The shortlist of the CWA 2017 Dagger in the Library has been announced.

The Dagger in the Library is a prize for a body of work by a crime writer that users of libraries particularly admire. It is one of the most prestigious crime writing awards in the UK and previous winners include Elly Griffiths, Christopher Fowler, Sharon Bolton, Belinda Bauer, Alexander McCall Smith, Stephen Booth, Peter Robinson and Lindsey Davis.

The CWA, in discussion with its 2017 partners, The Reading Agency, revised the 2017 Dagger in the Library format so that, uniquely among crime-writing awards, only library staff were able to nominate authors. Nominations were received from 175 libraries across the UK and Ireland. The CWA worked with The Reading Agency, local libraries and the Crime Readers’ Association to promote novels from the longlisted authors to reading groups nationwide and feedback received from reading groups via Reading Groups for Everyone was a major factor in the judges’ shortlisting.

Here is the shortlist:

• Andrew Taylor
• C J Sansom
• James Oswald
• Kate Ellis
• Mari Hannah
• Tana French

For more information about the authors, please visit: http://daggerreads.co.uk/dagger-in-the-library/

The winner will be announced at a short reception to immediately follow the Bodies from the Library event at the British Library on Saturday 17 June, promptly at 5.30pm.