2025 CWA Dagger Awards Announced

The 2025 winners of the prestigious Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) Dagger Awards, which honour the very best in the crime-writing genre, have been announced.

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.

The awards were announced this evening 3^rd July 2025 at the CWA gala dinner at De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms, London.

The prestigious KAA Gold Dagger, sponsored by Kevin Anderson & Associates, which is awarded for the best crime novel of the year, went to Anna Mazzola for Book of Secrets.

Inspired by real events, prosecutor Stefano Bracchi investigates why men are dying in unnatural numbers months after the plague has ravaged Rome. Judges praised it as an expertly crafted ‘engrossing cat-and-mouse thriller’ set in 17th century Rome.

The Ian Fleming Steel Dagger, sponsored by Ian Fleming Publications Ltd, showcases the thriller of the year and was awarded to Lou Berney for his masterful thriller, Dark Ride, where an unlikely hero goes up against a deadly crime boss. Judges praised it as ‘sublime thriller full of heartache and humanity’ and a ‘moving yet nail-biting novel.’

The much-anticipated ILP John Creasey First Novel Dagger which highlights the best debut novels of the year went to Katy Massey’s debut set in the shadow of the Yorkshire Ripper, All Us Sinners. Judges praised it as ‘vivid and brutally honest’ and an ‘important and bold take on the Yorkshire Ripper murders told with passion and respect from the point of view of the women who were never heard.’

The Historical Dagger, sponsored by Morgan Witzel in memory of Dr Marilyn Livingstone, went to A.J. West with The Betrayal of Thomas True which is set in the excitement and squalor of London’s underworld in the year 1710.

Nadine Matheson, Chair of the CWA, said: "This has been another exemplary year, and our judges once again faced the exciting but difficult task of selecting from a truly impressive shortlist. The winners reflect the strength, diversity, and continuing legacy of crime writing today.

“I would also like to extend our congratulations to the winners of the Twisted Dagger and the Whodunnit Dagger, Tracy Sierra and Lisa Hall. The inclusion of these two new categories continues to highlight the evolution and innovation happening within the genre.”

The Crime Fiction in Translation Dagger, sponsored in honour of Dolores Jakubowski, was awarded to the debut gangland thriller The Night of Baba Yaga from Japan’s Akira Otani translated by Sam Bett – hot-on-the-heels from winning the 2025 CrimeFest Specsavers Debut Crime Novel of the Year.

Judges said: “Like a manga cartoon, this savage depiction of Japanese yakuza life is relentlessly violent if only to highlight the deep humanity of its fish out of water characters. Mean and lean, this saga sparkles with originality and delivers a splendid if bizarre love story.” 

The Night of Baba Yaga pipped another Japanese bestseller to the post, Asako Yuzuki’s Butter translated by Polly Barton.

The ALCS Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction was awarded to Kate Summerscale’s retelling of the Christie murders, The Peepshow: The Murders at 10 Rillington Place. It was praised as a ‘remarkable read, riveting without ever being salacious’ offering a fresh perspective on one of Britain’s most notorious cases.

The CWA Daggers are one of the few high-profile awards that honour the short story. This year Short Story Dagger went to the academic and expert on Agatha Christie, J.C Bernthal, for A Date on Yarmouth Pier, praised as a ‘mini-masterpiece with a killer twist.’

2025 saw the announcement of two new CWA Dagger Awards.

The Twisted Dagger celebrates psychological thrillers and dark and twisty tales that often feature unreliable narrators, disturbed emotions, a healthy dose of moral ambiguity, and a sting in the tail. 

It was awarded to Nightwatching by Tracy Sierra, a slow-burning tale of a mother who will do anything to protect her children. The books unusual voice captured the judges, who praised it as, ‘horrific, compelling, nerve-shreddingly tense and cleverly twisted.’

The Whodunnit Dagger celebrates books that focus on the intellectual challenge at the heart of a good mystery. Books in this category include cosy crime, traditional crime, and Golden Age-inspired mysteries.

The inaugural winner is Lisa Hall with The Case of the Singer and the Showgirl. Judges admired its cleverly handled twist on a classic mystery featuring Hollywood icons: ‘A glamorous, evocative timeslip mystery that took us right back to sparkling Vegas in the fifties.’ 

The Emerging Author Dagger, which has been going for over 20 years, celebrates aspiring crime novelists, sponsored by Fiction Feedback. The competition is open to unpublished authors, and is judged on the best opening for an unpublished crime novel. Over two dozen past winners and shortlisted Debut Dagger authors have signed publishing deals to date.

2025’s Emerging Author Dagger was awarded to Joe Eurell for Ashland. Judges compared it as Mare of Easttown meets We Begin at the End: “A beautifully written story evoking a powerful sense of place and conveying a rare energy. Rounded characters are portrayed in fascinating depth.” 

