Dagger Awards

The Dagger Awards were founded by The Crime Writer’ Association in 1956 and celebrate the very best in crime and thriller writing. We list only the fiction awards. The Diamond Dagger is awarded for Lifetime Achievement, the Gold and Silver Dagger for the top crime novels of the year, the Ellis Peters Historical Dagger for best Historical Novel, the John Creasey Memorial New Blood Dagger for unpublished writers. In 2006 the Gold and Silver Dagger Awards were replaced by the Duncan Lawrie Gold Dagger for best crime novel in English and the Duncan Lawrie International Dagger for best crime novel translated into English. (Diamond Dagger Awards also listed on one page.)

2010

Diamond Dagger =›

Val McDermid

Gold Dagger
•	Conman by Richard Asplin
•	Blacklands by Belinda Bauer [review]
•	Blood Harvest by S.J. Bolton
•	Rain Gods by James Lee Burke
•	Shadowplay by Karen Campbell
•	The Strange Case of the Composer and his Judge by Patricia Duncker
•	Still Midnight by Denise Mina
•	The Way Home by George Pelecanos

International Dagger
=›	The Darkest Room by Johan Theorin
•	Hypothermia by Arnaldur Indriðason [review]
•	Badfellas by Tonino Benacquista
•	August Heat by Andrea Camilleri
•	The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson
•	Thirteen Hours by Deon Meyer

Ian Fleming Steel Dagger
•	61 Hours by Lee Child
•	A Loyal Spy by Simon Conway
•	Gone by Mo Hayder
•	Slow Horses by Mick Herron
•	The Dying Light (The Bell Ringers) by Henry Porter
•	Innocent by Scott Turow
•	The Gentlemen’s Hour by Don Winslow

John Creasey New Blood Dagger
•	Martyr by Rory Clements
•	Acts of Violence by Ryan David Jahn
•	The Pull of the Moon by Diane Janes
•	Rupture (A Thousand Cuts) by Simon Lelic
•	Stop Me by Richard Jay Parker
•	Random by Craig Robertson
•	Cut Short by Leigh Russell [review]
•	The Holy Thief by William Ryan

Short Story
=›	“Can You Help Me Out There” by Robert Ferrigno Thriller 2
•	“A Calculated Risk” by Sean Chercover Thriller 2
•	“The Weapon” by Jeffrey Deaver Thriller 2
•	“Boldt’s Broken Angel” by Ridley Pearson Thriller 2
•	“Like a Virgin” by Peter Robinson The Price of Love
•	“Killing Time” by Jon Land Thriller 2
•	“Protecting the Innocent” by Simon Wood Thriller 2

Top | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | 1998 | 1997 | 1996 | 1995 | 1994 | 1993 | 1992 | 1991 | 1990 | 1989 | 1988 | 1987 | 1986 | 1985 | 1984 | 1983 | 1982 | 1981 | 1980 | 1979 | 1978 | 1977 | 1976 | 1975 | 1974 | 1973 | 1972 | 1971 | 1970 | 1969 | 1968 | 1967 | 1966 | 1965 | 1964 | 1963 | 1962 | 1961 | 1960 | 1959 | 1958 | 1957 | 1956 | 1955

2009

Diamond Dagger =›

Andrew Taylor

Gold Dagger
=›	A Whispered Name by William Brodrick
•	When Will There Be Good News by Kate Atkinson
•	In the Dark by Mark Billingham
•	Hit and Run by Lawrence Block
•	The Coroner by M.R. Hall
•	Dark Times in the City by Gene Kerrigan

International Dagger
=›	The Chalk Circle Man by Fred Vargas
•	Shadow by Karin Alvtegen
•	Arctic Chill by Arnaldur Indriðason
•	The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson
•	The Redeemer by Jo Nesbø
•	Echoes from the Dead by Johan Theorin [review]

Ian Fleming Steel Dagger
=›	The Last Child by John Hart [review]
•	The Brass Verdict by Michael Connelly [review]
•	Dark Places by Gillian Flynn [review]
•	Calumet City by Charlie Newton [review]
•	Moscow Rules by Daniel Silva
•	The Tourist by Olen Steinhauer
•	The Interrogator by Andrew Williams

John Creasey New Blood Dagger
=›	Echoes from the Dead by Johan Theorin [review]
•	Sweetsmoke by David Fuller [review]
•	Bad Catholics by James Green
•	No Way To Say Goodbye by Rod Madocks
•	Old City Hall by Robert Rotenberg [review]
•	The Blood Detective by Dan Waddell [review]

Ellis Peters Historical Dagger
=›	If the Dead Rise Not by Philip Kerr
•	The Dead of Winter by Rennie Airth
•	The Redemption of Alexander Seaton by Shona MacLean
•	The Information Officer by Mark Mills
•	The Interrogator by Andrew Williams
•	An Empty Death by Laura Wilson

2008

Diamond Dagger =›

Sue Grafton

Gold Dagger
=›	Blood from Stone by Frances Fyfield
•	The Tin Roof Blowdown by James Lee Burke
•	The Coroner’s Lunch by Colin Cotterill
•	Night Work by Steve Hamilton
•	What the Dead Know by Laura Lippman
•	A Vengeful Longing by R.N. Morris

International Dagger
=›	Lorraine Connection by Dominique Manotti
•	The Patience of the Spider by Andrea Camilleri
•	The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
•	A Deal with the Devil by Martin Suter
•	This Night’s Foul Work by Fred Vargas

Ian Fleming Steel Dagger
=›	Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith
•	Ritual by Mo Hayder
•	I See You (The Crime Writer) by Gregg Hurwitz
•	Shatter by Michael Robotham
•	The Echelon Vendetta by David Stone

