Awards season

Many thanks to Stop You’re Killing Me for these lists!

2026 DAGGER SHORTLISTS ANNOUNCED
The Dagger Awards are awarded by The Crime Writers’ Association to celebrate the best in crime and thriller writing. The awards will be presented on July 2nd in London. Here are the shortlists:

Diamond Dagger *

Mark Billingham

Gold Dagger
°	King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby
°	The Death of Us by Abigail Dean [review]
°	Not Quite Dead Yet by Holly Jackson [review]
°	The Girl in Cell A by Vaseem Khan
°	The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon [review]
°	The Art of a Lie by Laura Shepherd-Robinson [review]

Whodunnit Dagger
°	The Christmas Cracker Killer by Alexandra Benedict
°	Little Secrets by Victoria Goldman
°	Etiquette for Lovers & Killers by Anna Fitzgerald Healy
°	A Queer Case by Robert Holtom
°	A Murder for Miss Hortense by Mel Pennant
°	Bad Influence by CJ Wray

Twisted Dagger
°	What Happens in the Dark by Kia Abdullah
°	Her Many Faces by Nicci Cloke
°	Some of Us are Liars by Fiona Cummins
°	Scenes From a Tragedy by Carole Hailey
°	The Bodies by Sam Lloyd
°	We Live Here Now by Sarah Pinborough

Steel Dagger
°	The Midnight King by Tariq Ashkanani
°	King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby
°	The Big Empty by Robert Crais
°	A Sting in her Tale by Mark Ezra
°	Such Quiet Girls by Noelle W Ihli
°	The Good Father by Liam McIlvanney
°	We Are All Guilty Here by Karin Slaughter [review]

First Novel Dagger
°	The Peak by Sam Guthrie
°	The Lost Detective by Elspeth Latimer
°	The Wolf Tree by Laura McCluskey [review]
°	The Vanishing Place by Zoë Rankin [review]
°	Coram House by Bailey Seybolt [review]
°	Holy City by Henry Wise [review]

Historical Dagger
°	A Granite Silence by Nina Allan
°	Barvick Falls by Rob McInroy
°	The Devil’s Draper by Donna Moore
°	Gunner by Alan Parks
°	The Art of a Lie by Laura Shepherd-Robinson [review]
°	A Case of Life and Limb by Sally Smith [review]

Non-Fiction Dagger
°	Shadow of the Bridge: The Delphi Murders and the Dark Side of the American Heartland by Áine Cain and Kevin Greenlee
°	The Spy in the Archive: How One Man Tried To Kill the KGB by Gordon Corera
°	The Murder Game by John Curran
°	Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the time of Serial Killers by Caroline Fraser
°	That Dark Spring by Susannah Stapleton
°	The Illegals by Shaun Walker

Crime Fiction in Translation Dagger
°	Murder Mindfully by Karsten Dusse [review]
°	The Lake by Jørn Lier Horst
°	Red Water by Jurica Pavicic
°	Big Bad Wool by Leonie Swann [review]
°	The Winter Job by Antti Tuomainen
°	Strange Pictures by Uketsu

Short Story Dagger
°	“Split Your Silver Tongue” by S.A. Cosby   Birds, Strangers and Psychos
°	“The Karpman Drama Triangle” by Denise Mina   Birds, Strangers and Psychos
°	“Full Circle” by Abir Mukherjee   Playing Dead: Short Stories by Members of the Detection Club
°	“The Apple Falls Not Far” by Ambrose Parry
°	“Strangers on a School Bus” by Peter Swanson   Birds, Strangers and Psychos
°	“Waiting” by Michael Wood   Criminal Pursuits: This Is Me

Previous Dagger Awards

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2026 CRIME WRITERS OF CANADA AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE
Crime Writers of Canada present the Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence to recognize excellence in Canadian crime writing. The 2026 Award Winners were announced on May 29, 2026. Our congratulations to the winners (listed first in each category) and to all of the nominees.

Grand Master Award
*	Rick Mofina

Best Crime Novel
*	The Black Wolf by Louise Penny
°	The Retirement Plan by Sue Hincenbergs [review]
°	The Hunger We Pass Down by Jen Sookfong Lee
°	Into the Fall by Tamara L. Miller
°	The Tiger and the Cosmonaut by Eddy Boudel Tan

Best First Crime Novel
*	The Beltane Massacre by Ray Critch
°	Yesterday’s Lies by Jan Field
°	The Broken Detective by Joel Nedecky
°	A Painting to Die For by David L. Tucker
°	Too Dark For the Light by A.L. Wahdel

Best Best Crime Novel Set in Canada
*	Salt on Her Tongue by C.S. Porter
°	That Other Family by Lis Angus
°	Every Fall by Angela Douglas
°	Detective Aunty by Uzma Jalaluddin [review]
°	The Hitchhikers by Chevy Stevens

Best Traditional Mystery
*	The Cost of a Hostage by Iona Whishaw
°	The Engineer’s Nemesis by Shelley Adina
°	Stella Ryman and the Search for Thelma Hu by Mel Anastasiou
°	A Dark Death by Alice Fitzpatrick
°	Some Justice: A Ghazi Ammar Medieval Mystery by Laury Silvers

Best Crime Short Story
*	“Polly Wants a Freaking Cracker” by Sylvia Maultash Warsh   Malice Domestic: Murder Most Humorous
°	“Under the Circumstances” by Lis Angus   A Capital Mystery Anthology
°	“The Lost Diner” by Madeleine Harris Callway   Pulp Literature, Issue 47, Summer 2025
°	“Cold Shock” by Barbara Fradkin   A Capital Mystery Anthology
°	“The Headache” by Billie Livingston   Dark Yonder, Issue 11, Nov. 2025

Best Best Juvenile or YA Crime Book
*	The Mystery of the Haunted Dancehall by Charis Cotter
°	Death by Whoopee Cushion by Vicki Grant
°	The Mizzy Mysteries: A Skeleton in the Closet by Claire Hatcher-Smith
°	The City of Lost Cats by Tanya Lloyd Kyi
°	Bark Twice for Murder by John Lekich

Best Nonfiction Crime Book
*	Hitman: The Untold Story of Canada’s Deadliest Assassin by Julian Sher & Lisa Fitterman
°	The Many Names of Robert Cree: How a First Nations Chief, Brought Ancient Wisdom to Big Business and Prosperity to His People by Robert Cree with Therese Greenwood
°	Acts of Darkness: Notorious Criminals, Their Defenders, Prosecutors, and Jailers by John L. Hill
°	Arctic Predator: The Crimes of Edward Horne Against Children in Canada’s North by Kathleen Lippa
°	On the Lam: Great (and Not So Great) Escapes from Prison by Lorna Poplak

Previous Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence

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