Poirot author Sophie Hannah among crime writers picking up Dagger Awards
Sophie Hannah, who writes new mysteries about Belgian detective Hercule Poirot, and George Dawes Green are among the authors who were honoured at the 2023 CWA Dagger Awards.
The Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) was celebrating the best in the crime writing genre at a ceremony in the Leonardo City Hotel in London on Thursday where Green received the prestigious golden dagger award for The Kingdoms Of Savannah.
The American novelist follows past winners of the prize, which recognises the best crime novel of the year, such as The Constant Gardener novelist John le Carre, Dalziel And Pascoe series writer Reginald Hill, and Ruth Rendell who is known for the creation of Inspector Wexford.
Green was praised by judges for his “intricately constructed” Southern Gothic noir, exploring class and power structures after a brutal murder, that was also hailed as a “timeless fable”.
His previous novels, The Caveman’s Valentine, and The Juror, have been adapted into films which have starred famous faces such as Samuel L Jackson, Demi Moore and Alec Baldwin.
Hannah, who wrote Poirot novels The Monogram Murders and Closed Casket with the blessing of Agatha Christie’s family and estate, received the Dagger in the Library award after a vote by librarians.
Vaseem Khan, chairman of the CWA, said: “This year’s CWA Daggers, in the CWA’s 70th jubilee year, continued the tradition of recognising both the broad appeal of the genre, and the wide spectrum of writers now operating within it, showcasing the full creative range of modern crime writing.”
The winner of the Ian Fleming Steel Dagger went to British-Canadian screenwriter John Brownlow – who wrote Sylvia starring Gwyneth Paltrow, and the series Fleming, about the James Bond novelist – for his 2023 thriller Agent Seventeen.
Former Old Bailey judge Wendy Joseph KC also picked up the Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction award for her book about the criminal justice system, which came out following her retirement last year.
Her work, Unlawful Killings: Life, Love And Murder: Trials At The Old Bailey, about murder and manslaughter cases, which she has presided over, was published in March.
Also picking up awards on the night were: DV Bishop for historical novel The Darkest Sin; Hayley Scrivenor for the haunting mystery, Dirt Town; Spanish author Javier Cercas for Even The Darkest Night, translated by Anne McLean; and Hazell Ward for her short story, Cast A Long Shadow.
Jeff Marsick also received the Debut Dagger award for Sideways, about a 26-year-old army veteran, Gage, suffering from PTSD.
The CWA was founded in 1953 by crime writer John Creasey to support and promote the crime genre and its authors.
