The Crime Writers’ Association 2025 Dagger Nominees were recently announced. The Dagger Awards are presented by the Crime Writers’ Association to celebrate the best in crime and thriller writing. The Crime Writers’ Association is located in the United Kingdom and was founded in 1953 by John Creasy. Their purpose is to “support, promote and celebrate this most durable, adaptable and successful of genres.” The awards will be handed out at the Daggers Banquet on July 3, 2025, in London.
Diamond Dagger
The Diamond Dagger is awarded for a lifetime contribution to English-language crime writing.* This year’s winner is Mick Herron
CWA KAA Gold Dagger
The Gold Dagger is given to the overall best crime novel of the year. Nominees are:
A Divine Fury by D.V. Bishop
I Died at Fallow Hall by Bonnie Burke-Patel
The Bell Tower by R.J. Ellory
The Hunter by Tana French
Guide Me Home by Attica Locke
The Book of Secrets by Anna Mazzola
Ian Fleming Steel Dagger
The Ian Fleming Steel Dagger is for the best espionage, psychological, or adventure thriller novel. The nominees are:
Dark Ride by Lou Berney
Nobody’s Hero by M.W. Craven
Sanctuary by Garry Disher
Hunted by Abir Mukherjee
Blood Like Mine by Stuart Neville
City in Ruins by Don Winslow
John Creasy First Novel Dagger
The ILP John Creasy First Novel Dagger is for the best crime novel by a first-time author of any nationality with their first novel of any kind published in the UK in English during eth judging period. The nominees are:
Miss Austen Investigates: The Hapless Milliner by Jessica Bull
Knife River by Justine Champine
Three Burials by Anders Lustgarten
A Curtain Twitcher’s Book of Murder by Gay Marris
All Us Sinners by Katy Massey
Deadly Animals by Marie Tierney
Historical Dagger
The Historical Dagger is awarded to the best historical crime novel set in any period up to 50 years prior to the year in which the award will be made.
A Divine Fury by D.V. Bishop
Banquet of Beggers by Chris Lloyd
The Book of Secrets by Anna Mazzola
The Betrayal of Thomas True by A.J. West
Poor Girls by Clare Whitfield
Crime Fiction in Translation Dagger
The Crime Fiction in Translation Dagger is awarded to a crime novel mot originally written in English, and translated into English for UK publication during the judging period. The nominees are:
Dogs and Wolves by Hervé Le Corre
Going to the Dogs by Pierre Lemaître
The Night of Baba Yaga by Akira Otani
The Clues in the Fjord by Satu Rämö
Butter by Asako Yuzuki
Clean by Alia Trabucco Zerán
ALCS Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction
The ALCS Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction is awarded best book of non-fiction important to the genre, from true crime and biography to critical studies and literature.
Unmasking Lucy Letby: The Untold Story of the Killer Nurse by Jonathan Coffey and Judith Moritz
The Lady in the Lake: A Reporter’s Memoir of a Murder by Jeremy Craddock
Framed: Astonishing True Stories of Wrongful Convictions by John Grisham and Jim McCloskey
The Criminal Mind by Duncan Harding
Four Shots in the Night: A True Story of Spies, Murder, and Justice in Northern Ireland by Henry Hemming
The Peepshow: The Murders at 10 Rillington Place by Kate Summerscale
Short Story Dagger
The Short Story Dagger is awarded to the best crime-focused short story of the year published or broadcast in the UK:
“The Glorious Twelfth” by S.J. Bennett Midsummer Mysteries
“A Date on Yarmouth Pier” by J.C. Bernthal Midsummer Mysteries
“Why Harrogate?” by Janice Hallett Murder in Harrogate
“City Without Shadows” by William Burton McCormick Midsummer Mysteries
“A Ruby Su” By Meeti Shroff-Shah Midsummer Mysteries
“Murder at the Turkish Baths” by Ruth Ware Murder in Harrogate
Whodunnit Dagger
The Whodunnit Dagger celebrates books where the sex, swearing, and bloodletting take place offstage—books that focus on the intellectual challenge at the heart of a good mystery, and which revolve around often quirky characters. The nominees are:
A Death in Diamonds by S.J. Bennett
Murder at the Christmas Emporium by Andreina Cordani
The Case of the Singer and the Showgirl by Lisa Hall
A Good Place to Hide a Body by Laura Marshall
A Matrimonial Murder by Meeti Shroff-Shah
Murder at the Matinee by Jamie West
Twisted Dagger
The Twisted Dagger celebrates psychological thrillers, dark and twisty tales that often feature unreliable narrators, disturbed emotions, a healthy dose of moral ambiguity, and a sting in the tail. Books in this category include psychological thrillers (set in any period), suspense thrillers, and domestic noir. The nominees are:
Emma, Disappeared by Andrew Hughes
Beautiful People by Amanda Jennings
The Stranger in Her House by John Marrs
The Trials of Marjorie Crowe by C.S. Robertson
Nightwatching by Tracy Sierra
Look in the Mirror by Catherine Steadman
The 2025 Crime Writers' Association Dagger Awards nominees @TimSuddeth @OpeningaMystery #Crimefiction @CrimeWriters'Association #Awards Share on X
*The descriptions for the awards are from The Crime Writers’ Association’s website.