John Creasey New Blood Dagger
=›	The Bethlehem Murders (The Collaborator of Bethlehem) by Matt Beynon Rees
•	The Night of the the Mi’raj (Finding Nouf) by Zoë Ferraris
•	Die With Me by Elena Forbes
•	Absolution by Caro Ramsay
•	Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith

Ellis Peters Historical Award
=›	Stratton’s War by Laura Wilson
•	The Death Maze (The Serpent’s Tale) by Ariana Franklin
•	A Quiet Flame by Philip Kerr
•	Death on a Branch Line by Andrew Martin
•	Revelation by CJ Sansom
•	Bleeding Heart Square by Andrew Taylor

2007

Diamond Dagger =›

John Harvey

Gold Dagger
=›	The Broken Shore by Peter Temple
•	By the Time You Read This (Fields of Grief) by Giles Blunt
•	Pegasus Descending by James Lee Burke
•	Brother Grimm by Craig Russell
•	Sovereign by C.J. Sansom

International Dagger
=›	Wash This Blood Clean From My Hand by Fred Vargas
•	Shame by Karin Alvtegen
•	The Exception by Christian Jungersen
•	The Attack by Yasmina Khadra
•	Sun Storm (The Savage Altar) by Åsa Larsson
•	The Redbreast by Jo Nesbø

Ian Fleming Steel Dagger
=›	Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
•	The Faithful Spy by Alex Berenson
•	The Woods by Harlan Coben
•	City of Lies by Roger Jon Ellory
•	The Intruders by Michael Marshall
•	The Night Ferry by Michael Robotham
•	Triptych by Karin Slaughter

New Blood Dagger
=›	Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
•	Objects of Desire by C.J. Emerson
•	The Wrong Kind of Blood by Declan Hughes
•	Borderlands by Brian McGilloway
•	Last Days of Newgate by Andrew Pepper
•	Dead of Summer by Camilla Way

Ellis Peters Historical Dagger
=›	Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin
•	The Snake Stone by Jason Goodwin
•	The One from the Other by Philip Kerr
•	Murder at Deviation Junction by Andrew Martin
•	The Savage Garden by Mark Mills
•	The Tenderness of Wolves by Stef Penney

2006

Diamond Dagger =›

Elmore Leonard

Gold Dagger
=›	Raven Black by Ann Cleeves
•	The Chemistry of Death by Simon Beckett
•	Red Leaves by Thomas H. Cook
•	Safer than Houses by Frances Fyfield
•	Wolves of Memory by Bill James
•	A Thousand Lies by Laura Wilson

International Dagger
=›	The Three Evangelists by Fred Vargas
•	The Excursion to Tindari by Andrea Camilleri
•	Autumn of the Phantoms by Yasmina Khadra
•	Dead Horsemeat by Dominique Manotti
•	Borkmann’s Point by Håkan Nesser
•	Blood on the Saddle by Rafael Reig

Ian Fleming Steel Dagger
=›	Mr. Clarinet by Nick Stone
•	The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly
•	Sweet Gum by Jo-Ann Goodwin
•	Pig Island by Mo Hayder
•	The Messenger by Daniel Silva
•	The Mercy Seat by Martyn Waites
•	Contact Zero by David Wolstencroft

New Blood Dagger
=›	Still Life by Louise Penny
•	Immoral by Brian Freeman
•	Ice Trap by Kitty Sewell

Ellis Peters Historical Dagger
=›	Red Sky Lament by Edward Wright
•	The Pale Blue Eye by Louis Bayard
•	Nefertiti: The Book of the Dead by Nick Drake
•	The Janissary Tree by Jason Goodwin
•	Sovereign by C.J. Sansom
•	The Sultan’s Seal by Jenny White

Note: In 2006 the Gold and Silver Dagger Awards were replaced by the Duncan Lawrie Gold Dagger for best crime novel in English and the Duncan Lawrie International Dagger for best crime novel translated into English.

2005

Diamond Dagger =›

Ian Rankin

Gold & Silver Daggers
Gold =›	Silence of the Grave by Arnaldur Indridason
Silver =›	Deadly Web by Barbara Nadel
•	Calling Out for You (The Indian Bride) by Karin Fossum
•	In Matto’s Realm by Friedrich Glauser
•	Skinny Dip by Carl Hiaasen
•	Seeking Whom He May Devour by Fred Vargas

Ian Fleming Steel Dagger
=›	Brandenburg by Henry Porter
•	A Blind Eye by G.M. Ford
•	A Good Day to Die by Simon Kernick
•	The Apothecary’s House by Adrian Mathews
•	Labryinth by Kate Mosse
•	Double Cross Blind by Joel Ross
•	A Death in Vienna by Daniel Silva

John Creasey New Blood Dagger
=›	Running Hot by Dreda Say Mitchell
•	The Great Stink by Clare Clark
•	Bloody Harvests by Richard Kunzmann
•	Grip by David McKeowen

Ellis Peters Historical Dagger
=›	Dark Fire by CJ Sansom
•	The God of Chaos by Tom Bradby
•	The Palace Tiger by Barbara Cleverly
•	After the Armistice Ball by Catriona McPherson
•	The Portrait by Iain Pears
•	Mortal Mischief (A Death in Vienna) by Frank Tallis

2004

Diamond Dagger =›

Lawrence Block

Gold & Silver Daggers
Gold =›	Blacklist by Sara Paretsky
Silver =›	Flesh & Blood by John Harvey
•	Tokyo (The Devil of Nanking) by Mo Hayder
•	The Torment of Others by Val McDermid
•	Midnight Cab by James W. Nichol
•	The Lover by Laura Wilson