Richard Osman was awarded the 2025 Dagger in the Library award. The nominee longlist is voted by librarians and library users, chosen for the author’s body of work and support of libraries. 

Best Crime and Mystery Publisher of the Year Dagger, which celebrates publishers and imprints demonstrating excellence and diversity in crime writing, was awarded to Orenda Books. 

The CWA Diamond Dagger, awarded to an author whose crime-writing career has been marked by sustained excellence, is announced in early spring and in 2025 was awarded to Mick Herron.

Mick Herron said: “I’ve spent the best part of my life – not the majority of it; just the best part – in the crime writers’ community, and to receive this accolade from these friends and colleagues is both a career highlight and a personal joy. I’m touched and thrilled beyond measure, and will try to live up to the honour.”

The 2025 Winners in Full:

The KAA GOLD DAGGER

Book of Secrets by Anna Mazzola: (Orion)

THE IAN FLEMING STEEL DAGGER

Dark Ride by Lou Berney (Hemlock Press/ HarperCollins)

THE ILP JOHN CREASEY FIRST NOVEL DAGGER

All Us Sinners by Katy Massey (Little, Brown /Sphere)

THE TWISTED DAGGER

Nightwatching by Tracy Sierra (PRH/ Viking)

THE WHODUNNIT DAGGER

The Case of the Singer and the Showgirl by Lisa Hall (Hera)

THE HISTORICAL DAGGER (Sponsored in Honour of Dr. Marilyn Livingstone)

The Betrayal of Thomas True by A.J. West, (Orenda Books)

 THE ALCS GOLD DAGGER FOR NON-FICTION

The Peepshow: The Murders at 10 Rillington Place by Kate Summerscale: (Bloomsbury Circus)   

THE CRIME FICTION IN TRANSLATION DAGGER (Sponsored in Honour of Dolores Jakubowski)

The Night of Baba Yaga by Akira Otani:  (Faber) tr. Sam Bett

THE SHORT STORY DAGGER

‘A Date on Yarmouth Pier’ by J.C Bernthal in Midsummer Mysteries edited by Martin Edwards (Flame Tree Publishing/Flame Tree Collections)

THE DAGGER IN THE LIBRARY

Richard Osman

THE DAGGER FOR THE BEST CRIME AND MYSTERY PUBLISHERS

Orenda Books

THE EMERGING AUTHOR DAGGER (sponsored by Fiction Feedback)

Ashland by Joe Eurell, 

 THE CWA DIAMOND DAGGER AWARD

 Mick Herron

In The St Hilda's Spotlight - Anna Mazzola

 Name:- Anna Mazzola (aka Anna Sharpe)

Job:- Author and Consultant Solicitor

Website:- https://annamazzola.com

Facebook:- AnnaMazzolaWriter

X @anna_mazz

Instagram:- @annamazzolawriter

Introduction

Anna Mazzola is the author of as well as being a human rights and criminal justice Solicitor. Her debut novel, The Unseeing, won an Edgar Allan Poe award. Her fourth novel, The House of Whispers, set in 1930s Rome, won a Fingerprint Award for Best Historical Crime novel. Her bestselling third novel, The Clockwork Girl, was shortlisted for the Gold Dagger and the Historical Dagger for the 2023 awards. It was also nominated for the Dublin Literary award. Her fifth novel, The Book of Secrets, is based on a real case from 17th century Rome and was a Times Historical Novel of the Month and has been shortlisted for the 2025 Gold Dagger and Historical Dagger. Her first legal thriller under the name of Anna Sharpe Notes on a Drowning, was published earlier this year.

Current book? (This can either be the current book that you are reading or writing or both)

Reading: I’m on a Tana French binge. I’m reading The Wych Elm at the moment. Her writing is pin-sharp and her characters are so flawed, complex and plausible. Her most Gothic novel is probably Broken Harbour, which, unsurprisingly, is my favourite.

Writing: I’ve just handed in my second Anna Sharpe book, a courtroom thriller called Lie For Your Life, and am now waiting for my editor to give me the verdict.

Has any gothic book spooked you and if so which one and why?

Little Sister Death by William Gay. It’s in the Southern Gothic tradition and inspired by the 19th Century Bell Witch haunting of Tennessee. I’m not easily scared by books, but this one sure got me. I dare you all to read it.

Which two gothic writers would you invite to dinner and why?

Shirley Jackson, because she was sharp, witty and imposing, and Mary Shelley, as she was rebellious and super-smart. I think they’d make for an interesting evening, though they might of course have a fight.

How do you relax?

Running, writing, reading, swimming, listening to music, ritual sacrifice.

Which gothic book do you wish you had written and why?

Rebecca by Du Maurier. A Gothic classic and a huge bestseller which very much gave the finger to the critics who said that Du Maurier was just a mediocre romance writer.

If you were to write a gothic book where would you set it and why?

