Blog Archives

2009 CWA Dagger Award Winners Announced

The Crime Writers’ Association is pleased to announce that: William Brodrick wins the CWA Gold Dagger for A Whispered Name John Hart wins the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger for The Last Child Johan Theorin wins the CWA John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger for Echoes from The Dead Philip Kerr wins the Ellis Peters Historical … Continue reading

THE CRIME WRITERS’ ASSOCIATION DAGGER AWARDS 2009

The Crime Writers’ Association is delighted to announce the shortlists for a number of this year’s Daggers – the prestigious awards that celebrate the very best in crime and thriller writing in 2009. The CWA Dagger Awards are the longest established literary awards in the UK and are internationally recognised as a mark of excellence … Continue reading

Above Suspicion by Lynda La Plante (ITV 1 Drama)

Yet another TV serial killer saga from La Plante, who must have slaughtered more prostitutes in her career than  you or I have had warm goats cheese tarts. ‘Above Suspicion’ features the doziest female copper ever seen on the small screen, in the tightest skirt and tightest blouse ever seen in Scotland Yard, all corseted … Continue reading

Best Crime of 2008 by Elvis McBeth

Here we go again, another year older and deeper in debt, literally, if you believe everything you read in the papers. But there are still a lot of great crime novels out there to keep your mind off the credit crunch this winter, so stick around and check out these winners with me. Kicking off … Continue reading

Book Review: The Prince of Darkness by Graham Hurley

The latest D.I. Faraday novel, The Price Of Darkness by Graham Hurley starts off with what looks like a professional hit on a property developer. The dead man was involved in an M.O.D. site in Portsmouth with potentially rich pickings. Then a government minister is assassinated. What’s the connection? Also, there’s a problem with ex-copper and … Continue reading

My Favourite Novel by Mark Timlin

  THE BIG SLEEP by RAYMOND CHANDLER The Big Sleep is Raymond Chandler’s masterpiece. The best crime novel ever written bar none. Almost single handedly Chandler invented the genre of the hard drinking, hard smoking, hard loving, sharply dressed, first person, private detective, with a wisecrack for every occasion, and a bullet for every bad … Continue reading

Macavity Award Nominations 2008

Mystery Readers International (Mystery Readers Journal) announces the Macavity Award nominations for works published in 2007. The awards will be presented during opening ceremonies at Bouchercon, the World Mystery Convention (Baltimore, October 2008). MACAVITY NOMINEES: Best Mystery Novel o Soul Patch by Reed Farrel Coleman (Bleak House) o The Unquiet by John Connolly (Hodder & … Continue reading