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Monday, July 24, 2023

Award News: Petrona Award Entries 2023

I am pleased to announce that the 43 titles that were eligible for the 2023 Petrona Award for the Best Scandinavian Crime Novel of the Year have been entered by the publishers.

The winner of the Award will be announced online later this year.

The rules for eligibility are:
  • The submission must be in translation and published in English in the UK during the preceding calendar year ie 1 January – 31 December 2022.
  • The author of the submission must either be born in Scandinavia* or the submission must be set in Scandinavia*.
  • The submission must have been published in its original language after 1999.
(E-books that meet the above criteria may be considered at the judges’ discretion (does not include self-published titles))
*in this instance taken to be Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.

More details about the award and the history behind it can be found on the Petrona Award website. The winner of the 2022 Award was Fatal Isles by Maria Adolfsson, translated from the Swedish by Agnes Broomé and published by Zaffre.

The award is sponsored by David Hicks.

Entries 

[21 titles are by Female authors and 20 by Male plus 2 teams of Male and Female authors. There are 23 translators (15 Female (29 titles), 6 Male (13 titles) and 1 Female/Male collaboration (1 title)) and 6 countries are represented (24 Sweden, 6 Iceland, 7 Norway, 2 Finland, 3 Denmark and 1 Switzerland).]

Jussi Adler-Olsen - The Shadow Murders tr. William Frost (Denmark, M, Quercus) 
Maria Adolfsson - Wild Shores tr. Agnes Broomé (Sweden, F, Zaffre) 
Eva Björg Ægisdóttir  - Night Shadows tr. Victoria Cribb (Iceland, F, Orenda Books)
Stefan Ahnhem - The Final Nail  tr. Agnes Broomé (Sweden, M, Head of Zeus)
Tove Alsterdal - We Know You Remember tr. Alice Menzies (Sweden, F, Faber & Faber)
Lina Areklew - Death in Summer tr. Tara F Chace (Sweden, F, Canelo) 

Lina Bengtsdotter - For the Lost tr. Agnes Broomé (Sweden, F, Orion) 

Kjell Ola Dahl - Little Drummer tr. Don Bartlett (Norway, M, Orenda Books)
Arne Dahl - You Are Next tr. Ian Giles (Sweden, M, Harvill Secker)
Anders de la Motte - Deeds of Autumn tr. Marlaine Delargy (Sweden, M ,Zaffre)
Anders de la Motte - Dead of Winter tr. Marlaine Delargy (Sweden, M ,Zaffre) 

Katrine Engberg - The Harbour tr. Tara Chace (Denmark, F, Hodder & Stoughton)
Pascal Engman - Femicide tr. Michael Gallagher (Sweden, M, Legend Press)

Helene Flood - The Lover tr. Alison McCullough (Norway, F, MacLehose Press)

Anne Mette Hancock - The Corpse Flower tr. Tara Chace (Denmark, F, Swift Press)
Jorn Lier Horst - The Night Man tr. Anne Bruce (Norway, M, Michael Joseph)
Jorn Lier Horst & Thomas Enger - Unhinged tr. Megan Turney (Norway, M&M, Orenda Books)

Susanne Jansson - Winter Water tr. Rachel Willson-Broyles (Sweden, F, Hodder & Stoughton)
Ragnar Jonasson - Outside tr. Victoria Cribb (Iceland, M, Michael Joseph)

Anna Karolina - The Guilty One tr. Lisa Reinhardt (Sweden, F, Thomas & Mercer)
Anna Karolina - The Missing Man tr. Lisa Reinhardt (Sweden, F, Thomas & Mercer)
Lars Kepler - The Mirror Man tr. Alice Menzies (Sweden, F&M, Zaffre)

Camilla Lackberg & Henrik Fexeus - Trapped tr. Ian Giles (Sweden, F&M, HarperCollins)
David Lagercrantz - Dark Music tr. Ian Giles (Sweden, M, MacLehose Press)
Jónína Leósdóttir - Deceit tr. Quentin Bates (Iceland, F, Corylus Books)
Ruth Lillegraven - Blood Ties tr. Diane Oatley (Norway, F, AmazonCrossing)

Niklas Natt och Dag - 1794: The City Between the Bridges tr. Ebba Segerberg (Sweden, M, Baskerville)
Hakan Nesser - The Axe Woman tr. Sarah Death (Sweden, M, Mantle) 

