The Crime Writers’ Association

Red Herring

The Red Herring Award From its earliest years, right up to the present day, the CWA has benefited enormously from the hard and selfless work of a wide range of people. It’s always been a fundamental part of the CWA’s ethos that contributions of ...


Dagger in the Library voting

Dagger in the Library nominations Nominations for the 2024 Dagger in the Library are now closed.  The Dagger in the Library is awarded to a UK crime writer every year. This year the names of nominated authors have been supplied by libraries and ...


Bookshop of the Month – August 2022: Imagined Things Bookshop

Georgia Eckert from Imagined Things Bookshop in conversation with William Shaw. In 2018, Imagined Things Bookshop, in Harrogate, became known as the bookshop that was saved by a tweet.  On 25 June 2018, bookshop owner, Georgia Eckert, let the wor...


Vaseem Khan elected Chair of the CWA

Vaseem Khan has been elected as the new Chair of the CWA at the association's AGM earlier this month, taking over from Maxim Jakubowski, who ably steered the CWA Chair for three years. Vaseem is the first non-white author to chair the CWA. Vaseem ...


Manchester Libraries Crime Festival

A celebration of some of the best crime writers in Manchester and the North. Including panel discussions and a Murder Mystery Night! Manchester Central Library M2 5PD Book tickets: https://tinyurl.com/4y33kvbk Wednesday 16th March An author pane...


Crime Writers in Residence – at home with PJ Quinn

The CRA: Please tell us a little about yourself and the books you write. As half of PJ Quinn I (Pauline Kirk) write the DI Ambrose mysteries with my daughter, Jo Summers. To date, we’ve collaborated on four novels: Foul Play, Poison Pen, Close Dis...


National Crime Reading Month 2018 Underway

National Crime Reading Month, an initiative promoted by the CWA, is now underway, with libraries, bookshops and writing festivals throughout the country hosting events and talks this month with authors speaking about their books and the world of crim...


The Big Read with Mari Hannah

Big Read Celebrates Ian Rankin in Landmark Year The Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival is on tour this summer with its ninth Big Read, hosting free reading group events across Yorkshire. The 2017 Big Read is Ian Rankin’s breakthrough R...


A Detective’s Take on Crime Fiction

CWA Scotland — A Detective's Take on Crime Writing 27 June 2024 at 7 pm with Iain Souter. Iain is a second-generation copper from a crop of three who followed their father into the service in Northern Constabulary… pre-Police Scotland. He...


Emerging Author Dagger Rules

Rules and Submission Guidelines Emerging Author Dagger The Emerging Author Dagger (formerly the Debut Dagger), an international competition for the opening of an adult/YA crime novel and synopsis, is aimed at debut writers. The CWA defines a de...


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