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Dagger in the Library 2017 Longlist Announced

The Crime Writers’ Association was established in 1953 by crime writer John Creasey. The Dagger in the Library is a much respected and original award, dating back to 1995. The inaugural winner was Lindsey Davis, author of the popular Falco books set in ancient Rome, and the 2016 winner was Elly Griffiths, author of the Ruth Galloway forensic archaeologist series.

The longlist of the CWA 2017 Dagger in the Library was officially announced on the evening of Monday 6 February at the First Monday crime writing meeting in London.

How was the longlist selected?

The Dagger in the Library is a prize for a body of work by a crime writer that users of libraries particularly admire. It is one of the most prestigious crime writing awards in the UK and previous winners include Elly Griffiths, Christopher Fowler, Sharon Bolton, Belinda Bauer, Mo Hayder, Colin Cotteril, Craig Russel, Stuart MacBride, Jake Arnott, Alexander McCall Smith, Stephen Booth, Peter Robinson and Lindsey Davis.

The CWA revised the 2017 Dagger in the Library format so that, uniquely among crime writing awards, only library staff were able to nominate authors. Nominations were received from 175 libraries across the UK and Ireland – with 110 authors suggested as worthy winners.

The Dagger in the Library is intended to promote crime fiction in general and, in particular, the longlisted authors. The CWA is working with The Reading Agency, local libraries and the Crime Readers’ Association to promote novels from the longlisted authors to reading groups across the country during over the next few months – and in particular to the 175 libraries already engaged with the Dagger.

We will be sharing reading group materials from the longlisted authors on our website and it will also be available on The CWA’s Dagger Reads website.

Feedback received from reading groups will be a major factor in the judges’ decision as to who should proceed to the shortlist and the eventual winner.

The 2017 Dagger in the Library longlist

Click through to any of the authors below to download more about them and the book they would recommend for reading groups.

Alison Bruce

Andrew Taylor

Brian McGilloway

Chris Ewan

C J Sansom

James Oswald

Kate Ellis

Mari Hannah

Nicola Upson

Tana French

Get involved

Have you read any of the books longlisted for the Dagger in the Library? What has been the best crime book you have read? Comment below or share your thoughts with us on Twitter using #CWA2017 or on the CWA’s Facebook.

Read a book from the longlist and write your reading group’s thoughts on our book reviews page.

Sign up to our fantastic monthly Reading Groups for Everyone newsletter, bringing you all of the latest book news, including the shortlist of the Dagger in the Library and their eventual winner.

Comments

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Manic

I just want to say how strong the long list is but The Death of Lucy Kyte is still my favourite book, an old crime, a ghost or two, a remote Suffolk cottage and Josephine Tey! The snow scene is to die for! Maria Marten would be very pleased that someone has bothered to put her side of this age old murder.

Good luck to everybody!

RLH

I read Nicola Upson's grippingly atmospheric The Death of Lucy Kyte when it first came out. Upson raises the crime mystery game with every book she pens but the delicious combination of a legendary storyline given a heart-stopping new twist makes this fifth outing for the redoubtable Josephine Tey utterly irresistable. I give it 5 stars for originality, intelligence and spine-tingling story-telling.

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