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Dawes Green bags Gold Dagger for ‘timeless fable’ at CWA Dagger Awards 2023
George Dawes Green has won the Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) Gold Dagger for The Kingdoms of Savannah (Headline), with John Brownlow, Jeff Marsick, Sophie Hannah and more also winning Daggers.
The winners were announced at a gala dinner at the Leonardo City Hotel in London on 6th July. The ceremony was compered by authors Victoria Selman and Imran Mahmood. Charlie Higson, the “Fast Show” actor, comedian, and author of the recent James Bond novel On His Majesty’s Secret Service (Ian Fleming Publications) and many Young Bond volumes, was the after-dinner speaker.
The CWA Daggers are the oldest awards in the genre. The Gold Dagger is for the best crime novel by an author of any nationality, originally written in English and first published in the UK during the judging period.
Judges praised Dawes Green’s “intricately constructed” novel as a “timeless fable”. They said: “A masterpiece of Southern Gothic noir, George Dawes Green’s sprawling mystery explores class and power structures after a brutal murder.”
William Shaw, co-vice-chair of the CWA, said: “After a 14-year hiatus, George Dawes Green’s triumphant return with The Kingdoms of Savannah is a bravura demonstration of the extraordinary power of crime fiction. Peopled with vividly-drawn characters from every Southern walk of life, this compelling mystery achieves something remarkable in peeling back the skin of Georgia’s troubled history to expose a society whose opulence was always built on something very dark.”
Past winners of the CWA Gold Dagger include John le Carré, Reginald Hill and Ruth Rendell. The winner of the 2023 Ian Fleming Steel Dagger is John Brownlow for Agent Seventeen (Hodder & Stoughton). Awarded for best thriller, the Dagger is sponsored by Ian Fleming Publications, the Fleming family-owned company that manages the James Bond literary brand.
Agent Seventeen, a debut thriller from the British-Canadian screenwriter, centres on an elite hitman who must remain one step ahead of his many rivals if he wants to stay alive. It was praised by the judges as a “deceptively layered” blockbuster thriller.
The ILP John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger highlights the best debut crime novel. This year it was taken home by Hayley Scrivenor for Dirt Town (Macmillan), praised by the CWA judges as a “haunting mystery". Creasey’s son Richard Creasey presented the award. Emma Bell, s.v.p. creative and brand and executive producer for ILP said: “John Creasey was a truly original talent. His tenacity and flair is an inspiration for writers everywhere and so it is fitting that his spirit is celebrated annually through the John Creasey(New Blood) Dagger. Working closely with his son, Richard, to introduce his timeless stories and characters to new global audiences is a privilege”.
The CWA Historical Dagger went to DV Bishop for The Darkest Sin (Macmillan). Set in Renaissance Florence, The Darkest Sin is "an atmospheric historical thriller" that the judges praised as “well-researched” and “gripping to the end.”
The ALCS Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction went to Wendy Joseph for Unlawful Killings: Life, Love and Murder: Trials at the Old Bailey (Transworld), while the Crime Fiction in Translation Dagger, sponsored by former CWA chair Maxim Jakubowski in honour of his wife Dolores Jakubowski, was awarded to Javier Cercas for Even the Darkest Night (Maclehose Press), translated by Anne McLean.
Hazell Ward scooped the short story award for Cast a Long Shadow, “a truly emotional ride with a twist”, while the Dagger in the Library, voted on exclusively by librarians, chosen for the author’s body of work and support of libraries, was awarded to Sophie Hannah.
The Debut Dagger went to Jeff Marsick for Sideways, about a 26-year-old army veteran, Gage, suffering from PTSD, and the Dagger for the Best Crime and Mystery Publisher, which celebrates publishers and imprints demonstrating excellence and diversity in crime writing, was awarded to Viper. Viper’s books include The Appeal by Janice Hallett, The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward, and The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave.
A CWA Red Herring, for services to crime writing and the CWA, were awarded to Gary Stratmann and Corinne Turner. Jakubowski said: “As the husband of crime writer Linda Stratmann, a past CWA chair, Gary Stratmann has accidentally found himself at the heart of our community and has taken it to it like a fish to water; ever supportive, convivial, he has become the de facto CWA photographer, social gadfly, and visual historian.”
On Corinne Turner, Jakubowski said: “As the head of Ian Fleming Publications, Corinne Turner has not only been a stalwart CWA sponsor, but has also lent her knowledge, business advice, sensible management experience and invaluable financial know-how to our board. She has been a major factor into making us a more professional body, and has always been available with a smile on her face."
The CWA Diamond Dagger, awarded to an author whose crime-writing career has been marked by sustained excellence, was announced earlier this year and was awarded to Walter Mosley.