Sólveig Pálsdóttir - Harm tr. Quentin Bates (Iceland, F, Corylus Books)

Petra Rautianen - Land of Snow and Ashes tr. David Hackston (Finland, F, Pushkin Press)
Hans Rosenfeldt - Cry Wolf tr. Elizabeth Clark Wessel (Sweden, M, HarperCollins)
Anders Roslund - Sweet Dreams tr. Elizabeth Clark Wessel (Sweden, M, Harvill Secker)

Joachim B Schmidt - Kalmann tr. Jamie Lee Searle (Switzerland, M, Bitter Lemon Press)
Lilja Sigurdardottir - Red as Blood tr. Quentin Bates (Iceland, F, Orenda Books)
Yrsa Sigurdardottir  - The Fallout tr. Victoria Cribb (Iceland, F, Hodder & Stoughton)
Gustaf Skördeman - Codename Faust tr. Ian Giles (Sweden, M, Zaffre)
Gunnar Staalesen - Bitter Flowers tr. Don Bartlett (Norway, M, Orenda Books)
Malin Stehn - Happy New Year tr. Rachel Willson-Broyles (Sweden, F, Penguin)
Viveca Sten - Buried in Secret tr. Marlaine Delargy (Sweden, F, AmazonCrossing)
Viveca Sten - Hidden in Snow tr. Marlaine Delargy (Sweden, F, AmazonCrossing)

Antti Tuomainen - The Moose Paradox tr. David Hackston (Finland, M, Orenda Books)

Silje O Ulstein - Reptile Memoirs tr. Alison McCullough (Norway, F, Grove Press UK)
Christian Unge - A Grain of Truth tr. George Goulding & Sarah De Senarclens (Sweden, M, MacLehose Press)

Saturday, July 22, 2023

New Releases - July 2023

Here's a snapshot of what I think is published for the first time in July 2023 (and is usually a UK date but occasionally will be a US or Australian date). 94 titles again this month. July and future months (and sometimes years) can be found on the Future Releases page. If I've missed anything or got the date wrong, do please leave a comment.

Please note that, unless specifically mentioned, when a book has differing print and ebook release date, I use the print release date. Translators' names are included where known.

