For readers of crime – now officially the UK’s most popular genre of fiction – the CWA Daggers are the book awards to really sharpen your appetite. Ten Daggers are given away at a glittering black-tie dinner and the cream of the publishing industry, comprising authors, publishers and agents, and of course, readers, gather to cheer on those shortlisted and to see who gets the accolades. This year the event will take place at the Grange City Hotel in Cooper’s Row, London on Thursday 25 October.

The CWA Diamond Dagger, for a career’s outstanding contribution to crime fiction as nominated by CWA members, was announced earlier in the year and has been awarded to American best-selling author Michael Connelly, who will receive the amazing Diamond Dagger in person at the awards dinner and who is published by Orion.

The other nine CWA Daggers are as follows: Gold – for the best crime novel of the year; Ian Fleming Steel – for the best crime thriller of the year; John Creasey New Blood – for the best debut crime novel; Historical – for the best historical crime novel; ALCS Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction – for non-fiction crime; Short Story – for a short crime story published in the UK; International – for crime fiction translated into English and published in the UK; Dagger in the Library – for the author of the most enjoyed collection of work in libraries, as voted by librarians, and the Debut Dagger for the opening of a crime novel by a writer with no publishing contract.

The after-dinner speaker is Jude Tindall, co-creator of TV’s Shakespeare & Hathaway and writer for Father Brown, and Master of Ceremonies is the ever entertaining crime fiction expert Barry Forshaw, author of Historical Noir.

Authors who are attending include Michael Connelly (Diamond Dagger winner); Mick Herron, author of the Jackson Lamb contemporary spy series (up for both the Gold and the Ian Fleming Steel; last year he won the Ian Fleming Steel); Colette McBeth (shortlisted for the Ian Fleming Steel), Stella Duffy and Rory Clements (both in the running for the Historical Dagger), Piu Eatwell (shortlisted for the ALCS Gold Dagger for Non-fiction) and Steve Cavanagh (shortlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger with The Liar.)

The event is open to everyone to attend and costs £108 to non-CWA members; for more details see the CWA website. Tickets are almost sold out; please contact admin@thecwa.co.uk to book yours as soon as possible!

If you can’t be at the dinner, then visit the CWA website after the event for the winners of all the Daggers: https://thecwa.co.uk/the-daggers/