Ian Fleming Steel Dagger
=›	Garden of Beasts by Jeffery Deaver
•	The Warlord’s Son by Dan Fesperman
•	Paranoia by Joseph Finder
•	Tokyo (The Devil of Nanking) by Mo Hayder
•	Hard Landing by Stephen Leather
•	Dead I Well May Be by Adrian McKinty
•	The Confessor by Daniel Silva

John Creasey New Blood Dagger
=›	Amagansett by Mark Mills
•	The Jasmine Trade by Denise Hamilton
•	The Three Body Problem by Catherine Shaw
•	Devil’s Playground by Stav Sherez

Ellis Peters Historical Dagger
=›	The Damascened Blade by Barbara Cleverly
•	The Shape of Sand by Marjorie Eccles
•	Hell at the Breech by Tom Franklin
•	The Thief Taker by Janet Gleeson
•	The Dante Club by Matthew Pearl
•	The Judgment of Caesar by Steven Saylor
•	The Lover by Laura Wilson

2003

Diamond Dagger =›

Robert Barnard

Gold & Silver Daggers
Gold =›	Fox Evil by Minette Walters
Silver =›	Half Broken Things by Morag Joss
•	The Winter Queen by Boris Akunin
•	The Company by Robert Littell
•	Almost Blue by Carlo Lucarelli
•	The Blind Man of Seville by Robert Wilson

Ian Fleming Steel Dagger
=›	The Small Boat of Great Sorrows by Dan Fesperman
•	Persuader by Lee Child
•	Candlemoth by Roger Jon Ellory
•	The Nightspinners by Lucretia Grindle
•	The Company by Robert Littell
•	Empire State by Henry Porter
•	Traitor’s Kiss by Gerald Seymour

John Creasey New Blood Dagger
=›	Mission Flats by William Landay
•	Backlash by Rod Duncan
•	Dissolution by C.J. Sansom

Ellis Peters Historical Dagger
=›	The American Boy by Andrew Taylor
•	The White Russian by Tom Bradby
•	The Advocate by Marcello Fois
•	London Dust by Lee Jackson
•	Blood on the Wood by Gillian Linscott
•	Dissolution by C.J. Sansom
•	The Bridge of Sighs by Olen Steinhauer

2002

Diamond Dagger =›

Sara Paretsky

Gold & Silver Daggers
Gold =›	The Athenian Murders by José Carlos Somoza
Silver =›	The Final Country by James Crumley
•	Scaredy Cat by Mark Billingham
•	The Jolie Blon’s Bounce by James Lee Burke
•	City of Bones by Michael Connelly
•	Acid Row by Minette Walters

Ian Fleming Steel Dagger
=›	The Sirius Crossing by John Creed
•	The Master of Rain by Tom Bradby
•	Without Fail by Lee Child
•	Hostage by Robert Crais
•	Lime’s Photograph by Leif Davidsen
•	The French Executioner by C.C. Humphreys
•	Tango One by Stephen Leather

John Creasey New Blood Dagger
=›	The Cutting Room by Louise Welsh
•	The 25th Hour by Devid Benioff
•	The Emperor of Ocean Park by Stephen L. Carter
•	The Dark Fields by Alan Glynn
•	The Water Clock by Jim Kelly

Ellis Peters Historical Dagger
=›	Fingersmith by Sarah Waters
•	The Jupiter Myth by Lindsey Davis
•	The Pale Companion by Philip Gooden
•	Dead Man Riding by Gillian Linscott
•	The Athenian Murders by José Carlos Somoza
•	The Desperate Remedy by Martin Stephen

2001

Diamond Dagger =›

Lionel Davidson

Gold & Silver Daggers
Gold =›	Sidetracked by Henning Mankell
Silver =›	Forty Words for Sorrow by Giles Blunt
•	Dancing with the Virgins by Stephen Booth
•	Baby Love by Denise Danks
•	Right as Rain by George P. Pelecanos
•	The Ice Harvest by Scott Phillips

John Creasey New Blood Dagger
=›	The Earthquake Bird by Susanna Jones
•	Paradise Salvage by John Fusco
•	The Ice Harvest by Scott Phillips
•	Blindsighted by Karin Slaughter
•	Good Bad Woman by Elizabeth Woodcraft

Ellis Peters Historical Dagger
Winner =›	The Office of the Dead by Andrew Taylor
Runner-Up =›	A Cold Touch of Ice by Michael Pearce
•	Ode to a Banker by Lindsey Davis
•	A Distinction of Blood by Hannah March
•	Last Seen in Massilia by Steven Saylor
•	Mortal Sins by Penn Williamson

2000

Diamond Dagger =›

Peter Lovesey

Gold & Silver Daggers
Gold =›	Motherless Brooklyn by Jonathan Lethem
Silver =›	Friends in High Places by Donna Leon
•	Purple Cane Road by James Lee Burke
•	The Skull Mantra by Eliot Pattison
•	Havana Bay by Martin Cruz Smith
•	Lost by Lucy Wadham

John Creasey New Blood Dagger
=›	God Is a Bullet by Boston Teran
•	Stone Baby by Joolz Denby
•	Lost Girls by Andrew Pyper

Ellis Peters Historical Dagger
=›	Absent Friends by Gillian Linscott
•	River of Darkness by Rennie Airth
•	Guilty Knowledge by Clare Curzon
•	The Murdered House by Pierre Magnan
•	The Devil’s Highway by Hannah March
•	Death of an Effendi by Michael Pearce
•	A Little Death by Laura Wilson

1999

Diamond Dagger =›

Margaret Yorke

Gold & Silver Daggers
Gold =›	A Small Death in Lisbon by Robert Wilson
Silver =›	Vienna Blood by Adrian Mathews
•	Angels Flight by Michael Connelly
•	Phreak by Denise Danks
•	Staring at the Light by Francis Fyfield
•	A Place of Execution by Val McDermid
•	Dead Souls by Ian Rankin