• Anthology - An Unnecessary Assassin
• Ace, Cathy - The Case of the Uninvited Undertaker #8 A Wise Enquiries Agency Mystery
• Adams, Jane - The Room with Eight Windows #9 Detective Chief Inspector Henry Johnstone, 1928
• Ægisdóttir, Eva Björg - You Can't See Me tr. Victoria Cribb #4 Forbidden Iceland
• Allan, Claire - In the Dark
• Arlidge, M J - Eye for an Eye
• Baylis, Edie - Judgement (ebook only) #5 Allegiance
• Belsham, Alison - The Girl's Last Cry #2 Detective Lexi Bennett
• Blackhurst, Jenny - The Summer Girl
• Broadribb, Steph - Death on the Beach #3 The Retired Detectives Club
• Bryndza, Robert - Fear The Silence
• Carrington, Sam - The Girl in the Photo
• Carson, John - Twist of Fate #18 DCI Harry McNeil
• Carter, Andrea - Death Writes #6 Benedicta 'Ben' O'Keeffe, Solicitor, Inishowen peninsula in County Donegal, Ireland
• Cartwright, Jack - One Deadly Night #10 Wild Fens Murder Mystery
• Cercas, Javier - Prey For The Shadow tr. Anne McLean #2 A Terra Alta Investigation
• Clark, Eliza A - Penance
• Comley, M A - Evil Intent #20 DI Sarah Ramsey
• Cranswick, Judith - Passage to Greenland (ebook only) #1 Murder at Sea Mysteries
• Cummins, Fiona - All Of Us Are Broken #2 DS Saul Anguish
• Cunliffe, P S - Don't Close Your Eyes
• Davies, Abby - Arrietty
• Delaney, J P - The New Wife
• Douglas, Claire - The Woman Who Lied
• Douglas, Louise - The Secret of Villa Alba
• Dunford, Caroline - Death of a Dead Man #17 Euphemia Martins
• Eldridge, Jim - Murder at the Tower of London #9 Former Detective Inspector Daniel Wilson
• Ellicott, Jessica - Murder at a London Finishing School #7 Beryl and Edwina Mystery, 1920s
• Ellis, Emmy - Rewrite #19 Cardigan Estate
• Ellis, Joy - The River's Edge #10 DI Rowan Jackman & DS Maria Evans, Lincolnshire
• Gatland, Jack - Kill Your Darlings #15 DI Declan Walsh
• Godden, Gillian - Forever Diamond #4 Diamond
• Goldberg, Leonard - The Wayward Prince #7 Daughter of Sherlock Holmes series
• Granger, Ann - The Old Rogue of Limehouse #9 Lizzie Martin, Lady's companion and Inspector Ben Ross, Victorian Era
• Hall, Emylia - The Shell House Detectives #1 Shell House Detectives, Cornwall
• Hanington, Peter - The Burning Time #4 William Carver, BBC Reporter
• Harper, Izzie - Murder in the Sunflower Field #3 The Wootton Windmill Mysteries
• Hay, Alex - The Housekeepers
• Heley, Veronica - False Name #16 Bea Abbott, Sixty-something owner of The Abbott (Domestic) Agency
• Hilary, Sarah - Black Thorn • Hill, M K - Zero Kill
• Huang, Christopher - Unnatural Ends
• Hunter, Cara - Murder in the Family
• Hunter, Evie - The Alibi
• Hurley, Graham - The Blood of Others #8 Wars Within
• Jackson, David - One Good Deed
• James, Ed - A Lonely Place of Dying (ebook only) #3 DI Rob Marshall
• Jewell, Lisa - None of this is True
• Jones, Philip Gwynne - The Venetian Candidate #7 Nathan Sutherland
• Keogh, Valerie - The Nurse
• Kinsley, Erin - Someone You Know
• Kirk, JD - In Service of Death (ebook only) #17 DCI Logan
• Kitson, Bill - Guilty as Sin (ebook only) #16 Detective Mike Nash, Yorkshire
• Leather, Stephen - Clean Kill #20 Dan Shepherd, SAS trooper turned undercover cop
• Lynch, Rachel - Silent Bones #11 DI Kelly Porter, Lake District
• Mackintosh, Clare - A Game of Lies #2 DC Morgan
• Markin, Wes - The Crying Cave Killings #3 DCI Emma Gardner, Yorkshire
• Maslen, Andy - Playing the Devil's Music #8 DI Stella Cole
• Massey, Sujata - The Mistress of Bhatia House #4 Perveen Mistry, India's only female lawyer, 1920s
• McDermott, Andy - Ghost Target #3 Alex Reeve
• Mina, Denise - The Second Murderer: A Philip Marlowe Mystery
• Mosse, Greg - Murder at Church Lodge #1 Maisie Cooper.
• Mullen, Owen - Three Sisters (ebook only)
• Musso, Guillaume - The Stranger in the Seine tr. Rosie Eyre
• North, Lauren - She Says She's My Daughter (ebook only)
• Paris, B A - The Mosquito (ebook only) - Short Story
• Parris, S J - Alchemy #7 Italian monk Giordano Bruno, Elizabethan era
• Pearse, Lesley - Betrayal
• Pearson, David - Murder at the Caravan #15 Detectives Lyons and Hays, Galway
• Petersen, Christoffer - Solja #1 Solja Trilogy
• Pineiro, Claudia - A Little Luck tr. Frances Riddle
• Raymond, Andrew - The Bloody, Bloody Banks (ebook only) #3 DCI Lomond
• Rowe, Angie - The Seventh Passenger #1 Detective Lorcan O'Dowd
• Rowson, Pauline - Death in the Dunes #4 Inspector Alun Ryga, Dorset
• Russell, Leigh - Barking Mad #2 Poppy Mystery
• Ryan, Rachel - Someone You Trust
• Salter, Michelle - A Killing at Smugglers Cove #4 Iris Woodmore, 1920s
• Scarr, Louisa - Out of the Ashes #5 DS Butler & DC West
• Shaw, G W - The Conspirators
• Skelton, Douglas - Children of the Mist #5 Rebecca Connolly
• Smith, Hayley - The Perfect Girlfriend
• Smith, Nikki - The Beach Party
• Tait, Victoria - Deadly Performance #7 Dotty Sayers Antique Mystery, Cotswolds
• Tallon, Emma - Her Enemy #6 Scarlet Drew
• Toyne, Simon - The Clearing #2 Laughton Rees
• Travers, Lydia - Mystery in the Highlands #3 The Scottish Ladies' Detective Agency
• Tremayne, Peter - Revenge of the Stormbringer #32 Sister Fidelma
• Turner, A K - Case Sensitive #3 Cassie Raven, Mortuary Technician
• Vingtras, Marie - Blizzard tr. Stephanie Smee
• Walters, Alex - Old Evils #4 DI Annie Delamere, Derbyshire
• Ware, Ruth - Zero Days
• Watson, Katy - A Very Lively Murder #2 Dahlia Lively
• Wood, Michael - Making of a Murderer (ebook only) #3 DCI Matilda Darke Short Story
• Yakovleva, Yulia - Death of the Red Rider tr. Ruth Ahmedzai Kemp #2 Investigator Vasily Zaitsev, Leningrad, 1930s

