Some two hundred agents, publishers and authors joined
an awards dinner at Kings Place, London, to hear who had been chosen as
recipients of the 2013 CWA Daggers.
Alison
Joseph, Chair of the CWA said:
The
announcement of the Daggers Awards is always an exciting moment in the CWA's
calendar. For months our judges have been reading all the entries, in all
the categories, and once again their shortlists show their care, discernment
and thoughtfulness. The awards dinner is the culmination of all their
hard work. It is an opportunity to celebrate the best of our genre, to award
our most talented authors and, most important of all, to introduce our
ever-growing readership to more books they will enjoy.
CWA INTERNATIONAL DAGGER
For the first time the judges divided the CWA
International Dagger between two books: Ghost Riders of Ordebec by Fred
Vargas, translated by Siân Reynolds, and Alex by Pierre Lemaitre,
translated by Frank Wynne.
Alison Joseph said:
“The International Dagger came about because the CWA
became aware that international crime writing was developing its own momentum,
becoming something worth celebrating on its own terms. To try to judge
international crime fiction when jumbled in with UK publications simply didn't
do justice to the richness of the genre when explored within different cultures
and different viewpoints. This year's winners have borne that out. This year's
Dagger is shared between two extraordinary talents, so extraordinary that they
have had to share the glory. The crime fiction emerging from France is very
exciting - so exciting, that the CWA is planning to establish a French Chapter
in the near future.”
CWA NON-FICTION DAGGER
The CWA Non-Fiction dagger was awarded to Paul French
for Midnight in Peking with the judges praising the way he brilliantly
evoked the uneasy atmosphere of China’s capital 80 years ago, and the sordid
exploits of the Anglophone expat community. Richard Hoskin’s The Boy in the
River was also highly commended by judges.
CWA DAGGER IN THE LIBRARY
The CWA Dagger in the Library, sponsored by Dead Good
(The Random House Group) was awarded to Belinda Bauer who had impressed the
judges with her fourth novel Rubbernecker. Belinda’s first novel, Blacklands,
won the CWA Gold Dagger in 2010 and she was also shortlisted for the CWA Dagger
in the Library Award in 2012.
CWA SHORT STORY DAGGER
Come Away with Me by Stella Duffy has won the 2013 CWA Short Story Dagger. Stella was
presented with her Dagger by Ayo Onatade with the comment that the judges had
found this story of a surprise trip to Venice that turned into a complex game
of cat and mouse was “haunting and memorable.”
CWA ELLIS PETERS HISTORICAL
DAGGER
The CWA Ellis Peters Historical Dagger was awarded to
Andrew Taylor for The Scent of Death, published by HarperCollins. This
is the third time that Taylor has won this prize, having triumphed in 2001 (The
Office of the Dead) and 2003 (The American Boy)
CWA DEBUT DAGGER
Finn Clarke was presented with the CWA Debut Dagger
for her story Call Time which the judges said was tense, with an
unexpected twist in the plot.
Alison
Joseph said 'To read the submissions for the debut dagger is to be reminded,
once again, how successful the genre of crime fiction is. Many of the
submissions are from people who have come to writing as readers, and their
enthusiasm for the genre is palpable in their own work. The successful
submissions show how our genre can endlessly re-create itself, with works that
push against the boundaries, that find new ways of telling their story.
Past winners of the Debut Dagger have gone on to become very successful crime
authors, and I am sure that this year will prove no exception.'
CWA DIAMOND DAGGER
The final dagger of the evening was the CWA Diamond
Dagger – which is voted for by members of the CWA and celebrates an author with
an outstanding body of work in crime fiction. This was presented to Lee Child
by Frederick Forsyth, who was the recipient of this award in 2012. Past winners
include Val McDermid, Ian Rankin and Elmore Leonard.
Joseph continued: 'Lee Child's stories are
large-scale, heart-stopping thrillers, roaming across wide-open global spaces
in the cause of thwarting evil. In Jack Reacher, Lee has created a hero
like no other, beloved of millions of readers around the world. And his creator
is just as well-loved. He is a delight to work with; loyal, straightforward,
generous to readers and to new writers. He combines a successful
philosophy about what it is to write best sellers with a huge amount of
talent. We are delighted to award him the 2013 CWA Diamond Dagger.'
Alison Joseph concludes:
“There were so many exciting things about the evening
that I don't know where to start. It was a celebration from start to
finish. A celebration of our genre, of its continuing popularity in what we
know are difficult times for publishing; a celebration of the talent of crime
and thriller writers, both established authors continuing to tell extraordinary
and compelling tales, and also of emerging authors, beginning to find their own
story-telling voice; a celebration of the publishers who continue to
support our genre, who make sure that our work reaches the readers who
(rightly) love it so. It was an opportunity to thank our sponsors, to thank the
behind-the-scenes workers, the CWA committee who put in so much hard work, the
judges who work tirelessly to read all the submissions in all the different
categories, and who reach their conclusions with thoughtfulness and
discernment, and also Lucy Santos, our Director, without whom none of it would
have happened at all. It was an opportunity to meet new writers, to greet old
friends, to dig out one of my lovely evening dresses and find that the
moth hadn't got to it - in fact, a success in every way.”
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