'Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter' receives 2011 CWA Gold Dagger Award

The Crime Writers Association announced the final three winners of this year’s Dagger Awards earlier today in London.

This year’s CWA Gold Dagger Award for best crime novel of the year went to “Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter” by Tom Franklin.

Books on the shortlist for the award included “The Lock Artist” by Steve Hamilton, “Snowdrops” by A.D. Miller and “The End of the Wasp Season” by Denise Mina.

Books longlisted for the award included “The Villa Triste” by Lucretia Grindle, “Hanging Hill” by Mo Hayder, “The Cypress House” by Michael Koryta and “White Heat” by M.J. McGrath.

This year’s CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award for best thriller of the year went to “The Lock Artist” by Steve Hamilton.

Books on the shortlist for the award included “The Good Son” by Michael Gruber, “Cold Rain” by Craig Smith and “Before I Go To Sleep” by S.J. Watson.

Books longlisted for the award included “The Trinity Six” by Charles Cumming, “The Cobra” by Frederick Forsyth, “An Agent of Deceit” by Chris Morgan Jones and “Savages” by Don Winslow.

The CWA John Creasy “New Blood” Dagger award for best first book published by a previously unpublished writer went to “Before I Go To Sleep” by S.J. Watson.

Books on the shortlist for the award included “The Dogs of Rome” by Conor Fitzgerald, “The Dead Women of Juarez” by Sam Hawken and “Kiss Me Quick” by Danny Miller.

Books longlisted for the award included “Into the Darkest Corner” by Elizabeth Haynes, “The Poison Tree” by Erin Kelly, “Sister” by Rosamund Lupton and “Or the Bull Kills You” by Jason Webster.

Many of you will remember that the CWA announced the winners in five other award categories back in July.

“Three Seconds” by Anders Roslund and Borge Hellstrom won the CWA International Dagger Award.

“The Killer of Little Shepherds” by Douglas Starr won the Gold Dagger for Non-fiction.

“Homework” by Phil Lovesey won the Short Story Dagger Award.

“What Hidden Lies” by Michele Rowe won the CWA Debut Dagger Award.

Mo Hayder won the Dagger in the Library Award for “best body of work.”

In the end, how many of the books mentioned above have you had a chance to read? Which did you like or dislike? Which would you recommend and why? Let us know in the comments section below.