Friday, July 21, 2023

Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2023 - Winner(s)

The winner of the 2023 Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year was announced last night and it is: M W Craven for The Botanist.

Elly Griffith's was "Highly Commended" for The Locked Room and Ann Cleeves was awarded  the Theakston Old Peculier Outstanding Contribution Award.

Read more and see photos of the winners at the official website.

Friday, July 07, 2023

CWA Dagger Awards 2023 - Winners

The winners of the CWA Dagger Awards were announced last night. The winner of the Crime Fiction in Translation Dagger is Even the Darkest Night, Javier Cercas translated by Anne McLean.

 Here is the official press release:

2023 CWA Dagger Awards Announced

 

The winners of the 2023 CWA Daggers, which honour the very best in the crime writing genre, have been announced.

The prestigious Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) Daggers are the oldest awards in the genre and have been synonymous with quality crime writing for over half a century.

Vaseem Khan, Chair of the CWA, said: "This year's CWA Daggers, in the CWA’s 70th jubilee year, continued the tradition of recognising both the broad appeal of the genre, and the wide spectrum of writers now operating within it, showcasing the full creative range of modern crime writing."

George Dawes Green receives the CWA Gold Dagger for The Kingdoms of Savannah.

Judges praised the ‘intricately constructed’ novel as a ‘timeless fable.’ A masterpiece of Southern Gothic noir, George Dawes Green’s sprawling mystery explores class and power structures after a brutal murder. He is best known for his runaway bestseller The Juror, the basis for the movie starring Demi Moore.

William Shaw, co-Vice Chair of the CWA, said: “After a fourteen-year hiatus, George Dawes Green’s triumphant return with The Kingdoms of Savannah is a bravura demonstration of the extraordinary power of crime fiction. Peopled with vividly-drawn characters from every Southern walk of life, this compelling mystery achieves something remarkable in peeling back the skin of Georgia’s troubled history to expose a society whose opulence was always built on something very dark.”

Past winners of the CWA Gold Dagger, which recognises the best crime novel of the year, include John le Carré, Reginald Hill, and Ruth Rendell.

The winner of the Ian Fleming Steel Dagger is John Brownlow for Agent Seventeen. Awarded for best thriller, the Dagger is sponsored by Ian Fleming Publications Ltd, the Fleming family-owned company that looks after the James Bond literary brand.

Agent Seventeen, a debut thriller from the British-Canadian screenwriter, centres on an elite hitman who must remain one step ahead of his many rivals if he wants to stay alive. It was praised by the judges as a ‘deceptively layered’ blockbuster thriller and ‘roller-coaster’ tale. Brownlow is best known as a screenwriter of Sylvia, starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Daniel Craig, and the TV series, Fleming.

The anticipated ILP John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger highlights the best debut crime novel. This year, the accolade goes to Hayley Scrivenor for Dirt Town, praised by the CWA judges as a ‘haunting mystery.’ Dirt Town, which follows the case of a missing girl in small-town Australia, was described by The Guardian as “outback noir that lives up to the hype.”

The CWA Historical Dagger goes to DV Bishop for The Darkest Sin.  Set in Renaissance Florence, The Darkest Sin is an atmospheric historical thriller that judges praised as ‘well-researched’ and ‘gripping to the end.’

The ALCS Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction goes to Wendy Joseph for Unlawful Killings: Life, Love and Murder: Trials at the Old Bailey. The revealing, humane and gripping stories from Wendy Joseph, a retired Old Bailey judge, were praised as a ‘rare glimpse beneath the wig, with significant observations on the justice system.’

