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In the many years Cause UK has represented the CWA and its prestigious annual Dagger Awards - the oldest in the genre - this year was a first. Five Japanese…
In the many years Cause UK has represented the CWA and its prestigious annual Dagger Awards – the oldest in the genre – this year was a first.
Five Japanese TV news crews and multiple Japanese newspapers attended the live ceremony, with a pre-awards and post-award press conference to accommodate the unprecedented interest.
This year, was the first a Japanese author had won a Dagger Award – and for her debut book: The Night of Baba Yaga by Akira Otani translated by Sam Bett.
Culturally, it’s hard to think of many UK equivalents who could generate primetime TV breakfast news broadcasts around the country.
You can read the report in The Asahi Shimbun here and The Japan news, here.
Japanese fiction has undergone a huge wave of interest in the UK, so here’s one for your to read pile!
Her literary agent in Japan wrote to Cause UK and the CWA team:
“Due to your very hard work, the news of Akira Otani’s winning CWA dagger crime in translation has been widely reported on Japanese TV, online news this morning, as the very first case a Japanese author won such a prestigious international award. Thank you very much for all your arrangement, which was quite difficult with so many Japanese medias rushed for access to the ceremony at the very last minute…
Again thank you very much to you all, and Congratulations for the success of the event!”
The media monitoring service, Cision reports the Japanese media this morning had a total reach of 54.1M.
We also hit some big UK publications earlier this year, when we announced for the CWA that Mick Herron was the recipient of its highest honour, the Diamond Dagger. The press release was picked up in 143 press stories, with 1.28M views, with stories in The Guardian, Bookseller, The I Paper, Daily Express, BBC Radio 4, and Euro news. See the full coverage book here.
Read the full press release (and the other winners!) below…
PRESS RELEASE
The 2025 winners of the prestigious 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.
The awards were announced this evening [ 3 July] at the CWA gala dinner at De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms, London.
The prestigious KAA Gold Dagger, sponsored by Kevin Anderson & Associates, which is awarded for the best crime novel of the year, went to Anna Mazzola for Book of Secrets.
Inspired by real events, prosecutor Stefano Bracchi investigates why men are dying in unnatural numbers months after the plague has ravaged Rome. Judges praised it as an expertly crafted ‘engrossing cat-and-mouse thriller’ set in 17th century Rome.
The Ian Fleming Steel Dagger, sponsored by Ian Fleming Publications Ltd, showcases the thriller of the year and was awarded to Lou Berney for his masterful thriller, Dark Ride, where an unlikely hero goes up against a deadly crime boss. Judges praised it as ‘sublime thriller full of heartache and humanity’ and a ‘moving yet nail-biting novel.’
The much-anticipated ILP John Creasey First Novel Dagger which highlights the best debut novels of the year went to Katy Massey’s debut set in the shadow of the Yorkshire Ripper, All Us Sinners. Judges praised it as ‘vivid and brutally honest’ and an ‘important and bold take on the Yorkshire Ripper murders told with passion and respect from the point of view of the women who were never heard.’
The Historical Dagger, sponsored by Morgan Witzel in memory of Dr Marilyn Livingstone, went to A.J. West with The Betrayal of Thomas True which is set in the excitement and squalor of London’s underworld in the year 1710.
Nadine Matheson, Chair of the CWA, said: “This has been another exemplary year, and our judges once again faced the exciting but difficult task of selecting from a truly impressive shortlist. The winners reflect the strength, diversity, and continuing legacy of crime writing today.
“I would also like to extend our congratulations to the winners of the Twisted Dagger and the Whodunnit Dagger, Tracy Sierra and Lisa Hall. The inclusion of these two new categories continues to highlight the evolution and innovation happening within the genre.”
The Crime Fiction in Translation Dagger, sponsored in honour of Dolores Jakubowski, was awarded to the debut gangland thriller The Night of Baba Yaga from Japan’s Akira Otani translated by Sam Bett – hot-on-the-heels from winning the 2025 CrimeFest Specsavers Debut Crime Novel of the Year.
Judges said: “Like a manga cartoon, this savage depiction of Japanese yakuza life is relentlessly violent if only to highlight the deep humanity of its fish out of water characters. Mean and lean, this saga sparkles with originality and delivers a splendid if bizarre love story.”
The Night of Baba Yaga pipped another Japanese bestseller to the post, Asako Yuzuki’s Butter translated by Polly Barton.
The ALCS Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction was awarded to Kate Summerscale’s retelling of the Christie murders, The Peepshow: The Murders at 10 Rillington Place. It was praised as a ‘remarkable read, riveting without ever being salacious’ offering a fresh perspective on one of Britain’s most notorious cases.