I’d like to set a story on Poveglia Island, located near Venice. It’s supposedly one of the most haunted places in the world, with a very dark history involving plague quarantines and a lunatic asylum. You’re not officially allowed to go to the island, but that just makes it more appealing.

How would you describe your latest published book?

My most recently published novel, Notes on a Drowning, isn’t a Gothic one – it’s a legal/political thriller about two determined women on the trail of a scandal involving death, corruption and misogyny. But it has jokes. My most recent historical novel is The Book of Secrets, which is a tale of sorcery and survival based on a real ring of women accused of making and selling poison in 17th century Rome.

With Detecting the Gothic: Tales from the Dark Heart of Crime Fiction the theme at St Hilda's this year, which are you three favourite gothic authors or books

My top three Gothic gems are:

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier (or is My Cousin Rachel better??)

Perfume by Patrick Süskind

Which 3 gothic films would you rewatch and why.

Pan’s Labyrinth, my favourite Guillermo Del Torro film – I love its dark, fairytale-like quality. Picnic at Hanging Rock, as it had a strong impression on me and I think is part of the reason I ended up writing Gothic fiction. The bigger reason, though, was David Lynch’s Twin Peaks, the series as well as the film. Bob continues to stalk my dreams.

What are you looking forward to at St Hilda's?

The play! I’m not sure what my role is yet, but I hope it will require me to wear a wig.

Notes on a Drowning by Anna Sharpe (Orion) Out Now

Alex knows she risks getting fired from her law firm if she takes on another unpaid case, but when she hears Rosa's desperate voice at the other end of the phone, she knows she has to help: the body of Rosa's shy teenage sister, Natalia, has been dragged, lifeless, from the Thames. Alex can't help but think of her own missing little sister. She knows how a lack of answers can eat you alive. Kat has worked hard to become Special Adviser to the Home Secretary, and is eager to finally put the dark and tragic part of her past behind her. But when she discovers a series of cover-ups, she begins to wonder whether her seemingly perfect new boss could be involved. Then she's shocked to discover a letter that raises worrying questions about a girl found drowned in London... Natalia. There are complex and painful reasons for Alex and Kat not to work together, but when it becomes clear that there are powerful people involved in Natalia's death, and that other girls are at risk, Alex and Kat must overcome their differences to find answers. Will they save the girls and discover the truth? Or will the high-powered players in this game stop Alex and Kat for good?

Information on how to buy online tickets can be found here. The programme can be found here.

2025 CWA Daggers Shortlist announced

The 2025 shortlist for the prestigious Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) Dagger awards, which honour the very best in the crime-writing genre, are announced.

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.

The prestigious KAA Gold Dagger, sponsored by Kevin Anderson & Associates, is awarded for the best crime novel of the year

The shortlist includes the debut novel from Bonnie Burke-Patel’s Died at Fallow Hall, up against established authors in the genre, including RJ Ellory with The Bell Tower, Tana French’s The Hunter, and Attica Locke’s Guide Me Home.

It also features two historical crime books with D.V. Bishop’s A Divine Fury, and Anna Mazzola’s The Book of Secrets.

The Ian Fleming Steel Dagger, sponsored by Ian Fleming Publications Ltd, showcases the thriller of the year.

The shortlist sees Lou Berne’s masterful thriller, Dark Ride, up against previous winner of the Steel Dagger, MW Craven, with Nobody’s Hero. Also making the list are Garry Disher with Sanctuary, Abir Mukherjee’s Hunted, Stuart Neville with Blood Like Mine and the iconic American author, Don Winslow with City in Ruins.

The much-anticipated ILP John Creasey First Novel Dagger highlights the best debut novels.

Among the rising stars of 2025 is the debut set in the shadow of the Yorkshire Ripper, Katy Massey’s All of Us Are Sinners. Jessica Bull’s Miss Austen Investigates, Justine Champine’s Knife River, Anders Lustgarten’s Three Burials are also contenders alongside Gay Marris with A Curtain Twitcher's Book of Murder and Marie Tierney with Deadly Animals.

The Historical Dagger, sponsored by Morgan Witzel in memory of Dr Marilyn Livingstone.

Two novels feature on both the Gold and the Historical Dagger shortlist. DV Bishop’s A Divine Fury is the fourth in the Cesare Aldo series featuring a sixteenth century detective in Florence, and Anna Mazzola’s The Book of Secrets set in 17th century Italy. 

The shortlist also includes Chris Lloyd: Banquet of Beggars, Clare Whitfield with Poor Girls, and A.J. West, The Betrayal of Thomas True which is set in a London underworld in the year 1710.

Nadine Matheson, Chair of the CWA, said: “Congratulations to everyone who has been shortlisted for these prestigious awards. It’s not only a joy but it’s inspiring to see such a rich variety of stories and voices being celebrated. The 2025 CWA Daggers shortlist is a true reflection of the growing strength of crime writing today. The contributed work of every shortlisted writer is shaping the future of the genre, and their work reminds us why we fell in love with these stories in the first place.”