The Crime Fiction in Translation Dagger, sponsored by former CWA Chair, Maxim Jakubowski in honour of his wife Dolores Jakubowski, goes to Javier Cercas for Even the Darkest Night, translated by Anne McLean. The leading Spanish literary author was commended for his ‘complex characters’ and ‘striking sense of place.’

The CWA Daggers are one of the few high-profile awards that honour the short story. Hazell Ward scoops the award for Cast a Long Shadow, an emotional tale of murder that leads to a man condemned by suspicion by a whole village. Ward delivers a, ‘truly emotional ride with a twist.’

The Dagger in the Library is voted on exclusively by librarians, chosen for the author’s body of work and support of libraries. This year it goes to Sophie Hannah.

The Sunday Times bestselling writer is published in 49 languages and 51 territories. Her books have sold millions of copies worldwide. Hannah is the author of the new Poirot mysteries with the blessing of Agatha Christie’s family and estate.

One of the anticipated highlights of the annual Daggers is the Debut Dagger competition, sponsored by ProWritingAid. The international competition is open to uncontracted writers. This year, the award goes to Jeff Marsick for Sideways, about a 26-year-old army veteran, Gage, suffering from PTSD.

The Dagger for the Best Crime and Mystery Publisher, which celebrates publishers and imprints demonstrating excellence and diversity in crime writing, goes to Viper (Profile Books).

Viper’s books include Sunday Times bestsellers The Appeal by Janice Hallett and The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward, and Reese Witherspoon Book Club sensation, The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave.

A CWA Red Herring, for services to crime writing and the CWA, were awarded to Gary Stratmann and Corinne Turner.

Maxim Jakubowski, former Chair of CWA, said: “As the husband of crime writer Linda Stratmann, a past CWA Chair, Gary Stratmann has accidentally found himself at the heart of our community and has taken it to it like a fish to water; ever supportive, convivial, he has become the de facto CWA photographer, social gadfly, and visual historian.”

On Corinne Turner, Maxim said: “As the head of Ian Fleming Publications, Corinne Turner has not only been a stalwart CWA sponsor, but has also lent her knowledge, business advice, sensible management experience and invaluable financial know how to our board. She has been a major factor into making us a more professional body, and has always been available with a smile on her face."

The CWA Diamond Dagger, awarded to an author whose crime-writing career has been marked by sustained excellence, is announced in early spring each year and in 2023 it was awarded to Walter Mosley.

One of the most versatile and admired writers in America, Mosley is the author of more than 60 critically acclaimed books, that cover a wide range of genres. His work has been translated into 25 languages.

The winners were announced at a Gala Dinner at the Leonardo City Hotel in London on Thursday 6 July. The ceremony was compered by bestselling authors Victoria Selman and Imran Mahmood. Charlie Higson, the Fast Show actor, comedian, and author of the recent James Bond novel On His Majesty's Secret Service and many Young Bond volumes, was the after-dinner speaker.

One of the UK’s most prominent societies, the CWA was founded in 1953 by John Creasey; the awards started in 1955 with its first award going to Winston Graham, best known for Poldark.

Dagger Winners 2023

CWA GOLD DAGGER

The Kingdoms of Savannah, George Dawes Green (Headline Fiction, Headline Publishing Group)

CWA IAN FLEMING STEEL DAGGER

Agent Seventeen, John Brownlow (Hodder & Stoughton)

ILP JOHN CREASEY (NEW BLOOD) DAGGER

Dirt Town, Hayley Scrivenor (Pan Macmillan, Macmillan)

CWA HISTORICAL DAGGER

The Darkest Sin, DV Bishop (Pan Macmillan, Macmillan)

CWA ALCS GOLD DAGGER FOR NON-FICTION

Unlawful Killings: Life, Love and Murder: Trials at the Old Bailey, Wendy Joseph (Transworld)

CWA CRIME FICTION IN TRANSLATION DAGGER sponsored in honour of Dolores Jakubowski

Even the Darkest Night, Javier Cercas translated by Anne McLean (Quercus, MacLehose Press)

CWA SHORT STORY DAGGER

‘Cast a Long Shadow’ by Hazell Ward, in Cast a Long Shadow edited by Katherine Stansfield and Caroline Oakley (Honno Press)

CWA DAGGER IN THE LIBRARY

Sophie Hannah

CWA PUBLISHERS’ DAGGER

Viper (Profile Books)

CWA DEBUT DAGGER sponsored by ProWritingAid

‘Sideways’ Jeff Marsick

THE CWA RED HERRING for services to crime writing and the CWA

Gary Stratmann

Corinne Turner

DIAMOND DAGGER

Walter Mosley

--

The winners announcements are available on the CWA website, as well as via its Facebook, Twitter #CWADaggers and YouTube channel.

