The Crime Writers’ Association

Ian Fleming Steel Dagger

Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Ian Fleming said there was one essential criterion for a good thriller, ‘one simply has to turn the pages’. Eligible books in this category are thrillers set in any period and include, but are not limited to, spy fiction...


ILP John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger

ILP John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger This Dagger is for the best crime novel by a first-time author of any nationality with their first novel of any kind published in the UK in English during the judging period.  ‘Best crime novel by a first-ti...


Dagger in the Library 2021

Shortlisted


James Oswald


Kate Ellis at Warrington Library

Kate Ellis was born and brought up in Liverpool and studied drama in Manchester. She is now married with two grown up sons and lives in North Cheshire. She worked in teaching, marketing and accountancy, none of which she particularly enjoyed, before ...


Debut Dagger Deadline Draws Near

The deadline to enter the most hotly contended competition for aspiring crime novelists is fast approaching. Aspiring crime novelists have until the end of February to enter the Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) Debut Dagger, which is sponsored b...


About the CWA

About the CWA The Crime Writers’ Association was founded in 1953 by John Creasey (pictured). Our overall aim is to support, promote and celebrate this most durable, adaptable and successful of genres. The CWA’s everyday aim is to support writers...


Private: How I Wrote 20 Mystery eBooks In 20 Months by C T Mitchell

How I Wrote 20 Mystery eBooks In 20 Months How I Wrote 20 Mystery eBooks In 20 Months October 17, 2017 / Writing / By CT Mitchell Have you ever wanted to write mystery eBooks but procrastinated for so long you never got started? You...


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The Crime Writers’ Association has announced a new sponsor for its annual international writing competition for unpublished writers.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, ...


Bookshop of the Month – September 2022: The Oundle Bookshop

Joanna Patterson-Gordon of The Oundle Bookshop Talks to William Shaw You’ll find The Oundle Bookshop behind an impressive line of Georgian pillars on Market Place, which is where it’s been for a remarkable 99 years. It’s a traditional bo...


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