The 2026 First Crime Novel Competition

 

NEW YORK, NY 5/5/26 – Minotaur Books and the Mystery Writers of America introduced the winner of their First Crime Novel Competition at the 80th annual Edgar® Awards Banquet on Wednesday, April 29th, in New York City. The announcement was made by Kelley Ragland, vice president and publishing director at Minotaur Books.

The competition winner, Sharon Roth, is a Maryland attorney who also writes as Shannon Taft. Roth has written over twenty published short stories, including a Derringer Award-finalist and a story that appeared in Best American Mystery and Suspense. Her debut novel, Ghost of a Clue, is a cozy mystery featuring a protagonist named Lexi, who as a child witnessed the killing of her mother and sister. As a result of the attack, Lexi hears her sister's voice in her head. Now an adult, Lexi is trying to put the past behind her and buy a B&B in the Poconos. But when the true crime journalist intent on bringing all of Lexi's secrets into the open is murdered, Lexi is the prime suspect. Ghost of a Clue is tentatively scheduled for publication in fall of 2027.

Kelley Ragland added, “We fell in love with Lexi Wells and her voice, as well as the Poconos setting. Ghost of a Clue is a terrific mystery full of charm and substance, featuring a character with the unique ‘sidekick’ of her sister’s memory. We’re thrilled to be publishing Sharon’s debut.”

The First Crime Novel Competition, which had its first winner in 2008, provides a previously unpublished writer an opportunity to launch his or her career with the Minotaur Books imprint. The winner will receive a one-book, $10,000 contract.

Minotaur is currently accepting submissions for next year’s award.

For more information about both writing competitions Minotaur Books co-sponsors, Click Here

Many Thanks to Hector DeJean [Associate Director of Publicity] Minotaur Books

About Minotaur Books, St. Martin’s Publishing Group and Macmillan Publishers [the U.S. trade division of the Holtzbrinck Publishing Group].

Minotaur Books, an imprint of The St. Martin’s Publishing Group, launched in 1999, and publishes 75 hardcover crime fiction titles annually. Minotaur Books grew out of a fifty-year tradition of publishing quality crime fiction at St. Martin’s Press, and has published several award-winning and best-selling titles > https://us.macmillan.com/minotaurbooks/

The St. Martin’s Publishing Group is part of Macmillan Publishers, the U.S. trade division of the Holtzbrinck Publishing Group, a large family-owned media company headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany. Its publishing companies include prominent imprints around the world that publish a broad range of award-winning books for children and adults in all categories and formats.

About Mystery Writers of America

Mystery Writers of America (MWA) is the premier organization for mystery writers, professionals allied to the crime writing field, aspiring crime writers, and those who are devoted to the genre. MWA is dedicated to promoting higher regard for crime writing and recognition and respect for those who write within the genre. MWA is a non-profit organization as described in Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. www.mysterywriters.org.

Mystery Writers of America 2026 Edgar Allan Poe Award Winners

 

Mystery Writers of America 2026 Edgar Allan Poe Awards, honouring the best in mystery fiction, nonfiction and television published or produced in 2025. 
 
BEST NOVEL

The Big Empty by Robert Crais (Penguin Random House – G.P. Putnam’s Sons)
 
BEST FIRST NOVEL BY AN AMERICAN AUTHOR

Dead Money by Jakob Kerr (Penguin Random House – Bantam Books)

BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL

The Backwater by Vikki Wakefield (Sourcebooks – Poisoned Pen Press)

 BEST FACT CRIME:

Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers by Caroline Fraser (Penguin Random House – Penguin Press)

BEST CRITICAL/BIOGRAPHICAL

Edgar Allan Poe: A Life by Richard Kopley (University of Virginia Press)

 BEST SHORT STORY

“Julius Katz Draws a Straight Flush,” Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine – September-October 2025 by Dave Zeltserman (Must Read Books Publishing)

 BEST JUVENILE

Blood in the Water by Tiffany D. Jackson (Scholastic Press)

BEST YOUNG ADULT

Under the Same Stars by Libba Bray (Macmillan Publishers – Farrar, Straus and Giroux BFYR)

BEST TELEVISION EPISODE TELEPLAY

 “Pilot” – Paradise, Written by Dan Fogelman (Hulu)

 OTHER AWARDS 

ROBERT L. FISH MEMORIAL AWARD – Endowed by the family of Robert L. Fish. “How It Happened,” Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, July-August 2025 by Billie Kay Fern (Must Read Books Publishing)

 THE SIMON & SCHUSTER MARY HIGGINS CLARK AWARD – Presented on behalf of Simon & Schuster. 

 All This Could Be Yours by Hank Phillippi Ryan (Macmillan Publishers – Minotaur Books)

 THE G.P. PUTNAM’S SONS SUE GRAFTON MEMORIAL AWARD – Presented on behalf of G.P. Putnam’s Sons.

 Gone in the Night by Joanna Schaffhausen (Macmillan Publishers – Minotaur Books)

 THE LILIAN JACKSON BRAUN MEMORIAL AWARD – Endowed by the estate of Lilian Jackson Braun.

 A Senior Citizen’s Guide to Life on the Run by Gwen Florio (Severn House)

 SPECIAL AWARDS -- PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED ON JANUARY 13, 2026

GRAND MASTER

Donna Andrews

Lee Child

RAVEN AWARD

Book Passage, Corte Madera CA

ELLERY QUEEN AWARD

John Scognamiglio, Kensington Books

Congratulations to all the winners.

