Gold Dagger

The Gold Dagger is an award given annually by the Crime Writers' Association of the United Kingdom since 1960 for the best crime novel of the year.

From 1955 to 1959, the organization named their top honor as the Crossed Red Herring Award. From 1995 to 2002 the award acquired sponsorship from Macallan and was known as the Macallan Gold Dagger.

In 2006, because of new sponsorship from the Duncan Lawrie Bank, the award was officially renamed as the Duncan Lawrie Dagger, and gained a prize fund of £20,000. It was the biggest crime-fiction award in the world in monetary terms. In 2008, Duncan Lawrie Bank withdrew its sponsorship of the awards. As a result, the top prize is again called the Gold Dagger without a monetary award.

From 1969 to 2005, a Silver Dagger was awarded to the runner-up. When Duncan Lawrie acquired sponsorship, this award was dropped. After the sponsorship was withdrawn, this award was not reinstated.

The Crime Writers' Association also awards the CWA Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction and several other "Dagger" awards.

Winners

Winners and, where known, shortlisted titles for each year:

2020s

2020

Gold Dagger: Michael Robotham, Good Girl Bad Girl^[1]

• Claire Askew, What You Pay For
• Lou Berney, November Road
• John Fairfax, Forced Confessions
• Mick Herron, Jo Country
• Abir Mukherjee, Death in the East

2010s

2019

• Gold Dagger: M. W. Craven, The Puppet Show^[2]
  • Claire Askew, All the Hidden Truths
  • Christobel Kent, What We Did
  • Donna Leon, Unto Us a Son is Given
  • Derek B. Miller, American by Day
  • Benjamin Wood, A Station on the Path to Somewhere Better

2018

• Gold Dagger: Steven Cavanagh, The Liar^[3]
  • Mick Herron, London Rules
  • Dennis Lehane, Since We Fell
  • Attica Locke, Bluebird, Bluebird
  • Abir Mukherjee, A Necessary Evil
  • Emma Viskic, Resurrection Bay

2017

• Gold Dagger: Jane Harper, The Dry
  • Belinda Bauer, The Beautiful Dead
  • Ray Celestin, Dead Man's Blues
  • Mick Herron, Spook Street
  • Derek B. Miller, The Girl In Green
  • Abir Mukherjee, A Rising Man

2016

• Gold Dagger: Bill Beverly, Dodgers
  • Chris Brookmyre, Black Widow
  • Denise Mina, Blood Salt Water
  • Mick Herron, Real Tigers

2015^[4]

• Gold Dagger: Michael Robotham, Life or Death^[5]
  • Belinda Bauer, The Shut Eye
  • James Carlos Blake, The Rules of Wolfe
  • Robert Galbraith, The Silkworm
  • Sam Hawken, Missing
  • Stephen King, Mr. Mercedes
  • Attica Locke, Pleasantville

2014^[6]

• Gold Dagger: Wiley Cash, This Dark Road to Mercy
  • Paula Daly, Keep Your Friends Close
  • Paul Mendelson, The First Rule of Survival
  • Louise Penny, How the Light Gets In

2013^[7]

• Gold Dagger: Mick Herron, Dead Lions
  • Belinda Bauer, Rubbernecker
  • Lauren Beukes, The Shining Girls
  • Becky Masterman, Rage Against the Dying

2012^[8]

• Gold Dagger: Gene Kerrigan, The Rage
  • N. J. Cooper, Vengeance in Mind
  • M. R. Hall, The Flight
  • Chris Womersley, Bereft

2011

• Gold Dagger: Tom Franklin, Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter
  • Steve Hamilton, The Lock Artist
  • A. D. Miller, Snowdrops
  • Denise Mina, The End of the Wasp Season

2010

• Gold Dagger: Belinda Bauer, Blacklands
  • S. J. Bolton, Blood Harvest
  • George Pelecanos, The Way Home
  • Karen Campbell, Shadowplay

2000s

2009

• Gold Dagger: William Brodrick, A Whispered Name
  • Kate Atkinson, When Will There Be Good News?
  • Mark Billingham, In the Dark
  • Lawrence Block, Hit and Run
  • M. R. Hall, The Coroner
  • Gene Kerrigan, Dark Times in the City

2008

• Duncan Lawrie Dagger: Frances Fyfield, Blood From Stone
  • James Lee Burke, The Tin Roof Blowdown
  • Colin Cotterill, The Coroner's Lunch
  • Steve Hamilton, Night Work
  • Laura Lippman, What the Dead Know
  • R. N. Morris, A Vengeful Longing

2007

• Duncan Lawrie Dagger: Peter Temple, The Broken Shore
  • Giles Blunt, The Fields of Grief
  • James Lee Burke, Pegasus Descending
  • Gillian Flynn, Sharp Objects
  • Craig Russell, Brother Grimm
  • C. J. Sansom, Sovereign

2006 (award renamed)

• Duncan Lawrie Dagger: Ann Cleeves, Raven Black
  • Simon Beckett, The Chemistry of Death
  • Thomas H. Cook, Red Leaves
  • Frances Fyfield, Safer Than Houses
  • Bill James, Wolves of Memory
  • Laura Wilson, A Thousand Lies

