CWA Diamond Dagger: Mark Billingham

Crime Writers' Association (CWA) 2026 Diamond Dagger. This award “recognises authors whose crime-writing careers have been marked by sustained excellence, and who have made a significant contribution to the genre.” 

MARK BILLINGHAM

Sleepyhead introduced Detective Inspector Tom Thorne, leading to a further 18 books in Billingham's series, which was adapted to screen by Sky 1 in 2010, starring David Morrissey as Thorne. The latest Thorne book, What the Night Brings, was published in June 2025 - Billingham’s 25th book.

Mark Billingham said: “Presuming this is not an administrative error, I could not be more thrilled or honoured. To be added to a list that features most of my literary heroes is fantastic. That so many are also friends is the icing on the cake and, for me, a mark of how very special the crime-writing community is.”

HT: The Rap Sheet

CWA Cartier Diamond Dagger 2025

The British Crime Writers’ Association awarded the 2025 Cartier Diamond Dagger to Mick Herron. Congratulations, Mick!

Mick Herron is the author of the Slough House series and other mystery and thriller novels.

A CWA press release explains that this prize “recognises authors whose crime writing careers have been marked by sustained excellence, and who have made a significant contribution to the genre.” Herron is quoted as saying: “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.” 

Past Diamond Dagger honorees include Ian Rankin, Lynda La Plante, Walter Mosley, Ann Cleeves, Andrew Taylor, Lindsey Davis, Michael Connelly, Val McDermid, and John le Carré.

HT: The Rap Sheet

LYNDA LA PLANTE & JAMES LEE BURKE SHARE CWA DIAMOND DAGGER

The Crime Writers Association has awarded the Diamond Dagger for Lifetime Contribution to Crime Writing to two authors for the first time.

Lynda La Plante and James Lee Burke are the joint recipients of this year’s award.

“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,” said Maxim Jakubowski, chair of the CWA Daggers’ committee. “If the Booker prize can do it, so can we!”

La Plante is best known for writing Prime Suspect and Widows television and novel series. Her other series include Lorraine Page, Anna Travis and Trial And Retribution. In 2008, she received a CBE for services to literature, drama and charity. Her memoir is expected to be released later this year.

James Lee Burke’s series about detective Dave Robicheaux spans more than 20 novels. Burke said he was “honoured and humbled” to receive his award. “It is also an honour to have my name among the best mystery and crime writers in the world,” he added.

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.”

Crime Writers Association Dagger Awards Longlists 2023

The Crime Writers Association announced the Dagger Longlists.  2023 Debut Dagger longlist will be posted online on April 26. 
Shortlists in all Dagger categories will be announced Friday, May 12, at CrimeFest 2023 in Bristol, England.

Congratulations to all.

Diamond Dagger (previously announced)

Walter Mosley

Gold Dagger

Oxblood, by Tom Benn (Bloomsbury)
Shoot the Moonlight Out, by William Boyle (No Exit Press)
The Ink Black Heart, by Robert Galbraith (Sphere)
The Kingdoms of Savannah, by George Dawes Green (Headline)
The Lost Man of Bombay, by Vaseem Khan (Hodder & Stoughton)
The Bookseller of Inverness, by S.G. MacLean (Quercus)
A Killing in November, by Simon Mason (Riverrun)
The Clockwork Girl, by Anna Mazzola (Orion)
The Winter Guest, by W.C. Ryan (Zaffre)
A Killing Rain, by Faye Snowden (Flame Tree Press)
The Bone Road, by N.E. Solomons (Polygon)
The Silent Brother, by Simon Van der Velde (Northodox Press)

Ian Fleming Steel Dagger

Opera, by Julie Anderson (Claret Press)
A Kiss After Dying, by Ashok Banker (Michael Joseph)
Take Your Breath Away, by Linwood Barclay (HQ)
Seventeen, by John Brownlow (Hodder & Stoughton)
The Match, by Harlan Coben (Century)
The Botanist, by M.W. Craven (Constable)
Daisy Darker, by Alice Feeney (PanMacMillan)
The Ink Black Heart, by Robert Galbraith (Sphere)
Alias Emma, by Ava Glass (Century)
A Loyal Traitor, by Tim Glister (Point Blank)
Notes on an Execution, by Danya Kukafka (Phoenix)
May God Forgive, by Alan Parks (Canongate)