The Crime Fiction in Translation Dagger, sponsored in honour of Dolores Jakubowski, features the smash-hit, Waterstones Book of the Month, Butter by Asako Yuzuki, translated by Polly Barton.  The queer debut gangland thriller The Night of Baba Yaga from Japan’s Akira Otani also makes the shortlist shortly after winning the 2025 CrimeFest Debut Crime Novel of the Year, sponsored by Specsavers.

The ALCS Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction includes a giant of the genre with John Grisham and Jim McCloskey’s Framed, which looks at ten wrongful convictions, and Kate Summerscale’s retelling of the Christie murders, The Peepshow: The Murders at 10 Rillington Place.

The CWA Daggers are one of the few high-profile awards that honour the short story.

This year sees multiple bestselling names from the genre up for the award including Janice Hallett, and Ruth Ware, up against lesser established names such as the academic and expert on Agatha Christie, J.C Bernthal, with the short story, A Date on Yarmouth Pier.

The Best Crime and Mystery Publisher of the Year Dagger, which celebrates publishers and imprints demonstrating excellence and diversity in crime writing, pits independent publisher Bitter Lemon Press against Faber, Orenda, Pan Macmillan, and Simon & Schuster. 

2025 sees the announcement of two new CWA Dagger Awards. The Twisted Dagger celebrates psychological thrillers and dark and twisty tales that often feature unreliable narrators, disturbed emotions, a healthy dose of moral ambiguity, and a sting in the tail. 

Shortlisted titles include Beautiful People by Amanda Jennings, Catherine Steadman’s Look in the Mirror, and Nightwatching by Tracy Sierra.

The Whodunnit Dagger celebrates books that focus on the intellectual challenge at the heart of a good mystery. Books in this category include cosy crime, traditional crime, and Golden Age-inspired mysteries. Amongst the six shortlisted authors are Lisa Hall with The Case of the Singer and the Showgirl and Laura Marshall with A Good Place to Hide a Body.

The Dagger in the Library nominee longlist is voted by librarians and library users, chosen for the author’s body of work and support of libraries. 

This year’s sees established names including the bestselling phenomenon Richard Osman, the acclaimed Kate Atkinson, JK Rowling’s crime alter-ego Robert Galbraith, the award-winning mystery author Janice Hallett, bestseller Lisa Jewell and author of sixty historical crime novels, Edward Marston.

The Emerging Author Dagger, which has been going for over 20 years, celebrates aspiring crime novelists and is sponsored by Fiction Feedback, also welcomes six new upcoming authors.

The competition is open to unpublished authors, and is judged on the best opening for an unpublished crime novel. The winner will gain the attention of leading agents and top editors; over two dozen past winners and shortlisted Debut Dagger authors have signed publishing deals to date.

The CWA Diamond Dagger, awarded to an author whose crime-writing career has been marked by sustained excellence, is announced in early spring and in 2025 was awarded to Mick Herron.

The winners will be announced at the award ceremony at the CWA gala dinner on 3 July.

 The Shortlist in Full:

KAA GOLD DAGGER

A Divine Fury by D V Bishop (Macmillan)

The Bell Tower by R J Ellory (Orion)

The Hunter by Tana French (Penguin Books Ltd)

Guide Me Home by Attica Locke (Profile Books Ltd)

 Book of Secrets byAnna Mazzola (Orion)

I Died at Fallow Hall by Bonnie Burke-Patel (Bedford Square Publishers)

 

IAN FLEMING STEEL DAGGER

Dark Ride by Lou Berney (Hemlock Press/ HarperCollins)

Nobody's Hero by M W Craven (Constable/Little Brown, Hachette)

Sanctuary by Garry Disher (Viper/Profile Books)

Hunted by Abir Mukherjee (Harvill & Secker/ Penguin Random House)

Blood Like Mine by Stuart Neville (Simon & Schuster)

City in Ruins by Don Winslow (Hemlock Press/HarperCollins)

 

ILP JOHN CREASEY (NEW BLOOD) DAGGER

Miss Austen Investigates by Jessica Bull (Penguin Random House/ Michael Joseph)

Knife River by Justine Champine (Bonnier Books UK/ Manilla Press)

Three Burials by Anders Lustgarten (Penguin Random House/ Hamish Hamilton) 

A Curtain Twitcher's Book of Murder by Gay Marris (Bedford Square Publishers)         

All Us Sinners by Katy Massey (Little, Brown /Sphere)

Deadly Animals by Marie Tierney (Bonnier Books UK/ Zaffre)

 HISTORICAL DAGGER

A Divine Fury by D.V. Bishop (Macmillan)

Banquet of Beggars by Chris Lloyd (Orion Fiction/Orion Publishing)

The Book of Secrets by Anna Mazzola (Orion Fiction/Orion Publishing)

The Betrayal of Thomas True by A.J. West  (Orenda Books)

