Crime fiction's most prestigious prizes have been handed out for another year, and the 2026 Crime Writers' Association (CWA) Dagger Awards have crowned a brilliantly varied set of winners - from a literary thriller about the long shadow of violence to a Southern Gothic crime epic inspired by The Godfather.
First established in 1955, the CWA Daggers are the oldest awards of their kind in the genre, and this year's ceremony, held at the De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms in London on 2nd July, once again proved just how much range and ambition the genre continues to offer readers. These awards offer the perfect celebratory end to National Crime Reading Month, which took place in June. As Jimmy Breslin famously observed, "Storytelling is older than the alphabet, and that is what it is all about." It was shared at the event and the sentiment perfectly captured the spirit of the night.
The coveted KAA Gold Dagger for best crime novel of the year, went to Abigail Dean for The Death of Us, a literary thriller tracing how a single act of violence continues to shape a marriage decades later.
S.A. Cosby made history this year as the only author shortlisted for three Daggers, and he took home the Ian Fleming Steel Dagger for best thriller with King of Ashes, a Southern Gothic saga of family, organised crime and long-buried secrets. They commented: "For a little poor kid from the wilds of Virginia, this is a dream come true."
The Historical Dagger went to Nina Allan for A Granite Silence, which uses the disappearance of a girl in 1930s Aberdeen to explore memory and the stories communities tell about tragedy.
The Twisted Dagger for psychological suspense was awarded to Sarah Pinborough for We Live Here Now, a Gothic tale praised for its unsettling atmosphere and trademark Pinborough-style ending. Pinborough is also known for the bestseller-turned-Netflix-hit Behind Her Eyes.
The Whodunnit Dagger went to Mel Pennant for her debut, A Murder for Miss Hortense, which follows a sharp-witted Jamaican-born retired nurse turned amateur sleuth in Birmingham, praised by judges for blending compelling mystery with a warm portrait of Windrush-generation and Caribbean-British life.
The hotly contended category Crime Fiction in Translation Dagger was won by Finland's Antti Tuomainen, often dubbed the "King of Helsinki Noir", for The Winter Job. The award, which is sponsored in honour of Dolores Jakubowski also recognised his translator, David Hackston. Tuomainen gave thanks to the UK crime fiction community "which is unlike anywhere else in the world."
The ALCS Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction went to historian Susannah Stapleton for That Dark Spring. Stapleton specialises in uncovering forgotten women's stories from the ealry twentieth century, and her winning title reopens the unsolved 1929 death of a British artist in Provence revealing a world of secrets, rivalries, and unanswered questions.
The Short Story Dagger was awarded to Ambrose Parry - the joint pen name of novelist Chris Brookmyre and anaesthetist Marisa Haetzman - for "The Apple Falls Not Far."
Celebrating New and Established Voices
The Dagger in the Library, voted for by librarians, went to Tim Sullivan, creator of the bestselling DS George Cross mysteries, beating a shortlist that included Paula Hawkins, Clare Mackintosh, Freida McFadden and Abir Mukherjee. It's a win we're especially pleased to see at LoveReading - the DS Cross series was one of our Series of the Month picks, and it's brilliant to see Sullivan's distinctive detective recognised by librarians up and down the country.
On the debut front, Laura McCluskey won the ILP John Creasey First Novel Dagger for The Wolf Tree, an atmospheric thriller set on a fictional Hebridean island and shaped by her own Scottish heritage. The Emerging Author Dagger went to Michael Nikitin for Blind Side of the Sun.
The CWA Diamond Dagger, given for a career of sustained excellence in crime writing, was announced earlier in the year as going to Mark Billingham, who was described as "an institution" by Mick Herron, the 2025 recipient of the award. Billingham said: "I could not be more thrilled or honoured. To be added to a list that features most of my literary heroes is fantastic." Billingham is a familiar name to LoveReading readers too, he's previously joined us as a Guest Editor, sharing his own book recommendations with our readers, so it's a real pleasure to see him honoured with crime writing's highest accolade. And on the publication date of his latest Declan Miller title The Shadow Step - and his birthday too! Something that just about beat the Scalextric when he was 11, Billingham commented in his inimitable style.
CWA Chair Nadine Matheson said it was "a genuine pleasure to congratulate every winner of this year's Daggers. The range and quality on display are a reminder of just how much vitality there is in crime fiction and how it continues to push at its own boundaries, and this year's winners are leading that charge. Congratulations."
The Crime Writers Association (CWA) 2026 Winners in Full:
CWA KAA Gold Dagger
The Death of Us by Abigail Dean
Ian Fleming Steel Dagger
King of Ashes by S. A. Cosby
ALCS Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction
That Dark Spring by Susannah Stapleton
Historical Dagger
A Granite Silence by Nina Allan
Crime Fiction in Translation Dagger
The Winter Job by Antti Tuomainen, translated by David Hackston
Whodunnit Dagger
A Murder for Miss Hortense by Mel Pennant
Twisted Dagger
We Live Here Now by Sarah Pinborough
ILP John Creasey (First Novel) Dagger
The Wolf Tree by Laura McCluskey
Short Story Dagger
‘The Apple Falls Not Far’ by Ambrose Perry
Emerging Author
Blind Side of the Sun by Michael Nikitin
Dagger in the Library
Best Crime & Mystery Publisher
Bitter Lemon Press
Diamond Dagger
To find out more about the CWAs visit https://thecwa.co.uk/
Love a good crime read? Every physical book bought through LoveReading funds a donation to a UK school of your choice — so you can stock up on this year's Dagger winners while supporting a school at the same time.
Comments (0)
Leave A Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.