UK Crime Writers Association Daggers Shortlists

The UK Crime Writers Association recently listed their 2009 shortlists - affectionately known as 'The Daggers'. Tragic always makes a point of reading the winner of International Dagger and is half-hoping that the shortlisted Stieg Larsson's, The Girl who played with Fire, translated by Reg Keeland (MacLehose Quercus), wins as he has already read it! Very gripping it was too.

Tragic has the Daggers to thank for introducing him the to super French writer Fred Vargas, who has the The Chalk Circle Man, translated by Siân Reynolds, on the shortlist. Ms. Vargas is almost a permanent fixture on the list each year winning in 2007 with Fred Vargas, Wash This Blood Clean From My Hand, translated by Sîan Reynolds and in 2006 with , The Three Evangelists, translated once again by Sîan Reynolds.

This year also sees the introduction of The Debut Dagger for aspiring crime book authors. Lovely to see such a leading award bringing on the next generation.

Tragic maintains a Dagger's summary page at Literary Awards UK. Links to the official site, which is very fine, can be found with the award description at the bottom of the page. Book links to Blackwell.

[Next book in Tragic's crime genre pile is Ian Rankin's The Naming of the Dead]

The CWA International Dagger 2009 Shortlist

For crime, thriller, suspense or spy fiction novels which have been translated into English from their original language, for UK publication. £1000 prize money for the author and £500 for the translator:

| | | |

Arnaldur Indridason, The Arctic Chill, translated by Bernard Scudder and Victoria Cribb (Harvill Secker)

On an icy January day the Reykjavik police are called to a block of flats where a body has been found in the garden: a young, dark-skinned boy, frozen to the ground in a pool of his own blood. The discovery of a stab wound in his stomach... More

Stieg Larsson, The Girl who played with Fire, translated by Reg Keeland (MacLehose Quercus)

Lisbeth Salander is a wanted woman. Two Millennium journalists about to expose the truth about the sex trade inSweden are brutally murdered, and Salander's prints are on the weapon. Her history of unpredictable and vengeful behaviour makes her an official danger to society - but no-one can find her anywhere. More

Jo Nesbo, The Redeemer, translated by Don Bartlett (Harvill Secker)

One night in Oslo, Christmas shoppers gather to listen to a Salvation Army street concert. An explosion cuts through the music, and a man in uniform falls to the ground. Harry Hole and his team have little to work with: no suspect and no motive. More

Johan Theorin, Echoes from the Dead, translated by Marlaine Delargy (Doubleday)

Can you ever come to terms with a missing child? Julia Davidsson has not. Her five-year-old son disappeared twenty years previously on the Swedish island of Oland. No trace of him has ever been found. Until his shoe arrives in the post. More

Fred Vargas, The Chalk Circle Man, translated by Siân Reynolds (Harvill Secker)

When strange blue chalk circles start appearing overnight on the pavements of Paris, the press take up the story with amusement and psychiatrists trot out their theories. Jean-Baptiste Adamsberg, a policeman is alone in thinking that this is not a... More

Karin Alvtegen, Shadow, translated by McKinley Burnett, (Canongate)

In a nondescript apartment block in Stockholm, most of the residents are elderly. Usually a death is a sad but straightforward event. But sometimes a resident will die and there are no friends or family to contact. This is when Marianne Folkesson... More

The CWA Short Story Dagger 2009 Shortlist

Any crime short story first published in the UK in English in return for payment. Prize money £1500:

Lawrence Block: Speaking of Lust from Crime Express series (Five Leaves Publications)
Sean Chercover: One Serving of Bad Luck from Killer Year (Mira)
Laura Lippman: Cougar from Two of the Deadliest (Hodder & Stoughton)
Peter Robinson: The Price of Love from The Blue Religion (Quercus)
Zoë Sharp: Served Cold from The Mammoth Book of Best British Crime (Constable & Robinson)
Chris Simms: Mother’s Milk from The Mammoth Book of Best British Crime (Constable & Robinson)

The CWA Dagger in the Library 2009 Shortlist

Unlike most other literary prizes, the Dagger in the Library is awarded not for an individual book but for the author’s body of work. Authors are nominated by UK libraries and Readers’ Groups and judged by a panel of librarians. Previous winners have included Stuart McBride, Craig Russell and Alexander McCall Smith. The £1500 prize is sponsored by the publishers Random House. In addition, the participating libraries’ readers groups that nominated the winning author will be entered into a draw for £300 to be spent on books for their group.

The 2009 shortlist is:

Simon Beckett
Colin Cotterill
R J Ellory

Ariana Franklin
Peter James
Michael Robotham

The CWA Debut Dagger 2009 Shortlist

The Debut Dagger is open to anyone who has not yet had a novel published commercially. The first prize, sponsored by Orion, is £500 plus two free tickets to the prestigious CWA Dagger Awards and night’s stay for two in a top London hotel. The shortlist is:

Frank Burkett: A View from the Clock Tower (Australia)
Aoife Clifford: My First Big Book of Murder (Australia)
CJ Harper: Backdrop (USA)
Madeleine Harris-Callway: The Land of Sun and Fun (Canada)
Renata Hill: Sex, Death and Chocolate (Canada)
Mick Laing: The Sirius Patrol (UK)
Susan Lindgren: Forgotten Treasures (USA)
Catherine O’Keefe: The Pathologist (Canada)
Danielle Ramsay: Paterfamilias (UK)
Germaine Stafford: A Vine Time for Trouble (Italy)
Martin Ungless: Idiot Wind (UK)
Alan Wright: Murder at the Séance (UK)

About the Award

The Crime Writers Association is responsible for administering Britain's leading crime fiction awards, 'The Daggers'. Membership is open to any author who has had one crime novel produced by a bona fide publisher. It is this collective body, consisting of over 450 members,that decides upon the awards. There are seven Dagger Book Awards including the :Duncan Lawrie Dagger. The Duncan Lawrie International Dagger; CWA Ian Flemming Steel Dagger; CWA New Blood Dagger; CWA Dagger in the Library; the Debut Dagger and Cartier Diamond Dagger. The Ellis Peter Historical Award is also given.

Starting in 1955 major award was originally known as the Crossed Red Herring Award, then the Gold Dagger and is now the Duncan Lawrie Dagger. It carries a prize of £20,000, the largest award for crime fiction in the world for the best crime novel of the year.