The prestigious Crime Writer’s Association Dagger Awards have been announced today! Previous award winners include Lee child, SJ Watson, Mo Hayder and Ian Rankin.
Michael Crichton took out the CWA Goldsboro Gold Dagger with his title Life or Death, triumphing over Robert Galbraith’s The Silkworm and Stephen King’s Mr Mercedes.
A bit of history: The Gold Dagger is awarded to the best crime novel of the year. It was originally created in 1955, under the name of the Crossed Red Herrings Award. It was renamed the Gold Dagger in 1960 and has been awarded ever since with variations in its name depending on sponsorship.
Cop Town by Karin Slaughter was awarded the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger, beating out one of our best-sellers, The Girl On The Train by Paula Hawkins.
The broadest definition of the thriller novel is used for eligible books for this award. These can be set in any period and include, but are not limited to, spy fiction and/or action/ adventure stories. Ian Fleming said there was one essential criterion for a good thriller – that “one simply has to turn the pages”.