Bad Indians: A lesson on writing monstrous characters by Amin Ahmad.

It all started one afternoon a few years ago. I was driving down the New Jersey Turnpike, thinking about ideas for my next novel when a black Lincoln limousine zipped by. Tinted windows hid the passenger, the chauffeur wore a peaked cap and a vanity license plate proclaimed, ‘SINGH IS KING’.

This was new to me. Indians in America are discreet professionals—doctors, techies, engineers—but here was a person proudly proclaiming his wealth to the world. As a novelist, this image stuck in my mind. Who was Mr. Singh? Where did his money come from? Why was he so confident?

The stories written about Indian immigrants tend to stay within familiar themes: The loss of culture. Painful assimilation into the American mainstream. Generational conflict. Arranged marriages. Curry.

The guy in the Lincoln was different. He was rich. He was badass, and he wanted the world to know it.

Slowly, over the next few months, the shadowy figure in the back of the limousine took on more definition. In my imagination he became Abbas Khan, an Indian immigrant who arrived in America in the 1970s and built his real-estate empire from scratch. He was a canny, hard-nosed businessman, a bazaar merchant who knew how to manipulate people. Now he had made it in America and was redeveloping a large swathe of Manhattan.

As Abbas Khan came to life, I found I was having a really good time. Oh, the joy of writing a bad Indian. The freedom of it.

As a novelist, my protagonists so far had been honourable, good people stuck in bad situations. Abbas Khan was different: He was a monster who hid his insecure, angry self behind an armour of fine British tailoring. Abbas had been forced into an arranged marriage, but instead of freeing his own two adult daughters, he pushed them into arranged marriages. To protect the reputation of his real estate company he hid a shameful link to a serial killer who’d terrorized New York City a decade ago.

It was fun to create a dark, manipulative character—but then an odd thing happened: I began to like Abbas. Yes, he was awful to his wife and adult daughters, but he was human too. He had made a ton of money, but as a Muslim man, he was not really accepted into New York elite society.

So Abbas made his own world. He bought an abandoned 1920’s estate on Long Island, painstakingly restored it to its former glory, and staffed it with faithful Indian servants. Like any immigrant, he tried to root himself into the New World by replicating the familiar.

And once I got a taste for writing bad Indians, I couldn’t stop.

Abbas is searching for a husband for his beloved younger daughter, but he forgoes the eligible young Muslim men with MBAs, and instead settles on Ali Azeem, a slacker from Mumbai. He does this because Ali is malleable, but also because Ali comes from the Old Country, like Abbas himself, and the two men develop an oddly affectionate bond.

There was also Farhan, Abbas’s older daughter, who once had been the apple of his eye. Now in her thirties, Farhan is a mess, and of course she acts out. And as I developed my novel, I created more members of the Khan family: insecure, backstabbing, jockeying for position.

As a novelist, I had learned an important lesson. I’d previously thought I should write ‘likable’ protagonists with honesty and integrity—but it was so much more interesting to write flawed, messy, contradictory characters. The trick was to make them human and recognizable: “There for the grace of God go I.”

Another thing I discovered as a novelist was that plot, instead of being an external situation imposed on the characters, could grow out of the contradictions and complexities of the characters themselves: Abbas, while trying to maintain his hard-won reputation, suppressed information that would come back to destroy him. Ali wanted to take a shortcut to wealth, ended up marrying into a family he did not understand, and was forced to lose his naivety. Farhan’s self-destructiveness reached new levels. And while creating characters who were glorious messes, I found that I could hide the motivations of one of the quieter, staid characters, who turned out to be the real ‘killer in the family’.

Now that I finished writing ‘A Killer in the Family’, I’m on to my next novel. And guess what? It’s full of bad Indians. It turns out that once you discover the joy of writing monstrous characters, there is no going back.

A Killer in the Family by Amin Ahmad (Cornerstone) Out Now

Good-natured but naïve, Mumbai party boy Ali Azeem is drifting through life. Then he meets the Khan sisters: pretty, marriage-material Maryam and sexy, unpredictable, off-the-rails Farhan. They are the daughters of Abbas Khan, the formidable immigrant patriarch of a glittering property empire, who has succeeded in making New York City his playground. Ali finds himself drawn deeper and deeper into the Khan family’s seductive world of private jets and towering skyscrapers. He begins to uncover rumours of affairs, accusations of corruption – and a troubling connection to the serial killer who once stalked the streets of Manhattan. As he closes in on the truth and learns the cost of the Khans' unattainable wealth and power, Ali must decide: is it a price worth paying?

More information about Amin Ahmad can be found on his website. He can also be found on Instagram @aminahmadbooks

Longlist for Theakston Old Peculiar Crime Novel of the Year 2026 Announced

 

LONGLIST FOR THEAKSTON OLD PECULIER 

CRIME NOVEL OF THE YEAR 2026 

New talent competes with established global bestsellers for the UK and Ireland’s most prestigious crime fiction prize

Festival Dates:-23rd -26th July 2026

www.harrogatetheakstoncrimeaward.com

#TheakstonsAwards #TheakstonsCrime

Thursday 30 April 2026: Harrogate International Festivals today announced the 18 titles longlisted for the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award 2026, the UK and Ireland’s most prestigious crime fiction award, now in its twenty second year. 

