Goodbye National Crime Writing Week, hello Crime Writing Month!

CWA launches two major new initiatives to connect writers with readers

The Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) has announced two major new initiatives, an association to put readers in touch with writers and the expansion of the successful Crime Writing Week to an entire month next year.

Due to launch in February 2012 with a new website, the Crime Readers’ Association (CRA) will offer readers information about forthcoming books, exclusive interviews, and articles from CWA member authors. Readers will be invited to sign up to receive regular enewsletters featuring events, exclusive content, and news. In future, it’s planned that the CWA will also organise events for readers to meet authors.

National Crime Writing Week, which has run for two years, has seen members of the CWA taking part in readings, discussions, readers’ group events and workshops in bookshops, libraries, arts centres and other venues all over the country. The CWA has now decided to expand it to Crime Writing Month, beginning at the Crimefest event which runs between May 24-27 in Bristol and features some of the planet’s most successful crime writers. In a new initiative, Crime Month will wrap up with a black-tie event, where the CWA Dagger Awards will be announced. The event will incorporate all of the CWA’s non-TV awards, including for the first time the Diamond Dagger and Ellis Peters Award for historical crime.

CWA Chair Peter James said: “We’re very excited about launching these new initiatives. The idea behind the CRA is to bring readers and writers closer together. The CRA will create a bond between fans and writers and promote further the crime writing genre.

“In an age when crime writing is so popular it made sense to find a way of helping writers and readers connect. Authors could not survive without readers and the CRA acknowledges the fact and celebrates the role of the reader in the burgeoning success of the genre. The CWA has showcased members’ events and books on our website for several years now– wee see the CRA is an extension of this and we hope it will help our members to grow their careers.

“Crime Writing Month further underlines the point. Running it over a month will allow members to take part in more events than ever, getting out to meet their readers and support their local libraries. The CWA has long been concerned about the threat to libraries and Crime Writing Month will allow us to champion them as they face cutbacks. The month should be a really exciting event.”

More details of both initiatives will be announced over the coming months.

Please contact Claire McGowan at info@thecwa.co.uk for more information, or visit www.thecwa.co.uk

Ellis Peters Historical Award: Wartime tale wins

Overnight (NZT), the winner of the 2011 Ellis Peters Historical Award was announced. Here is the official press release from the Crime Writers' Association:

Wartime tale wins historical crime fiction award

A dark tale of wartime intrigue has been named by The Crime Writers’ Association as the winner of this year’s prestigious Ellis Peters Historical Award.

Andrew Martin’s novel THE SOMME STATIONS, published by Faber and Faber, was selected for the £3,000 first prize.

The award is sponsored by the Estate of Ellis Peters, Headline Book Publishing Company and Little, Brown Book Group. It is given to the best historical crime novel (set in any period up to 35 years prior to the year in which the award will be made) by an author of any nationality, and commemorates the life and work of Ellis Peters (Edith Pargeter) (1913-1995), a prolific author perhaps best known as the creator of Brother Cadfael.

The judging panel said of THE SOMME STATIONS: “Martin’s novels featuring railway detective Jim Stringer reveal their treasures in subtle fashion with a winning synthesis of period atmosphere, intriguing plotting and a passion for steam railways.”

THE SOMME STATIONS plunges into the horrors of World War One trench combat. Stringer and his unit must undertake dangerous nocturnal assignments: driving the trains taking munitions to the front. Death is everywhere, as the trains travel through blasted surrealistic landscapes, and a single-minded military policeman continues to investigate a killing that occurred before the departure for France.

CWA chair Peter James said: “Yet again, our judging panel had a tough task but after much deliberation came up with a truly worthy winner. Historical crime fiction is certainly in a healthy position with so many talented writers at work.”

The winner was announced at the Athenaeum in London.

