The Crime Writers’ Association

CWA Dagger Awards Winners Announced

The Crime Writers’ Association have presented their final 2015 CWA Dagger Awards to authors Smith Henderson, Karin Slaughter and Michael Robotham. At the CWA Dagger Awards reception, which took place at Malmaison, London on Tuesday evening, the...


Seven Writing Tips from Leigh Russell

Chair of the CWA Debut Dagger judges, Leigh Russell, has sold well over a million books. Writer’s Block The best cure for writer’s block is a deadline. If you’re not fortunate enough to have an external deadline set by a publisher, you can ...


Agatha Christie Centenary Celebration

BIRTHDAY PARTY WILL CELEBRATE A CENTURY OF CHRISTIE CREATIVITY Diary date: Thursday 15 September 2016 Dame Agatha Christie’s home town marks her birthday and the 100th anniversary of the completion of her first crime no...


Bookshop of the Month – September 2021: Cogito Books

This month, author and co-Booksellers Champion, Vaseem Khan, writes about Cogito Books in Hexham, run by Claire Grint. Cogito Books is based in the rural market town of Hexham, in the beautiful county of Northumberland, home to castles and a nearb...


Video submission guide

Video submission guide We are not currently running a video series. But following the success of our YouTube member videos in 2020-21, we’ll be inviting you to send in themed videos again soon. Keep an eye on Red Herrings and members' email upd...


Crime Writers in Residence – at home with Maggie Hamand

The CRA: Please tell us a little about yourself and the books you write. I am a former journalist, a novelist and creative writing lecturer at the University of Hull. I studied biochemistry as a first degree and have a Masters in theology so science...


Private: What a Difference a Dagger Makes: Debut Dagger winner Bill Crotty tells of doors that have opened since the award

I had never won anything in my life.  Absolutely nothing.  Lucky dips were never lucky; not a single raffle ever ended with my ticket being called.  School sports day was a wasteland.  No kind of race did I ever win: sack, three-l...


Killer Women

The third Killer Women Festival is on 21 October in Brown's Courtrooms, Covent Garden, London. Headliners include Mark Billingham, Sophie Hannah, Paula Hawkins and Elly Griffiths. Talks from experts on forensic archaeology, CSI, psychopaths and ge...


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...


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