Jeffery Deaver, Lisa Scottoline and Lee Child contribute to new ‘direct-to-digital’ thriller

Sixteen thriller writers. Three continents. One incredible story.
Sixteen of the world’s greatest thriller writers - including Jeffery Deaver, Lee Child, Lisa Scottoline and David Hewson – have collaborated on The Copper Bracelet, the standalone sequel to the The Chopin Manuscript, winner of the 2007 ‘Audiobook of the Year’ Award.
Published only as a direct-to-digital audiobook download, The Copper Bracelet is a collaboration devised by crime writer Jeffery Deaver who - in the most daring game of consequences - outlined the plot and wrote the first chapter, before passing the story on to each successive bestselling author. The story was finally returned it to Deaver to complete this thrilling sequel to The Chopin Manuscript.

"I can't think of a more enjoyable writing experience in my 25 years of being a fiction author than writing The Copper Bracelet and its predecessor, The Chopin Manuscript. We writers spend way too much time by ourselves in dark rooms, and it was a delight to emerge from the cave and hang out, so to speak, with my peers," said bestselling crime author Jeffery Deaver.
"This was like playing on an all-star team, and all the hits were home runs ... we were really up for it," added Lee Child.
Exclusively available as an audiobook from audible.co.uk and iTunes – and read by Alfred Molina - The Copper Bracelet will be published on 29th October and the first chapter is available to download free here.
A peaceful picnic in the French countryside explodes in violence. A mysterious assassin hisses a deadly threat. And events are set in motion that could propel India and Pakistan down the road to nuclear confrontation. Former war crimes investigator Harold Middleton and his volunteers return to once again must crack a secretive conspiracy that not only threatens their lives, but the stability of the world. Their race against time will take them from London to the U.S. to Russia and beyond. And at the heart of it all is one question: what is the secret of the Copper Bracelet?
The Copper Bracelet is written by Jeffery Deaver, Gayle Lynds, David Hewson, Jim Fusilli, John Gilstrap, Joseph Finder, Lisa Scottoline, David Corbett, Linda Barnes, Jenny Siler, David Liss, P.J. Parrish, Brett Battles, Lee Child, Jon Land and James Phelan, and narrated by Alfred Molina. The Copper Bracelet is available on 29th October 2009 from http://www.audible.co.uk/, launch price £6.99.

Specsavers Crime Thriller Awards part 2

Further to the earlier post on the results on the Specsavers Crime Thriller Awards 2009. Attached are some further pictures from that indomitable photographer Ali Karim. The first photograph is of Harlan Coben and his son Will who is evidently as overjoyed as his father was to win the ITV3 Bestseller Dagger beating off some very stiff competition from the likes of Martina Cole, Alexander McCall Smith, Nicci French and Dick Francis.

Ian Rankin, who along with Val McDermid, Lynda La Plante and Colin Dexter were inducted into the Hall of Fame in recognition of their outstanding careers and huge contribution to the genre.

Author Simon Kernick congratulating John Hart who won the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger 2009 for the best thriller novel along with Shots Mag editor Mike Stotter.

Shots Editor Mike Stotter along with Ashes to Ashes star Philip Glenister and Ali Karim after the awards had been given out.

Hall of famers Val McDermid and Colin Dexter at the award ceremony.

The Specsavers Crime Thriller Awards 2009

The Suspense Is Over:
The Specsavers Crime Thriller Awards 2009 Unmask the Winners


London, Wednesday, 21st October, 2009—Cactus TV and ITV3 in partnership with the Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) are pleased to announce the winners of the Specsavers Crime Thriller Awards 2009, celebrating the crème de la crème of Crime & Thriller fiction.

The evening boasted an array of famous faces from the worlds of screen and books, and was hosted by comedian Alan Davies at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel. The culmination of a six-week season of ITV3 crime and drama programming, the Specsavers Crime Thriller Awards 2009 will be televised on ITV3 on Tuesday, 27th October at 9PM.

A highlight of the evening was the brand new award - the ITV3 Bestseller Dagger, sponsored by Specsavers. Following a 6 week TV and online campaign, it was revealed that ITV3 viewers voted for Harlan Coben as their favourite crime genre author, beating Dick Francis, Alexander McCall Smith, Nicci French and Martina Cole.

The best crime novel of the year went to international best-selling author William Brodrick who won the CWA Gold Dagger 2009, sponsored by BooksDirect, for A Whispered Name (Little, Brown).

HBO’s The Wire on BBC2 hit two home-runs, winning the International TV Dagger 2009 for the best TV crime thriller drama from around the world, as well as earning Dominic West the Best Actor Dagger 2009 for male star of a crime thriller drama. The Wire star, Jamie Hector flew in from New York to collect the award on behalf of West.

Juliet Stevenson won the Best Actress Dagger (for the female star of a crime thriller drama)
for Place of Execution by Coastal Productions (ITV1)

The year’s best thriller is The Last Child by John Hart (John Murray), which won the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger 2009, sponsored by Ian Fleming Publications Ltd.

The Film Dagger 2009 for the best big-screen crime thriller story went to Gran Torino (Warner Bros.), while the TV Dagger 2009 for the best small-screen crime thriller drama went to Channel 4 Films’ Red Riding.