The shortlist was:

• Rory Clements PRINCE
• Sam Eastland THE RED COFFIN
• Gordon Ferris THE HANGING SHED
• RN Morris THE CLEANSING FLAMES
• Imogen Robertson ISLAND OF BONES

JUDGING PANEL

• Eileen Roberts (Chair) - Originator and organiser of St Hilda’s annual crime symposium in Oxford, mystery and crime enthusiast
• Geoffrey Bailey - Bookseller specialising in crime
• Barry Forshaw - Edits Crime Time and is a talking head for the ITV Crime Thriller author profiles and BBC TV documentaries. A prolific writer, he has been Vice Chair of the Crime Writers’ Association.
• Sir Bernard Ingham - Press Secretary to Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and crime fiction fan
• Jake Kerridge - the crime fiction critic of the Daily Telegraph

The CWA has also announced some changes to the award, effective from 2012. The Ellis Peters award will once again become a CWA Dagger and submission dates will gradually move to correspond with the other CWA awards. The changes are in line with the CWA's commitment to increase the profile of their non-TV Dagger awards. It's planned that the Ellis Peters and the other Dagger awards will be presented as part of a new awards ceremony in summer 2012. Publishers are asked to contact the CWA or visit the Daggers sub-site for the new rules in full..

For press enquiries or more information on the CWA, please visit the website, www.thecwa.co.uk, or contact media.enquiries@thecwa.co.uk

CWA announces the shortlist for the Ellis Peters Historical Award

The Crime Writers’ Association has announced the shortlist for this year’s prestigious Ellis Peters Historical Award. The award is sponsored by the Estate of Ellis Peters, Headline Book Publishing Company and Little, Brown Book Group. It is given to the best historical crime novel (set in any period up to 35 years prior to the year in which the award will be made) by an author of any nationality, and commemorates the life and work of Ellis Peters (Edith Pargeter) (1913-1995), a prolific author perhaps best known as the creator of Brother Cadfael.

CWA chair Peter James said: “Historical fiction remains as popular as ever and has seen the creation of some of crime writing’s most enduring characters. This year’s books continue that fine tradition.“

The winner will be announced on November 30 at the Athenaeum in London. The shortlist is:

• Rory Clements, PRINCE: Rory Clements won the Ellis Peters award last year for Revenger, the second instalment in his John Shakespeare series. Prince is the third book to feature this Elizabethan intelligencer, and finds Shakespeare caught up in the infighting between the Queen's rival favourites, Robert Cecil and Lord Essex, as he investigates a series of bombings targeting Dutch immigrants in London. There are some clever references to twenty-first-century concerns, as well as the wit and breakneck pace we have come to expect from Clements.
• Sam Eastland, THE RED COFFIN: Sam Eastland's second novel sees the return of the brilliant special investigator Inspector Pekkala, once the trusted advisor of Tsar Nicholas II, now forced to work for Stalin. It is 1939 and rogue Russian soldiers are trying to precipitate war with Germany before Stalin's secret weapon is ready-- a super tank known as the "red coffin". This manages to be a superbly entertaining thriller while fully conveying the horrors of life under Stalin.
• Gordon Ferris, THE HANGING SHED: The Hanging Shed was a massive success even before its print incarnation hit the bookshops, when it became one of the most downloaded books in Britain after being released on the Amazon Kindle. The setting is Glasgow in 1946, and the author's delineation of the immediate post-war years has a bristling immediacy. Ferris’s protagonist Brodie is an ex-policeman, forced to save a childhood friend from hanging via a daunting odyssey through the dangerous backstreets of the Gorbals, obstructed by both bent coppers and murderous razor gangs.
• Andrew Martin, THE SOMME STATIONS: Martin's novels featuring railway detective Jim Stringer reveal their treasures in subtle fashion with a winning synthesis of period atmosphere, intriguing plotting and a passion for steam railways. The Somme Station plunges into the horrors of WW1 trench combat. Stringer and his unit must undertake dangerous nocturnal assignments: driving the trains taking munitions to the front. Death is everywhere, as the trains travel through blasted surrealistic landscapes, and a single-minded military policeman continues to investigate a killing that occurred before the departure for France.
• RN Morris, THE CLEANSING FLAMES: Reading this splendid fourth entry in the RN Morris sequence of riffs on the detective Porfiry from Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment is a bittersweet experience, as Morris is about to put the character on hold. In the new book, St Petersburg is in flames, and the fires are harbingers of the revolution that will tear the country apart. After a post-winter thaw, a body surfaces in a canal, and Porfiry is in business again. As before, character building, locale, and historical detail are all beautifully balanced.
• Imogen Robertson, ISLAND OF BONES: This is Imogen Robertson's third novel to feature her wilful heroine Mrs Harriet Westerman and gives us some background to her sleuthing sidekick, the eccentric and reclusive amateur anatomist Gabriel Crowther, as the duo head to the Lake District to investigate when one corpse too many is found in the ancestral tomb at Gabriel's family seat. Robertson expertly juggles family politics, murder mystery and kidnap thriller, while giving a fascinating picture of country life in the late 18th century.

