2002 daggers
Overview
Diamond
Gold and Silver
Non-Fiction
Steel
John Creasey
Historical
Library
Debut
Overview
Diamond
Gold and Silver
Non-Fiction
Steel
John Creasey
Historical
Library
Debut
The 2002 winner of The Macallan Short Story Dagger, announced on 7 November 2002, is Stella Duffy for her story Martha Grace, published in the Tart Noir anthology (Pan Macmillan).
Who is the victim in this imaginative meeting of polar opposites? This
one gives heft to the esoteric and lingers in the memory after other
stories have been forgotten.
The other three shortlisted stories, in alphabetical order by author, were:
MARBLES by Marion Arnott, published in Crimewave 6 (TTA Press):
Last year's winning author turns up again, giving a strangely slanted
and in the end poignant perspective to this unlaboured, objective and
moving story.
THE PLATER by Ann Cleeves, published in the Murder Squad anthology (Flambard Press):
An extraordinarily atmospheric tale, with a fine sense of place.
Compact and well crafted, this beautifully persuasive little tale turns
on a sixpence.
A KICK IN THE LUNCHBUCKET by Sean Doolittle, published in Crimewave 5 (TTA Press):
Gives a whole new angle to the crime story's classic stake-out
beginning, taking the reader both sides of the line between suspicion
and madness. For the too informed reader, Doolittle sets up a perfect
scam.
In announcing the shortlist, chairman of the judges, Doctor Lisanne Radice, said, "This is one of the strongest shortlists we've ever had, which made it especially hard to pick a winner. We also noted that this year's entries contained far more sex and darkness! It was a year of strong black coffee, and no latte."