John Creasey New Blood Dagger
=›	Lie in the Dark by Dan Fesperman
•	Provocation by Charlotte Grimshaw
•	Quinn by Seamus Smyth

Ellis Peters Historical Dagger
=›	Two for the Lions by Lindsey Davis
•	Falconer and the Great Beast by Ian Morson
•	Wings of Fire by Charles Todd

1998

Diamond Dagger =›

Ed McBain

Gold & Silver Daggers
Gold =›	Sunset Limited by James Lee Burke
Silver =›	Manchester Slingback by Nicholas Blincoe
•	Fire Hawk by Geoffrey Archer
•	A Long Finish by Michael Dibdin
•	On Beulah Height by Reginald Hill
•	King Suckerman by George P. Pelecanos

John Creasey New Blood Dagger
=›	Garnethill by Denise Mina
•	The Locust Farm by Jeremy Dronfield
•	Down on Ponce by Fred Willard

1997

Diamond Dagger =›

Colin Dexter

Gold & Silver Daggers
Gold =›	Black and Blue by Ian Rankin
Silver =›	Three to Get Deadly by Janet Evanovich
•	The Church of Dead Girls by Stephen Dobyns
•	Transgressions by Sarah Dunant
•	The Reluctant Investigator by Frank Lean
•	Black Hornet by James Sallis

John Creasey New Blood Dagger
=›	Body Politic by Paul Johnston
•	The Riot Act by Jon Stock
•	A Test of Wills by Charles Todd

1996

Diamond Dagger =›

H.R.F. Keating

Gold & Silver Daggers
Gold =›	Popcorn by Ben Elton
Silver =›	Bloodhounds by Peter Lovesey
•	Cadillac Jukebox by James Lee Burke
•	Death Is Now My Neighbor by Colin Dexter
•	Bookman’s Wake by John Dunning
•	A Private Inquiry by Jessica Mann

John Creasey New Blood Dagger
=›	no award

Last Laugh Dagger
=›	Two for the Dough by Janet Evanovich
•	Of Wee Sweetie Mice and Men by Colin Bateman
•	Stormy Weather by Carl Hiaasen

1995

Diamond Dagger =›

Reginald Hill

Gold & Silver Daggers
Gold =›	The Mermaids Singing by Val McDermid
Silver =›	The Summons by Peter Lovesey
•	Dark Specter by Michael Dibdin
•	Death in the Garden by Elizabeth Ironside
•	A Piece of Justice by Jill Paton Walsh
•	The Dark Room by Minette Walters

John Creasey New Blood Dagger (tie)
=›	One for the Money by Janet Evanovich
=›	A Grave Talent by Laurie R. King
•	The Greenway by Jane Adams
•	The Dark Backward by Gregory Hall

Last Laugh Dagger
=›	Sunburn by Laurence Shames
•	Ten Lords A-Leaping by Ruth Dudley Edwards
•	One for the Money by Janet Evanovich
•	Maxwell’s Flame by M.J. Trow

1994

Diamond Dagger =›

Michael Gilbert

Gold & Silver Daggers
Gold =›	The Scold’s Bridle by Minette Walters
Silver =›	Miss Smilla’s Feeling for Snow by Peter Høeg
•	A Clear Conscience by Francis Fyfield
•	Crack Down by Val McDermid
•	Black Betty by Walter Mosley
•	Tunnel Vision by Sara Paretsky

John Creasey New Blood Dagger
=›	Big Town by Doug J. Swanson
•	The Marx Sisters by Barry Maitland
•	Looking for Trouble by Cath Staincliffe

Last Laugh Dagger
=›	The Villain of the Earth by Simon Shaw
•	Written in Blood by Caroline Graham
•	After All These Years by Susan Isaacs

1993

Diamond Dagger =›

Ellis Peters

Gold & Silver Daggers
Gold =›	Cruel and Unusual by Patricia Cornwell
Silver =›	Fatlands by Sarah Dunant
•	Dead Meat by Philip Kerr
•	White Butterfly by Walter Mosley
•	Death Among the Dons by Janet Neel
•	The Hand of Strange Children by Robert Richardson

John Creasey New Blood Dagger
=›	no award given
•	Night’s Black Agents by David Armstrong
•	Skinner’s Rules by Quintin Jardine
•	Devil’s Juggler by Murray Smith

Last Laugh Dagger
=›	The Mamur Zapt and the Spoils of Egypt by Michael Pearce
•	Poseidon’s Gold by Lindsey Davis
•	Blood Sympathy by Reginald Hill

1992

Diamond Dagger =›

Leslie Charteris

Gold & Silver Daggers
Gold =›	The Way Through the Woods by Colin Dexter
Silver =›	Bucket Nut by Liza Cody
•	Cabal by Michael Dibdin
•	I Is for Innocent by Sue Grafton
•	Recalled to Life by Reginald Hill
•	A Red Death by Walter Mosley

John Creasey New Blood Dagger
=›	The Ice House by Minette Walters
•	File Under: Deceased by Sarah Lacey
•	Unseen Witness by Lew Matthews

Last Laugh Dagger
=›	Native Tongue by Carl Hiaasen
•	Clubbed to Death by Ruth Dudley Edwards
•	The Mamur Zapt and the Girl in the Nile by Michael Pearce

1991

Diamond Dagger =›

Ruth Rendell

Gold & Silver Daggers
Gold =›	King Solomon’s Carpet by Barbara Vine
Silver =›	Deep Sleep by Frances Fyfield
•	The Fifth Rapunzel by B.M. Gill
•	Birth Marks by Sarah Dunant
•	Play Dead by Peter Dickinson
•	Dirty Tricks by Michael Dibdin
•	Death of a Partner by Janet Neel