The Judging Panel for the Ellis Peters Historical Award consists of:

• Eileen Roberts (Chair) - Originator and organiser of St Hilda’s annual crime symposium in Oxford, mystery and crime enthusiast
• Geoffrey Bailey - Bookseller specialising in crime
• Barry Forshaw - Edits Crime Time and is a talking head for the ITV Crime Thriller author profiles and BBC TV documentaries. A prolific writer, he has been Vice Chair of the Crime Writers’ Association.
• Sir Bernard Ingham - Press Secretary to Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and crime fiction fan
• Jake Kerridge - the crime fiction critic of the Daily Telegraph

For press enquiries or more information on the CWA, please visit the website, www.thecwa.co.uk, or contact media.enquiries@thecwa.co.uk.

Success for young crime writer in national competition

A 16-year-old writer from London has been named as the winner of this year’s Crime Writers' Association short story competition for young people age 18 and under.

Claudia Hyde won the Young Crime Writers’ Competition with 'A Cushion Out of Place'. She wins the chance to meet authors at the annual Crimefest event, which sponsored the competition, as well as an engraved pen and selection of signed novels from various members of the CWA. She was presented with her prize at the National Portrait Gallery in London over afternoon tea with authors Diane Janes and Meg Gardiner, representing the CWA.

The final stage of the competition was judged by Tom Harper, the 2010-11 Chair of the CWA, and multi-award winning crime writer Martin Edwards, and the competition’s conclusion coincides with National Crime Writing Week, which is organised by the CWA and runs this week (June 13-19).

Current CWA Chair Peter James said: “Yet again this country’s young writers have illustrated that the future of the genre is in safe hands.”

The shortlisted regional winners were:

• ‘The Photograph’ by George Neame age 15 of Bognor Regis
• ‘Reasons’ by Caroline Angus age 14 of Carlisle
• ‘A Girl I Once Knew’ by Beth Tucker age 15 of Newton Abbot
• ‘Reaction’ by Laura Aldworth-Beswick age 16 of Manchester
• ‘She’s a Rebel, She’s a Saint’ by Laura Waters age 14 of Isle of Man
• ‘Severing Ties’ by Jessica Cooper age 17 of Nantwich
• ‘The End’ by Lily Scanlan age 17 of Invergordon
• ‘The Witness’ by Emily Lumbard age 11 of Bristol
• ‘Button’ by Aileigh MacGregor age 13 of Buckie
• ‘Anarchy’ by Connor Sterling age 13 of Darlington
• ‘A Dreamer’s Nightmare’ by Rachael Wallis age 17 of Frome

The competition is sponsored by CRIMEFEST, Britain’s international crime fiction convention. For more information visit www.crimefest.com.

More information on National Crime Writing Week is available at http://www.nationalcrimewritingweek.co.uk/.

For press enquiries or more information on the CWA, please visit the website, http://www.thecwa.co.uk/.