The CWA Daggers are one of the few high-profile awards that honour the short story. This year Short Story Dagger went to the academic and expert on Agatha Christie, J.C Bernthal, for A Date on Yarmouth Pier, praised as a ‘mini-masterpiece with a killer twist.’
2025 saw the announcement of two new CWA Dagger Awards.
The Twisted Dagger celebrates psychological thrillers and dark and twisty tales that often feature unreliable narrators, disturbed emotions, a healthy dose of moral ambiguity, and a sting in the tail.
It was awarded to Nightwatching by Tracy Sierra, a slow-burning tale of a mother who will do anything to protect her children. The books unusual voice captured the judges, who praised it as, ‘horrific, compelling, nerve-shreddingly tense and cleverly twisted.’
The Whodunnit Dagger celebrates books that focus on the intellectual challenge at the heart of a good mystery. Books in this category include cosy crime, traditional crime, and Golden Age-inspired mysteries.
The inaugural winner is Lisa Hall with The Case of the Singer and the Showgirl. Judges admired its cleverly handled twist on a classic mystery featuring Hollywood icons: ‘A glamorous, evocative timeslip mystery that took us right back to sparkling Vegas in the fifties.’
The Emerging Author Dagger, which has been going for over 20 years, celebrates aspiring crime novelists, sponsored by Fiction Feedback. The competition is open to unpublished authors, and is judged on the best opening for an unpublished crime novel. Over two dozen past winners and shortlisted Debut Dagger authors have signed publishing deals to date.
2025’s Emerging Author Dagger was awarded to Joe Eurell for Ashland. Judges compared it as Mare of Easttown meets We Begin at the End: “A beautifully written story evoking a powerful sense of place and conveying a rare energy. Rounded characters are portrayed in fascinating depth.”
Richard Osman was awarded the 2025 Dagger in the Library award. The nominee longlist is voted by librarians and library users, chosen for the author’s body of work and support of libraries.
Best Crime and Mystery Publisher of the Year Dagger, which celebrates publishers and imprints demonstrating excellence and diversity in crime writing, was awarded to Orenda Books.
The CWA Diamond Dagger, awarded to an author whose crime-writing career has been marked by sustained excellence, is announced in early spring and in 2025 was awarded to Mick Herron.
Mick Herron said: “I’ve spent the best part of my life – not the majority of it; just the best part – in the crime writers’ community, and to receive this accolade from these friends and colleagues is both a career highlight and a personal joy. I’m touched and thrilled beyond measure, and will try to live up to the honour.”
The 2025 Winners in Full:
The KAA GOLD DAGGER
Anna Mazzola: The Book of Secrets (Orion)
THE IAN FLEMING STEEL DAGGER
Lou Berney: Dark Ride (Hemlock Press/ HarperCollins)
THE ILP JOHN CREASEY FIRST NOVEL DAGGER
Katy Massey: All Us Sinners (Little, Brown /Sphere)
THE TWISTED DAGGER
Tracy Sierra: Nightwatching (PRH/ Viking)
THE WHODUNNIT DAGGER
Lisa Hall, The Case of the Singer and the Showgirl (Hera)
THE HISTORICAL DAGGER (Sponsored in Honour of Dr. Marilyn Livingstone)
A.J. West, The Betrayal of Thomas True (Orenda Books)
THE ALCS GOLD DAGGER FOR NON-FICTION
Kate Summerscale: The Peepshow: The Murders at 10 Rillington Place (Bloomsbury Circus)
THE CRIME FICTION IN TRANSLATION DAGGER (Sponsored in Honour of Dolores Jakubowski)
Akira Otani: The Night of Baba Yaga (Faber) tr. Sam Bett
THE SHORT STORY DAGGER
J.C Bernthal: ‘A Date on Yarmouth Pier’ in Midsummer Mysteries edited by Martin Edwards (Flame Tree Publishing/Flame Tree Collections)
THE DAGGER IN THE LIBRARY
Richard Osman
THE DAGGER FOR THE BEST CRIME AND MYSTERY PUBLISHERS
Orenda Books
THE EMERGING AUTHOR DAGGER (sponsored by Fiction Feedback)
Joe Eurell, Ashland
THE CWA DIAMOND DAGGER AWARD
Mick Herron
ENDS
For further media info please contact Ann Chadwick, ann@causeuk.com M: 07534 892715.
Notes to Editors
For logos/Dagger/ author images for media use, go to: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1g6EzmLt6TKjDHTJC7OzQ7EgYMlJQWkgu?usp=sharing
The shortlist is available on the CWA website as well as via its Facebook, Twitter #CWADaggers and YouTube channel.
