Assorted and Applauded

Britain’s Crime Writers’ Association today announced, in London, the fortunate recipients of its 2020 Dagger Awards, in 10 categories. A news release reports that “The winners were announced during a live virtual ceremony …, hosted by one of the UK’s leading experts on crime fiction, the writer and reviewer Barry Forshaw. The evening also featured guest speaker, Richard Osman.” Below are this year’s victors.

Gold Dagger: Good Girl, Bad Girl, by Michael Robotham (Sphere)

Also nominated: What You Pay For, by Claire Askew (Hodder & Stoughton); November Road, by Lou Berney (Harper — highly commended); Forced Confessions, by John Fairfax (Little, Brown); Joe Country, by Mick Herron (John Murray); and Death in the East, by Abir Mukherjee (Harvill Secker)

Ian Fleming Steel Dagger: November Road, by Lou Berney (Harper)

Also nominated: This Is Gomorrah, by Tom Chatfield (Hodder & Stoughton); One Way Out, by A.A. Dhand (Bantam Press); Between Two Evils, by Eva Dolan (Raven); Cold Storage, by David Koepp (HQ); and The Whisper Man, by Alex North:(Michael Joseph)

John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger: The Man on the Street,
by Trevor Wood (Quercus)

Also nominated: Your House Will Pay, by Steph Cha (Faber and Faber); My Lovely Wife, by Samantha Downing (Michael Joseph); Little White Lies, by Philippa East (HQ); and The Wreckage, by Robin Morgan-Bentley (Trapeze)

Sapere Books Historical Dagger: Death in the East,
by Abir Mukherjee (Harvill Secker)

Also nominated: In Two Minds, by Alis Hawkins (The Dome Press); Metropolis, by Philip Kerr (Quercus); The Bear Pit, by S.G. MacLean (Quercus); The Anarchists’ Club, by Alex Reeve (Raven); and The Paper Bark Tree Mystery, by Ovidia Yu (Constable)

Crime Fiction in Translation Dagger: The Godmother, by Hannelore Cayre; translated by Stephanie Smee (Old Street Publishing)

Also nominated: Summer of Reckoning, by Marion Brunet, translated by Katherine Gregor (Bitter Lemon Press); Like Flies from Afar, by K. Ferrari, translated by Adrian Nathan West (Canongate); November, by Jorge Galán, translated by Jason Wilson (Constable); The Fragility of Bodies, by Sergio Olguín, translated by Miranda France (Bitter Lemon Press); and Little Siberia, by Antti Tuomainen, translated by David Hackston (Orenda)

Short Story Dagger: “#Me Too,” by Lauren Henderson (from Invisible Blood, edited by Maxim Jakubowski; Titan)

Also nominated: “The Bully,” by Jeffery Deaver (from Exit Wounds, edited by Paul B. Kane and Marie O’Regan; Titan); “The New Lad,” by Paul Finch (from Exit Wounds); “The Washing,” by Christopher Fowler (from Invisible Blood); “The Recipe,” by Louise Jensen (from Exit Wounds); and “Easily Made,” by Syd Moore (from The Twelve Strange Days of Christmas, by Syd Moore; Point Blank Press)

ALCS Gold Dagger for Non-fiction: Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud and the Last Trial of Harper Lee, by Casey Cep (Heinemann)

Also nominated: Corrupt Bodies: Death and Dirty Dealing in a London Morgue, by Peter Everett (Icon); Honour: Achieving Justice for Banaz Mahmod, by Caroline Goode (Oneworld); The Fatal Passion of Alma Rattenbury, by Sean O’Connor (Simon & Schuster); The Professor and the Parson: A Story of Desire, Deceit and Defrocking, by Adam Sisman (Profile); and The Adventures of Maud West, Lady Detective, by Susannah Stapleton (Picador)

Dagger in the Library: Christopher Brookmyre

Also nominated: Jane Casey, Alex Gray, and Quintin Jardine

Debut Dagger: Revolution Never Lies, by Josephine Moulds

Also nominated: The Spae-Wife, by Anna Caig (highly commended); Whipstick, by Leanne Fry; Pesticide, by Kim Hays; Emergency Drill, by Nicholas Morrish; and Bitter Lake, by Michael Munro

Publishers’ Dagger: Orenda

Also nominated: Bitter Lemon Press; Harvill Secker; Head of Zeus; HQ; Michael Joseph; Raven; and Severn House

Congratulations to all of the 2020 nominees!