
The Good Liar, Nicholas Searle, Viking

CWA SHORT STORY DAGGER

‘On the Anatomization of an Unknown Man (1637)’ by Frans Mier, John Connolly, Hodder and Stoughton

Also on the shortlist:

‘As Alice Did’, Montalbano’s First Cases, Andrea Camilleri, Pan Macmillan
‘Nocturnes 2: Night Music’, John Connolly, Hodder and Stoughton
‘Bryant & May and the Nameless Woman’, Christopher Fowler, London’s Glory, Bantam

CWA ENDEAVOR HISTORICAL DAGGER

Stasi Child, David Young, Twenty7Books

Also on the shortlist:
A Book of Scars, William Shaw, Quercus
The Jazz Files, Fiona Veitch Smith, Lion Fiction
Striking Murder, A. J. Wright, Allison & BusbyThe House at Baker Street, Michelle Birkby, Pan Books
The Other Side of Silence, Philip Kerr, Quercus

DAGGER IN THE LIBRARY

Elly Griffiths

Also on the shortlist:
Tony Black
Alison Bruce
Quintin Jardine

For details of the 2017 CWA Dagger winners click here.

The public has spoken: after three weeks of voting, crime fans have chosen their favourite crime novels for the shortlist of the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award, one of the most prestigious crime writing prizes in the country.

This year, crime aficionados have welcomed two debut authors to the crime-writing hall of fame: Tom Rob Smith, author of Booker Prize-nominated Child 44; and Elly Griffiths whose debut The Crossing Places is the first in a new series mysteries following the adventures of forensic archaeologist Ruth Galloway.

Despite knocking-out a number of longlisted heavy-weights such as Val McDermid, Martina Cole and Peter Robinson, the newcomers still face stiff competition in the final stage as they go head to head with such genre giants as Ian Rankin, Peter James and Mark Billingham (who has claimed the title on two previous occasions).

The shortlist in full:

In the Dark by Mark Billingham

The Surrogate by Tania Carver

A Simple Act of Violence by R.J. Ellory

The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths

Dead Tomorrow by Peter James

Gallows Lane by Brian McGilloway

Doors Open by Ian Rankin

Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith

Now in its sixth year, the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award was created to celebrate the very best in crime writing, and is open to British and Irish authors whose novels were published in paperback in 2009.

The winner of the prize will be announced by radio broadcaster and festival regular Mark Lawson on the opening night of the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival in Harrogate on Thursday 22nd July. The winner will receive a £3,000 cash prize, as well as a handmade, engraved beer barrel provided by T&R Theakston Ltd.

Bestselling author Val McDermid has been named as the recipient of this year’s prestigious CWA Cartier Diamond Dagger Award, which honours outstanding achievement in the field of crime writing. The announcement has been made by the Crime Writers’ Association in recognition of Val’s work over more than 20 years.

Margaret Murphy, chair of the CWA, said: “The CWA Cartier Diamond Dagger award acknowledges the work of an author who has made an outstanding contribution to the genre.

“Val McDermid is a worthy winner whose work has entertained and thrilled millions of readers as well as many more who have enjoyed the TV adaptations her books have inspired.”

The CWA Cartier Diamond Dagger is the latest accolade in a highly successful career which last year saw Val inducted into the Hall of Fame at the ITV3 Specsavers Crime Thriller Awards, whose partners include the CWA.

In 1995 she won the CWA Gold Dagger for best crime novel of the year for The Mermaids Singing, which first introduced her readership to Tony Hill and Carol Jordan, and went on to become an international bestseller. Fever of the Bone is the sixth novel of this series which inspired the popular ITV series Wire in the Blood.

Val is a top 10 bestseller who has been translated into 40 languages, with more than two million copies sold in the UK and 10 million worldwide. She has written 23 bestselling novels.

Shortlists for the 2008 CWA / Duncan Lawrie Daggers were announced at a reception at the British Library on 3rd June.

The authors shortlisted for the £20,000 Duncan Lawrie Dagger, the world’s largest prize for a crime novel, are James Lee Burke (The Tin Roof Blowdown), Colin Cotterill (Coroner’s Lunch), Frances Fyfield (Blood From Stone), Steve Hamilton (Night Work), Laura Lippman (What the Dead Know) and RN Morris (A Vengeful Longing).

There are five authors in the running for the Duncan Lawrie International Dagger: Andrea Camilleri (The Patience of the Spider), Stieg Larsson (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), Dominique Manotti (Lorraine Connection), Martin Suter (A Deal with the Devil) and Fred Vargas (This Night’s Foul Work). This prize is worth £5000 to the winning author and £1000 to the translator.

In all there are eight awards in contention, the others being the Steel, Non-Fiction, New Blood, Library, Short Story and Debut Daggers.