This dagger and the prize of £1500 is sponsored by the membership of the CWA. Danuta Reah was presented with her dagger and cheque by former CWA Chair Mike Jecks.

‘A very original and imaginative story, subtly and deftly told. With a menacingly gothic atmosphere, it contains many unforgettable images.’

Danuta Reah (who also writes as Carla Banks) lives in South Yorkshire with her husband who is an artist. She uses her urban background in her books. The settings range from the claustrophobic parochialism of the South Yorkshire mining communities to the international stage of new Europe and beyond. Crime — or at least dissent — runs in the family. Her father was a refugee from Stalin’s Belarus; one of her ancestors, John Woodcock, was hanged, drawn and quartered in 1646 for his religious beliefs.