CWA Dagger Judging Panels
The judges, who have been deliberating on the submissions from publishers include leading authors, bloggers, newspaper reviewers, academics, and media professionals.
You can view the judging panel for each category on the CWA website: The Daggers — The Crime Writers’ Association (thecwa.co.uk)
Dagger Sponsors
Kevin Anderson & Associates – Sponsors of the Gold Dagger
Kevin Anderson & Associates is a premier editorial services firm specialising in ghostwriting, editing, and publishing consultation for ambitious authors.
Staffed by Sunday Times and New York Times bestselling publishing professionals, it operates in the UK and USA, empowering authors on their publishing journey with ghost-writing services, book editing, book coaching and writer retreats.
ALCS – Sponsors of the Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction
The Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCS) is a not-for-profit organisation started by writers for the benefit of all types of writers. Owned by its members, ALCS collects money due for secondary uses of writers’ work. It is designed to support authors and their creativity; ensure they receive fair payment and see their rights are respected. It promotes and teaches the principles of copyright and campaigns for a fair deal. It represents over 100,000 members, and since 1977 has paid around £500 million to writers.
Ian Fleming Publications Ltd – Sponsors of the Ian Fleming Steel Dagger
Ian Fleming Publications Ltd is the Fleming family-owned company that looks after the James Bond literary brand, by promoting and making available all of Ian Fleming’s 007 books across the world. They also keep the brand alive through the publication of new stories by authors such as Anthony Horowitz, William Boyd, Jeffery Deaver, Sebastian Faulks, Raymond Benson, John Gardner, Kingsley Amis, Samantha Weinberg, Steve Cole and Charlie Higson. Alongside James Bond publishing, the company also manages the rights for Fleming’s two non-fiction books and his only children’s book, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
International Literary Properties (ILP) – Sponsors of the John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger
International Literary Properties works with authors, playwrights, managers of literary estates, and individual heirs to help realize the value from book and play-based intellectual property. ILP acquire all or partial rights to literary intellectual property, including books, plays and books of musicals. ILP own, nurture and champion a substantial number of properties, many authored by household names, in genres as diverse as mystery, crime, classic literature, non-fiction, and children’s. Its experienced team works closely with award-winning TV, film, and stage producers across the world.
Maxim Jakubowski – Sponsor of the Crime Fiction in Translation Dagger
The Crime Fiction in Translation Dagger is sponsored by former CWA Chair, Maxim Jakubowski, in honour of his wife Dolores Jakubowski, who was a translator and university lecturer but now suffers from Alzheimer’s.
Fiction Feedback – Sponsor of the Emerging Author Debut
Fiction Feedback was established in 2008 by editor Dea Parkin, the CWA’s secretary then coordinator for eight years. Her guiding principle is to provide exceptionally helpful services to writers, while properly rewarding her stable of freelance editors for their expertise. As a result, writers return for Fiction Feedback critiques and editing year after year.
Morgen Witzel – Sponsor of the Historical Dagger in memory of his wife, Dr Marilyn Livingstone.
Morgen Witzel is a writer and lecturer. Together with Marilyn Livingstone, writing under the pen names A.J. MacKenzie and R.L. Graham, they wrote thirteen historical crime novels and thrillers, set in locations as diverse as Europe in the Middle Ages, Romney Marsh during the era of smuggling, the Canadian frontier in the War of 1812 and the last fatal voyage of the Lusitania.
Under their own names, they also wrote two works of historical non-fiction analysing the battles of Crécy and Poitiers. Separately, Morgen teaches ethics and leadership at the University of Exeter Business School and is the author of numerous books and articles on these and other subjects.
About the CWA
The CWA was founded over 70 years ago by John Creasey. Its aim is to support, promote and celebrate this most durable, adaptable, and successful of genres and the authors who write within it. It runs the prestigious CWA Dagger awards, which celebrate the best in crime writing.
A thriving, growing community with a membership encompassing authors of all ages and at all stages of their careers, the CWA is UK-based, yet attracts many members from overseas.
It supports author members (plus literary agents, publishers, bloggers, and editors) with a monthly magazine; a digital monthly newsletter showcasing CWA authors and their books and events that goes to over 12,000 subscribers; and Case Files, a bimonthly ezine highlighting new books by CWA members. www.thecra.co.uk
The CWA also supports the Debuts; as yet unpublished writers, many of whom enter the Debut Dagger competition and the Margery Allingham Short Mystery competition.
The CWA run an annual conference and hold chapter meetings throughout the UK and internationally so members can access face-to-face networking and socialising.
It supports libraries and booksellers, with three Library Champions and Booksellers Champions. It has links with various festivals and many other writers’ organisations such as the Society of Authors.