The Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) of the United Kingdom has announced the shortlists for the 2021 Dagger Awards.

The Daggers were first given in 1955, but for the first five years CWA called its top honor the Crossed Red Herring Award.

The award’s winners will be revealed at a ceremony on July 10.

GOLD DAGGER

This award is for the best crime novel by an author of any nationality.

• S A Cosby: Blacktop Wasteland (Headline)
• Ben Creed: City of Ghosts (Welbeck Fiction)
• Nicci French: House of Correction (Simon & Schuster)
• Robert Galbraith: Troubled Blood (Sphere)
• Elly Griffiths: The Postscript Murders (Quercus)
• Thomas Mullen: Midnight Atlanta (Little, Brown)
• Chris Whitaker: We Begin at the End (Zaffre,)

IAN FLEMING STEEL DAGGER

Eligible books in this category are thrillers set in any period and include, but are not limited to, spy fiction, psychological thrillers and action/adventure stories.

• Robert Galbraith: Troubled Blood (Sphere)
• Michael Robotham: When She Was Good (Sphere)
• Catherine Ryan Howard: The Nothing Man (Atlantic Books)
• Stuart Turton: The Devil and the Dark Water (Raven Books)
• Ruth Ware: One by One (Harvill Secker)
• Chris Whitaker: We Begin at the End (Zaffre)

JOHN CREASEY (NEW BLOOD) DAGGER

• Eva Björg Ægisdóttir: The Creak on the Stairs (Orenda)
• Ben Creed: City of Ghosts (Welbeck Publishing)
• Egan Hughes: The One That Got Away (Sphere)
• S W Kane: The Bone Jar (Thomas & Mercer)
• Stephen Spotswood: Fortune Favours the Dead (Wildfire)
• John Vercher: Three Fifths (Pushkin Press)

SAPERE BOOKS HISTORICAL DAGGER

• John Banville: Snow (Faber)
• Vaseem Khan: Midnight at Malabar House (Hodder & Stoughton)
• Chris Lloyd: The Unwanted Dead (Orion Fiction)
• Michael Russell: The City Under Siege (Constable)
• David S. Stafford: Skelton’s Guide to Domestic Poisons (Allison & Busby)
• Ovidia Yu: The Mimosa Tree Mystery (Constable)

CRIME FICTION IN TRANSLATION DAGGER

• Fredrik Backman: Anxious People, translated by Neil Smith (Michael Joseph,)
• Roxanne Bouchard: The Coral Bride, translated by David Warriner (Orenda Books)
• Yun Ko-eun: The Disaster Tourist, translated by Lizzie Buehler (Serpent’s Tail)
• D A Mishani: Three, translated by Jessica Cohen (Riverrun)
• Mikael Niemi: To Cook a Bear, translated by Deborah Bragan-Turner (Maclehose Press)
• Agnes Ravatn: The Seven Doors, translated by Rosie Hedger (Orenda Books)

SHORT STORY DAGGER

• Robert Scragg: “A Dog is for Life, Not Just for Christmas” in Afraid of the Christmas Lights, edited by Robert Scragg
• Elle Croft: “Deathbed” in Afraid of the Light, edited by Robert Scragg 
• Dominic Nolan: “Daddy Dearest” in Afraid of the Light, edited by Robert Scragg
• Victoria Selman: “Hunted” in Afraid of the Christmas Lights, edited by Robert Scragg
• Clare Mackintosh: “Monsters” in First Edition: Celebrating 21 Years of Goldsboro Books (The Dome Press)
• James Delargy: “Planting Nan” in Afraid of the Light, edited by Robert Scragg

ALCS GOLD DAGGER FOR NON-FICTION

• Sue Black: Written in Bone (Doubleday)
• Becky Cooper: We Keep the Dead Close (William Heinemann)
• Andrew Harding: These Are Not Gentle People (MacLehose)
• Debora Harding: Dancing with the Octopus (Profile Books)
• Nick Hayes: The Book of Trespass (Bloomsbury Circus)
• Ben MacIntyre: Agent Sonya (Viking)

DAGGER IN THE LIBRARY

• Lisa Jewell
• Peter May
• Denise Mina
• James Oswald
• L J Ross
• C L Taylor

 DEBUT DAGGER

A competition for the opening of a crime novel and synopsis, chosen by judges: bestselling author Leigh Russell, editor Stephanie Glencross (of Gregory and Company), Editorial Director at Bonnier Zaffre Katherine Armstrong and director of literary agency A.M. Heath and Co. Oli Munson.

• Ashley Harrison: The Looking Glass Spy
• Fiona McPhillips: Underwater
• Biba Pearce: Rough Justice
• Hannah Redding: Deception
• Edward Regenye: Lightfoot
• Jennifer Wilson O’Raghallaigh: Mandatory Reporting

PUBLISHERS’ DAGGER

• Faber & Faber
• Head of Zeus
• Michael Joseph
• No Exit Press
• Raven
• Viper

 [Thanks to Cora Buhlert for the story.]