The longlist, voted for by an academy of journalists, reviewers, booksellers, bloggers, podcasters and industry representatives, showcases stories that transport readers from gangland Yorkshire to a haunted Dartmoor country house, from wartime Glasgow to a remote Scottish island, and features a host of remarkable sleuths - from the world’s first AI detective, to a time-travelling cold case investigator. 

The Longlist includes:

Six talented authors are longlisted for the first time, including bestselling authors A.A. Dhand and Alice Feeney, who both have smash hit TV adaptations to their names. 

5 former winners - 2024 champion Jo Callaghan, Mick Herron, Denise Mina, Belinda Bauer - and two times winner Mark Billingham - feature on the longlist. Belinda Bauer and Jo Callaghan are both alumni of the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival’s celebrated ‘New Blood’ initiative championing emerging talent. 

The longlist features writers from across the UK, including Bradford, Manchester, Birmingham, Sussex, Cardiff and Oxfordshire, with four Scottish authors, Tariq Ashkanani, Callum McSorley, Denise Mina and Alan Parks nominated. 

Celebrating innovative and entertaining storytelling, the 2026 longlist showcases a thrilling range of crime fiction subgenres, from gritty gangland thrillers and locked room mysteries to enthralling court room dramas, dark domestic noir and atmospheric historical murder mysteries. 

The full Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2026 longlist (in alphabetical order by surname) is:  

What Happens in the Dark by Kia Abdullah (HarperCollins, HQ Fiction) 

The Midnight King by Tariq Ashkanani (Profile Books, Viper) 

The Impossible Thing by Belinda Bauer (Penguin Random House, Bantam) 

What The Night Brings by Mark Billingham (Little, Brown Book Group, Sphere) 

Human Remains by Jo Callaghan (Simon & Schuster) 

The Death of Us by Abigail Dean (HarperCollins, Hemlock Press) 

The Chemist by A.A. Dhand (HarperCollins, HQ Fiction) 

Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney (Pan Macmillan, Pan Fiction) 

The Frozen People by Elly Griffiths (Quercus Books) 

The Examiner by Janice Hallett (Profile Books, Viper) 

The Blue Hour by Paula Hawkins (Penguin Random House, Doubleday) 

Clown Town by Mick Herron (John Murray Books, Baskerville) 

Quantum of Menace by Vaseem Khan (Bonnier Books, Zaffre) 

Paperboy by Callum McSorley (Puskin Press, Vertigo) 

The Good Liar by Denise Mina (Penguin Random House, Harvill)

Gunner by Alan Parks (John Murray Books, Baskerville) 

We Live Here Now by Sarah Pinborough (Orion Publishing Group, Orion Fiction) 

A Schooling in Murder by Andrew Taylor (HarperCollins, Hemlock Press) 

Crime fiction fans are now invited to help whittle 18 down to 6 by voting for their favourite novels to reach the shortlist, with the winner of the coveted Award announced on the opening night of the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival on Thursday 23rd July. 

The longlist in more detail: 

Five former winners are vying for top honours at this year’s Awards, including 2024 champion Jo Callaghan, who is longlisted for Human Remains, the third in her highly original series featuring detective duo DCS Kat Frank and her AI colleague Lock, alongside Belinda Bauer for The Impossible Thing, a historical mystery set in the world of rare egg trafficking. Both Jo Callaghan and Belinda Bauer are alumni of the Festival’s acclaimed ‘New Blood’ initiative supporting outstanding new voices. Also nominated are Denise Mina’s The Good Liar, a taut conspiracy thriller where a blood spatter expert is caught in a deadly dilemma about whether to reveal a miscarriage of justice, and Mark Billingham’s What the Night Brings, a pulsating Tom Thorne thriller where a series of targeted murders against police officers lead to an investigation into betrayal and vengeance. They are joined by Mick Herron who is longlisted for Clown Town, the latest instalment in the bestselling Slough House series, which sees a gang of washed-up spooks entangled in a dangerous game of blackmail with its roots in the Irish Troubles. Highly commended in 2023, Elly Griffiths receives an impressive eleventh longlisting for The Frozen People, the first in a new series with a time-travelling spin, as an unsolved mystery takes a cold cases investigator back to the freezing London of 1850.

Among the six hugely talented writers longlisted for the first time are Tariq Ashkanani, nominated for The Midnight King¸ a breathtaking thriller exploring the dark legacy of a serial killing author after his death, and Kia Abdullah for What Happens in the Dark, a courtroom drama about nightmare neighbours and how far ordinary people will go to defend loved ones. Also longlisted are We Live here Now by Sarah Pinborough, a twisty, genre-bending take on the haunted house mystery, set on Dartmoor, and Paperboy by Callum McSorley, an inventive, fast-paced and blackly comic slice of Glasgow Noir. They are up against A.A. Dhand’s gangland thriller, The Chemist where a community pharmacist finds himself in the middle of a turf war between two powerful Yorkshire drug cartels, and Alice Feeney’s Beautiful Ugly, a magnetic thriller about marriage and revenge set on a remote Scottish island. 

