Lynda
La Plante and James Lee Burke honoured
with highest accolade in crime writing
For the first time in its 70-year history, the
Crime Writers’ Association
(CWA) is awarding two authors its annual Diamond Dagger.
Lynda La Plante and James Lee Burke are 2024’s
recipients of the Diamond Dagger- the highest accolade in the genre.
The award recognises authors whose crime
writing careers have been marked by sustained excellence, and who have made a
significant contribution to the genre.
Vaseem Khan, Chair of the CWA, said: “The
Diamond Dagger judges almost came to blows this year and for good reason.
Ultimately, they have chosen to recognise two incredible bodies of work that
have each, in their own way, made their mark.”
Lynda La Plante CBE began her career as an
actor in TV and theatre. She graduated from RADA, where her fellow students
included Anthony Hopkins and John Hurt.
La Plante wrote her first treatment for
TV, Widows, which went on to become one of the highest rating
series in the 1980s. She became a sought-after crime writer, with her debut
novel, The Legacy, published in 1987.
In 1990, La Plante began work on Prime
Suspect, which was released in 1991, starring Helen Mirren as DCI Jane
Tennison. In 1993, she received the Dennis Potter Award from BAFTA and was made
a fellow of the British Film Institute. The success led to her forming her own
television production company, La Plante Productions.
She also wrote and produced multiple shows in
the US, with actors including Vanessa Redgrave, Sam Neill, and Rob Lowe. In
2014, she formed a new global rights and production company – La Plante Global.
Her current book series features Detective Jack Warr. She received a CBE for
services to Literature, Drama and Charity in 2008.
Vaseem Khan said: “Lynda La Plante's Prime Suspect redefined
the role of women in police procedurals and made a star of Helen Mirren,
while Widows remains a talismanic - and wickedly entertaining -
female-led heist caper.”
Lynda La Plante said: “In 2024 I will publish both the final book in the
young Tennison series, and a memoir detailing my long career as an actress,
television producer and crime writer. To also be awarded the Diamond
Dagger from the CWA makes 2024 even more special, and I look forward to
thanking all those involved in person at the awards ceremony on July 4th.”
Born in Houston in 1936, James Lee Burke’s first novel was compared to the work of Faulkner
and Sartre by the New York Times. Despite this, he was out of hardback
print for 13 years until his third novel, The Lost Get-Back Boogie was
published and submitted for a Pulitzer Prize, after being rejected over 111
times. Over the years, he’s taught at
universities, worked as a case worker with former felons, as a pipeliner for an
oil company, a long-distance truck driver, and a newspaper reporter.
James Lee Burke has two Edgar Awards, a Grand Master Award from the
Mystery Writers of America, and has been a Guggenheim Fellow.
Vaseem Khan said: “James Lee
Burke's lyrical depiction of the American South transcends crime fiction - his
prose is often considered among the best to have graced the genre. For many,
Dave Robicheaux is the very embodiment of the dogged, morally incorruptible
detective beset by personal demons - a beautifully rendered character.”
James Lee Burke said: “I wish to
thank the judges of the Diamond Dagger committee for honouring me with such a
prestigious award. I'm honoured and humbled to receive it. It is also an honour
to have my name among the best mystery and crime writers in the world. I cannot
thank you enough.”
Nominations for the CWA Diamond Dagger are recommended by CWA members.
Industry experts then narrow these down to a shortlist.
The winner is then voted for by a panel of past Diamond Dagger winners
comprising of Peter James, Walter Mosley, Lee Child, Lawrence Block, Ian
Rankin, Michael Connelly, Lindsey Davis, Andrew Taylor, Martina Cole, Ann
Cleeves, Val McDermid, Robert Goddard, Martin Edwards, Catherine Aird and Simon
Brett.
Lynda La Plante and James Lee Burke join icons of the genre who have
been recognised with the accolade, including Ruth Rendell, PD James, Colin
Dexter, Reginald Hill, and John Le Carré.
Maxim Jakubowski, Chair of the CWA Daggers’ committee, said: “By an extraordinary quirk of fate, due to our new
voting process, this year's Diamond Dagger is, for the first time in seven
decades, being awarded to two authors. If the Booker Prize can do it, so can
we! Both such wonderful and deserving writers who, between them, demonstrate
the marvellous diversity of crime writing.”
One of the UK’s most
prominent societies, the CWA was founded in 1953 by John Creasey; the awards
started in 1955 with its first award going to Winston Graham, best known
for Poldark.
The CWA Daggers are now regarded by the publishing world as the foremost
British awards for crime-writing. As the oldest awards in the genre, they have
been synonymous with quality crime writing for over half a century.
The Diamond Dagger is presented at the annual CWA Dagger Awards, dubbed
the ‘Oscars of the
crime genre,’ which take place this year on July 4.