John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger

A Good Day to Die, by Amen Alonge (Quercus)
Better the Blood, by Michael Bennett (Simon & Schuster UK)
Breaking, by Amanda Cassidy (Canelo)
Don’t Know Tough, by Eli Cranor (Headline)
The Local, by Joey Hartstone (Pushkin Vertigo)
The Truth Will Out, by Rosemary Hennigan (Orion)
London in Black, by Jack Lutz (Pushkin Vertigo)
Dirt Town, by Hayley Scrivenor (Macmillan)
No Country for Girls, by Emma Styles (Sphere)
Nobody But Us, by Laure Van Rensburg (Michael Joseph)
Outback, by Patricia Wolf (Embla)
The Partisan, by Patrick Worrall (Bantam Press)

Historical Dagger

The Darkest Sin, by D.V. Bishop (Macmillan)
Blackstone Fell, by Martin Edwards (Head of Zeus/Aries)
Two Storm Wood, by Philip Gray (Harvill Secker)
The Lost Diary of Samuel Pepys, by Jack Jewers (Moonflower)
The Bookseller of Inverness, by S.G. MacLean (Quercus)
The Clockwork Girl, by Anna Mazzola (Orion)
Death at the Dolphin, by Gretta Mulrooney (Joffe)
The Homes, by J.B. Mylet (Viper)
The Bangalore Detectives Club, by Harini Nagendra (Constable)
Blue Water, by Leonora Nattrass (Viper)
Hear No Evil, by Sarah Smith (Two Roads)
The Mushroom Tree Mystery, by Ovidia Yu (Constable)

ALCS Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction

The Poisonous Solicitor: The True Story of a 1920s Murder Mystery, by Stephen Bates (Icon)
Dead in the Water: Murder and Fraud in the World’s Most Secretive Industry, by Matthew Campbell and Kit Chellel (Atlantic)
What We Fear Most: Reflections on a Life in Forensic Psychiatry, by Ben Cave (Seven Dials)
Scandal at Dolphin Square: A Notorious History, by Simon Danczuk and Daniel Smith (The History Press)
The Life of Crime: Detecting the History of Mysteries and their Creators, by Martin Edwards (Collins Crime Club)
Unlawful Killings: Life, Love and Murder: Trials at the Old Bailey, by Wendy Joseph (Doubleday)
Tremors in the Blood: Murder, Obsession and the Birth of the Lie Detector, by Amit Katwala (Mudlark)
To Hunt a Killer: How I Brought Melanie Road’s Murderer to Justice, by Julie Mackay and Robert Murphy (Harper Element)
The Real Special Relationship: The True Story of How the British and U.S. Secret Services Work Together, by Michael Smith (Simon & Schuster)
The Life Inside: A Memoir of Prison, Family and Learning to Be Free, by Andy West (Picador)
About A Son: A Murder and A Father’s Search for Truth, by David Whitehouse (Phoenix)
Stitched Up: Stories of Life and Death from a Prison Doctor, by Shahed Yousaf (Bantam Press)

Crime Fiction in Translation Dagger

Good Reasons to Die, by Morgan Audic, translated by Sam Taylor (Mountain Leopard Press)
The Red Notebook, by Michel Bussi, translated by Vineet Lal (Weidenfeld & Nicolson)
Even the Darkest Night, by Javier Cercas, translated by Anne McLean (MacLehose Press)
Bad Kids, by Zijin Chen, translated by Michelle Deeter (Pushkin Vertigo)
Impossible, by Erri De Luca, translated by N.S. Thompson (Mountain Leopard Press)
Femicide, by Pascal Engman, translated by Michael Gallagher (Legend Press)
The Bleeding, by Johana Gustawsson, translated by David Warriner (Orenda)
The Corpse Flower, by Anne Mette Hancock, translated by Tara Chace (Swift Press)
The Anomaly, by Hervé Le Tellier, translated by Adriana Hunter (Michael Joseph)
The Dark Flood, by Deon Meyer, translated K.L. Seggers (Hodder & Stoughton)
The Tattoo Murder, by Akimitsu Takagi,translated by Deborah Boehm (Pushkin Vertigo)
Lady Joker, by Kaoru Takamura, translated by Allison Markin Powell and Marie Iida (Baskerville)