This year’s longlist showcases an extraordinary range of crime fiction subgenres. Vaseem Khan’s Quantum of Menace, a witty James Bond spin-off where a reimagined Q investigates the suspicious death of a scientist friend after losing his job at MI6, is nominated alongside Paula Hawkins’ atmospheric ‘locked room’ style mystery set on a tidal Scottish island, The Blue Hour. Joining them on the longlist are Abigail Dean’s psychological thriller The Death of Us, exploring trauma, grief and survival though the impact of a horrendous crime on one couple's relationship, and Janice Hallet’s The Examiner, an intricate mystery set in an art college, where a student is killed and suspicion falls on their dysfunctional classmates. 

Completing the 2026 line-up are two historical thrillers set in the Second World War. Gunner by Alan Parks sees a wounded former detective drawn into the case of a mutilated German found in Glasgow's bomb wreckage, and A Schooling in Murder by Andrew Taylor, set in a boarding school haunted by the ghost of a dead teacher whose replacement attempts to unmask the killer. 

Simon Theakston, Chairman of T&R Theakston, said: 

“We are delighted to announce the 2026 longlist for the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year. It’s a pleasure to sponsor this Award and champion such an array of talented crime writers – from established global bestsellers and household names, to rising stars who are all set to become the superstar writers of tomorrow. We’re very much looking forward to finding out who the public vote for to reach the shortlist this year.”

Sharon Canavar, Chief Executive of Harrogate International Festivals, said:  

“Congratulations to all the hugely talented writers longlisted for this year’s Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year. We’re excited to see such a compelling and inclusive longlist for this year’s Award. Readers are vitally important to the Award as they help to determine the outcome, and in this National Year of Reading we encourage everyone to go all in and vote for their favourite novel to reach the shortlist.”

The Award is presented by Harrogate International Festivals and sponsored by T&R Theakston Ltd, in partnership with Waterstones and Daily Express, and is open to full-length crime novels published in paperback between 1 May 2025 to 30 April 2026. The public are invited to vote to help create a shortlist of six titles from 8am on Thursday 30 April at www.harrogatetheakstoncrimeaward.com 

Voting closes on Thursday 28 May at 23:59, with the shortlist announced on Thursday 18 June. Once the shortlist is announced, readers will have the chance to vote again to help determine the winner. The winner will be revealed on the opening night of Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival, Thursday 23 July, at a special awards ceremony hosted by Steph McGovern. They will receive £3,000 and a handmade, engraved beer barrel provided by T&R Theakston Ltd.

Crime Writers of Canada 2026 Awards of Excellence Shortlist & Grand Master Recipient Rick Mofina

Crime Writers of Canada (CWC) announced the Shortlists for the 2026 Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence in Canadian Crime Writing. Since 1984, Crime Writers of Canada has recognized the best in mystery, crime, suspense fiction, and crime nonfiction by Canadian authors, including citizens abroad and new residents. Winners will be announced on Friday, May 29, 2026.

GRAND MASTER AWARD RECIPIENT

Rick Mofina has been named the recipient of the 2026 Grand Master Award. This prestigious biennial honour recognizes a Canadian crime writer with a substantial body of work who has garnered significant national and international acclaim while demonstrating a steadfast commitment to the crime-writing community. CWC selected Mofina for this distinction based on his prolific output, professional integrity, and years of dedicated service to both the organization and the genre.

THE 2026 AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE SHORTLISTS

The Peter Robinson Award for Best Crime Novel, with a $1000 prize

The Retirement Plan by Sue Hincenbergs, HarperCollins Publishers Ltd

The Hunger We Pass Down, by Jen Sookfong Lee, McClelland & Stewart

Into the Fall by Tamara L. Miller, Thomas and Mercer

The Black Wolf by Louise Penny Minotaur Books

The Tiger and the Cosmonaut, by Eddy Boudel Tan Viking Canada

Best Crime First Novel, sponsored by Melodie Campbell with a $1000 prize.

The Beltane Massacre by Ray Critch, Breakwater Books

Yesterday’s Lies by Jan Field, La Cloche Publishing

The Broken Detective by Joel Nedecky Run Amok Crime

 A Painting to Die For by David L. Tucker, Otter & Osprey Press

Too Dark for the Light by A.L. Wahdel, Butterfly 80 Publishing

Best Crime Novel Set in Canada, sponsored by Shaftesbury with a $500 prize.

 That Other Family by Lis Angus Next Chapter

, Every Fall by Angela Douglas, Rising Action Publishing Co

 Detective Aunty by Uzma Jalaluddin HarperCollins Publishers Ltd

 Salt on Her Tongue, by C.S. Porter Vagrant Press

The Hitchhikers, by Chevy Stevens, St. Martin’s Press

The Whodunit Award for Best Traditional Mystery, sponsored by Jane Doe with a $500 prize.

The Engineer’s Nemesis by Shelley Adina, Moonshell Books

 Stella Ryman and the Search for Thelma Hu by Mel Anastasiou, Pulp Literature Press

 A Dark Death by Alice Fitzpatrick Stonehouse Publishing

Some Justice: A Ghazi Ammar Medieval Mystery, by Laury Silvers, Independently Published

The Cost of a Hostage by Iona Whishaw,, Touch Wood Editions

Best Crime Short Story, sponsored by Crime Writers of Canada with a $200 prize.

