2018 winning story
The Value of Vermin Control - Russell Day I took my hat off and cleared my throat. The young man behind the armour glass and the steel bars didn’t look up, even though I was his only customer. I wasn’t especially surprised. In my experience, p...
2017 winning story
Box Clever - Sam Hepburn I’ve always been a dreamer – the nerdy kid hunched over his Playstation dreaming of being popular, the geeky teenager in sweaty boxers dreaming of hitting the big time with his latest bit of software, the broke student...
2016 winning story
A Box-Shaped Mystery - Peter Guttridge ‘The Mystery remains box-shaped, at once a prison and a refuge. Its four walls are, roughly, a Crime, a Mystery, an Enquiry and a Conclusion with an Element of Satisfaction in it.’ Margery Allingham P...
2016 shortlisted story
The Blockage - Ian Cowmeadow Fine drops of rain bloomed on the van’s windscreen. The engine clicked as the heat drifted from it and Shelly Wrench was beginning to feel the cold. Across the street, a strip light flickered behind a frosted window ...
2015 winning story
Game Over - Lesley Mace The feel of the skateboard rumbles up through the bones of his feet. He is enclosed within the sound of wheels. He concentrates on contracting muscles, on making his body into the correct shape to fly over the top of the co...
Bryan Mason on Writing about Serial Killers in Hotwells, Bristol
Bryan Mason will be in conversation with Prof. Leroy White from the University of Exeter about Bryan's debut novel Shaking Hands with the Devil. Bryan will cover areas including the long genesis between drafting and getting published, characterisatio...
Friends, Romans, Murderers with Jane Finnis
“Friends, Romans, Murderers…” Jane Finnis, who writes the Aurelia Marcella mysteries, talks about life (and death) in Roman Britain, and explores the pleasures and pitfalls of writing historical mysteries. Admission free: all welcome. Jane’...
Friends, Romans, Murderers with Jane Finnis
“Friends, Romans, Murderers…” Jane Finnis, who writes the Aurelia Marcella mysteries, talks about life (and death) in Roman Britain, and explores the pleasures and pitfalls of writing historical mysteries. Admission free: all welcome. Jane’...
Scotland’s International Crime Writing Festival
Lin Anderson and Alex Gray started the festival in 2012 and now it’s huge. This year’s featured authors include Chris Curran, Val McDermid, Irvine Welsh, Louise Penny, Ann Cleeves, Peter James, Stuart Macbride, Chris Brookmyre, Ragnar Jonasson, M...
Submitting for CWA Competitions: In at the Kill
The deadline’s getting close! So here’s some last-minute advice for you on the practicalities of submitting. Please remember the rule: if you have any problems with your Debut Dagger submission, you must let us know on comps@thecwa.co.uk befor...
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