Poor Girls by Clare Whitfield (Aries / Head of Zeus)

 

CRIME FICTION IN TRANSLATION DAGGER

Dogs and Wolves by Hervé Le Corre (Europa Editions UK) tr. Howard Curtis

Going to the Dogs by Pierre Lemaitre (Maclehose Press) tr. Frank Wynne

The Night of Baby Yaga by Akira Otani (Faber & Faber) tr. Sam Bett

The Clues in the Fjord by Satu Rämö (Zaffre) tr.  Kristian London  

Butter by Asako Yuzuki (4th Estate) tr. Polly Barton

Clean by Alia Trabucco Zerán (4th Estate) tr. Sophie Hughes

 

ALCS GOLD DAGGER FOR NON-FICTION 

Unmasking Lucy Letby by Jonathan Coffey & Judith Moritz (Seven Dials)   

The Lady in the Lake by Jeremy Craddock (Mirror Books)   

Framed by John Grisham & Jim McCloskey (Hodder & Stoughton)  

The Criminal Mind by Duncan Harding (PRH/Michael Joseph)   

Four Shots in the Night by Henry Hemming (Quercus)   

The Peepshow: The Murders at 10 Rillington Place by Kate Summerscale (Bloomsbury Circus)   

SHORT STORY DAGGER

‘The Glorious Twelfth’ by S.J Bennett: in Midsummer Mysteries edited by Martin Edwards (Flame Tree Publishing/Flame Tree Collections)

‘A Date on Yarmouth Pier’ by J.C Bernthal in Midsummer Mysteries edited by Martin Edwards (Flame Tree Publishing/Flame Tree Collections)

'Why Harrogate?’ by Janice Hallett in Murder in Harrogate edited by Vaseem Khan (Orion Publishing Group/Orion Fiction)

‘City Without Shadows’ by William Burton McCormick in Midsummer Mysteries edited by Martin Edwards (Flame Tree Publishing/Flame Tree Collections)

‘A Ruby Sun’ by Meeti Shroff-Shah in Midsummer Mysteries edited by Martin Edwards (Flame Tree Publishing/Flame Tree Collections)

‘Murder at the Turkish Baths’by Ruth Ware in Murder in Harrogate edited by Vaseem Khan, (Orion Publishing Group/ Orion Fiction)

WHODUNNIT DAGGER

 A Death in Diamonds by SJ Bennett, (Bonnier Books UK, Zaffre)

 Murder at the Christmas Emporium by Andreina Cordani,(Bonnier Books UK, Zaffre)

 The Case of the Singer and the Showgirl by Lisa Hall, (Hera Hera)

A Good Place to Hide a Body by Laura Marshall, (Hodder & Stoughton )

 A Matrimonial Murder by Meeti Shroff-Shah, (Joffe Books)

Murder at the Matinee, by Jamie West, (Brabinger Publishing)

TWISTED DAGGER

Emma, Disappeared by Andrew Hughes (Hachette Books Ireland)

Beautiful People by Amanda Jennings (HarperCollins/ HQ FICTION)

The Stranger In Her House by John Marrs (Amazon Publishing/ Thomas & Mercer)

The Trials Of Marjorie Crowe by CS Robertson (Hodder & Stoughton)              

 Nightwatching by Tracy Sierra: (PRH/ Viking)

Look In The Mirror by Catherine Steadman (Quercus)           

DAGGER IN THE LIBRARY

Kate Atkinson

Robert Galbraith

Janice Hallett

Lisa Jewell

Edward Marston

Richard Osman

 

PUBLISHERS’ DAGGER

Bitter Lemon Press

Faber & Faber

Orenda Books

Pan Macmillan

Simon & Schuster

 

EMERGING AUTHOR DAGGER

Bahadur Is My Name by Loftus Brown, 

Funeral Games by Shannon Chamberlain

 Soho Love, Soho Blood by Hywel Davies

Ashland by Joe Eurell

 The Fifth by Shannon Falkson,

Murder Under Wraps by Catherine Lovering, 

 

CWA Dagger Awards Longlists Announced

The 2025 longlists for the prestigious Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) Dagger awards, which honour the very best in the crime-writing genre, are announced.

 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.

The longlist for the prestigious Gold Dagger, which is awarded for the best crime novel of the year, includes five debut novels including Bonnie Burke-Patel’s Died at Fallow Hall, the debut whodunnit from Kristen Perrin, How to Solve Your Own Murder, and the first book from bestselling author Harriet Evans, under her penname, Harriet F Townson: D is for Death.

The debuts are up against established authors in the genre, including RJ Ellory, Tana French, and Attica Locke.

The Ian Fleming Steel Dagger, sponsored by Ian Fleming Publications Ltd, showcases the thriller of the year.

The longlist for 2025 includes Chris Whitaker with All the Colours of the Dark. Whitaker has previously taken home the CWA John Creasey New Blood Dagger in 2017 and CWA Gold Dagger in 2021. 