Cartier ends Dagger sponsorship

Cartier are to end their sponsorship of the CWA Cartier Diamond Dagger after twenty-six years, the Crime Writers’ Association announced today.
The Diamond Dagger, awarded for sustained excellence in crime writing, was presented to bestselling historical author Lindsey Davis during a champagne reception at the Savoy hotel. Davis is the creator of the well-loved ancient Roman private eye Marcus Didius Falco, and widely recognised as the godmother of the historical crime genre.

At the same ceremony, Arnaud Bamberger of Cartier UK announced that this would be the final presentation of the award that Cartier would sponsor. The decision marks the conclusion of one of the most longstanding literary prize sponsorships, and coincides with M Bamberger ending his 18-year tenure as Managing Director of Cartier UK. He remains with the company as Executive Chairman.

The award, a silver book with a diamond-encrusted Dagger plunged into the pages, has long been recognised as the highest accolade a crime writer can earn. Past winners include PD James, Ruth Rendell, John le Carré and Ian Rankin.

CWA Chair Peter James said: ‘The CWA owes an enormous debt to Cartier for their long support of this unique award. Although we’re sad to say goodbye to them, it opens up a great opportunity for a new sponsor at a time when the CWA has very exciting plans for expansion.’

Lindsey Davis said: ‘This really will be the best night of my career. I will treasure this award not only because it was nominated by colleagues, but because it represents so much friendship from our special sponsors at Cartier.’

For photographs or more information, please contact John Dean at media.enquiries@thecwa.co.uk.

CWA Young Crime Writers' Competition 2011 National Shortlist Revealed

The Crime Writers' Association has released the names of the 13 regional winners of its short story competition for young people age 18 and under. The young authors will now have to wait until National Crime Writing Week (13 - 19 June) when the name of the winner will be revealed.

The winning entrant will receive an exciting package of prizes, including the opportunity to meet and mingle with best selling crime writers at Crimefest 2012, an annual celebration of crime writing which takes place in Bristol. The final stage of the competition will be judged by Tom Harper, the 2010-11 Chair of the CWA, and multi-award winning crime writer Martin Edwards.

Those remaining in contention are:

• ‘A Cordial Encounter’ by Charlotte Gordon age 15 of Thurso


• ‘A Cushion Out Of Place’ by Claudia Hyde age 15 of London


• ‘The Photograph’ by George Neame age 15 of Bognor Regis


• ‘Reasons’ by Caroline Angus age 14 of Carlisle


• ‘A Girl I Once Knew’ by Beth Tucker age 15 of Newton Abbot


• ‘Reaction’ by Laura Aldworth-Beswick age 16 of Manchester


• ‘She’s a Rebel, She’s a Saint’ by Laura Waters age 14 of Isle of Man


• ‘Severing Ties’ by Jessica Cooper age 17 of Nantwich


• ‘The End’ by Lily Scanlan age 17 of Invergordon


• ‘The Witness’ by Emily Lumbard age 11 of Bristol


• ‘Button’ by Aileigh MacGregor age 13 of Buckie


• ‘Anarchy’ by Connor Sterling age 13 of Darlington


• ‘A Dreamer’s Nightmare’ by Rachael Wallis age 17 of Frome

The competition is sponsored by CRIMEFEST, Britain’s international crime fiction convention.

For more information visit www.crimefest.com.

If writers have a Crime Writing Week event in mind, they will be able to log the details on a national map of events at nationalcrimewritingweek.co.uk

National Crime Writing Week will be coordinated by CWA press officer John Dean at media.enquiries@thecwa.co.uk

For press enquiries or more information on the CWA, please visit the website, www.thecwa.co.uk

Crime Writers’ Association launches campaign on behalf of libraries

The Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) has launched a campaign to help promote libraries at a time when the service is under threat from public sector cutbacks.

Most library services are run by local authorities, which are having to save 29% of their budget over four years, with a larger proportion of the saving likely to fall in 2011/12. Libraries are vulnerable because many local authorities do not appear to see them as a high priority. Even though libraries may not close, they may find their staff reduced and their book funds cut.