 Under the Circumstances by Lis Angus, (A Capital Mystery Anthology), Ottawa Press and Publishing

The Lost Diner by Madeleine Harris Callway Pulp Literature Press (story on p.115)

Cold Shock by Barbara Fradkin (A Capital Mystery Anthology), Ottawa Press and Publishing

 The Headache by Billie Livingstone Dark Yonder (story on p.31)

Polly Wants a Freakin’ Cracker by Sylvia Maultash Warsh (Malice Domestic: Murder Most Humorous), Wildside Press

Best French Language Crime Book, sponsored by Carrick Publishing with a $500 prize

 Le regard des autres by Chrystine Brouillet, Druide

Jeux d’ombres by André Jacques Druide

La mémoire du labyrinth by Steve Laflamme, Libre Expression

Une nuit d’été à Littlebrook by Maureen Martineau, Héliotrope

Delta Zéro by Martin Michaud Libre Expression

Best Juvenile / YA Crime Book, sponsored by Superior Shores Press with a $250 prize.

The Mystery of the Haunted Dancehall by Charis Cotter Tundra Books

Death by Whoopee Cushion by Vicki Grant, Tundra Books

The Mizzy Mysteries: A Skeleton in the Closet by Claire Hatcher-Smith Tundra Books

The City of Lost Cats by Tanya Lloyd Kyi, Tundra Books

 Bark Twice for Murder by John Lekich, Orca Book Publishers

The Brass Knuckles Award for Best Nonfiction Crime Book, sponsored by David Reid Simpson Law Firm (Hamilton) with a $300 prize.

The Many Names of Robert Cree: How a First Nations Chief, Brought Ancient Wisdom to Big Business and Prosperity to His People, by Robert Cree with Therese Greenwood, ECW Press

 Acts of Darkness: Notorious Criminals, Their Defenders, Prosecutors, and Jailers by John L. Hill Durvile & UpRoute 

 Arctic Predator: The Crimes of Edward Horne Against Children in Canada’s North, by Kathleen Lippa, Dundurn Press 

On the Lam: Great (and Not So Great) Escapes from Prison, by Lorna Poplak, Dundurn Press 

Hitman: The Untold Story of Canada’s Deadliest Assassin by Julian Sher & Lisa Fitterman HarperCollins Publishers Ltd

Best Unpublished Crime Novel manuscript written by an unpublished author, sponsored by ECW Press with a $500 prize.

Val's Story by Anne Burlakoff, 

The Less You Know by William Hall, 

Lens Flare by Francis K. Lalumière, 

Death Scent by Barbara Stokes, 

 Blistered by Isabelle Zimmermann

Congratulations to all the nominated authors.

 

Agatha Awards - Malice Domestic 2026

 

The  2026 Agatha Award winners were announced during Malice Domestic 38 on April 25, 2026. The Agatha Awards honour the “traditional mystery,” books typified by the works of Agatha Christie and others. Congratulations to all.

The Agatha Award Winners (for works published in 2025)

Best Contemporary Mystery Novel

At Death’s Dough, by Mindy Quigley (Minotaur)

Best Historical Mystery Novel

The Case of the Christie Conspiracy, by Kelly Oliver (Boldwood)

Best Non-fiction

Vacations Can Be Murder: A True Crime Lover’s Travel Guide to the Mid-Atlantic States, by Dawn M. Barclay (Level Best)

Best First Mystery Novel

Whiskey Business, by Adrian Andover (Chestnut Avenue Press)

Best Children’s/Young Adult Mystery Novel

Death in the Cards, by Mia P. Manansala (Delacorte Books for Young Readers)

Best Mystery Short Story

 “Six-Armed Robbery,” by Ashley Ruth-Bernier (from Malice Domestic: Mystery Most Humorous)

 

100th Anniversary of Agatha Christie’s The Murder of Roger Ackroyd

The Folio Society presents newly illustrated edition of Agatha Christie’s The Murder or Roger Ackroyd to celebrate the novel’s 100th anniversary

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd By Agatha Christie

Illustrated by Owen Gent

Secrets, scandal and one of the most iconic twists in crime fiction. Illustrated by Owen Gent, this 100th anniversary edition of Agatha Christie’s classic invites you to enjoy, and then question, every clue alongside Hercule Poirot.

To celebrate the novel's 100th anniversary, The Folio Society presents a newly illustrated edition of The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, in their standalone series style, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd was published in June 1926, six months before Agatha Christie famously vanished for eleven days.

When Roger Ackroyd is discovered stabbed in his study, the sleepy village of King's Abbot finds itself at the heart of a scandal - one involving blackmail, a suspicious suicide, and a secret worth killing for. Fortunately, Hercule Poirot resides nearby in semi-retirement, devoting himself to marrows and mysteries with equal flair.

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is Christie at her very best - a tightly plotted tale of secrets and suspicion, in which every character has something to hide and nothing is quite as it seems. With Monsieur Poirot on the case, the truth cannot remain hidden for long.

Proclaimed by the Crime Writers' Association as 'the finest example of the genre ever penned', The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is consistently voted among Agatha Christie's best novels. It is, famously, the Poirot novel that demands to be read twice: the curious reader cannot resist re-examining what they thought they knew. A tightly plotted tale of secrets and suspicion, in which every character has something to hide and nothing is quite as it seems.

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie

Folio Society

£55.00

5^th May 2026

 

Available exclusively at www.foliosociety.com

Libraro Prize interview with Elly Griffiths

On the 19th January 2026 it was announced that award winning crime writer Elly Griffiths would be one of the judges for the new literary reader lead prize that was announced.  The prize is a partnership between Libraro and Hachette.

