The Crime Writers' Association

The John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger

This Year's Winner

The Man on the Street
Trevor Wood
Quercus

Set in Newcastle, The Man on the Street features Jimmy, a homeless veteran grappling with PTSD, who thinks he hears a murder while sleeping rough. When Carrie appears, concerned for her dad’s disappearance, Jimmy and a cast of homeless and equally idiosyncratic friends take up the task of investigating betrayal and corruption.

Amazon

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This award is for the best crime novel by a first-time author of any nationality first traditionally 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 traditionally published before under any name whatsoever. In the case of novels with more than one author, all the authors must meet this requirement.

Shortlist

The Judges 2021

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, while devoting much time as a trustee of an orchestra and not enough time to watching cricket.

Susan Moody

Susan 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 Chair of the Crime Writers’ Association.

Karen Robinson

Karen Robinson was the Supplements Editor of The Sunday Times. She also writes, on property, education, books, travel and food.

Teddy HayesTeddy Hayes

Teddy moved to London in 1996 from Ohio, and began writing a detective series of novels and producing his own plays as well as feature films. He started publishing his novels about Devil Barnett, a black CIA hitman-turned-private-detective in Harlem. The first novel Blood Red Blues was published in 1997. In 2019, he was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Equal Arts Foundation in the U.K.

Cynthia Harrod-EaglesCynthia Harrod-Eagles

Cynthia Harrod-Eagles is a British writer of romance and mystery novels. She normally writes under her own name but also uses the pseudonyms Emma Woodhouse and Elizabeth Bennett. She wrote her first novel in 1972 while still at university.

2020 Shortlist

Title Author Publisher
Little White Lies Philippa East HQ
The Man on the Street Trevor Wood Quercus Fiction
My Lovely Wife Samantha Downing Michael Joseph
The Wreckage Robin Morgan-Bentley Trapeze
Your House Will Pay Steph Cha Faber & Faber

2020 Longlist

Title Author Publisher
A Death in the Medina James Von Leyden Constable
Black Sun Owen Matthews Bantam Press
Hold Your Tongue Deborah Masson Corgi
Little White Lies Philippa East HQ
The Man on the Street Trevor Wood Quercus Fiction
My Lovely Wife Samantha Downing Michael Joseph
The Wreckage Robin Morgan-Bentley Trapeze
This Dark Little Place A.S. Hatch Serpent’s Tail
Trust Me, I’m Dead Sherryl Clark Verve Books
The Van Apfel Girls Are Gone Felicity McLean Point Blank
Whirligig Andrew James Greig Fledgling Press
Your House Will Pay Steph Cha Faber & Faber