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
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