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
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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)
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.
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
2 comments:
Wishing Ava good luck ... Don’t miss The Chase, Ava Glass’s fast and furious fictional spy novel which you will never put down if you liked Bill Fairclough's fact based spy thriller Beyond Enkription in The Burlington Files series. Both thrillers have a lot of similarities save that Beyond Enkription is a raw noir fact based novel. Ava Glass is a tad more John le Carré.
Nevertheless, both are so real you may have nightmares anguishing over being a spy on the run. The trouble is, as in Beyond Enkription, if you were a spook being chased by the TonTon Macoute in the seventies you were usually cornered and ... well best leave it to your imagination or simply read Beyond Enkription. We consider both books compulsory reading for espionage aficionados.
Interestingly Fairclough was one of Pemberton’s People in MI6 (see a brief intriguing News Article dated 31 October 2022 in TheBurlingtonFiles website). Meanwhile do read Ava Glass’s The Chase - you won’t be disappointed and unlike Fairclough’s sort of biographical work, if you like John le Carré’s delicate diction and sophisticated syntax, you may be rewarded.
On 4 March 2023 Slow Horses won the top honours at the 2023 USC Libraries Scripter Awards and on 22 July 2022 Mick Herron’s sardonic spy thriller series called Slough House deservedly won him the Theakston Old Peculier crime novel of the year award. If Jackson Lamb had won it he'd have had a huge hangover this morning but let's not dwell on what that might have sounded or smelt like.
Both Mick Herron's Slough House series and Bill Fairclough's Burlington Files series of espionage thrillers about Pemberton’s People in MI6 were initially rejected by risk averse publishers who probably didn't think espionage existed unless it was fictional and created by Ian Fleming or David Cornwell. It is therefore a genuine pleasure to see an anti-Bond anti-establishment novelist achieving immortality in Masham. Let’s hope Beyond Enkription, the first stand-alone fact based spy thriller in The Burlington Files series, follow in the Slow Horses’ hoof prints!
To find out more about Bill Fairclough and how Pemberton’s People influenced John le Carré and Kim Philby do look up a news article dated 31 October 2022 in TheBurlingtonFiles website and read Beyond Enkription.
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