The Crime Writers’ Association

Gold Dagger 2026

Shortlisted


Ariel Lawhon

The Frozen River

Published by: Swift Press

Judges’ comments

An emotionally captivating historical novel based on a true story. The crime at its heart interrogates the place of women in eighteenth-century America, with plenty of echoes in modern society. Engaging, beautifully written, and at times brutal in its frank depiction of misogyny.

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