Crime fiction News

The CWA has announced that the 2012 winner of its prestigious Diamond Dagger award with the honour awarded to thriller writer Frederick Forsyth.

Chair of the CWA Peter James said, “Frederick Forsyth is a hugely deserving recipient and The Day of the Jackal remains one of the greatest thrillers of our times. He has set a new standard of research-based authenticity with his writing, which has had a major influence both on my work and on many of my contemporaries in the crime and thriller field. We are very thrilled that he has accepted this award.”

The Diamond Dagger recipient is chosen each year by the CWA committee, from a shortlist nominated by the membership. Shortlisted authors must meet two essential criteria: first, their careers must be marked by sustained excellence, and second, they must have made a significant contribution to crime fiction published in the English language, whether originally or in translation. The award is made purely on merit without reference to age, gender or nationality. The Diamond Dagger will be presented to Frederick Forsyth at an award ceremony later this year.  Frederick Forsyth is the author of a number of thrillers including The Odessa File, The Fourth Protocol and The Dogs of War. The Day of the Jackal was published in 1971 and became an international bestseller and won an Edgar Award for Best Novel.

The CWA has also announced the launch of its exciting new initiative The Crime Readers’ Association.

Crime and thriller fiction is booming worldwide with British and Irish writers shining alongside their American and Scandinavian counterparts. The newly formed CRA is a place for fans of these genres to keep up with their favourite CWA authors.

Crime fans are invited to visit a new website at www.thecra.co.uk and sign up to receive a free e-newsletter filled with features, news and articles about crime writing and CWA authors. If you sign up before the end of March, then you will go into a draw to win two free passes to Bristol’s CrimeFest in May this year. The first e-newsletter will feature an exclusive extract from Michael Ridpath’s new novel, a reading by current CWA Chair Peter James and exclusive crime features, together with news and updates from CWA members. This content will not be available elsewhere, so crime and thriller fans need to sign up now to receive it free.

The Crime Writers’ Association Chair Peter James said: “We’re very excited about launching this new initiative. The idea behind the CRA is to bring readers and writers closer together, in order to further promote the crime writing genre. Authors could not survive without their loyal readers and the CRA celebrates the role of the reader in the burgeoning success of the genre. We have showcased members’ events and books on our website for several years now and we see the CRA as an extension of this. Hopefully, it will help our members to grow their careers more.”

Want to know what some interesting information about best-selling author James Patterson then read Rosanna Greenstreet’s  interview with him in the Guardian.

Congratulations go to Jennifer Muller who has joined DHH Literacy Agency as a literary agent. Jennifer has been involved in the publishing industry since 2001. Simultaneously working in the United States' largest mystery bookshop, The Poisoned Pen, and its independent publishing partner, Poisoned Pen Press, she had many roles including assistant editor and associate publisher. In 2005, she helped to create a UK branch of Poisoned Pen Press.

The 13^th Love is Murder Conference took place between 3^rd and 5^th February in Chicago. The Lovey Awards from Love is Murder are as follows –

Best First Novel - Basic Black by Scott Doornbosch
Best Traditional Novel – The Fine Art of Murder by Donald Bain
Best PI/Police Procedural – The Towman’s Daughters by David J Walker
Best Thriller – Northwest Angle by William Kent Krueger
Best Historical – Terror at the Fair by Robert Goldsborough
Best Suspense – Toxicity by Libby Fischer Hellmann
Best Paranormal/Sci Fi/Horror – Homefront: The Voice of Freedom by Raymond Benson
Best Series – The White House Chef Series by Julie Hyzy
Best Romantic Suspense – A Lot Like Love by Julie James
Best Short Story – Diamonds Aren’t Forever by Mary Welk

 Agatha Awards –

The Agatha Award Nominees have been announced! The awards will be presented at Malice Domestic in Bethesda, MD on April 28, 2012.

Best Novel:
The Real Macaw by Donna Andrews
The Diva Haunts the House by Krista Davis
Wicked Autumn, by G.M. Malliet
Three Day Town, by Margaret Maron
A Trick of the Light, by Louise Penny

Best First Novel:
Dire Threads (A Threadville Mystery), by Janet Bolin
Choke, by Kaye George
Learning to Swim: A Novel, by Sara J. Henry
Who Do, Voodoo? (A Mind for Murder Mystery), by Rochelle Staab
Tempest in the Tea Leaves (A Fortune Teller Mystery), by Kari Lee Townsend

Best Non-Fiction
Books, Crooks and Counselors: How to Write Accurately About Criminal Law and Courtroom Procedure, by Leslie Budewitz
Agatha Christie: Murder in the Making: More Stories and Secrets from Her Notebooks, by John Curran
On Conan Doyle: Or, The Whole Art of Storytelling, by Michael Dirda
Wilkie Collins, Vera Caspary and the Evolution of the Casebook Novel, by A. B. Emrys
The Sookie Stackhouse Companion, by Charlaine Harris

Best Short Story

“Disarming”, by Dana Cameron (in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine)
“Dead Eye Gravy”, by Krista Davis (in Fish Tales: The Guppy Anthology)
“Palace by the Lake”, by Daryl Wood Gerber (in Fish Tales: The Guppy Anthology)
“Truth and Consequences”, by Barb Goffman (in Mystery Times Ten)
“The Itinerary”, by Roberta Isleib (in MWA Presents the Rich and the Dead)

Best Children's/Young Adult:
Shelter by Harlan Coben
The Black Heart Crypt by Chris Grabenstein
Icefall by Matthew J. Kirby
The Wizard of Dark Street by Shawn Thomas Odyssey
The Code Busters Club, Case #1: The Secret of the Skeleton Key by Penny Warner

Best Historical Novel:
Naughty in Nice by Rhys Bowen
Murder Your Darlings by J.J. Murphy
Mercury's Rise by Ann Parker
Troubled Bones by Jeri Westerson
A Lesson in Secrets by Jacqueline Winspear

Congratulations to all the nominees.

The UK movie trailer for the film adaptation of Jo Nesbø’s 2008 crime caper Headhunters has been released and can be seen below. Roger Brown (Aksel Hennie) is a successful, high-powered headhunter living way beyond his means, lavishing gifts on his stunning blonde trophy wife. He supplements his income by stealing rare artworks from his clients. Handsome Clas Greve (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) and his original Rubens seem like an irresistible target but Clas lives the life of a Bond villain and the two men are soon embroiled in a deadly feud.

The film was released under its Norwegian title Hodejegerne last August and will be released in the UK on 6^th April 2012.

The BBC has cast Gillian Anderson (The X-Files) in The Fall as a Metropolitan detective superintendent sent to Belfast to conduct a review of a high profile murder case. The Fall is a gripping psychological thriller that forensically examines the lives of two hunters. One is a serial killer who stalks his victims at random in and around Belfast and the other is a talented female Detective Superintendent on secondment from the MET who is brought in to catch him. The crime drama will follow a police investigation that uncovers the intricate story of lives entangled by a series of murders. Produced by Artists Studio and written by Allan Cubitt (The Runaway, Murphy’s Law, Prime Suspect), the five episodes will follow the police investigation uncovering the intricate story of the lives entangled by a series of murders – both the killer's and the victims’ families.  Gillian Anderson stars as DSI Gibson, who arrives to conduct a 28 day review at a Belfast station where the police are getting nowhere on a high profile murder case. Further casting will be announced soon, with filming starting in Belfast next month.