He’s up against firm favourites including MW Craven with Nobody’s Hero, Liz Moore’s The God of the Woods, and Abir Mukherjee’s Hunted. 

The much-anticipated ILP John Creasey First Novel Dagger highlights the best debut novels.

Among the rising stars of 2025 is the debut set in the shadow of the Yorkshire Ripper, Katy Massey’s All of Us Are Sinners, former prison officer Claire Wilson’s assured debut, Five by Five, and the moody neo-noir love letter to New York, An Honest Living by Dwyer Murphy.

DV Bishop makes two longlists with A Divine Fury – the Gold and the Historical Dagger. The book is the fourth in the Cesare Aldo series featuring a sixteenth century detective in Florence.

The Historical Dagger is sponsored by Morgan Witzel in memory of Dr Marilyn Livingstone. The longlist also includes Clare Whitfield’s Poor Girls: Meet the Female Peaky Blinders, which exposes the criminal underbelly of 1920s London, and Anna Mazzola’s The Book of Secrets set in 17th century Italy.

Maxim Jakubowski, Chair of the CWA Daggers’ committee, said: “Once again our independent and rotating judging panels have come up with surprises galore, highlighting the impressive efforts of both major authors and newcomers, with a convincing demonstration of how diverse and talented the crime, mystery and thriller field is at present. A wonderful embarrassment of outstanding titles.”

The Crime Fiction in Translation Dagger, sponsored in honour of Dolores Jakubowski, features the smash-hit, Waterstones Book of the Month, Butter by Asako Yuziki, translated by Polly Barton.

From France comes Artifice, a thriller with a twist from Claire Berest translated by Sophie Lewis, and the queer debut gangland thriller The Night of Baba Yaga from Japan’s Akira Otani also makes the longlist.

The ALCS Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction includes giants of the genre with John Grisham and Jim McCloskey’s Framed, which looks at ten wrongful convictions, Lynda La Plante’s memoir, Getting Away with Murder and Kate Summerscale’s retelling of the Christie murders, The Peepshow: The Murders at 10 Rillington Place.

The CWA Daggers are one of the few high-profile awards that honour the short story.

This year sees multiple bestselling names from the genre up for the award including Ann Cleeves, Elly Griffiths, Janice Hallet, Clare Mackintosh, Ruth Ware and Vaseem Khan.

The Best Crime and Mystery Publisher of the Year Dagger, which celebrates publishers and imprints demonstrating excellence and diversity in crime writing, pits big publishing houses including Michael Joseph (Penguin Random House), Hemlock Press (HarperCollins) and Sphere (Little Brown) against independent publishers, Bitter Lemon Press and Canelo. 

2025 sees the announcement of two new CWA Dagger Awards.

The Twisted Dagger celebrates psychological thrillers and dark and twisty tales that often feature unreliable narrators, disturbed emotions, a healthy dose of moral ambiguity, and a sting in the tail.

Longlist titles include NJ Cracknell’s The Perfect Couple, Beautiful People by Amanda Jennings and Catherine Steadman’s Look in the Mirror. Tracy Sierra’s Nightwatching also makes two longlists: the Twisted and the Gold Dagger.

The Whodunnit Dagger celebrates books that focus on the intellectual challenge at the heart of a good mystery. Books in this category include cosy crime, traditional crime, and Golden Age-inspired mysteries.

Longlisted authors include Tess Gerritsen with The Spy Coast, Tom Spencer with The Mystery of the Crooked Man, and Lisa Hall with The Case of the Singer and the Showgirl.

The Dagger in the Library nominee longlist is voted by librarians and library users, chosen for the author’s body of work and support of libraries. This year sees firm favourites from the genre including Richard Osman, Kate Atkinson, Robert Galbraith, and Barbara Nadel.

The Emerging Author Dagger, which has been going for over 20 years, celebrates aspiring crime novelists and is sponsored by Fiction Feedback.

The competition is open to unpublished authors and is judged on the best opening for an unpublished crime novel. The winner will gain the attention of leading agents and top editors; over two dozen past winners and shortlisted Debut Dagger authors have signed publishing deals to date.

The CWA Diamond Dagger, awarded to an author whose crime-writing career has been marked by sustained excellence, is announced in early spring and in 2025 was awarded to Mick Herron.

The CWA Dagger shortlists will be announced later in the year on 29 May.

The winners will be announced at the award ceremony at the CWA gala dinner on 3 July.

