The winners of the prestigious 2026 Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) Dagger Awards, which honour the very best in the crime-writing genre, have been announced.
Created in 1955, the world-famous CWA Daggers are the oldest awards in the genre and have been synonymous with quality crime writing for over half a century.
CWA Dagger Winners
CWA KAA Gold Dagger
Abigail Dean The Death of Us (HarperCollins/Hemlock Press)
ILP John Creasey (First Novel) Dagger
Laura McCluskey The Wolf Tree (HarperCollins/Hemlock Press)
The Death of Us and The Wolf Tree have been reviewed by QRC. Click on the title to read our review.
Diamond Dagger
Mark Billingham
Two of Mark Billingham’s books have also been reviewed here – Cry Baby and The Wrong Hands. Click on the title to read the QRC review.