John Creasey New Blood Dagger
=›	Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley
•	Deadly Errand by Christine Green
•	One Oblique One by Keith Wright

Last Laugh Dagger
=›	Angels in Arms by Mike Ripley
•	Corporate Bodies by Simon Brett
•	The Mamur Zapt and the Men Behind by Michael Pearce

1990

Diamond Dagger =›

Julian Symons

Gold & Silver Daggers
Gold =›	Bones and Silence by Reginald Hill
Silver =›	The Late Candidate by Mike Phillips
•	Listening in the Dusk by Celia Fremlin
•	Trial by Fire (Not That Kind of Place) by Francis Fyfield
•	Rough Treatment by John Harvey
•	Going Wrong by Ruth Rendell

John Creasey New Blood Dagger
=›	Postmortem by Patricia Cornwell
•	The Becket Factor by Michael David Anthony

Last Laugh Dagger
=›	Killer Cinderella by Simon Shaw
•	Bertie and the Seven Bodies by Peter Lovesey
•	Lestrade and the Guardian Angel by M.J. Trow

1989

Diamond Dagger =›

Dick Francis

Gold & Silver Daggers
Gold =›	The Wench Is Dead by Colin Dexter
Silver =›	The Shadow Run by Desmond Lowden
•	Touch of the Past by Jon L. Breen
•	Silent Thunder by Loren D. Estleman
•	A Very Particular Murder by S.T. Haymon
•	The Way We Die Now by Charles Willeford

John Creasey New Blood Dagger
=›	A Real Shot in the Arm by Annette Roome
•	A Midsummer Killing by Trevor Barnes
•	Nobody’s Fool by Marten Claridge
•	Murder at the Nineteenth by J.M. Gregson
•	A Personal Possession (Fetish) by Jeanne Hart
•	March Violets by Philip Kerr
•	Count the Days by Lin Summerfield
•	Frost at Christmas by R.D. Wingfield

Last Laugh Dagger
=›	Angel Touch by Mike Ripley
•	Monsieur Pamplemousse Aloft by Michael Bond
•	The Sirens Sang of Murder by Sarah Caudwell
•	The Rigby File [SS] edited by Tim Heald
•	Vane Pursuit by Charlotte MacLeod

1988

Diamond Dagger =›

John le Carré

Gold & Silver Daggers
Gold =›	Ratking by Michael Dibdin
Silver =›	Toxic Shock (Blood Shot) by Sara Paretsky
•	At Death’s Door by Robert Barnard
•	Greek Gifts by T.J. Binyon
•	Sheep’s Clothing by Celia Dale
•	Underworld by Reginald Hill

John Creasey New Blood Dagger
=›	Death’s Bright Angel by Janet Neel
•	The Cold Light of Dawn by Graham Ison
•	The Fine Art of Murder by Anthony Quogan
•	The Hawk by Peter Ransley
•	Death in Tokyo by Guy Stanley

Last Laugh Dagger (Punch Prize)
=›	Death in a Distant Land by Nancy Livingston
•	Just Another Angel by Mike Ripley

1987

Diamond Dagger =›

P.D. James

Gold & Silver Daggers
Gold =›	A Fatal Inversion by Barbara Vine
Silver =›	Presumed Innocent by Scott Turow
•	Death of a God by S.T. Haymon
•	Child’s Play by Reginald Hill
•	Colour of Blood by Brian Moore
•	Dead Reckoning (Deadly Reunion) by Ivan Ruff

John Creasey New Blood Dagger
=›	The Dark Apostle by Denis Kilcommons
•	The Traveller by John Katzenbach
•	The Ritual Bath by Faye Kellerman
•	A Death in Time by Francis Lyall
•	Forests of the Night by Margaret Moore
•	Jumping the Cracks by Rebecca O’Rourke
•	An Infinite Number of Monkeys by Les Roberts
•	Gallows View by Peter Robinson
•	A Masculine Ending by Joan Smith
•	Goodbye, Nanny Gray by Susannah Stacey

1986

First Diamond Dagger =›

Eric Ambler

Gold & Silver Daggers
Gold =›	Live Flesh by Ruth Rendell
Silver =›	A Taste for Death by P.D. James
•	Under Contract by Liza Cody
•	The Secret of Annexe Three by Colin Dexter
•	Intensive Care by Peter Dunant
•	The Dark-Adapted Eye by Barbara Vine

John Creasey New Blood Dagger
=›	Tinplate by Neville Steed
•	Student Body (An Educated Murder) by J.R. Hulland
•	Death in Leningrad by John Lear
•	Sleeping Dog by Dick Lochte
•	Slow Turn by Mike Marqusee
•	Murder for Lunch by Haughton Murphy
•	A Dangerous Age by Martin Sylvester
•	The Unorthodox Murder of Rabbi Wahl by Joseph Telushkin

1985

Gold & Silver Daggers
Gold =›	Monkey Puzzle by Paula Gosling
Silver =›	Last Seen Alive by Dorothy Simpson
•	Weekend for Murder (Murder on a Mystery Tour) by Marian Babson
•	The Disposal of the Living (Fête Fatale) by Robert Barnard
•	Performance by Douglas Clark
•	Head Case by Liza Cody
•	You’d Better Believe It by Bill James
•	The Elberg Collection by Anthony Oliver
•	Field of Blood by Gerald Seymour
•	A Criminal Comedy by Julian Symons
•	Our Fathers’ Lies by Andrew Taylor

