Tossing Daggers Around

During a “gala event” held this evening at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel, Cactus TV and ITV3, in partnership with the Crime Writers’ Association (CWA), announced the recipients of this year’s Specsavers Crime Thriller Awards. They are:

CWA Gold Dagger: Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter,
by Tom Franklin (Pan)

Also nominated: Snowdrops, by A.D. Miller (Atlantic Books); The End of the Wasp Season, by Denise Mina (Orion); and The Lock Artist,
by Steve Hamilton (Orion)

CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger: The Lock Artist,
by Steve Hamilton (Orion)

Also nominated: Before I Go to Sleep, by S.J. Watson (Doubleday); Cold Rain, by Craig Smith (Myrmidon); and The Good Son,
by Michael Gruber (Corvus)

CWA John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger: Before I Go to Sleep,
by S.J. Watson (Doubleday)

Also nominated: Kiss Me Quick, by Danny Miller (Robinson); The Dead Woman of Juárez, by Sam Hawken (Serpent’s Tail); and The Dogs of Rome, by Conor Fitzgerald (Bloomsbury)

ITV3 People’s Bestseller Dagger: Dead Man’s Grip,
by Peter James (Macmillan)

Also nominated: The Sixth Man, by David Baldacci (Macmillan); Worth Dying For, by Lee Child (Bantam); Good As Dead, by Mark Billingham (Little, Brown); Dead Man’s Grip, by Peter James (Macmillan); and Before the Poison, by Peter Robinson (Hodder)

The Film Dagger: True Grit (Paramount Pictures)

Also nominated: The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest (Momentum Pictures); Brighton Rock (Optimum Releasing); and Source Code (Optimum Releasing)

The TV Dagger: Case Histories (Ruby Films, BBC One)

Also nominated: Luther (BBC One); The Shadow Line (Company
Pictures, BBC Two); Zen (Left Bank Pictures, BBC One); and Vera (ITV Studios, ITV1)

The International TV Dagger: The Killing (Arrow Films, BBC4)

Also nominated: Boardwalk Empire (HBO, Sky Atlantic); Castle (ABC Studios, Alibi); Dexter (Showtime Networks, FX Channel); and Spiral (Son Et Lumiere, BBC 4)

Best Actor Dagger: Idris Elba for Luther (BBC One)

Also nominated: Lars Mikkelsen for The Killing (Arrow Films, BBC4); Steve Buscemi for Boardwalk Empire (HBO, Sky Atlantic); Jason Isaacs for Case Histories (Ruby Films, BBC One); and Rufus Sewell for Zen (Left Bank Pictures, BBC One)

Best Actress Dagger: Sofie Gråbøl for The Killing (Arrow Films, BBC4)

Also nominated: Brenda Blethyn for Vera (ITV Studios, ITV1); Maxine Peake for Silk (BBC One); Olivia Williams for Case Sensitive (Hat Trick Productions, ITV1); Sue Johnston for Waking the Dead (BBC One); and Kelly Reilly for Above Suspicion (La Plante Productions, ITV1)

Best Supporting Actor Dagger: Rafe Spall for The Shadow Line
(Company Pictures, BBC Two)

Also nominated: Bjarne Henriksen for The Killing (Arrow Films, BBC 4); Søren Malling for The Killing (Arrow Films, BBC 4); John Lithgow for Dexter (Showtime Networks, FX Channel); and Aidan Gillen for Thorne (Stagereel / Cité Amérique, Sky One)

Best Supporting Actress Dagger: Ann Eleonora Jørgensen for The Killing (Arrow Films, BBC 4)

Also nominated: Kelly Macdonald for Boardwalk Empire (HBO, Sky Atlantic); Ruth Wilson for Luther (BBC One); and Amanda Abbington for Case Histories (Ruby Films)

Congratulations to all of the winners (and nominees).

For the benefit of British readers who didn’t attend tonight’s event, this awards presentation is scheduled to be televised on ITV3 on October 11, beginning at 9 p.m.

A previous set of five Dagger Awards were given out during the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival in July.