The CWA, which represents the interests of published crime writers, say that with 321.5million visits to UK libraries in 2009-10 alone, it is crucial that authors help them to survive and thrive. Crime is the most borrowed genre from UK libraries.

The association already runs the annual Young Crime Writers Competition exclusively through libraries, acknowledging the role that they play in encouraging young people to read. CWA members also hold a large number of meet-the-author sessions. In addition, the CWA organises National Crime Writing Week, which will this year run between June 13 and 19, and again involves events and readings in libraries. The winner of the Young Crime Writers Competition will be announced during the week.

The CWA campaign includes asking all its members to consider staging at least three events in their local library each year and establishing co-ordinators who can help libraries to contact authors for events. CWA members will be approaching their local libraries to discuss the campaign and the CWA is talking to publishers to seek their support.

CWA Chair, the best-selling crime novelist Peter James, said: “We feel it is not enough to say that we oppose cuts to libraries. We want to do more, to offer practical help to libraries in their hour of need, hence our programme of initiatives to raise their profile. We feel passionate about libraries and want to do everything that we can to help in these difficult times. Libraries have been very good to the crime writers of the UK and we wish to acknowledge that through our campaign.”

According to library lending figures, crime fiction made up almost two-thirds of the 100 most- borrowed books during 2010.

For more information on the CWA, please visit the website, http://www.thecwa.co.uk/ or http://www.nationalcrimewritingweek.co.uk/ or contact media.enquiries@thecwa.co.uk

UK National Crime Writing Week to be a true celebration

The Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) is continuing with preparations for its successful week of events celebrating crime writing.

National Crime Writing Week, formerly National Crime Fiction Week, will run between June 13 and 19, 2011. The name change is designed to increase the emphasis on non-fiction as well as fiction.

During the week, members of the CWA will take part in readings, discussions, readers’ group events and workshops in bookshops, libraries, arts centres and other venues all over the country.

CWA Chair Tom Harper said: “Our aim is always to raise the profile of crime writing and it worked during the inaugural event last year. The signs are that it will do so again with lots of writers already planning events.

“Crime Writing Week is an opportunity for writers to arrange events under the umbrella of a week dedicated to celebrating crime books in all their forms. It is an excellent showcase for writers.”

If writers have a Crime Writing Week event in mind, they will be able to log the details on a national map of events here.

Stars of the Future
A key part of the build up to National Crime Writing Week is the Young Crime Writers' Competition, again organised by the CWA in partnership with library authorities nationwide. Entries closed on 18 February and the first stage of judging is now in progress. Early indications are that the competition has generated even more interest than it did last year, suggesting that crime writing is alive and well among the younger generation. CWA members will select the regional winners, with the national winner being announced during National Crime Writing Week.

The winner of the 2010 competition was Nicole Hendry, age 15, of Sutton Coldfield, with The Demolition of Lives (pictured). The judges praised her story as ‘daring and effective - a convincing emotional journey with a sympathetic protagonist, good motivation and a clever plot.’

Read The Demolition of Lives on this web site.

National Crime Writing Week will be coordinated by CWA press officer John Dean at media.enquiries@thecwa.co.uk. For press enquiries or more information on the CWA, please visit the website, http://www.thecwa.co.uk/, or contact media.enquiries@thecwa.co.uk

Historical crime novelist Lindsey Davis tabbed for the prestigious 2011 CWA Diamond Dagger Award

HISTORICAL CRIME novelist Lindsey Davis (pictured right, photo: Michael Trevillion) is to be awarded the prestigious CWA Cartier Diamond Dagger Award. The award from the Crime Writers’ Association (CWA), which is sponsored by Cartier, honours outstanding achievement in the field of crime writing.

The award, the 26th time the Dagger has been presented, will be presented by Cartier UK’s Executive Chairman Arnaud Bamberger at a date and venue yet to be arranged.