Johan Theorin’s Echoes From The Dead (Doubleday) won the CWA John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger 2009, sponsored by Louise Penny and Michael Whitehead, as a first book by a previously unpublished writer, awarded in memory of CWA founder John Creasey.

In recognition of their outstanding careers, Colin Dexter, Lynda La Plante, Ian Rankin and Val McDermid collected trophies to commemorate their inaguration into the Hall of Fame.

The 2009 black carpet event attracted stars from page and screens big and small - including Emilia Fox, Rupert Penry-Jones, Julia McKenzie, Phil Davis, Danny Dyer, Tamer Hassan, Jamie Bamber, Dervla Kirwan, Bill Paterson, Keeley Hawes, Harlan Coben, Philip Glenister, Juliet Stevenson, Lucy Speed, Chris Simmons, Hugh Bonneville, Colin Dexter, Ian Rankin, Ashley Walters, Lynda La Plante, Val McDermid, Joe McFadden, Dean Andrews, Martine McCutcheon, Gemma Jones, Wil Johnson, Denis Lawson, Nathaniel Parker, Sarah Smart, John Hart, William Gaminara, Martina Cole, Alexander McCall Smith, Mark Billingham, Michael Brandon and Glynis Barber - and awards were also presented by celebrity faces with a connection to the world of crime fiction.

Amanda Ross, Managing Director Cactus TV, said: "It’s amazing to have secured the future of this event through our partnership with Specsavers and the CWA. We’ll be able to build on the event year on year."

Click here to see photos of the evening from The Bookseller.

Watch the Youtube clip from Midas Public relations

Anthony Awards

The results of the Anthony Awards are in! Congratulations to all the winners.

Best Novel - The Brass Verdict by Michael Connelly [Little, Brown and Company]
Best First Novel - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson [Knopf]
Best Paperback Original - State of the Onion by Julie Hyzy [Berkley]
Best Short Story - "A Sleep Not Unlike Death" by Sean Chercover, Hardcore Hardboiled
[Kensington]
Best Critical Nonfiction Work - Anthony Boucher: A Biobibliography by Jeffrey Mark [McFarland]
Best Children's / Young Adult Novel - The Crossroads by Chris Grabenstein [Random House]
Best Cover Art - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Peter Mendelsund by Stieg Larsson
[Knopf]
Special Service Award - Jon and Ruth Jordan

Shamus Awards

More awards have been given out. This time it was the turn of the Shamus Awards. My thanks go to the Rapsheet for the information.

The Awards which are sponsored by the Private Eye Writer's of America were given out at the Shamus Awards banquet which was held at Indianapolis' Slippery Noodle Bar. The winners were as follows:-
The Eye (Lifetime Achievement) Award to Robert J. Randisi, author and founder of the PWA
Best Hardcover: Empty Ever After (Bleak House Books), by Reed Farrel Coleman
Best First P.I. Novel: In the Heat, (St. Martin’s Minotaur) by Ian Vasquez
Best Paperback Original: Snow Blind, (Medallion) by Lori Armstrong
Best Short Story: “Family Values,” (Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine [AHMM], June 2008) by Mitch Alderman
Hammer Award for best Character - Lawrence Block's Matt Scudder
Winner of the 2009 PWA/St Martin's Best First Private Eye Novel Contest- Michael Ayoob's Shot's on Goal

Bouchercon 2009 - Indianapolis - Elementary dear Indy!

Some awards have already been given out at Bouchercon 2009 on Thursday night and they are as follows:-

Derringer: Edward D. Hoch Memorial Award for short story lifetime achievement -- Clark Howard

Crimespree Awards

Crimespree Awards: Jack Reacher Award -- William Kent Krueger
Crimespree Contributor of the Year -- Jeremy Lynch
Best Paperback Original -- Money Shot by Christa Faust
Favorite Novel -- Trigger City by Sean Chercover
Favorite in an Ongoing Series -- Chasing Darkness by Robert Crais
Favorite graphic novel writer -- Brian Azzarello

Macavity Awards

Best Historical Mystery -- A Royal Pain by Rhys Bowen
Best short story -- "The Night Things Changed" by Dana Cameron in Wolfsbane & Mistletoe
Best non-fiction/critical -- African American Mystery Writers by Frankie Bailey Best first mystery -- The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
Best mystery novel -- Where Memories Lie by Deborah Crombie

Barry Awards

Lifetime achievement in mystery fandom -- Art Scott
Best short story -- "The Drought" by James O. Born from The Blue Religion (edited by Michael Connelly)
Best paperback original -- State of the Onion by Julie Hyzy
Best British novel -- The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
Best thriller -- The Deceived by Brett Battles
Best first novel -- Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith
Best novel -- The Draining Lake by Arnaldur Indridason

Congratulations to all the winners!

Get involved in the CWA Dagger Awards!

We reported recently about the new sponsorship deal that The Crime Writers Association have agreed with Specsavers, ITV3, and Cactus TV over at The Rap Sheet. Now that the nominations for the CWA Daggers have been announced - the excitement is building.