In an interview Elly agreed to talk about the prize, why she was delighted to be a judge and what she was looking for in the submissions.

Ayo:           Why did you agree to become a judge?

Elly:           As you know I am a former Editorial Director before I started writing my own novels and I have been very aware of the current barriers and difficulties that one sees within traditional publishing. I agreed to be a judge because not only did it appeal to me, but it is a publishing first.  I also see it as a practical way of getting published and also engaging with writers. The prize is a way of demystifying publishing and a way of finding not only new voices but also underrepresented books.

Ayo:               How important is the fact that it is a reader lead prize?

Elly:               It is very important because writers are also readers and it helps to break down the barriers between authors and readers.

Ayo:               Do such competitions matter?

Elly:               Very much so.  They matter as it is another way of writers getting their books in front of publishers and having a possible chance of being published. It is another way of encouraging writers to finish the books that they have started. Furthermore, not only is the prize democratic as in anyone can enter), but the shortlisted books will also receive support.

Ayo:              Are there any boundaries?

Elly:               No there are not. Everyone is welcome and we are quite open to fresh voices.

Ayo:       What are the key elements that you are looking for from the  submissions?

Elly:           Voice is very important so I am looking for a voice that will surprise me and is unheard.  A very authentic and genuine voice. Anything open, convincing and new. Publishing is a business, so the book also has to be marketable as well and be able to stand on its own merits. The story is important as well; it has to sing and to be warm.

Ayo:               What do you look for in an award-winning book?

Elly:           As already mentioned, voice, a fresh voice, a different voice and point of view. Emotion and or something that makes me laugh and also a book that challenges pre-conceptions.

Ayo:-            What would be your top tip for anyone entering the competition

Elly;            Read the guidelines and follow them carefully. Don’t second guess yourself. Be confident.  Remember that you are the one making the offer so don’t be too humble. Think of how you would sell your book. Think of an ‘elevator pitch’. Believe in your writing.

The winner package includes £50,000 from Libraro (a £30,000 prize and £20,000 towards the marketing of the finished book), and a book deal with Hachette UK. Meanwhile, two Reader Prizes worth £10,000 will be also awarded: one for the reader who refers the winning author to the platform, and the other for the reader who engages most actively with the writers’ submissions.

The shortlist will be announced on Tuesday 21st April 2026, with the overall winner announced on Wednesday 13th May 2026. 

In addition to its partnerships with Hachette UK and LoveReading, The Libraro Prize is supported by a range of organisations that share its aims to democratise reading and writing, and to recognise the importance of building community and connection. They are: Exiled Writers Ink, Frontline, Club, London Writers’ Salon, NAWE, New Writing North, Pen to Print, The Reading Agency, Writers & Artists and Writing West Midlands.

 

 

Crime Writers’ Association Announces 2026 Dagger Awards Longlists

 The Crime Writers' Association (CWA) reveal the longlists for the prestigious 2026 Dagger Awards, celebrating the very best in crime writing.

Created in 1955, the world-famous CWA Daggers are the oldest awards in the genre and have been synonymous with quality crime writing for over half a century.

This year’s longlists showcase the breadth of talent from internationally bestselling authors to emerging debuts.

Nadine Matheson, Chair of the CWA, said: “Congratulations to every author who appears on this year’s Dagger Awards longlist. A longlist recognition is no small thing and speaks to the dedication, craft, and ambition that goes into every book. This year's longlist also reflects something that excites me deeply as Chair of the CWA; the extraordinary range and evolution of crime writing today. The genre continues to grow in breadth, in voice, and in ambition, and this longlist is a testament to that.”

The coveted KAA Gold Dagger, sponsored by Kevin Anderson & Associates, is awarded for the best crime novel of the year. The longlist includes Abigail Dean, longlisted for The Death of Us, a powerful psychological novel also longlisted in the Ian Fleming Steel Dagger and Twisted Dagger categories.

Also longlisted are British crime writers Vaseem Khan with Quantum of Menace, and Laura Shepherd-Robinson for The Art of a Lie, alongside international authors, James Lee Burke, and the late Martin Cruz Smith.

The Ian Fleming Steel Dagger honours the best thriller of the year. The longlist includes global bestseller Karin Slaughter, alongside Robert Crais and Julie Clark. The Historical Dagger features acclaimed writers such as Graeme Macrae Burnet and Ariel Lawhon on the 2026 longlist.

The Twisted Dagger for psychological suspense longlists bestselling authors Lisa Jewell, Alice Feeney, and Sarah Pinborough. The Whodunnit Dagger for books with an intellectual challenge at the heart of a good mystery, sees SJ Bennett, Clare Mackintosh and Guy Morpuss in the running.

The global reach of the genre is showcased in the Crime Fiction in Translation Dagger. International authors longlisted include Antti Tuomainen and Kotaro Isaka. Their translators are also recognised in the award, which is sponsored in honour of Dolores Jakubowski.

Maxim Jakubowski, Chair of the CWA Daggers’ committee, said: "Once again the Daggers longlists come up with a tasty menu full of surprise inclusions and omissions, established authors and a diversity of newcomers, evidence yet again of the independence of thought of our various juries."

The ALCS Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction includes The CIA Book Club by Charlie English and The Spy in the Archive by Gordon Corera, reflecting the enduring fascination with espionage and true crime.

The Short Story Dagger features crime-writing heavyweights such as Denise Mina and Peter Swanson and is one of the few high-profile awards celebrating short-form storytelling.