Short Story Dagger

“The Disappearance,” by Leigh Bardugo (from Marple; HarperCollins)
 “The Tears of Venus,” by Victoria Dowd and Delilah Dowd (from Unlocked; The D20 Authors)
“Strawberry Moon,” by John Grisham (from Sparring Partners, by John Grisham; Hodder & Stoughton)
“Clout Chaser,” by Rachel Howzell Hall (from The Perfect Crime, edited by Vaseem Khan and Maxim Jakubowski; HarperCollins)
“The Beautiful Game,” by Sanjida Kay (from The Perfect Crime)
“Death in Darjeeling,” by Vaseem Khan (from The Perfect Crime)
“Just One More,” by Laura Lippman (from Seasonal Work and Other Killer Stories, by Laura Lippman; Faber and Faber)
“Paradise Lost,” by Abir Mukherjee (from The Perfect Crime)
“Auld Bride,” by Judith O’Reilly (from Gone, edited by Stephen J. Golds; Red Dog Press)
“Runaway Blues,” by C.J. Tudor (from A Sliver of Darkness, by C.J. Tudor; Michael Joseph)
“The Lake House,” by Ferdinand von Schirach (from Punishment, by Ferdinand von Schirach, translated by Katharina Hall; Baskerville)
“Cast a Long Shadow,” by Hazell Ward Cast (from Cast a Long Shadow, edited by Katherine Stansfield and Caroline; Honno Welsh Women’s Press)

Publishers’ Dagger

Bitter Lemon Press
Bookouture (Hachette)
Canelo
Harper Fiction (HarperCollins)
Hodder & Stoughton (Hachette)
Mantle (PanMacmillan)
Michael Joseph (Penguin Random House)
Raven (Bloomsbury)
Pushkin Vertigo (Pushkin Press)
Quercus (Hachette)
Simon & Schuster
Viper (Profile Books)

Dagger in the Library

Ben Aaronovitch
Sophie Hannah
Mick Herron
Erin Kelly
Angela Marsons
Brian McGilloway
Tim Weaver

HT: TheRapSheet

CWA DIAMOND DAGGER: Walter Mosley

Walter Mosley is the 2023 recipient of the Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) Diamond Dagger. Congratulations!

The Diamond Dagger recognizes authors whose crime writing careers have been marked by sustained excellence, and who have made a significant contribution to the genre.

From the CWA Website:

One of the most versatile and admired writers in America, Walter Mosley was born and raised in Los Angeles, and now lives in Brooklyn and LA. Walter Mosley is the author of more than 60 critically acclaimed books, that cover a wide range of genres. His work has been translated into 25 languages.

He brought a cast of crime fiction characters into the American canon with his first novel, Devil in a Blue Dress, featuring private detective, Easy Rawlins. Several of his books have been adapted for screen, including Devil in a Blue Dress starring Denzel Washington, the HBO production of Always Outnumbered, starring Laurence Fishburne and Natalie Cole, and Apple TV+’s production of The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey starring Samuel Jackson.

Maxim Jakubowski, Chair of the CWA, said: “I am truly delighted my friend Walter has been deemed worthy of the Diamond Dagger by my colleagues and members of the CWA. His voice has dominated the fiction scene for decades and I can think of no more deserving and ground-breaking an author to be given this ultimate accolade, for the so many things he has contributed to our genre but also to modern society.”
A multi-award-winning author, Mosley was inducted into the New York State Writers Hall of Fame in 2013. His numerous awards include The Mystery Writers of America’s Grand Master Award, a Grammy, and a PEN America’s Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2020, he was named the recipient of the Robert Kirsch Award for lifetime achievement from Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, and the National Book Foundation presented him with the Lifetime Achievement Award for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters.

Walter Mosley said: “At the beginning of my writing career I was fortunate enough to be awarded the CWA’s New Blood Dagger, otherwise called the John Creasey Award. That was the highest point of my experience as a first book author.  Since then, I have picked up other honours along the way but the only award that comes near the Diamond Dagger is the MWA’s Grand Master nod.  These two together make the apex of a career that I never expected.”

 

CWA DIAMOND DAGGER GOES TO CJ SANSOM

CJ Sansom is the recipient of the Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) Diamond Dagger. Congratulations!

One of Britain’s bestselling historical novelists, Christopher John Sansom was born in 1952 in Edinburgh. He was educated at Birmingham University with a BA and then a PhD in history. After working in a variety of jobs, he retrained as a solicitor and practised in Sussex, until becoming a full-time writer.

