British Crime Writers’ Association Awards
Matt Beynon Rees’ A Murder in Bethlehem (published in the US as The Collaborator of Bethlehem) has won the New Blood Dagger from the Crime Writers’ Association of Britain. Mystery Scene readers will be familiar with Rees, a former journalist, from Barbara Fister’s excellent 2007 profile, “The War Within.” Omar Yussef, the Palestinian schoolteacher-turned-detective, is a big favorite here at the magazine.
Martin Edwards, a frequent contributor to Mystery Scene, won the CWA Short Story Award for “The Bookbinder’s Apprentice,” published in The Mammoth Book of Best British Mysteries edited by Maxim Jakubowski. In addition to award-winning fiction, Martin also writes excellent criticism. Over the past few years he has contributed profiles of Minette Walters, Benjamin Black (aka John Banville), Sarah Caudwell, Michael Gilbert and Ellis Peters, among others. Here is a look at one of our favorites “H.R.F. Keating: Putting the Reader First.” Congratulations Martin!
2008 CWA AWARDS
Announced July 10, London, U.K.
Duncan Lawrie Dagger - Frances Fyfield, Blood from Stone
Duncan Lawrie International Dagger - Dominique Manotti, Lorraine Connection
Ian Fleming Steel Dagger - Tom Rob Smith, Child 44
John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger - Matt Rees, The Bethlehem Murders
Dagger in the Library (voted on by librarians) - Craig Russell
Short Story Award - Martin Edwards, “The Bookbinder’s Apprentice”
Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction - Kester Aspden, Nationality: Wog - The Hounding of David Oluwale
Debut Dagger (for unpublished work) - Amer Anwar, Western Fringes
Congratulations to all the winners!