Twisted Dagger
The Twisted Dagger celebrates psychological thrillers, dark and twisty tales that often feature unreliable narrators, disturbed emotions, a healthy dose of moral ambiguity, and a sting in the tail. Books in this category include psychological thrillers (set in any period), suspense thrillers, and domestic noir.
The 2025 Judges
Gavin Bell
Gavin Bell, writing as Mason Cross, is the author of the Carter Blake series published by Orion. The first, The Killing Season, was published in 2014 and was longlisted for the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year. It was followed by four further novels in the series. He has also written standalones as Alex Knight, including Hunted and Darkness Falls.
Tracy Fenton
Tracy is the founder of THE Book Club on Facebook, an online group of over 14k members which is widely considered one of the most influential book groups in the UK. Described as a “powerhouse” and “indefatigable” by authors and publishers, Tracy has her own blog, Compulsive Readers, where she regularly reviews books in between arranging blog tours for many publishers and authors.
Susi Holliday
Susi Holliday grew up near Edinburgh and has worked as a clinical statistician for over twenty years. A lifelong fan of crime and horror, her short stories have been published in publications such as Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, and in multiple anthologies. She was shortlisted for the inaugural CWA Margery Allingham Prize and has now written eleven novels and a novella. A film adaptation of her Trans-Siberian-set thriller, Violet, is currently in development.
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