The Dagger in the Library, voted for by librarians, recognises authors whose bodies of work have resonated with readers over time. This year’s longlist includes bestselling names such as the Death in Paradise creator Robert Thorogood, Paula Hawkins, Reverend Richard Coles, and Abir Mukherjee.

The CWA Daggers are also known for providing a platform for emerging talent, with the much-anticipated ILP John Creasey First Novel Dagger and the Emerging Author Dagger competition, sponsored by Fiction Feedback; over two dozen past winners and shortlisted debut authors have signed publishing deals to date.

The Best Crime and Mystery Publisher category recognises the publishers behind the genre’s success, with leading imprints including Faber & Faber, Pan Macmillan, and Simon & Schuster among those longlisted.

The CWA Diamond Dagger, sponsored by Karen Baugh Menuhin, is awarded to an author whose crime-writing career has been marked by sustained excellence, is announced in early spring and in 2026 was awarded to Mark Billingham.

The shortlists will be released on 28 May, and the winners announced at the CWA gala dinner awards night in July.

The longlists in full:                                     

CWA KAA Gold Dagger

Carnival of Lies by D.V. Bishop (Pan Macmillan/Macmillan)

Don't Forget Me, Little Bessie by James Lee Burke (Orion Fiction/Orion Fiction)

King of Ashes by S. A. Cosby (Headline)        

The Death of Us by Abigail Dean (HarperCollins/Hemlock Press)

Not Quite Dead Yet by Holly Jackson (Penguin Random House/Michael Joseph)

Quantum of Menace by Vaseem Khan (Bonnier Books UK/Zaffre)

The Frozen by Ariel Lawhon (River Swift Press)          

The Rush by Beth Lewis (Profile Books/Viper)

A Voice in The Night by Simon Mason (Quercus/riverrun)

The Good Father by Liam McIlvanney (Bonnier Books UK/Zaffre)

Hotel Ukraine by Martin Cruz Smith (Simon & Schuster UK) 

The Art of a Lie by Laura Shepherd-Robinson (Pan Macmillan/Mantle)

A Case of Life and Limb by Sally Smith (Bloomsbury Publishing/Raven Books)

Ian Fleming Steel Dagger

The Midnight King by Tariq Ashkanani (Profile Books/Viper)

The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark (Bonnier Books UK/Zaffre)

King of Ashes by S. A. Cosby (Headline)

The Big Empty by Robert Crais (Simon & Schuster UK)

The Death of Us by Abigail Dean (HarperCollins/Hemlock Press)

The Chemist by A A Dhand (HarperCollins/HQ Fiction)

A Dead Draw by Robert Dugoni (Amazon Publishing/ Thomas & Mercer)

A Sting in her Tale by Mark Ezra (Bedford Square Publishers/ No Exit Press)

Burying Jericho by William Hussey (Bonnier Books UK/ Zaffre)

Such Quiet Girls by Noelle Ihli (Pan Macmillan/ Pan)

The Good Father by Liam McIlvanney (Bonnier Books UK/Zaffre)

We Are All Guilty Here by Karin Slaughter (HarperCollins Publishers)

ALCS Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction

The Devil Takes Bitcoin by Jake Adelstein (Scribe)      

Shadow of The Bridge: The Delphi Murders and The Dark Side of The American Heartland by Áine Cain and Kevin Greenlee (Pegasus Books/Pegasus Crime)

Saffie by David Collins (Silvertail Books)        

The Spy in the Archive: How One Man Tried to Kill the KGB by Gordon Corera (HarperCollins/ William Collins)

The Murder Game by John Curran (HarperCollins/Collins Crime Club)

The CIA Book Club: The Best-Kept Secret of the Cold War by Charlie English (HarperCollins/ William Collins)

Murderland by Caroline Fraser (Little, Brown Book Group/Fleet)

The Einstein Vendetta: Hitler, Mussolini, And A True Story of Murder by Thomas Harding (Penguin/ Michael Joseph)

A Spy in the Family by Paul Henderson and David Gardner (Mirror Books)     

The Cleveland Street Scandal by Neil Root (The History Press)            

That Dark Spring by Susannah Stapleton (Pan Macmillan/Picador)

The Illegals by Shaun Walker (Profile Books)

Historical Dagger

A Granite Silence by Nina Allan (Quercus/riverrun)

Spoiler's Prey by Robin Blake (Severn House)

Benecula by Graeme Macrae Burnet (Birlinn Ltd/ Polygon)

The Mourning Necklace by Kate Foster (Pan Macmillan/Mantle)

The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon (Swift Press)

The Rush by Beth Lewis (Profile Books/Viper)

Barvick Falls by Rob McInroy (Tippermuir Books)

The Devil's Draper by Donna Moore (Fly on the Wall Press)

Gunner by Alan Parks (John Murray Press/Baskerville)

Cairo Gambit by SW Perry (Atlantic Books/Corvus)

The Art of a Lie by Laura Shepherd-Robinson (Pan Macmillan/Mangle)

A Case of Life and Limb by Sally Smith (Bloomsbury Publishing/Raven Books)

 

Crime Fiction in Translation Dagger

Home Before Dark by Eva Björg Ægisdóttir (Orenda Books) translated by Victoria Cribb