The Longlists in Full:

GOLD DAGGER 

D V Bishop: A Divine Fury (Macmillan)

Bonnie Burke-Patel: I Died at Fallow Hall (Bedford Square Publishers)

Ben Creed: Man of Bones (Mountain Leopard Press/Headline)

R J Ellory: The Bell Tower (Orion)

Tana French: The Hunter (Penguin Books Ltd)

Attica Locke: Guide Me Home (Profile Books Ltd)

Anna Mazzola: Book of Secrets (Orion)

Kristen Perrin: How to Solve Your Own Murder (Quercus)

Tracy Sierra: Nightwatching (Penguin Books Ltd)

Marie Tierney: Deadly Animals (Bonnier Books Ltd)

Harriet F Townson: D is for Death (Hodder & Stoughton)

Bridget Walsh: The Innocents (Pushkin Press)

IAN FLEMING STEEL DAGGER

Lou Berney: Dark Ride (Hemlock Press/ HarperCollins)

I S Berry: The Peacock and the Sparrow (No Exit Press)

Chris Brookmyre: The Cracked Mirror (Abacus/Little Brown, Hachette)

M W Craven: Nobody's Hero (Constable/Little Brown, Hachette)

Blake Crouch: Run (Macmillan/Pan Macmillan)

Garry Disher: Sanctuary (Viper/Profile Books)

Dervla McTiernan: What Happened to Nina? (HarperCollins)

Liz Moore: The God of the Woods (The Borough Press/(HarperCollins)

Abir Mukherjee: Hunted (Harvill & Secker/ Penguin Random House)

Stuart Neville: Blood Like Mine (Simon & Schuster)

Chris Whitaker: All the Colours of Dark (Orion/Hachette)

Don Winslow: City in Ruins (Hemlock Press/HarperCollins)

ILP JOHN CREASEY (NEW BLOOD) DAGGER

Jack Anderson: The Grief Doctor (Bloomsbury/Raven Books)

Eleanor Barker-White: My Name Was Eden (HarperCollins/ HarperNorth)

Jessica Bull: Miss Austen Investigates (Penguin Random House/ Michael Joseph)

Justine Champine: Knife River (Bonnier Books UK/ Manilla Press)

Anders Lustgarten: Three Burials (Penguin Random House/ Hamish Hamilton)

Gay Marris: A Curtain Twitcher's Book of Murder (Bedford Square Publishers)       

Katy Massey: All Us Sinners (Little, Brown /Sphere)

Alice McIlroy: The Glass Woman (Watkins Media/ Datura Books)

Dwyer Murphy: An Honest Living (No Exit Press)

Marie Tierney: Deadly Animals (Bonnier Books UK/ Zaffre)

Claire Wilson: Five by Five (Penguin Random House/ Michael Joseph)

 

HISTORICAL DAGGER

Rory Clements: Munich Wolf (Bonnier Books UK, Zaffre)

Emily Critchley: The Undoing of Violet Claybourne (Bonnier Books UK, Manilla Press)

D.L. Douglas: Dr Spilsbury and the Cursed Bride (Orion Publishing)

Douglas Jackson: Blood Roses (Canelo)

Chris Lloyd: Banquet of Beggers (Orion Fiction/Orion Publishing)

Anna Mazzola: The Book of Secrets (Orion Fiction/Orion Publishing)

Lizzie Pook: Maude Horton’s Glorious Revenge (Picador)

Sally Smith: A Case of Mice and Murder (Raven Books/Bloomsbury Publishing)

L.C. Tyler: The Three Deaths of Justice Godfrey (Constable/Little, Brown)

A.J. West, The Betrayal of Thomas True (Orenda Books)

Clare Whitfield: Poor Girls (Aries / Head of Zeus)

CRIME FICTION IN TRANSLATION DAGGER

Claire Berest: Artifice (Mountain Leopard) tr. Sophie Lewis

Carlo Fruttero & Franco Lucentini: The Lover of No Fixed Abode (Bitter Lemon Press) tr. Gregory Dowling

Anne Mette Hancock: Ruthless (Swift Press) tr. Tara Chase

Kotaro Isaka: Hotel Lucky Seven (Harvill Secker) tr. Brian Bergstrom

Andrey Kurkov: The Silver Bone (Maclehose Press) tr. Boris Dralyuk

Hervé Le Corre: Dogs and Wolves (Europa Editions UK) tr. Howard Curtis

Pierre Lemaitre: Going to the Dogs (Maclehose Press) tr. Frank Wynne

Patrícia Melo: The Simple Art of Killing a Woman (The Indigo Press) tr. Sophie Lewis

Akira Otani: The Night of Baby Yaga (Faber & Faber) tr. Sam Bett

Satu Rämö: The Clues in the Fjord (Zaffre) tr.  Kristian London 

Asako Yuziki: Butter (4th Estate) tr. Polly Barton

Alia Trabucco Zerán: Clean (4th Estate) tr. Sophie Hughes

ALCS GOLD DAGGER FOR NON-FICTION

Jared Cade: Secrets From the Agatha Christie Archive (Pen & Sword) 

Chris Chan with Patricia Meyer Chan, Ph.D.: The Autistic Sleuth (MX Publishing) 

Jonathan Coffey & Judith Moritz: Unmasking Lucy Letby (Seven Dials)  

