The KAA Gold Dagger, sponsored by Kevin Anderson Associates, is for the best crime novel by an author of any nationality, originally written in English and first published in the UK during the judging period. The broadest definition of the crime novel applies. Eligible books include thrillers, mysteries, police procedurals, psychological suspense novels and spy fiction.
The Dagger was originally created in 1955, under the name of the Crossed Red Herrings Award. The first winner was Winston Graham for The Little Walls. It was renamed the Gold Dagger in 1960 and has been awarded ever since with variations in its name depending on sponsorship.
Until 2005 books in translation were eligible for this prize. In 2006 the CWA established a separate Dagger, the International (now Crime Fiction in Translation), for books in translation, recognising the work of the translator as well as that of the original author.
An engrossing cat-and-mouse thriller from start to finish. Set in seventeenth-century Rome, the story follows a detective questioning his role as he chases a conspiracy of poisoners, interrogating the idea of criminal acts … More
D.V. Bishop
Gold Dagger
2025 | Shortlisted
Pan Macmillan – Macmillan
R.J. Ellory
Gold Dagger
2025 | Shortlisted
Orion Publishing Group – Orion Fiction
Tana French
Gold Dagger
2025 | Shortlisted
PRH – Viking
Attica Locke
Gold Dagger
2025 | Shortlisted
Profile Books – Viper
Anna Mazzola
Gold Dagger
2025 | Winner
Orion Fiction
Bonnie Burke-Patel
Gold Dagger
2025 | Shortlisted
Bedford Square Publishers
| Author | Title | Publisher |
|---|---|---|
| DV Bishop | A Divine Fury | Macmillan |
| Ben Creed | Man of Bones | Mountain Leopard Press |
| R J Ellory | The Bell Tower | Orion Books |
| Tana French | The Hunter | Viking |
| Attica Locke | Guide Me Home | Viper |
| Anna Mazzola | Book of Secrets | Orion Books |
| Bonnie-Burke Patel | I Died at Fallow Hall | Bedford Square Publishers |
| Kristen Perrin | How to Solve Your Own Murder | Quercus |
| Tracy Sierra | Nightwatching | Viking |
| Marie Tierney | Deadly Animals | Zaffre |
| Harriet F. Townson | D Is For Death | Hodder & Stoughton |
| Bridget Walsh | The Innocents | Gallic Books |
Judges’ Comments
Haunting and beautifully written, this is a story of a young woman navigating the complexities of a traumatic and unknown past. Mannion deftly explores the impact of crime on all those affected, and will … More
Richard Reynolds (Non-Voting Chair)
He’s recently retired as the crime fiction specialist at Heffers, Cambridge, after nearly forty-one years. He remains involved supporting publishers, crime writers and their work. He is Series Consultant for Galileo Publishers GA list. He has collaborated with Jon Gifford at the Oleander Press, setting up a website (Cambridge Crime: Specialists in Murder) supplying recommendations, a blog (theoldmaninthecorner) and an imprint (Oreon), reissuing Golden Age Detective fiction (https://www.oleanderpress.com/golden-age-crime.html).
Baroness Brown of Silvertown
Baroness Brown of Silvertown has been the MP for West Ham since 2005, growing up in the area she now represents. A previous Gold Dagger judge, she remains an avid reader and co-ordinates a book club for Labour Women MPs. Lyn now holds a Shadow Ministerial post in Labour’s Shadow Treasury Team.
Paul Burke
Paul writes the ‘The Verdict’ column for NB Magazine, interviews, articles and features for Crime Fiction Lover, Crime Time and the European Literature Network. He also edits and presents the Crime Time FM podcast and is a book collector and lover of crime fiction.
Dan Coxon
Dan Coxon is an award-winning editor and writer. He has been a finalist for the Shirley Jackson Awards and the British Fantasy Awards (six times), with Writing the Uncanny (co-edited with Richard V. Hirst) winning the British Fantasy Award for Best Non-Fiction 2022. The second book in the Writing series, Writing the Future, was published in September 2023, and the third, Writing the Mystery, is forthcoming in 2024.
Raymond Dickey
A recently retired chemical engineer whose hobbies include martial arts, playing and listening to live music, walking, trying to learn languages, and, of course, reading. Originally from the USA he has resided in the UK for the past 20 years. His wife, Kathy, writes mostly urban fantasy novels.
Louise Fairbairn
Louise Fairbairn is a freelance production journalist and proofreader, and was the crime fiction reviewer for The Scotsman newspaper for several years. Louise has been part of the Theakstons Prize academy for several years, was a judge for the Ngaio Awards debut for three years and was part of the McIlvanney Prize academy in 2024. She blogs about crime fiction as The Girl With All The Crime Books (www.crimebookgirl.com / @crimebookgrrl)
Jess Faraday
Jess Faraday is the author of the award-winning Ira Adler historical mysteries, the standalone steampunk adventure The Left Hand of Justice and a number of historical adventures in short story and novella form. She has edited several award-winning short story collections, and served as a judge for the Rainbow Awards for many years.
Pippa Macallister
Pippa was introduced to crime fiction by a Francis Durbridge-loving grandmother and a Christie-loving primary schoolteacher. Pippa has looked after the admin for a crime fiction book group for the last 20 years or so and is the author of Cambridge – Myriads of Misdeeds.
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