Murder Mindfully by Karsten Dusse (Faber) translated by Florian Duijsens

Scars of Silence by Johana Gustawsson (Orenda Books) translated by David Warriner

The Lake by Jørn Lier Horst (Penguin Random House) translated by Anne Bruce

Seesaw Monster by Kotaro Isaka (Penguin Random House) translated by Sam Malissa

Red Water by Jurica Pavicic (Bitter Lemon Press) translated by Matt Robinson

The Grave in the Ice by Satu Rämö (Bonnier Books UK) translated by Kristian London

Big Bad Wool by Leonie Swann (Allison & Busby) translated by Amy Bojang

The Winter Job by Antti Tuomainen (Orenda Books) translated by David Hackston

Strange Pictures by Uketsu (Pushkin Press) translated by Jim Rion

Whodunnit Dagger

The Christmas Cracker Killer by Alexandra Benedict (Simon & Schuster UK)

The Queen Who Came in from the Cold by SJ Bennett (Bonnier Books UK/ Zaffre)

Etiquette for Lovers & Killers by Anna Fitzgerald Healy (Little, Brown Book Group/Fleet)

Little Secrets by Victoria Goldman (Three Crowns Publishing UK/self-published)

A Queer Case by Robert Holtom (Titan Books)

The Margaret Code by Richard Hooton (Little, Brown Book Group/Sphere)

A Cinnamon Falls Mystery by RL Killmore (Simon & Schuster UK)

Other People's Houses by Clare Mackintosh (Little, Brown Book Group/Sphere)

Not Another Bloody Christmas by Jo Middleton (HarperCollins/Avon)

A Trial in Three Acts by Guy Morpuss (Profile Books/Viper)

A Murder for Miss Hortense by Mel Pennant (John Murray Press/Baskerville)

Bad Influence by CJ Wray (Orion Fiction)

Twisted Dagger

What Happens in the Dark by Kia Abdullah (HarperCollins/HQ Fiction)

Her Many Faces by Nicci Cloke (Penguin Random House UK/Harvill)

Some of Us are Liars by Fiona Cummins (Pan Macmillan/Macmillan)

The House of Water by Fflur Dafydd (Hodder & Stoughton/Hodder Fiction)

The Death of Us by Abigail Dean (HarperCollins/Hemlock Press)

Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney (Pan Macmillan/Macmillan)

Scenes From A Tragedy by Carole Hailey (Atlantic Books/Corvus)

Don't Let Him In by Lisa Jewell (Penguin Random House/Century)

The Bodies by Sam Lloyd (Transworld/Bantam)

The Good Father by Liam McIlvanney (Bonnier Books UK/Zaffre)

We Live Here Now by Sarah Pinborough (Orion Fiction)         

59 Minutes by Holly Seddon (Orion Publishing Group/ Orion Fiction)

ILP John Creasey (First Novel) Dagger

The Malt Whiskey Murders by Natalie Jayne Clark (Birlinn Ltd/Polygon)

Etiquette for Lovers and Killers by Anna Fitzgerald Healy (Little, Brown Book Group/Fleet)

The Peak by Sam Guthrie (HarperCollins Publishers)

The Retirement Plan by Sue Hincenberg (Little, Brown Book Group/ Sphere)

The Lost Detective by Elspeth Latimer (Story Machine)

The Wolf Tree by Laura   McCluskey (HarperCollins/Hemlock Press)

The Vanishing Place by Zoë Rankin (Profile Books/Viper)

Coram House by Bailey Seybolt (Bloomsbury Publishing/Raven Books)

A Beautiful Family by Jennifer Trevelyan (Pan Macmillan/Mantle)

Holy City by Henry Wise (Bedford Square Publishers/No Exit Press)

Short Story Dagger

 ‘Arlene’ by William Boyle in Birds, Strangers and Psychos (No Exit Press)

 ‘Split Your Silver Tongue’ by SA Cosby in Birds, Strangers and Psychos (No Exit Press)

‘Chest’ in Birds, by Ragnar Jónasson Strangers and Psychos (No Exit Press)

‘The Karpman Drama Triangle’ by Denise Mina in Birds, Strangers and Psychos (No Exit Press)

 ‘Full Circle’ by Abir Mukherjee in Playing Dead: Short Stories by Members of the Detection Club (Severn House)

‘The Apple Falls Not Far’ by Ambrose Perry (Canongate)

‘Once Upon a Time in New Jersey‘ by Zoë Sharp and John Lawton in CrimeFest: Leaving the Scene Celebrating 16 Years (No Exit Press)

 ‘Strangers on a School Bus’ by Peter Swanson in Birds, Strangers and Psychos (No Exit Press)

 ‘Waiting’ by Michael Wood in Criminal Pursuits: This Is Me (Telos Publishing)

Dagger in the Library

Ben Aaronovitch              

Damien Boyd     

Reverend Richard Coles 

Rhys Dylan         

Paula Hawkins   

JD Kirk  

Clare Mackintosh             

Freida McFadden             

Abir Mukherjee 

Tim Sullivan       

Robert Thorogood           

Best Crime & Mystery Publisher

Allison & Busby

Baskerville (John Murray/Hachette)

Bitter Lemon Press

Constable (Little, Brown)

Faber & Faber

Harvill Vintage (Penguin Random House)

Muswell Press

No Exit Press (Bedford Square)

Pan Macmillan

Polygon (Birlinn)

Simon & Schuster

Viper (Profile Books)