John Creasey New Blood Dagger
=›	The Latimer Mercy by Robert Richardson
•	Disorderly Elements by Bob Cook
•	Patterns in the Dust (Death on Widow’s Walk) by Leslie Grant-Adamson
•	The Trouble at Aquitaine by Nancy Livingston
•	Death at Charity’s Point by William G. Tapply
•	Organized Crimes by Nicholas von Hoffman

1984

Gold & Silver Daggers
Gold =›	The Twelfth Juror by B.M. Gill
Silver =›	The Tree of Hands by Ruth Rendell
•	Not Dead, Only Resting by Simon Brett
•	Rats’ Alley by William Garner
•	Stately Homicide by S.T. Haymon
•	Die Again, Macready by Jack Livingston
•	Penny Black by Susan Moody
•	May Day in Magadan by Anthony Olcott
•	Sound Evidence by June Thomson
•	Big Money by Peter Turnbull
•	Advertise for Treasure by David Williams
•	The Smooth Face of Evil by Margaret Yorke

John Creasey New Blood Dagger
=›	A Very Private Enterprise by Elizabeth Ironside
•	The Rembrandt Panel by Oliver Banks
•	Vicar’s Roses (Listen for the Click) by Jon L. Breen
•	Outbid by David Hume
•	A Healthy Body by Gillian Linscott
•	A Back Room in Somers Town by John Malcolm
•	Dead in the Water by Ted Wood

1983

Gold & Silver Daggers
Gold =›	Accidental Crimes by John Hutton
Silver =›	The Papers of Tony Veitch by William McIlvanney
•	Berlin Game by Len Deighton
•	The Riddle of the Third Mile by Colin Dexter
•	The Danger by Dick Francis
•	The Black Seraphim by Michael Gilbert
•	Deadheads by Reginald Hill
•	The Twelfth Night of Ramadam by Kendal J. Peel
•	The Speaker of Mandarin by Ruth Rendell

John Creasey New Blood Dagger (tie)
=›	The Ariadne Clue by Carol Clemeau
=›	The Night the Gods Smiled by Eric Wright
•	The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco
•	Tender Prey by Patricia Roberts

1982

Gold & Silver Daggers
Gold =›	The False Inspector Dew by Peter Lovesey
Silver =›	Ritual Murder by S.T. Haymon
•	By Frequent Anguish by S.F.X. Dean
•	Banker by Dick Francis
•	The Skull Beneath the Skin by P.D. James
•	The Conduct of Major Maxim by Gavin Lyall
•	The Old Vengeful by Anthony Price
•	A Shot in the Arm (Death at the BBC) by John Sherwood
•	To Make a Killing (Portrait of Lilith) by June Thomson

John Creasey New Blood Dagger
=›	Caroline Minuscule by Andrew Taylor
•	Swan Song by T.J. Binyon
•	Spytrap by William Crisp
•	Corridors of Death by Ruth Dudley Edwards
•	The Devil’s Prison by Michael O’Donnell
•	Murder at the Red October by Anthony Olcott
•	Indemnity Only by Sara Paretsky
•	The Butcher’s Boy by Thomas Perry
•	Post Mortem by Peter Whalley
•	Converging Parallels (The Red Citroen) by Timothy Williams

1981

Gold & Silver Daggers
Gold =›	Gorky Park by Martin Cruz Smith
Silver =›	The Dead of Jericho by Colin Dexter
•	Big Bear, Little Bear by David Brierley
•	Off Duty by Andrew Coburn
•	Twice Shy by Dick Francis
•	A Funeral of Gondolas by Timothy Holme
•	Fiddle City by Dan Kavanaugh
•	The Amateur by Robert Littell
•	Murder Has a Pretty Face by Jennie Melville

John Creasey New Blood Dagger
=›	The Ludi Victor by James Leigh
•	Thus Was Adonis Murdered by Sarah Caudwell
•	The Sale of Lot 236 by Michael Delahaye
•	Tondo for Short by Peter Inchbald
•	Death of an Englishman by Magdalen Nabb
•	Man on Fire by A.J. Quinnell
•	Deep and Crisp and Even by Peter Turnbull
•	The Lime Pit by Jonathan Valin
•	Odd’s End by Tim Wynne-Jones

1980

Gold & Silver Daggers
Gold =›	The Murder of the Maharajah by H.R.F. Keating
Silver =›	Monk’s Hood by Ellis Peters
•	The Bunce by Michael de Larrabeiti
•	Reflex by Dick Francis
•	The Garden of Weapons by John Gardner
•	Innocent Blood by P.D. James
•	Sweet Adelaide by Julian Symons
•	The Dissident by Peter Van Greenaway
•	Murder for Treasure by David Williams

John Creasey New Blood Dagger
=›	Dupe by Liza Cody
•	A Trick of Diamonds by Alex Auswaks
•	In the Midst of Death by Helen Luce
•	In the Secret State by Robert McCrum

1979

Gold & Silver Daggers
Gold =›	Whip Hand by Dick Francis
Silver =›	Service of All the Dead by Colin Dexter
•	The Nostradamus Traitor by John Gardner
•	Take Murder… by John Wainwright

John Creasey New Blood Dagger
=›	Saturday of Glory by David Serafin
•	Cold War by David Brierley
•	Troika by David Gurr
•	The Peripheral Spy by Bernard Peterson

1978

Gold & Silver Daggers
Gold =›	The Chelsea Murders (Murder Games) by Lionel Davidson
Silver =›	Waxwork by Peter Lovesey
•	X Marks the Spot by Michael Butterworth
•	Trial Run by Dick Francis
•	The Dancing Dodo by John Gardner
•	The Last Sentence by Jonathan Goodman
•	The Blackheath Poisonings by Julian Symons
•	Copper Gold by Pauline Glen Winslow

