The Crime Writers’ Association

2023 Debut Dagger Competition Opens for Entries

The most hotly contended competition for would-be crime novelists is now open for entries. Aspiring crime novelists have until the end of February 2023 to enter the Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) Debut Dagger, renowned for opening doors for as...


CWA Daggers 2017 Awarded to The Dry, Spook Street and Tall Oaks

The 2017 winners of the prestigious CWA Daggers were announced at a gala dinner sponsored by publishers Pan Macmillan at the Grange City Hotel, Cooper’s Row, London on Thursday 26 October. The CWA Daggers, the crème de la crème of crime-writing a...


Emerging Author Dagger

Emerging Author Dagger The Emerging Author Dagger (formerly the Debut Dagger) is an international competition, open to anyone in the world writing in English, for a crime novel opening (max. 3,000 words) and synopsis (max. 1,500 words). The crime no...


Toni Mount: Author Talk & Book Launch

Join Toni Mount on 1st June at Benson Library, Oxfordshire to launch the new murder mystery The Colour of Lies. Toni will be talking about her writing career, writing non-fiction history books,and medieval murder mysteries, the story so far in the S...


Crime Writers in Residence – at home with Katherine Stansfield

The CRA: Please tell us a little about yourself and the books you write. I’m originally from Cornwall and now live in Cardiff. Cornwall inspires much of my writing – I’m a bit obsessed with its history and folk tales. I write the historical cr...


Celebrate National Crime Reading Month on 8 May with Rachel Abbott and Sharon Bolton

Celebrate National Crime Reading Month with Bolton Central Library and Museum as Bestselling, Award winning crime writers Rachel Abbott and Sharon Bolton will be talking about their exciting new books. Rachel's new book "Come a Little Closer" has be...


Dagger for the Best Crime & Mystery Publisher

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 n...


After 20 years, would-be crime novelists find it more rewarding than ever to enter the CWA Debut Dagger Competition

Amended 8.12.17 The CWA Debut Dagger for the opening of a crime novel, established in 1998, is renowned within the crime writing world as a way for unpublished authors to get known, with former winners and shortlisted entrants going on to win publish...


William Shaw: Deadland

William Shaw is one of the great rising talents of UK crime fiction – Peter James Taut, terrifying and timely – Val McDermid, on Salt Lane A modern crime master – Sun Dungeness is a splendid backdrop for a troubled detective – Daily Mail ...


Crime Writers Emerging from Lockdown with Louise Burfitt-Dons

How an escape story inspired The Secret War Some years ago when I was living in Australia I met someone whose family had escaped the Cultural Revolution. The planning required utmost secrecy for the father to organise their ‘trip to Hong Kong to...


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