2005

• Gold Dagger: Arnaldur Indriðason, Silence of the Grave
• Silver Dagger: Barbara Nadel, Deadly Web
  • Karin Fossum, Calling Out for You
  • Friedrich Glauser, In Matto's Realm
  • Carl Hiaasen, Skinny Dip
  • Fred Vargas, Seeking Whom He May Devour

2004

• Gold Dagger: Sara Paretsky, Blacklist
• Silver Dagger: John Harvey, Flesh and Blood
  • Mo Hayder, Tokyo
  • Val McDermid, The Torment of Others
  • James W. Nichol, Midnight Cab
  • Laura Wilson, The Lover

2003

• Gold Dagger: Minette Walters, Fox Evil
• Silver Dagger: Morag Joss, Half-Broken Things
  • Boris Akunin, The Winter Queen
  • Robert Littell, The Company
  • Carlo Lucarelli, Almost Blue
  • Robert Wilson, The Blind Man of Seville

2002

• Gold Dagger: José Carlos Somoza, The Athenian Murders
• Silver Dagger: James Crumley, The Final Country
  • Mark Billingham, Scaredy Cat
  • James Lee Burke, Jolie Blon's Bounce
  • Michael Connelly, City of Bones
  • Minette Walters, Acid Row

2001

• Gold Dagger: Henning Mankell, Sidetracked
• Silver Dagger: Giles Blunt, Forty Words for Sorrow
  • Stephen Booth, Dancing with the Virgins
  • Denise Danks, Baby Love
  • George Pelecanos, Right as Rain
  • Scott Phillips, The Ice Harvest

2000

• Gold Dagger: Jonathan Lethem, Motherless Brooklyn
• Silver Dagger: Donna Leon, Friends In High Places
  • James Lee Burke, Purple Cane Road
  • Eliot Pattison, The Skull Mantra
  • Lucy Wadham, Lost
  • Martin Cruz Smith, Havana Bay

1990s

1999

• Gold Dagger: Robert Wilson, A Small Death in Lisbon
• Silver Dagger: Adrian Mathews, Vienna Blood
  • Val McDermid, A Place of Execution
  • Ian Rankin, Dead Souls
  • Michael Connelly, Angels Flight
  • Denise Danks, Phreak
  • Frances Fyfield, Staring at the Light

1998

• Gold Dagger: James Lee Burke, Sunset Limited
• Silver Dagger: Nicholas Blincoe, Manchester Slingback
  • Michael Dibdin, A Long Finish
  • Geoffrey Archer, Fire Hawk
  • Reginald Hill, On Beulah Height
  • George Pelecanos, King Suckerman

1997

• Gold Dagger: Ian Rankin, Black and Blue
• Silver Dagger: Janet Evanovich, Three to Get Deadly
  • Frank Lean, The Reluctant Investigator

1996

• Gold Dagger: Ben Elton, Popcorn
• Silver Dagger: Peter Lovesey, Bloodhounds
  • Jessica Mann, A Private Enquiry

1995

• Gold Dagger: Val McDermid, The Mermaids Singing
• Silver Dagger: Peter Lovesey, The Summons
  • Elizabeth Ironside, "Death in the Garden"
  • Minette Walters, The Dark Room

1994

• Gold Dagger: Minette Walters, The Scold's Bridle
• Silver Dagger: Peter Høeg, Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow
  • Val McDermid, Crack Down
  • Sara Paretsky, Tunnel Vision

1993

• Gold Dagger: Patricia Cornwell, Cruel and Unusual
• Silver Dagger: Sarah Dunant, Fatlands
  • Robert Richardson, The Hand of Strange Children
  • Janet Neel, Death Among the Dons

1992

• Gold Dagger: Colin Dexter, The Way Through the Woods
• Silver Dagger: Liza Cody, Bucket Nut

1991

• Gold Dagger: Barbara Vine, King Solomon's Carpet
• Silver Dagger: Frances Fyfield, Deep Sleep
  • Janet Neel, Death of a Partner
  • Michael Dibdin, Dirty Tricks

1990

• Gold Dagger: Reginald Hill, Bones and Silence
• Silver Dagger: Mike Phillips, The Late Candidate
  • John Harvey, Rough Treatment

1980s

1989

• Gold Dagger: Colin Dexter, The Wench is Dead
• Silver Dagger: Desmond Lowden, The Shadow Run

1988

• Gold Dagger: Michael Dibdin, Ratking
• Silver Dagger: Sara Paretsky, Toxic Shock

1987

• Gold Dagger: Barbara Vine, A Fatal Inversion
• Silver Dagger: Scott Turow, Presumed Innocent
  • Liza Cody, Under Contract

1986

• Gold Dagger: Ruth Rendell, Live Flesh
• Silver Dagger: P. D. James, A Taste for Death

1985

• Gold Dagger: Paula Gosling, Monkey Puzzle
• Silver Dagger: Dorothy Simpson, Last Seen Alive
  • Andrew Taylor, Our Father's Lies
  • Jill Paton Walsh, A Piece of Justice