John Creasey New Blood Dagger
=›	A Running Duck (Fair Game) by Paula Gosling
•	Inside Job by Stella Allan
•	Head of the Force by James Barnett
•	Aristotle Detective by Margaret Doody
•	Housespy by Maureen Duffy
•	Death and the Maiden (Death in the Morning) by Sheila Radley

1977

Gold & Silver Daggers
Gold =›	The Honourable Schoolboy by John le Carré
Silver =›	Laidlaw by William McIlvanney
•	Send No More Roses (The Siege of the Villa Lipp) by Eric Ambler
•	The Enemy by Desmond Bagley
•	The Glimpses of the Moon by Edmund Crispin
•	Death of an Expert Witness by P.D. James
•	A Judgement in Stone by Ruth Rendell
•	The Day of the Peppercorn Kill by John Wainwright

John Creasey New Blood Dagger
=›	The Judas Pair by Jonathan Gash

1976

Gold & Silver Daggers
Gold =›	A Demon in My View by Ruth Rendell
Silver =›	Rogue Eagle by James McClure

John Creasey New Blood Dagger
=›	Death of a Thin Skinned Animal by Patrick Alexander

1975

Gold & Silver Daggers
Gold =›	The Seven-Per-Cent Solution by Nicholas Meyer
Silver =›	The Black Tower by P.D. James
•	The Man Who Loved Zoos (Stricken) by Malcolm Bosse
•	The Lively Dead by Peter Dickinson
•	Curtain: Hercule Poirot’s Last Case by Agatha Christie
•	High Stakes by Dick Francis
•	Troublemaker by Joseph Hansen

John Creasey New Blood Dagger
=›	Acid Drop by Sara George
•	Last Bus to Woodstock by Colin Dexter
•	Six Days of the Condor by James Grady
•	The Robespierre Serial by Nicholas Luard
•	Target Practice by Nicholas Meyer
•	Harry’s Game by Gerald Seymour

1974

Gold & Silver Daggers
Gold =›	Other Paths to Glory by Anthony Price
Silver =›	The Grosvenor Square Goodbye by Francis Clifford
•	Doctor Frigo by Eric Ambler
•	The Poison Oracle by Peter Dickinson
•	Knockdown by Dick Francis
•	Ripley’s Game by Patricia Highsmith
•	Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John le Carré

John Creasey New Blood Dagger
=›	The Big Fix by Roger L. Simon
•	See the Woman by Dallas Barnes
•	Scorpion by Christopher Hill

1973

Gold & Silver Daggers
Gold =›	The Defection of A.J. Lewinter by Robert Littell
Silver =›	A Coffin for Pandora by Gwendoline Butler
•	Riverside Villas Murder by Kingsley Amis
•	The Tightrope Men by Desmond Bagley
•	The Finger of Saturn by Victor Canning
•	Amigo, Amigo by Francis Clifford
•	Slay Ride by Dick Francis
•	Mad Hatter’s Holiday by Peter Lovesey
•	The Jasius Pursuit by Douglas Orgill

John Creasey New Blood Dagger
=›	Don’t Point That Thing at Me by Kyril Bonfiglioli
•	Perfumes of Arabia by Evelyn Dewar
•	Hotels with Empty Rooms by Harriett Gilbert
•	Unbecoming Habits by Tim Heald
•	Sorry, Wrong Number by Margaret Simpson

1972

Gold & Silver Daggers
Gold =›	The Levanter by Eric Ambler
Silver =›	The Rainbird Pattern by Victor Canning
•	The Odessa File by Frederick Forsyth
•	Smokescreen by Dick Francis
•	A Long Silence by Nicholas Freeling
•	The Friends of Eddie Coyle by George V. Higgins
•	An Unsuitable Job for a Woman by P.D. James
•	Ask the Right Question by Michael Z. Lewin
•	Blame the Dead by Gavin Lyall
•	The Caterpillar Cop by James McClure
•	The Players and the Game by Julian Symons

1971

Gold & Silver Daggers
Gold =›	The Steam Pig by James McClure
Silver =›	Shroud for a Nightingale by P.D. James
•	The Blind Side by Francis Clifford
•	Sleep and His Brother by Peter Dickinson
•	Bonecrack by Dick Francis
•	The Warsaw Document by Adam Hall
•	Ripley Under Ground by Patricia Highsmith
•	Dossier 51 by Gilles Perrault
•	The Laughing Policeman by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö
•	The Alamut Ambush by Anthony Price

1970

Gold & Silver Daggers
Gold =›	Young Man, I Think You’re Dying by Joan Fleming
Silver =›	The Labyrinth Makers by Anthony Price
•	The Intercom Conspiracy by Eric Ambler
•	The Seals (The Sinful Stones) by Peter Dickinson
•	Rat Race by Dick Francis
•	Inspector Ghote Breaks an Egg by H.R.F. Keating

1969

Gold & Silver Daggers
Gold =›	A Pride of Heroes by Peter Dickinson
Silver =›	Another Way of Dying by Francis Clifford
•	The Odds on Death by Charles Drummond (Kenneth Giles)
•	Enquiry by Dick Francis
•	Possession by Celia Fremlin
•	Write on Both Sides of the Paper by Mary Kelly
•	Sunday the Rabbi Stayed Home by Harry Kemelman
•	The Hunter in the Shadows by Jennie Melville
•	The Flaxborough Crab (Just What the Doctor Ordered) by Colin Watson