The 2023 Shortlists in Full:

GOLD DAGGER

The Kingdoms of Savannah, George Dawes Green (Headline Publishing Group)

The Lost Man of Bombay, Vaseem Khan (Hodder & Stoughton)

A Killing in November, Simon Mason (Quercus)

The Clockwork Girl, Anna Mazzola (Orion)

The Winter Guest, WC Ryan (Bonnier Books UK)

The Silent Brother, Simon Van der Velde (Northodox Press)

IAN FLEMING STEEL DAGGER

Take Your Breath Away, Linwood Barclay (HarperCollins, HQ)

Agent Seventeen, John Brownlow (Hodder & Stoughton)   

The Botanist, MW Craven (Little, Brown Constable)

The Ink Black Heart, Robert Galbraith (Sphere)       

The Chase, Ava Glass (Penguin Random House UK, Century)

May God Forgive, Alan Parks (Canongate)   

ILP JOHN CREASEY (NEW BLOOD) DAGGER

Breaking, Amanda Cassidy (Canelo) 

The Local, Joey Hartstone (Pushkin Press, Pushkin Vertigo)

London in Black, Jack Lutz (Pushkin Press, Pushkin Vertigo)

Dirt Town, Hayley Scrivenor (Pan Macmillan, Macmillan)

No Country for Girls, Emma Styles (Sphere)  

Outback, Patricia Wolf (Bonnier Books UK, Embla)

HISTORICAL DAGGER

The Darkest Sin, DV Bishop (Pan Macmillan, Macmillan)

The Clockwork Girl, Anna Mazzola (Orion)   

The Homes, JB Mylet (Profile Books, Viper)

The Bangalore Detectives Club Harini Nagendra (Little, Brown, Constable)

Blue Water Leonora Nattrass (Profile Books, Viper)

Hear No Evil, Sarah Smith (John Murray Press, Two Roads)

CRIME FICTION IN TRANSLATION DAGGER

Good Reasons to Die, Morgan Audic translated by Sam Taylor (Welbeck Publishing Group, Mountain Leopard Press)

The Red Notebook, Michel Bussi translated by Vineet Lal (Weidenfeld & Nicolson)

Even the Darkest Night, Javier Cercas translated by Anne McLean (Quercus, MacLehose Press)

Bad Kids, Zijin Chen translated by Michelle Deeter (Pushkin Press, Pushkin Vertigo)

The Bleeding, Johana Gustawsson translated by David Warriner (Orenda Books)  

The Anomaly, Hervé Le Tellier translated by Adriana Hunter (Penguin Random House UK, Michael Joseph)

SHORT STORY DAGGER

Leigh Bardugo ‘The Disappearance’ in Marple (HarperCollins)

Victoria Dowd & Delilah Dowd, ‘The Tears of Venus’ in Unlocked (The D20 Authors)

Sanjida Kay ‘The Beautiful Game’ in The Perfect Crime edited by Vaseem Khan and Maxim Jakubowski (HarperCollins)

Abir Mukherjee ‘Paradise Lost’ in The Perfect Crime edited by Vaseem Khan and Maxim Jakubowski (HarperCollins)

CJ Tudor ‘Runaway Blues’ in A Sliver of Darkness (Penguin Random House)

Hazell Ward ‘Cast a Long Shadow’ in Cast a Long Shadow edited by Katherine Stansfield and Caroline Oakley (Honno Press)

ALCS GOLD DAGGER FOR NON-FICTION

The Poisonous Solicitor, Stephen Bates (Icon Books)

The Life of Crime, Martin Edwards (HarperCollins)

Unlawful Killings: Life, Love and Murder: Trials at the Old Bailey, Wendy Joseph (Transworld)

Tremors In The Blood: Murder, Obsession and the Birth of the Lie Detector, Amit Katwala (Harper Collins)

To Hunt a Killer, Julie Mackay and Robert Murphy (HarperCollins)

About A Son, David Whitehouse (Orion Publishing Group)

DAGGER IN THE LIBRARY

Ben Aaronovitch    

Sophie Hannah

Mick Herron 

PUBLISHERS’ DAGGER

Harper Fiction (HarperCollins)