Lindsey Davis was born and brought up in Birmingham, read English at Oxford, then joined the civil service, which she left in 1985. Her first novel, The Silver Pigs, published in 1989, introduced her hero Marcus Didius Falco and his long-suffering partner Helena Justina. Starting as a spoof using a Roman 'informer' as a classic, metropolitan private eye, the series has developed into a set of adventures in various styles which take place throughout the Roman world. 2009 saw the publication of Rebels and Traitors, set in the English Civil War and Commonwealth. Nemesis, the 20th Falco novel, and Falco: The Official Companion were published in June 2010.

The Cartier Diamond Dagger is the latest award for Lindsey. The Silver Pigs won the Authors' Club Best First Novel award in 1989, and she has also won the CWA Dagger in the Library and the inaugural Ellis Peters Historical Dagger. Her hero Falco has won the Sherlock Award for Best Comic Detective. Her books are published in the UK and US, and translated into many other languages. Audio readings and Large Print versions are made. BBC Radio 4 has produced successful drama serials of the early books, dramatised by Mary Cutler and starring Anton Lesser as Falco and Anna Madeley as Helena.

She has been Chair of the UK Crime Writers' Association and Honorary President of the Classical Association. In 2009 the city of Zaragoza awarded her its International Prize for a career of writing historical novels, the Premio de Honor de Novela Histo rica Ciudad de Zaragoza. In 2010 the city of Rome honoured her with the Premio Colosseo for ‘enhancing the image of Rome’.
Lindsey said: “When I heard about this I had just been awarded the Premio Colosseo, so I was already reeling. The Diamond Dagger is the ultimate accolade for a crime author, because it is given by fellow-writers and is not just for one book but your work as a whole over the years. I am absolutely delighted and honoured to receive the Cartier award."

Tom Harper, Chair of the CWA, said: “This is the highest award the CWA can bestow and Lindsey Davis is a worthy winner. Her novels have long delighted her worldwide band of followers and the Dagger is a fitting recognition of her achievements.“

For more information on the CWA, please visit the website, http://www.thecwa.co.uk/.

Crime Writers’ Association names Peter James as new Chair

The Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) has announced that best-selling crime novelist Peter James (right: photo by Gareth Ransome) will be its new Chair, following in the footsteps of authors who include Ian Rankin, Dick Francis and Lady Antonia Fraser. Peter will take over from current Chair Tom Harper in April at the Association’s annual general meeting in Darlington, County Durham.

Peter James is one of the UK’s most popular crime and thriller novelists. His Roy Grace detective novels have sold more than one and a half million in the UK alone and six million worldwide in total. The series is now translated into 34 languages and his latest novel, ‘Dead Like You’, went straight into the Sunday Times bestseller lists at no 1 in both hardback and paperback. His novella, ‘The Perfect Murder,’ went to No 1 on iBooks and has spent 40 consecutive weeks in the iBooks Top 10. Peter has developed a close working relationship with the Sussex Police over many years, spending an average of one day a week with them, and his writing reveals a unique insight into the reality of modern day police work. He has carried out extensive research with police in Moscow, Munich, Paris, Melbourne, Sweden, New York and Romania, and regularly attends international police conferences to ensure he is at the cutting-edge of investigative police work.

Born and brought up in Brighton, Peter divides his time between his homes in Notting Hill, London and on the South Downs near Lewes in Sussex. An established film producer and script writer, he has produced numerous films, including The Merchant Of Venice, starring Al Pacino, Jeremy Irons and Joseph Fiennes. A TV adaptation of the Roy Grace series is currently in development, with Peter overseeing all aspects, including the scriptwriting. In 2009 he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Brighton in recognition of his services to literature and the community.

Peter James said: “I view it as a tremendous honour to be appointed Chair of such an important organisation. The CWA is both the society and the voice of authors writing in the widest read, most influential and in my view most important sector of literature. Good crime and thriller writing, both modern and historic, reflects the way the world that we live in has been shaped and continues to be shaped. The writings of the CWA members help us both to escape life's dark sides and to confront and understand them.

“With the advent of exciting new digital reading platforms, and undoubtedly further technological advances to come in the way we access literature, I will do all I can in my time in office to promote the whole image of crime and thriller writing as the genre that should be taken seriously and read by all - not just those who love a good mystery, but by everyone who enjoys the pleasures and riches of finding a book that captivates them."

