A heatwave of a novel, scorching and powerful and with an acute sense of place.
This award is for the best crime novel by a first-time author of any nationality first published in the UK in English during the Judging Period. ‘Best crime novel by a first time author’ means that the author must not have had a novel of any sort published before under any name whatsoever. In the case of novels with more than one author, all the authors must meet this requirement.
To see the titles that have been nominated for the Dagger so far in 2019/2020, please scroll down.
Edwin Buckhalter (Chair)Edwin Buckhalter is the son of a London bookseller, growing up in the book trade, and founding Severn House Publishers in 1974. Having sold the company in 2017 and ostensibly retired, he still reads widely and avidly, especially his first love of crime fiction, whilst devoting much time as a Trustee of an orchestra and not enough time to watching cricket.
Susan MoodySusan Moody was born and brought up in Oxford. Her first crime novel, Penny Black, was published in 1984. She has written a number of suspense thrillers. Susan spent two years as Creative Writing Tutor at Bedford Prison and is a former Chairman of the Crime Writer’s Association.
Paul MagrsIn a twenty-five year writing career Paul Magrs has published novels in every genre from Literary to Gothic Mystery to Science Fiction for adults and young adults. He has taught Creative Writing at both the University of East Anglia and Manchester Metropolitan University, and now writes full time.
Karen RobinsonKaren Robinson is the Supplements Editor of the Sunday Times. She also writes, on property, education, books, travel and food.
| Author | Title | Publisher |
| Chris Berry | Tough Season | Great Northern Books |
| Ani Katz | A Good Man | William Heinemann |
| Andrew Hunter Murray | The Last Day | Hutchinson |
| G.R. Halliday | From the Shadows | Harvill Secker |
| Andrew James Greig | Whirligig | Fledgling Press |
| Holly Jackson | A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder | Electric Monkey |
| Katie Lowe | The Furies | HarperVoyager |
| Madeline Stevens | Devotion | Faber & Faber |
| Steph Cha | Your House Will Pay | Faber & Faber |
| Bev Thomas | A Good Enough Mother | Faber & Faber |
| Jem Tugwell | Proximity | Serpentine Books |
| K H Irvine | A Killing Sin | Urbane Crime and Thrillers |
| Tony Faber | Close to the Edge | Muswell Press |
| Gordon Kerr | The Partisan Heart | Muswell Press |
| Robin Morgan-Bentley | The Wreckage | Trapeze |
| Fiona Erskine | The Chemical Detective | Point Blank |
| Felicity McLean | The Van Apfel Girls Are Gone | Point Blank |
| Samantha Downing | My Lovely Wife | Michael Joseph |
| Kate Weinberg | The Truants | Bloomsbury Publishing |
| Gary Bell | Beyond Reasonable Doubt | Raven Books |
| Daisy Pearce | The Silence | Thomas & Mercer |
| Lisa Gray | Thin Air | Thomas & Mercer |
| Charlotte Philby | The Most Difficult Thing | The Borough Press |
| Marion Todd | See Them Run | Canelo |
| Will Shindler | The Burning Men | Hodder & Stoughton |
| Kate Bradley | To Keep You Safe | Zaffre |
| Chris McDonald | A Wash of Black | Red Dog Press |
| Tim MacGaghann | Call Him Mine | Weidenfeld & Nicolson |
| A Bloody Business | Dylan Struzan (Illustrated by Drew Struzan) | Titan Books / Hard Case Crime |
| George Alagiah | The Burning Land | Canongate Books |
| Nick Cook | The Grid | Bantam Press |
| Owen Matthews | Black Sun | Bantam Press |
| Deborah Masson | Hold Your Tongue | Corgi |
| Leona Deakin | Gone | Black Swan |
| Trevor Wood | The Man on the Streets | Quercus Fiction |
| Russ Thomas | Firewatching | Simon & Schuster UK |
| Nicola Martin | Dead Ringer | Contraband |
| Nicola Rayner | The Girl Before You | Avon / HarperCollins |
| Nell Pattison | The Silent House | Avon / HarperCollins |
| Jessica Moor | Keeper | Viking |
| Stefan Malmström (Translator: Suzanne Martin Cheadle) | Kult | Silvertail Books |
| Caroline Colcoran | The Wall | Avon |
| Sherryl Clark | Trust Me, I’m Dead | Verve Books |
| Andy Grifee | Canal Pushers | Orphans Publications |
| Philippa East | Little White Lies | HQ |
| Melaine Golding | Little Darlings | HQ |
| Louise Hare | This Lovely City | HQ |
| C.J. Cooper | The Book Club | Constable |
| James von Leyden | A Death in the Medina | Constable |
| Tom Benjamin | A Quiet Death in Italy | Constable |
| Chandler Baker | Whisper Network | Sphere |