CWA Dagger in the Library

The Dagger in the Library is a prize for a body of work by an established crime writer that has long been popular with borrowers from libraries. It also rewards authors who have supported libraries and their users.

Shortlist

The judges

Sue Wilkinson (Chair)

Sue Wilkinson has worked in public libraries for more than 40 years and is Events and Engagement Manager at the Library of Birmingham. Before taking up this post, she was a prison librarian for many years. Having spent a lot of time with the real thing, she finds crime fiction much more entertaining, and is looking forward to discovering new writers and crime genres.

Jennifer Stewart

Jennifer Stewart is a Service Development Librarian with Fife Cultural Trust, and has worked in public libraries for over twenty years, passing on her passion for reading to anyone who is willing to listen! She is regularly to be found mixing with all sorts of criminal types via the pages of a book, and loves discovering new crime writers.

Marleen Kennedy

Marleen Kennedy can’t remember a life before words and reading. After growing up in a household where no holiday or festivity was complete without at least one new book, it’s hardly surprising she now owns more books than shelf space while her Kindle is about to explode.

Having left the hustle and bustle of Amsterdam for the peace and quiet of the Irish country-side she counts herself lucky to have worked as a branch librarian for the Cavan County Council Library Service for the past ten years. Helping others find the books that are just right for them will never grow old and leading the library reading group continues to feel more like a treat than work.

Marleen also writes romances under the name Helena Stone.

Kay Easson

Kay Easson has worked in libraries for 30 years. She has had experience of working in school, public and independent libraries, the latter for 17 years at the Lit & Phil in Newcastle upon Tyne. Crime fiction is an important part of its collection and over the years the library has welcomed many crime writers, from Dorothy L. Sayers to CWA Diamond Dagger winner Ann Cleeves. Kay is one of the co-organisers of Newcastle Noir @ the Lit & Phil, Newcastle’s annual crime writing festival.

Ian Anstice

Ian Anstice has got a few jobs: three days a week he is Strategic Lead for Time To Read, a partnership of 22 library services in the North West focusing on reader development; for two days a week he is a library specialist for Cheshire West and Chester Council; and for the rest of the time he is editor of Public Libraries News. Ian promises us he does fit in the time to read the occasional book as well.

Mirka Duxberry

Mirka Duxberry is one of the Library Development Managers and has worked for Shropshire Libraries for over 14 years. She believes in power of stories, reading and libraries and is passionate about languages. She continuously promotes the value and benefits of libraries to partners and to the wider community and helps to develop new services.

2019 Longlist

Current holder

Martin Edwards
Martin Edwards

Martin Edwards, the current Chair of the CWA, has won the Edgar, Agatha, Macavity, and Poirot awards in the USA, and the CWA Short Story Dagger, CWA Margery Allingham Prize, and the H.R.F. Keating award in the UK. His latest Lake District Mystery is The Dungeon House. He has written eight novels about Liverpool lawyer Harry Devlin, starting with All the Lonely People; (shortlisted for the John Creasey Dagger); they are now available again as ebooks.

The author of over 60 short stories, Martin has also edited 35 anthologies and published ten non-fiction books. A well-known critic and writer about the crime fiction genre, past and present, with The Golden Age of Murder exemplifying his knowledge of crime fiction and its authors in the 1920s and 1930s, Martin is President and Archivist of the world-famous Detection Club. He is also series consultant to British Library’s highly successful series of crime classics and has written a companion to the series: The Story of Classic Crime in 100 Books.

Gallows Court, Martin’s latest novel due out in September 2018, is set in 1930 and features a dashing new character – rich, mysterious and ruthless – Rachel Savernake.

View past winners