1968

Gold Dagger Award
Gold =›	Skin Deep (The Glass-Sided Ant’s Nest) by Peter Dickinson
Runner Up =›	The Private Wound by Nicholas Blake
•	Cargo of Eagles by Margery Allingham
•	The Burden of Proof by James Barlow
•	I Love, I Kill (Good Old Charlie) by John Bingham
•	Miranda Must Die by Henry Calvin
•	Forfeit by Dick Francis
•	The Dust and the Heat (Overdrive) by Michael Gilbert
•	Sweet Sister Seduced by S.B. Hough
•	Appleby at Allington (Death by Water) by Michael Innes
•	Inspector Ghote Hunts the Peacock by H.R.F. Keating
•	The Last One Left by John D. MacDonald
•	Three Minus Two (The Quiet Killer) by Donald MacKenzie
•	Lie Down, I Want To Talk to You by William P. McGivern
•	The Bird-Cage by Kenneth O’Hara
•	The Dance of Death by Jeremy Potter
•	The Man Whose Dreams Came True by Julian Symons
•	A Place for the Wicked by Elleston Trevor
•	One is One by Miles Tripp

1967

Gold Dagger Award
Gold =›	Murder Against the Grain by Emma Lathen
Runner Up =›	Lonelyheart 4122 by Colin Watson
•	All Men Are Lonely Now by Francis Clifford
•	Those Who Walk Away by Patricia Highsmith
•	Run Man Run by Chester Himes
•	The Face of Danger by Miriam Sharman
•	The Last Best Friend by George Sims
•	The Man Who Killed Himself by Julian Symons

1966

Gold Dagger Award
Gold =›	A Long Way to Shiloh (The Menorah Men) by Lionel Davidson
Runner Up =›	The Double Agent by John Bingham
•	The Naked Runner by Francis Clifford
•	Billion Dollar Brain by Len Deighton
•	Tall, Balding, Thirty-Five (The Limbo Affair) by Anthony Firth
•	Flying Finish by Dick Francis
•	The King of the Rainy Country by Nicholas Freeling
•	The Crack in the Teacup by Michael Gilbert
•	A Provenance of Death (Picture of Death) by Kenneth Giles
•	Power Play by The Gordons
•	Dead Corse by Mary Kelly
•	Seeds of Violence by Miriam Sharman
•	The Doorbell Rang by Rex Stout
•	Murder in Canton by Robert van Gulik

1965

Gold Dagger Award
Gold =›	The Far Side of the Dollar by Ross Macdonald
Runner Up =›	For Kicks by Dick Francis
Runner Up =›	Accounting for Murder by Emma Lathen
•	A Fragment of Fear by John Bingham
•	A Ring of Roses by John Blackburn
•	The Jealous One by Celia Fremlin
•	Odds Against by Dick Francis
•	The Loner by Otto Friedrich
•	The Hard Sell by William Haggard
•	The Holm Oaks by P.M. Hubbard
•	Friday the Rabbi Slept Late by Harry Kemelman
•	May You Die in Ireland by Michael Kenyon
•	Airs Above the Ground by Mary Stewart
•	The Belting Inheritance by Julian Symons
•	End of a Party by Hillary Waugh

1964

Gold Dagger Award
Gold =›	The Perfect Murder by H.R.F. Keating
Runner-Up =›	The Most Dangerous Game by Gavin Lyall
Runner-Up =›	The Chill by Ross Macdonald
•	A Kind of Anger by Eric Ambler
•	A Simple Case of Ill-Will by Evelyn Berckman
•	The Sad Variety by Nicholas Blake
•	Funeral in Berlin by Len Deighton
•	Nerve by Dick Francis
•	Double-Barrel by Nicholas Freeling
•	The Liquidator by John Gardner
•	March to the Gallows by Mary Kelly
•	Monkey on a Chain by Edwin Lanham
•	The Drowner by John D. MacDonald
•	The Fiend by Margaret Millar
•	Two Men in Twenty by Maurice Procter
•	The End of Solomon Grundy by Julian Symons
•	The Crime of Colin Wise by Michael Underwood
•	Dead Calm by Charles Williams

1963

Gold Dagger Award
Gold =›	The Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John le Carré
•	Gun Before Butter (Question of Loyalty) by Nicholas Freeling
•	The High Wire by William Haggard

1962

Gold Dagger Award
Gold =›	When I Grow Rich by Joan Fleming
•	The Light of Day by Eric Ambler
•	Hopjoy Was Here by Colin Watson

1961

Gold Dagger Award
Gold =›	The Spoilt Kill by Mary Kelly
•	Call for the Dead (The Deadly Affair) by John le Carré
•	One Away by Allan Prior

1960

Gold Dagger Award
Gold =›	The Night of Wenceslas by Lionel Davidson
•	My Brother Michael by Mary Stewart
•	The Progress of a Crime by Julian Symons

1959

Crossed Red Herrings Award
=›	Passage of Arms by Eric Ambler
•	Strike for a Kingdom by Menna Gallie
•	A Way Back by James Mitchell

1958

Crossed Red Herrings Award
=›	Someone from the Past by Margot Bennett
•	Tether’s End by Margery Allingham
•	Or Be He Dead by James Byrom
•	Undiplomatic Exit by John Sherwood

1957

Crossed Red Herrings Award
=›	The Colour of Murder by Julian Symons
•	Off With His Head (Death of a Fool) by Ngaio Marsh
•	Your Money or Your Life by George Milner
•	The Long Echo by Douglas Rutherford

1956

Crossed Red Herrings Award
=›	The Second Man by Edward Grierson
•	Time Right Deadly by Sarah Gainham
•	Gideon’s Week by J.J. Marric (John Creasey)
•	The Man of Two Tribes by Arthur W. Upfield

1955

Crossed Red Herrings Award
=›	The Little Walls by Winston Graham
•	The Man Who Didn’t Fly by Margot Bennett
•	Blind Date (Chance Meeting) by Leigh Howard (Leon Alexander Lee Howard)
•	Scales of Justice by Ngaio Marsh