Mantle (PanMacmillan)

Michael Joseph (Penguin Random House)

Pushkin Vertigo (Pushkin Press)

Quercus (Hachette)

Viper (Profile Books)

DEBUT DAGGER Sponsored by ProWritingAid

Bulldog Murphy, Chris Corbett

Male, Unknown, Chris Griffiths

Sideways, Jeff Marsick

Heist, James Pierson

The Line of Least Resistance, Jeff Richards

Cradle of Storms, Margaret Winslow

CWA Dagger Judging Panels

The judges, who have been deliberating on the submissions from publishers include leading authors, bloggers, newspaper reviewers, academics, and media professionals.

You can view the judging panel for each category on the CWA website: The Daggers — The Crime Writers' Association (thecwa.co.uk)

About the CWA

The CWA was founded in 1953 by John Creasey. Its aim is to support, promote and celebrate this most durable, adaptable and successful of genres and the authors who write within it. It runs the prestigious CWA Dagger Awards, which celebrate the best in crime writing.

A thriving, growing community with a membership encompassing authors of all ages and at all stages of their careers, the CWA is UK-based, yet attracts many members from overseas.

It supports author members (plus literary agents, publishers, bloggers and editors) with a monthly magazine; a digital monthly newsletter from sister company the Crime Readers’ Association showcasing CWA authors and their books and events that goes to around 12,000 subscribers; and Case Files, a bimonthly ezine highlighting new books by CWA members. www.thecra.co.uk

The CWA also supports the Debuts; as yet unpublished writers, many of whom enter the Debut Dagger competition and the Margery Allingham Short Mystery competition.

The CWA run an annual conference and hold chapter meetings throughout the UK so members can access face-to-face networking and socialising.

It supports libraries and booksellers, with three Library Champions and a Booksellers Champion. It has links with various festivals and many other writers’ organisations such as the Society of Authors.

thecwa.co.uk

The CWA runs National Crime Reading Month in June: www.crimereading.com.

Dagger Sponsors

ALCS – Sponsors of the Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction

The Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCS) is a not-for-profit organisation started by writers for the benefit of all types of writers. Owned by its members, ALCS collects money due for secondary uses of writers’ work. It is designed to support authors and their creativity; ensure they receive fair payment and see their rights are respected. It promotes and teaches the principles of copyright and campaigns for a fair deal. It represents over 100,000 members, and since 1977 has paid around £500 million to writers.

Ian Fleming Publications Ltd – Sponsors of the Ian Fleming Steel Dagger

Ian Fleming Publications Ltd is the Fleming family-owned company that looks after the James Bond literary brand, by promoting and making available all of Ian Fleming’s 007 books across the world.  They also keep the brand alive through the publication of new stories by authors such as Anthony Horowitz, William Boyd, Jeffery Deaver, Sebastian Faulks, Raymond Benson, John Gardner, Kingsley Amis, Samantha Weinberg, Steve Cole and Charlie Higson.  Alongside James Bond publishing, the company also manages the rights for Fleming’s two non-fiction books and his only children’s book, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

 

International Literary Properties (ILP) – Sponsors of the John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger

International Literary Properties works with authors, playwrights, managers of literary estates, and individual heirs to help realize the value from book and play-based intellectual property. ILP acquire all or partial rights to literary intellectual property, including books, plays and books of musicals. ILP own, nurture and champion a substantial number of properties, many authored by household names, in genres as diverse as mystery, crime, classic literature, non-fiction, and children’s. Its experienced team works closely with award-winning TV, film, and stage producers across the world.

ProWritingAid – Sponsors of the Debut Dagger

ProWritingAid was created by writers, for writers. Our primary goal is to help new writers get their stories and ideas across in the clearest and most effective way possible. We are passionate about language and believe good stories are intrinsically entwined with the words and phrases used to express them. ProWritingAid will never replace a human editor (our software can’t spot your plot holes!) Rather, our software helps you self-edit to a deeper level so that when you send your manuscript off to a human editor, they can focus on the content of your writing and not spend their time fixing basic writing issues like passive voice or emotion tells.

We are thrilled to sponsor the Debut Dagger competition. ProWritingAid’s primary goal is to help more writers get their stories out into the world, and the Debut Dagger is such an amazing opportunity for new crime writers to get their work in front of people that matter. 

