The Crime Writers’ Association

The CWA Remembers David Stuart Davies

The CWA has lost one of its most loyal members in David Stuart Davies, a novelist, editor, and playwright who achieved an international reputation as an expert on Sherlock Holmes. David was born in Huddersfield, the town where he lived for much of...


Opening Windows, by John Kennedy

A certain writer, arguably lauded for the wrong things but at the same time often underrated, once said something about writing behind closed doors and rewriting with the window open. Well, for me, the Debut Dagger competition opened that window. Get...


Debut Dagger Tips: Joanne Spain

Joanne Spain’s life was changed by her decision to enter the CWA Debut Dagger competition in 2013. She credits her experience with the CWA contest with helping to shape her now-flourishing writing career. Now, having secured a two-book deal with Qu...


World Book Night with Leslie Scase

Meet the author Leslie Scase as he explores the world of late Victorian crime and punishment in this illustrated talk, bringing this fascinating era and subject alive. Leslie shares his research and how this led to writing his crime novel Fortuna's D...


ALCS Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction

ALCS Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction This Dagger is for any non-fiction work on a crime-related theme by an author of any nationality as long as the book was first published in the UK in English during the judging period. The Dagger encompasses, tho...


AGM 2024 Voting Form

AGM 2024 Voting Form Voting has now closed....


CWA Announces new Debut Dagger Sponsor

The Crime Writers’ Association has announced a new sponsor for its annual international writing competition for unpublished writers. The CWA Debut Dagger is to be sponsored by ProWritingAid, a platform that operates as a grammar checker, style edi...


Private: Into the River: how a last-minute decision led to an award-winning bestseller, by Mark Brandi

In a river, on the outskirts of an isolated country town, two young brothers discover a wheelie bin, partly submerged beneath a fallen tree. Curious, the older brother goes closer to investigate. He steps carefully across the tree’s smooth trunk, ...


Margery Allingham Short Mystery Competition 2014

Shortlisted


Gail Williams

Last Shakes


The Secrets of Successful Crime Writing with Pauline Rowson

Acclaimed Crime Author Pauline Rowson is the author of nineteen crime novels set against the backdrop of the sea on the South Coast of England. Fourteen of these feature the rugged and flawed Portsmouth copper, Inspector Andy Horton with Dead Passage...


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