Photo from 2008 ITV-3 Thriller Awards (c) 2009 A Karim [Clockwise from top] Mark Billingham, Sharon Canaver, Lee Child, Val McDermid, Mark Billingham, Mark Smith, Jeff Deaver & Mike Stotter

Midas PR have provided a ‘red-carpet’ video from the 2008 ITV-3 Crime Thriller Awards to get you in the mood for the event later this month.

I have my ticket, though I am going to be rather jet-lagged as I am only back from Bouchercon Indianapolis the day before the event which is taking place on Wednesday 21st October at Grosvenor House, London. The ceremony will be aired on Tuesday 27th October at 9pm on ITV3.

Here's the Runners & Riders -

CWA Gold Dagger
When Will There Be Good News? by Kate Atkinson
In the Dark by Mark Billingham
Hit and Run by Lawrence Block
A Whispered Name by William Brodrick
The Coroner by MR Hall
Dark Times In The City by Gene Kerrigan
More information on the CWA Gold Dagger here

CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger
The Brass Verdict by Michael Connelly
Dark Places by Gillian Flynn
The Last Child by John Hart
Calumet City by Charlie Newton
Moscow Rules by Daniel Silva
The Tourist by Olen Steinhauer
The Interrogator by Andrew Williams
More information on the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger here.

CWA John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger
Sweetsmoke by David Fuller
Bad Catholics by James Green
No Way To Say Goodbye by Rod Madocks
Old City Hall by Robert Rotenberg
Echoes from The Dead by Johan Theorin
The Blood Detective by Dan Waddell
More information on the CWA John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger here.

I recall the ITV3 Thriller Awards 2008 [a precursor to this new venture with The CWA] which were also held in Grosvenor House with fondness. Stieg Larsson’s father accepted the International Thriller Award for The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. That night I managed to interview both Erland Larsson [Stieg Larsson’s father] who accepted the award posthumously on behalf of his son. I also managed to share a few words with legendary publisher - Christopher MacLehose.

Members of the public have the chance to vote for one of 5 shortlisted authors for the ‘Bestseller Dagger’ - Dick Francis, Alexander McCall Smith, Nicci French, Harlan Coben and Martina Cole – Why not cast your vote here

Shots Competition
Without any favoritism to any of the shortlisted authors - Shots Ezine have organized a competition thanks to Julia Walker of Midas PR to encourage all of you to vote. We have 3 books from one of the shortlisted authors to give away – all you have to do is to put your name and email address in the Comments Box at the end of this blog post mentioning –
[a] Which author you voted for from the 5 shortlisted ‘Bestseller Dagger’
[b] The date you voted [Bestseller Dagger]
[c] Why your selected author is your favourite [in less than 20 words]

The three best responses* to question [c] will be selected Tuesday 22nd October and contacted for a mailing address for their winning book.

Cast your vote here & Good Luck!

*Note entries from UK & Ireland only I'm afraid and the editors decison is final

The Other Award Nominations in contest at The CWA Dagger Awards are –

The Film Dagger 2009 for the best big-screen crime thriller story:

Gran Torino (Warner Bros.)

Quantum of Solace (Sony Pictures)

Changeling (Universal)

Public Enemies (Universal)

State of Play (Universal)

The TV Dagger 2009 - for the best small-screen crime thriller drama:

Wallander (Left Bank Pictures; BBC One)

Red Riding (Channel 4 Films; Channel 4)

Spooks (Kudos; BBC One)

Place of Execution (Coastal Productions; ITV1)

Ashes to Ashes (Kudos; BBC One)

The International TV Dagger - for the best TV crime thriller drama from around the world:

The Wire (HBO; BBC Two)

Dexter (Clyde Phillips Production; FX)

Wallander, Swedish version (Yellow Bird Films; BBC Four)

The Mentalist (Warner Bros.; FIVE)

The Best Actress Dagger - for the female star of a crime thriller drama:

Juliet Stevenson for Place of Execution (Coastal Productions; ITV1)

Keeley Hawes for Ashes to Ashes (Kudos; BBC One)

Hermione Norris for Spooks (Kudos; BBC One)

Emilia Fox for Silent Witness (BBC; BBC One)

The Best Actor Dagger - for the male star of a crime thriller drama:

Dominic West for The Wire (HBO; BBC Two)

Kenneth Branagh for Wallander (Left Bank Pictures; BBC One)

Tom Hardy for The Take (Company; SKY1)

Philip Glenister for Ashes to Ashes (Kudos; BBC One)

Paddy Considine for Red Riding (Channel 4 Films; Channel 4)

I recall the ITV3 Thriller Awards 2008 [which was a precursor to this new venture with The CWA] held in Grosvenor House with fondness as Stieg Larsson’s father accepted the International Thriller Award for The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. That night I managed to interview both Erland Larsson [Stieg Larsson’s father] who accepted the award posthumously on behalf of his son. I also managed to share a few words with legendary publisher - Christopher MacLehose.

Is it any wonder that Crime Thrillers have such appeal? Why not go out and buy a few of the books on the shortlist and discover the wonders of the genre. It might take your mind off the pervasive gloom that cloaks our economic reality - Ali Karim