He combined both history and law in his debut novel Dissolution – a darkly fascinating novel of monastic murder and politics.

CJ Sansom said: “I feel so honoured to be awarded this year’s Diamond Dagger, and my heartfelt thanks to the CWA members and committee. Wonderful to think I now join such a distinguished group of authors. To think it all started with the idea that a novel set around Henry VIII’s Dissolution of the Monasteries might make a good story. Thank you.”

Maxim Jakubowski, Chair of the CWA, said: “C J Sansom has proven himself to be the modern master of the historical thriller, regardless of periods. Equally at ease evoking sixteenth century England, Spain in the aftermath of its Civil War or even an alternate post-WW2 Britain, he weaves a web of compelling reality around his characters and brings the past to life like no other, making him a splendid and deserved addition to the prestigious ranks of Diamond Dagger winners.”

Published in 2003, Dissolution was an immediate bestseller, and critical success. Inspector Morse creator Colin Dexter called it ‘extraordinarily impressive’, while PD James described it as ‘remarkable’.

This success sparked the bestselling Shardlake series, set in the reign of Henry VIII and following the sixteenth-century lawyer-detective Matthew Shardlake and his assistant Jack Barak.

Now running to well over four million copies in print, it is one of the most successful crime series of all time.

After Dissolution came Dark Fire, which won the 2005 Crime Writers’ Association Historical Dagger.

He has also written a thriller, Winter in Madrid, set in Spain in 1940 in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War.

The CWA Diamond Dagger is selected from nominations provided by CWA members. The award recognises authors whose crime writing careers have been marked by sustained excellence, and who have made a significant contribution to the genre.

CJ Sansom joins icons of the genre who have been recognised with the accolade, including Ruth Rendell, Lee Child, Ann Cleeves, Ian Rankin, PD James, Colin Dexter, Reginald Hill, Lindsey Davis, Peter Lovesey, John Le Carré and Martina Cole.

The Diamond Dagger is announced before the annual CWA Dagger Awards, dubbed the ‘Oscars of the crime genre’, due to be awarded this June.

MARTIN EDWARDS awarded 2020 CWA DIAMOND DAGGER

This just in. Thanks to Ali Karim:

Martin Edwards was awarded the 2020 CWA Diamond Dagger. Congratulations, Martin!

The author awarded the highest honour in British crime writing, the Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) Diamond Dagger, has been announced.

Martin Edwards joins icons of the genre who have been recognised with the accolade, including Ruth Rendell, Lee Child, Ann Cleeves, Ian Rankin, PD James, Colin Dexter, Reginald Hill, Lindsey Davies, Peter Lovesey, and John Le Carré.

From CWA:
Alongside his career as a prolific novelist, Martin is a renowned editor, reviewer, columnist and versatile writer of non-fiction, and is a leading authority on crime fiction. He has also enjoyed a separate career as a solicitor, and is recognized for his expertise in employment and equal opportunities law.

The Diamond Dagger award recognizes authors whose crime writing careers have been marked by sustained excellence, and who have made a significant contribution to the genre.

Andrew Taylor At Lydmouth, chair of the Diamond Dagger sub-committee and winner of the award in 2009, said: “I’m delighted that the CWA Committee has decided to honour Martin with this year’s Diamond Dagger. Given the range and quality of his work, together with his enormous contribution to the genre as a whole, he is the perfect recipient.”

Linda Stratmann, CWA Chair, said: “Martin Edwards has been honoured not only as an award-winning author and editor, but also as a tireless promoter of crime writing. He researches and preserves the history of the genre, and has introduced the modern reader to classics of the past that might otherwise have been forgotten.”

Martin’s first novel, All the Lonely People, was shortlisted for the CWA John Creasey Memorial Dagger in 1991. Since then his crime writing has won multiple awards in the UK and US. In 2018 he received the CWA Dagger in the Lihe Library, awarded by British librarians. He has won the CWA Short Story Dagger, the H.R.F. Keating award, and in 2014 the inaugural CWA Margery Allingham Prize. His novels have been shortlisted for the Theakston Crime Prize and the Lakeland Book Award, while in 2017 his non-fiction book The Golden Age of Murder was shortlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger. In the US he has received the Mystery Writers of America Edgar Allan Poe award, an Agatha award, and two Macavity awards [via Janet Rudolph] from Mystery Readers International. In 2017 he received the Poirot award for his outstanding contribution to the genre.

