Dagger for the Best Crime & Mystery Publisher
This prestigious Dagger (often referred to as simply the “Publisher’s Dagger”) is awarded annually to the Best Crime and Mystery Publisher of the Year.
Publishers and specific imprints are nominated by a representative and rotating panel of leading book reviewers, booksellers, festival organisers, bloggers, literary agents and journalists, with the eventual winner designated from the shortlist by the CWA Board.
2026 longlist
| Publisher |
|---|
| Allison & Busby |
| Baskerville (John Murray/Hachette) |
| Bitter Lemon Press |
| Constable (Little, Brown) |
| Faber & Faber |
| Harvill Vintage (Penguin Random House) |
| Muswell Press |
| No Exit Press (Bedford Square) |
| Pan Macmillan |
| Polygon (Birlinn) |
| Simon & Schuster |
| Viper (Profile Books) |
How it’s decided.
The Dagger is awarded annually to the Best Crime and Mystery Publisher of the Year. Publishers and specific imprints are nominated by a representative group of leading book reviewers, booksellers, festival organisers, bloggers, literary agents and journalists, with the eventual winner selected from the shortlist by the CWA Board. This prestigious Dagger was inaugurated in 2019, the first new Dagger for a decade.
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