Maxim Jakubowski – Sponsor of the Crime Fiction in Translation Dagger

The Crime Fiction in Translation Dagger is sponsored by former CWA Chair, Maxim Jakubowski, in honour of his wife Dolores Jakubowski, who was a translator and university lecturer but now suffers from Alzheimer’s.

Maxim said: “Dolores is well-known to the crime writing community as she’s been at my side for decades at book launches, parties, Dagger Award dinners and festivals worldwide, where she was always popular and a good friend to many involved in the genre.”

Maxim will sponsor the Crime Fiction in Translation Dagger in her honour in perpetuity, beginning this year and continuing after his tenure in the Chair.

To view past winners, or find out more, please visit https://thecwa.co.uk/the-daggers


Monday, July 03, 2023

June 2023 Releases - Other

When I research the list of UK/Translated titles coming out I often stumble across titles of interest which are from other English speaking countries. Here are some that piqued my interest from June. Do let me know if you've read any of them and what you thought.

[Blurbs & Covers from Amazon]

Agatha Christie in Space?

The Launch Party by Lauren Forry (US)

THE TRIP OF A LIFETIME. YOU'D DIE TO BE THERE.

Ten lucky people have won a place at the most exclusive launch event of the century: the grand opening of the Hotel Artemis, the first hotel on the moon. It's an invitation to die for. As their transport departs for its return to Earth and the doors seal shut behind them, the guests take the next leap for mankind.

However, they soon discover that all is not as it seems. The champagne may be flowing, but there is no one to pour it. Room service is available, but there is no one to deliver it. Besides the ten of them, they are completely alone.

When one of the guests is found murdered, fear spreads through the group. But that death is only the beginning. Being three days' journey from home and with no way to contact the outside, can any of the guests survive their stay?



We're seeing lots of Australian writers doing well in the UK. I've added this one to my wishlist.

Dirt Town by Hayley Scrivenor (Aus)

Twelve year-old Esther Bianchi disappears on her way home from school in the small town of Durton – and the truth will not come easily. Dirt Town by Hayley Scrivenor is an atmospheric crime novel set in rural Australia.

Dirt town. Dirt and hurt – that’s what others would remember about our town . . .

THE DETECTIVE

As the community is thrown into a state of grief and suspicion, Detective Sergeant Sarah Michaels begins her investigation into the disappearance of Esther Bianchi. She questions those who knew the girl, attempting to unpick the secrets which bind them together.

THE MOTHER

The girl’s mother, Constance, believes that her daughter going missing is the worst thing that can happen to her. But as the search for Esther develops, she learns that things can always get worse.

THE FRIENDS

Ronnie is Esther’s best friend and is determined to bring her home. So when her classmate Lewis tells her that he saw Esther with a strange man at the creek the afternoon she went missing, Ronnie feels she is one step closer to finding her. But why is Lewis refusing to speak to the police?

And who else is keeping quiet about what happened to Esther?


This one comes recommended by Alexander McCall Smith.

A Disappearance in Fiji by Nilima Rao (Fijian Indian Australian)

1914, Fiji: Sergeant Akal Singh would rather be anywhere than this tropical paradise - or, as he calls it, 'this godforsaken island'. After a promising start to his police career in Hong Kong, Akal has been sent to the far-flung colony of Fiji as punishment for a humiliating professional mistake. Lonely and embarrassed, he dreams of solving a big case, thereby redeeming himself and gaining permission to leave. Otherwise, he fears he will be stuck in Fiji for ever.

When an indentured Indian woman goes missing from a sugarcane plantation and Fiji's newspapers scream 'kidnapping', the inspector-general reluctantly assigns Akal the case, giving him strict instructions to view this investigation as nothing more than cursory. But as soon as Akal arrives on the plantation, he identifies several troubling inconsistencies in the plantation owners' stories, and it seems there is more to this disappearance than meets the eye . . .



Sunday, July 02, 2023

In Translation (2023)

When I update the new releases pages, I also update the new releases by category pages which includes  the in translation page. This will tell you what's published in translation in 2023 in the UK and will form the basis of what's likely to be considered for the CWA Crime in Translation Dagger and our very own Petrona Award (for Best Scandinavian Crime Novel in Translation).

[NB. No sooner have I updated it then I find more to add - this time Anne Bruce has let me know about her translation of Snow Fall by Jørn Lier Horst which is out in November.]