Jeremy Craddock: The Lady in the Lake (Mirror Books)  

John Grisham & Jim McCloskey: Framed (Hodder & Stoughton) 

Duncan Harding: The Criminal Mind (PRH/Michael Joseph)  

Henry Hemming: Four Shots in the Night (Quercus)  

Joseph Hone: The Book Forger (Chatto & Windus)  

Emma Kenny: The Serial Killer Next Door (Sphere)  

Lynda LaPlante: Getting Away with Murder (Zaffre/Bonnier Books)  

Jane Rosenberg: Drawn Testimony (Manilla Press/Bonnier Books)  

Kate Summerscale: The Peepshow: The Murders at 10 Rillington Place (Bloomsbury Circus)  

SHORT STORY DAGGER

S.J Bennett: ‘The Glorious Twelfth’ in Midsummer Mysteries edited by Martin Edwards (lame Tree Publishing/Flame Tree Collections)

J.C Berthal: ‘A Date on Yarmouth Pier’ in Midsummer Mysteries edited by Martin Edwards (Flame Tree Publishing/Flame Tree Collections)

Ann Cleeves: ‘Parkrun’ in Murder in Harrogate edited by Vaseem Khan (Orion Publishing Group/Orion Fiction)

Elly Griffiths: ‘The Valley of the Queens’ in The Man in Black and Other Stories (Quercus)

Janice Hallett: ‘Why Harrogate?’ in Murder in Harrogate edited by Vaseem Khan (Orion Publishing Group/Orion Fiction)

Vaseem Khan: ‘Murder in Masham’ in Murder in Harrogate edited by Vaseem Khan (Orion Publishing Group/Orion Fiction)

Clare Mackintosh: ‘The Perfect Smile’ in Murder in Harrogate edited by Vaseem Khan (Orion Publishing Group/Orion Fiction)

William Burton McCormick: ‘City Without Shadows’ in Midsummer Mysteries edited by Martin Edwards (Flame Tree Publishing/Flame Tree Collections)

Meeti Shroff-Shah: ‘A Ruby Sun’ in Beyond and Within: Midsummer Mysteries edited by Martin Edwards (Flame Tree Publishing/Flame Tree Collections)

Ruth Ware: ‘Murder at the Turkish Baths’ in Murder in Harrogate edited by Vaseem Khan, (Orion Publishing Group/ Orion Fiction)

WHODUNNIT DAGGER

SJ Bennett, A Death in Diamonds Bonnier Books UK, Zaffre

Andreina Cordani, Murder at the Christmas Emporium Bonnier Books UK, Zaffre

Tess Gerritsen, The Spy Coast, Transworld, Penguin Random House, Bantam

Lisa Hall, The Case of the Singer and the Showgirl Hera Hera

Ellery Lloyd, The Final Act of Juliette Willoughby, Macmillan         

Laura Marshall,  A Good Place to Hide a Body, Hodder & Stoughton    

Nita Prose, The Mystery Guest, HarperCollins Publishers, HarperFiction

Meeti Shroff-Shah, A Matrimonial Murder, Joffe Books   

Sally Smith, A Case of Mice and Murder, Bloomsbury Publishing Plc. Raven Books

Tom Spencer, The Mystery of the Crooked Man, Pushkin Press, Pushkin Vertigo

Benjamin Stevenson, Everyone On This Train Is A Suspect, PRH, Michael Joseph

Jamie West, Murder at the Matinee, Brabinger Publishing

 TWISTED DAGGER

Sharon Bolton: The Neighbour's Secret (Orion Publishing Group/ Orion Fiction)

NJ Cracknell: The Perfect Couple (Bloodhound Books)      

Clara Dillon: The Playdate (PRH/Penguin Sandycove)

Caz Frear: Five Bad Deeds (Simon & Schuster UK)

Kellye Garrett: Missing White Woman (Simon & Schuster UK)

Andrew Hughes: Emma, Disappeared (Hachette Books Ireland)

Amanda Jennings: Beautiful People (HarperCollins/ HQ FICTION)

John Marrs: The Stranger In Her House (Amazon Publishing/ Thomas & Mercer)

Hannah Richell: The Search Party (Simon & Schuster UK)

CS Robertson: The Trials Of Marjorie Crowe (Hodder & Stoughton)            

Tracy Sierra: Nightwatching (PRH/ Viking)

Catherine Steadman: Look In The Mirror (Quercus)   

     

DAGGER IN THE LIBRARY

Richard Osman

Janice Hallett

Kate Atkinson

Barbara Nadel

CJ Tudor

Edward Marston

Julia Chapman

Lisa Jewell

Robert Galbraith

Tim Sullivan

PUBLISHERS’ DAGGER

Allison & Busby

Bitter Lemon Press

Canelo

Faber & Faber

Michael Joseph (Penguin Random House)

Hemlock Press (HarperCollins)

Orenda

Orion Books

Pan Macmillan