The Crime Writers’ Association

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...


Bookseller of the Month: November 2022 – Bert’s Books

As part of the new CWA Bookshops Champion initiative, we want to celebrate bookshops, because we believe bookshops don’t just sell our books – they bring our streets alive. This month, William Shaw introduces us to Bert's Books in Swindon. Ber...



C J Sansom Awarded Diamond Dagger

CJ Sansom has been announced as the recipient of the highest honour in British crime writing, the Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) Diamond Dagger. One of Britain’s bestselling historical novelists, Christopher John Sansom was born in 1952 in E...


Robert Goddard to receive CWA Diamond Dagger 2019

The Crime Writers’ Association is delighted to announce that Robert Goddard is to receive the 2019 CWA Diamond Dagger, the highest honour in British crime writing. The Dagger award recognises authors whose crime writing careers have been marked by ...


International Literary Properties (ILP) to sponsor the CWA John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger 2023

International Literary Properties (ILP), the global company that invests in, acquires, and manages the intellectual property rights to books, plays and other literary works, has announced their sponsorship of the 2023 Crime Writers' Association John ...


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