Underwater
Fiona McPhillips
Debut Dagger
Winner 2021
Deception
Hannah Redding
Two women, twelve hours, one dead body. What really happened?
Hannah Redding was called to the Bar in 2007 as an Inner Temple Scholar and is the mother of four children. In 2019 she was co-winner of the Escalator prize from the National Centre for Writing. In her spare time (of which there is very little), she is an enthusiastic, if distinctly average, long distance triathlete. Deception is her first crime novel.
A competition for the opening of a crime novel by an uncontracted writer.
Entries from shortlisted writers are sent to UK literary agents and publishers. Every year, authors find representation this way.
Highly commended
Shortlist
The Looking Glass Spy
Ashley Harrison
Underwater
Fiona McPhillips
Rough Justice
Biba Pearce
Deception
Hannah Redding
Lightfoot
Edward Regenye
Mandatory Reporting
Jennifer Wilson O’Raghallaigh
The Judges 2021
Leigh Russell
Leigh Russell has sold over a million books in her Geraldine Steel crime series which has been translated into several languages, including Chinese. Leigh has been shortlisted for two CWA Dagger awards, and has twice been a finalist for the People’s Book Prize. She formerly served on the board of the Crime Writers’ Association, currently co-ordinates their Criminal Critiques service and chairs the Debut Dagger judges. She is a Royal Literary Fellow.
Stephanie Glencross
Stephanie is an editor at Gregory and Company Authors’ Agents, now part of David Higham Associates. Stephanie works with clients on their manuscripts before they are submitted to publishers and also looks for new talent. Clients include Val McDermid and Belinda Bauer.
Katherine Armstrong
Katherine Armstrong is Deputy Publishing Director of crime & thriller fiction at Simon & Schuster. Previously she was Editorial Director for crime & thrillers at Bonnier Zaffre, part of Bonnier Books UK. She has worked in publishing since 2005, first at Faber and Faber and then at Sphere (Little, Brown), before joining Bonnier Zaffre in 2016 and Simon & Schuster in 2021. She is one of the co-founders of the First Monday crime nights in London.
Oli Munson
Oli Munson is a director at literary agency A.M. Heath & Co. His list includes award-winning writers of crime, thrillers and suspense.
Longlist 2021
| Author | Title |
|---|---|
| Peter Boland | Savage Games |
| Zack Daniel | The Tonganoxie Split |
| Kerry Eaton | Long Egg |
| Ashley Harrison | The Looking Glass Spy |
| Fiona McPhillips | Underwater |
| Karen Milner | Sister Killer |
| Julie Nugent | The Lying Days |
| Biba Pearce | Rough Justice |
| Hannah Redding | Deception |
| Edward Regenye | Lightfoot |
| Elizabeth Todman | The Tunnel Runners |
| Jennifer Wilson O’Raghallaigh | Mandatory Reporting |