Martin Edwards said: “The Diamond Dagger is special because it’s conferred by my fellow authors and because the previous winners are so illustrious. To be part of the warm and welcoming community of crime writers for the past thirty years has been a joy. I fell in love with crime fiction when as a young boy I first discovered Agatha Christie. From then on, my only ambition was to write a detective novel that people might enjoy reading. But I never imagined receiving an accolade like this. I’m truly honoured.”

Originally known for his Harry Devlin and the Lake District Mysteries series, Martin is now making waves with his 1930s-set thrillers. His latest novel Gallows Court revived the Golden Age of crime fiction with a unique twist, featuring the character Rachel Savernake, and was last year nominated for the CWA Historical Dagger and shortlisted for the eDunnit award. The sequel, Mortmain Hall, is published in April by Head of Zeus.

In 2015, Martin followed in the footsteps of Agatha Christie, G.K. Chesterton and Dorothy L. Sayers by being elected President of the Detection Club, the world’s oldest social network of crime writers. The Club will celebrate its 90th birthday this year by publishing Howdunit (HarperCollins), edited by Martin; a masterclass of crime writing by leading exponents of the genre. He is consultant to the British Library’s bestselling Crime Classics series, and wrote the award-winning companion volume, The Story of Classic Crime in 100 Books. He is also archivist of the Detection Club and the CWA and a former Chair of the CWA. Author of over sixty short stories, since 1996 he has been the editor of the CWA’s annual anthology.

Martin was born in Knutsford, Cheshire, and now lives in Lymm. After graduating with a first class honours degree in law from Balliol College, Oxford, he became a solicitor, acting for many high profile clients. He was head of employment law at Mace & Jones, and subsequently a partner with Weightmans LLP, with whom he remains as a consultant. Author of four editions of Equal Opportunities Handbook, he says, “The appeal of fiction is not so very different from the appeal of employment law. Both concern conflicts in human behaviour – and how best to resolve them.”

The CWA Diamond Dagger is selected from nominations provided by CWA members. Nominees have to meet two essential criteria: first, their careers must be marked by sustained excellence, and second, they must have made a significant contribution to crime writing published in the English language.

CWA Diamond Dagger: Michael Connelly

The Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) will award the CWA Diamond Dagger, given annually for “sustained excellence”, to US author Michael Connelly.

The prize recognizes crime authors “who have made a significant contribution to the genre”, with previous recipients including P D James, John le Carré, Dick Francis, Ruth Rendell, Lee Child and Ann Cleeves.

Connelly will be presented with the highest honor in British crime writing at the CWA’s Dagger Awards ceremony in London on 25th October.

Martin Edwards, chair of the CWA, said: “Michael Connelly’s crime novels have won international acclaim for more than a quarter century, and have given readers, television viewers, and film fans rich entertainment.

“A combination of wonderful characters, vivid settings, and gripping storylines characterizes his work. The CWA is delighted to celebrate his achievements with the award of the Diamond Dagger.”

The CWA Diamond Dagger is selected from nominations provided by its members. Nominees have to meet two essential criteria: first, their careers must be marked by sustained excellence, and second, they must have made a significant contribution to crime writing published in the English language.
 

Ann Cleeves to receive CWA Diamond Dagger

Ann Cleeves to receive CWA Diamond Dagger. 

Congratulations, Ann!!!

The Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) announces that Ann Cleeves is to receive the CWA Diamond Dagger, the highest honor in British crime writing. The Dagger award recognizes authors whose crime writing careers have been marked by sustained excellence, and who have made a significant contribution to the genre.

Martin Edwards, Chair of the CWA, said: "Ann Cleeves is internationally renowned as the author of the series on which the very popular TV programmes Vera and Shetland are based. But long before her television success, she worked hard writing hugely enjoyable crime novels and short stories. As well as publishing thirty books, she has been a passionate and effective advocate for libraries, while her generosity towards fellow crime writers as well as readers means that this news is sure to be widely welcomed."

Ann Cleeves said: "It’s a huge honour to be recognized by my peers, the crime-writers whose books, friendship and support I’ve enjoyed for more than thirty years. I am privileged to have had such a happy career and I will always be grateful for the support of booksellers and forever indebted to the passion and expertise of librarians, without whom I wouldn’t still be writing today."

