SHOTSMAG CONFIDENTIAL: CWA 2017 Dagger Awards

On Thursday 26^th October the 2017 Crime Writers Dagger Awards were given out at the Grange City Hotel London. The evening started with a drinks reception before the dinner. It was a lovely chance to get to say hello and catch up with so many friends and crime writers who were in attendance.

Belinda Bauer &Abir Mukherjee

Christine Poulson &Ayo Onatade

Current Chair of the CWA Martin Edwards kicked off the evening by welcoming everyone to the event after dinner. This was followed by a very witty and entertaining after dinner speech by Robert Thorogood who is best known as being the author of the Death in Paradise series.

Before the formal awards were given out Barry Forshaw was awarded the Red Herring award, which is normally given to someone whose contributions to the work of the CWA, are of special merit and should be celebrated and recognised. Huge congratulations go to Barry Forshaw for the Red Herrings Award.

The following Dagger Awards were awarded –

Diamond Dagger to Anne Cleeves

Dagger in the Library to Mari Hannah

In their acceptance speeches both Anne Cleeves and Mari Hannah extolled the virtues of local libraries and urged people to support them.

Sophie Goodfellow & William Ryan

Debut Dagger sponsored by Orion Publishing Group
For the opening of a crime novel from a writer with no publishing contract (presented Leigh Russell)
Strange Fire by Sherry Rankin (Winner)
The Reincarnation of Himmat Gupte by Neeraj Shah
Lost Boys by Spike Dawkins
Red Haven by Mette McLeod
Broken by Victoria Slotover

Ayo Onatade &Thalia Proctor

The CWA Short Story Dagger (Presented by Ayo Onatade)
The Assassination by Leye Adenle in Sunshine Noir Edited by AnnaMaria Alfieri & Michael Stanley (White Sun Books)
Murder and its Motives by Martin Edwards Edited by Martin Edwards in Motives for Murder (Sphere)
The Super Recogniser of Vik by Michael Ridpath Edited by Martin Edwards in Motives for Murder (Sphere)
What You Were Fighting For by James Sallis Edited by Patrick Millikin in The Highway Kind (Mulholland Books)
The Trials of Margaret by LC Tyler in Motives for Murder Edited by Martin Edwards (Sphere) (Winner)
Snakeskin by Ovidia Yu in Sunshine Noir Edited by AnnaMaria Alfieri & Michael Stanley (White Sun Books)

Ayo Onatade & Ali Karim

The CWA International Dagger (Presented by Janet Laurence)

A Cold Death by Antonio Manzini, (4th Estate) Tr Antony Shugaar
A Fine Line by Gianrico Carofiglio, (Bitter Lemon Press) Tr Howard Curtis
Blood Wedding by Pierre Lemaître, (MacLehose Press) Tr Frank Wynne
Climate of Fear by Fred Vargas, (Harvill Secker) Tr Siân Reynolds
The Dying Detective by Leif G W Persson, (Doubleday) Tr Neil Smith (Winner)
The Legacy of the Bones by Delores Redondo, (HarperCollins) Tr Nick Casiter & Lorenza Garcia

Leye Adenle & Ayo Onatade

The CWA Endeavour Historical Dagger (presented by Jon Coates)
The Devil’s Feast by M. J. Carter (Fig Tree)
The Ashes of Berlin by Luke McCallin (No Exit Press)
The Long Drop by Denise Mina (Harvill Secker)
A Rising Man by Abir Mukherjee (Harvill Secker) (Winner)
By Gaslight by Steven Price (Point Blank)
The City in Darkness by Michael Russell (Constable)

Sophie Goodfellow &Ayo Onatade

The John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger (Presented by Maxim Jakubowski)
The Pictures by Guy Bolton (Point Blank)
Ragdoll by Daniel Cole (Trapeze)
Distress Signals by Catherine Ryan Howard (Corvus)
Sirens by Joseph Knox (Doubleday)
Good Me, Bad Me by Ali Land (Michael Joseph)
Tall Oaks by Chris Whitaker (Twenty 7) (Winner)

Joseph Knox’s novel Siren was also highly commended.

AnnaMaria Alfieri & Leye Adenle

CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger (presented by Corrine Turner)
You Will Know Me by Megan Abbott (Picador)
The Killing Game by J S Carol (Bookouture)
We Go Around in the Night and Are Consumed by Fire by Jules Grant (Myriad Editions)
Redemption Road by John Hart (Hodder & Stoughton)
Spook Street by Mick Herron (John Murray) (Winner)
The Constant Soldier by William Ryan (Mantle)

Wayne Brookes & Ayo Onatade

The CWA Gold Dagger (Presented by Richard Reynolds)
The Beautiful Dead by Belinda Bauer (Bantam Press)
Dead Man’s Blues by Ray Celestin (Mantle)
The Dry by Jane Harper (Little, Brown) Winner
Spook Street by Mick Herron (John Murray)
A Rising Man by Abir Mukherjee (Harvill Secker)
The Girl in Green by Derek B. Miller (Faber & Faber)

Congratulations to all the winners and nominated authors.