1984

• Gold Dagger: B. M. Gill, The Twelfth Juror
• Silver Dagger: Ruth Rendell, The Tree of Hands

1983

• Gold Dagger: John Hutton, Accidental Crimes
• Silver Dagger: William McIlvanney, The Papers of Tony Vietch

1982

• Gold Dagger: Peter Lovesey, The False Inspector Dew
• Silver Dagger: S. T. Haymon, Ritual Murder

1981

• Gold Dagger: Martin Cruz Smith, Gorky Park
• Silver Dagger: Colin Dexter, The Dead of Jericho

1980

• Gold Dagger: H. R. F. Keating, The Murder of the Maharaja
• Silver Dagger: Ellis Peters, Monk's Hood

1970s

1979

• Gold Dagger: Dick Francis, Whip Hand
• Silver Dagger: Colin Dexter, Service of All the Dead

1978

• Gold Dagger: Lionel Davidson, The Chelsea Murders
• Silver Dagger: Peter Lovesey, Waxwork

1977

• Gold Dagger: John le Carré, The Honourable Schoolboy
• Silver Dagger: William McIlvanney, Laidlaw

1976

• Gold Dagger: Ruth Rendell, A Demon in My View
• Silver Dagger: James H. McClure, Rogue Eagle

1975

• Gold Dagger: Nicholas Meyer, The Seven-Per-Cent Solution
• Silver Dagger: P. D. James, The Black Tower

1974

• Gold Dagger: Anthony Price, Other Paths to Glory
• Silver Dagger: Francis Clifford, The Grosvenor Square Goodbye

1973

• Gold Dagger: Robert Littell, The Defection of A.J. Lewinter
• Silver Dagger: Gwendoline Butler, A Coffin for Pandora

1972

• Gold Dagger: Eric Ambler, The Levanter
• Silver Dagger: Victor Canning, The Rainbird Pattern

1971

• Gold Dagger: James H. McClure, The Steam Pig
• Silver Dagger: P. D. James, Shroud for a Nightingale

1970

• Gold Dagger: Joan Fleming, Young Man I Think You're Dying
• Silver Dagger: Anthony Price, The Labyrinth Makers

1960s

1969

• Gold Dagger: Peter Dickinson, A Pride of Heroes
• Silver Dagger: Francis Clifford, Another Way of Dying
  • Best Foreign: Rex Stout, The Father Hunt

1968

• Gold Dagger: Peter Dickinson, Skin Deep
  • Nicholas Blake, The Private Wound
  • Best Foreign: Sébastien Japrisot, The Lady in the Car with Glasses and a Gun

1967

• Gold Dagger: Emma Lathen, Murder Against the Grain
  • Colin Watson, Lonely Heart 4122
  • Best British: Eric Ambler, Dirty Story

1966

• Gold Dagger: Lionel Davidson, A Long Way to Shiloh
  • John Bingham, The Double Agent
  • Best Foreign: John Ball, In the Heat of the Night

1965

• Gold Dagger: Ross Macdonald, The Far Side of the Dollar
  • Dick Francis, For Kicks
  • Emma Lathen, Accounting for Murder
  • Best British: Gavin Lyall, Midnight Plus One

1964

• Gold Dagger: H. R. F. Keating, The Perfect Murder
  • Gavin Lyall, The Most Dangerous Game
  • Ross Macdonald, The Chill
  • Best Foreign: Patricia Highsmith, The Two Faces of January

1963

• Gold Dagger: John le Carré, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold
  • Nicolas Freeling, Gun Before Butter
  • William Haggard, The High Wire

1962

• Gold Dagger: Joan Fleming, When I Grow Rich
  • Eric Ambler, The Light of the Day
  • Colin Watson, Hopjoy Was Here

1961

• Gold Dagger: Mary Kelly, The Spoilt Kill
  • John le Carré, Call for the Dead
  • Allan Prior, One Way

1960 (award renamed)

• Gold Dagger: Lionel Davidson, The Night of Wenceslas
  • Mary Stewart, My Brother Michael
  • Julian Symons, Progress of a Crime

1950s

1959

• Crossed Red Herring Award: Eric Ambler, Passage of Arms
  • James Mitchell, A Way Back
  • Menna Gallie, Strike for a Kingdom

1958

• Crossed Red Herring Award: Margot Bennett, Someone from the Past
  • Margery Allingham, Hide My Eyes
  • James Byrom, Or Be He Dead
  • John Sherwood, Undiplomatic Exit

1957

• Crossed Red Herring Award: Julian Symons, The Colour of Murder
  • Ngaio Marsh, Off With His Head
  • George Milner, Your Money or Your Life
  • Douglas Rutherford, The Long Echo

1956

• Crossed Red Herring Award: Edward Grierson, The Second Man
  • Sarah Gainham, Time Right Deadly
  • Arthur Upfield, Man of Two Tribes
  • J. J. Marric, Gideon's Week

1955

• Crossed Red Herring Award: Winston Graham, The Little Walls
  • Leigh Howard, Blind Date
  • Ngaio Marsh, Scales of Justice
  • Margot Bennett, The Man Who Didn't Fly

References

External links

• The Gold Dagger at Crime Writers' Association official webpage