Ann has written 30 novels and is translated into as many languages. Before her writing career took off, Ann worked as a probation officer, bird observatory cook and auxiliary coastguard. In 2015, Ann chaired the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival, during which Vera was voted the UK’s favorite fictional detective. Also in 2015, Thin Air was nominated for the Scottish Crime Novel of the Year and Ann was shortlisted for the CWA Dagger in the Library award. In 2006, Cleeves’ novel, Raven Black, was awarded the Duncan Lawrie Dagger (the prestigious CWA Gold Dagger) for Best Crime Novel, and in 2012, she was inducted into the CWA Crime Thriller Awards Hall of Fame. As well as fiction, Ann has written a non-fiction title about Shetland and, in November 2015, she hosted the inaugural Shetland Noir festival on the Shetland Islands.

In 2016 Ann was named Queen of Village Noir, which she loved, while The Guardian named her as ‘the best living evoker of landscape’. Ann holds a remarkable record: she is the only living author to have two major drama series on TV.

Ann Cleeves will be presented with the CWA Diamond Dagger at the CWA’s Dagger Awards ceremony in London on 26 October. The CWA Diamond Dagger is selected from nominations provided by CWA members. Nominees have to meet two essential criteria: first, their careers must be marked by sustained excellence, and second, they must have made a significant contribution to crime writing published in the English language. It’s clear that Ann Cleeves meets these criteria in style.

CWA DIAMOND DAGGER WINNER 2015

The Crime Writer’s Association announced that the recipient of this year’s prestigious Diamond Dagger is Catherine Aird. Congratulations!


Following in the footsteps of Simon Brett, P.D James, Lee Child and Frederick Forsyth, Catherine has kept readers entertained for six decades with her deliciously dark tales. In that time she’s written over twenty novels, including the hugely popular Chronicles Of Calleshire, and completed several collections of short stories.

Despite being such a prolific and popular author, Catherine was still surprised to discover she was to be presented the highest honor in the crime writing genre.

“It feels very nice indeed, I can assure you!” beams Catherine. “I am absolutely delighted. I’m so glad to be part of such a happy group as the CWA and we do all tend to read each other’s work. I think I’ve enjoyed writing my books probably more than my readers have enjoyed reading them.”

The Diamond Dagger will be presented to Catherine at a glittering ceremony at the Hotel Russell in London on 30^th June 2015.

“Catherine Aird is an inspirational figure to other crime writers,” says Alison Joseph, the CWA chair. 

“Not only is her writing irresistible and wonderful, but she’s also a great champion of other authors and of crime writing itself. That makes her the perfect choice to receive this year’s Diamond Dagger.”

Each year, the CWA committee chose the winner of the Diamond Dagger from a shortlist of authors nominated by the members. That shortlist represents the writers whom have been judged worthy by their peers, which makes the award so very special. 

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.

CWA Diamond Dagger for Simon Brett

Simon Brett to receive the CWA (British Crime Writers Association) 2014 Diamond Dagger. Congratulations, Simon. Well done!

CWA chair Alison Joseph was quoted as saying: “I am delighted that the CWA Diamond Dagger for 2014 is to be awarded to Simon Brett. He is a writer of great wit and integrity, and his success over the years has been very well deserved. The Diamond Dagger is awarded not only for a writer’s work but also for their contribution to the genre, and Simon has always been a stalwart supporter of his fellow writers. I am sure I am not alone in feeling that it is entirely appropriate and merited that Simon should be receiving this award.”

The award will be presented in June.

HT: The Rap Sheet

LEE CHILD WINS CWA DIAMOND DAGGER

From CWA:

The Crime Writers’ Association is delighted to announce that the 2013 Diamond Dagger will be awarded to Lee Child. He will receive the diamond-studded Dagger at a gala dinner in the summer.

The CWA Diamond Dagger is voted for by members of the CWA and celebrates an author with an outstanding body of work in crime fiction. Past winners include Val McDermid, Ian Rankin, and Elmore Leonard. In 2012 the award went to Frederick Forsyth.

Chair of the CWA Peter James said: “I am delighted that the CWA has chosen Lee Child as this year’s recipient. Lee is one of the few British crime thriller authors to have become a global brand name; he is also an extremely charming and open person and a tireless promoter of our genre.”