The Crime Writers’ Association

The Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival

This popular festival returns to the Old Swan Hotel, Harrogate on the 20th-23rd July 2017, to mark the 15th annual celebration of the genre. 2017’s Programming Chair Elly Griffiths, the current holder of the CWA Dagger in the Library, has put toge...


The Big Read with Mari Hannah

Big Read Celebrates Ian Rankin in Landmark Year The Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival is on tour this summer with its ninth Big Read, hosting free reading group events across Yorkshire. The 2017 Big Read is Ian Rankin’s breakthrough R...


CWA Conference York 2023

An Overview by Matthew Booth The old adage says that time flies when you’re having fun and, like many old sayings, it is true. And that probably explains why this year’s conference, held primarily in the Park Inn by Radisson in York, seemed to f...


2023 Dagger Award Winners Announced

2023 CWA Dagger Awards Announced The winners of the 2023 CWA Daggers, which honour the very best in the crime writing genre, have been announced. The prestigious Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) Daggers are the oldest awards in the genre and ...


2021 winning story

Heartbridge Homicides - Camilla Macpherson ‘Haven’t seen you before,’ said Janet, as she approached the thin, nervy-looking man waiting at the red and white parking barrier. Beyond the barrier (so near, but yet so far) lay the studio where H...


2020 winning story

A Time to Confess - Della Millward “In my experience, those who beg for mercy seldom deserve it.” Alex Mason’s clear voice carried across the dry air of the cavern and Peter was glad there weren’t many people around to hear her. Sometim...


2020 highly commended story

Sting in the Tail - Laila Murphy Did you know that insects are among the most successful species on Earth? They outlived dinosaurs. They’ll outlive us. My speciality is wasps. Vespology. Wasps get a bad deal. People are afraid of them but the...


2020 highly commended story

Voices - Lauren Everdell “Someone do the handoff?” “Jane Doe, Patient Foxtrot Alpha One One, found semi-conscious in an alley. Multiple stab wounds to the torso and apparent blunt force trauma to the back of the skull. Query traumatic brai...


2019 winning story

A Perfect Murderer - Ray Bazowski “There’s something that needs to be said at the start.” This forbidding sentence was how Mother always began family meetings. Since flight was impractical and fight inconceivable, we all looked for ways to b...


2019 runner up

Decluttering - Rosie De Vekey The Greenville Herald 21st December 2018 ‘Ghosting husbands’ on the rise! Pressures of Trump’s America blamed for men disappearing from families in record numbers.   A beginning It’s a war...


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