Tom Harper said: “We are thrilled that Peter has agreed to be our Chair for the next year. The CWA represents the best writing in the UK’s favourite branch of fiction. Having someone with Peter’s talent, standing and passion for the genre will be a real boost to the Association and its members.”

Find out more about Peter James at http://www.panmacmillan.com/ and Peter’s website http://www.peterjames.com/ and follow him on Twitter. http://twitter.com/peterjamesuk.

For press enquiries or more information on the CWA, please visit the website, http://www.thecwa.co.uk/, or contact media.enquiries@thecwa.co.uk

Tough choice for judges as historical crime fiction award is announced

The Crime Writers’ Association tonight (UK time - November 4) announced the winner for this year’s prestigious Ellis Peters Historical Award.

Established for the best historical crime novel (set in any period up to 35 years prior to the year in which the award will be made) by an author of any nationality, the award commemorates the life and work of Ellis Peters (Edith Pargeter) (1913-1995), a prolific author perhaps best known as the creator of Brother Cadfael.

CWA chair Tom Harper said: “The Ellis Peters Award has seen the judges given a really tough choice. The strength of the field confirms the robust health of historical fiction.”
The judging panel was Sir Bernard Ingham, Barry Forshaw, Jake Kerridge, Eileen Roberts and Geoffrey Bailey. They said: “Two books were very close, which was unusual, and overall the standard was incredibly high.”

The winners were announced during an event at Little, Brown Book Group, 100 Victoria Embankment, London.

Results
The Ellis Peters Historical Award Prize £3,000
Sponsors: The Estate of Ellis Peters, Headline Book Publishing Company and Little, Brown Book Group

Winner
REVENGER by Rory Clements

1592. England and Spain are at war, yet there is peril at home, too. The death of her trusted spymaster Sir Francis Walsingham has left Queen Elizabeth vulnerable. Conspiracies multiply. The quiet life of John Shakespeare is shattered by a summons from Robert Cecil, the cold but deadly young statesman who dominated the last years of the Queen’s long reign, insisting Shakespeare re-enter government service. His mission: to find vital papers, now in the possession of the Earl of Essex. When John Shakespeare infiltrates this dissolute world he discovers not only that the Queen herself is in danger – but that he and his family are also a target.

Judges’ comments: “Revenger is an exuberant piece of writing, which is beautifully constructed and shows authoritative knowledge of the period. It was felt to be a sharp piece of writing told with panache and a vivid sense of place.”

Runner up
HEARTSTONE by CJ Sansom
Summer, 1545. England is at war. Henry VIII's invasion of France has gone badly wrong, and a massive French fleet is preparing to sail across the Channel. As the English fleet gathers at Portsmouth, the country raises the largest militia army it has ever seen. The King has debased the currency to pay for the war, and England is in the grip of soaring inflation and economic crisis. Meanwhile, Matthew Shardlake is given an intriguing legal case by an old servant of Queen Catherine Parr. Asked to investigate claims of 'monstrous wrongs' committed against a young ward of the court, which have already involved one mysterious death, Shardlake and his assistant Barak journey to Portsmouth. Events converge on board one of the King's great warships, primed for battle in Portsmouth harbour, the Mary Rose.

Judges’ comments: “The two mysteries in Heartstone are well-entwined as it covers one of the most important historical times of turbulence and change, which echo current affairs with ill-advised forays into foreign territory. Unputdownable with a marvellous depth of character.”

Also on the shortlist were:
Washington Shadow – Aly Monroe
Judges’ comments: “A very real story and politically aware.”

Heresy – S J Parris
Judges’ comments: “In this masterly tale set mainly in Oxford, Sir Francis Walsingham appears amidst historical and religious turmoil.”

To Kill A Tsar – Andrew Williams
Judges’ comments: “An energetic book set in Nineteenth Century St Petersburg, which deals with Russian terrorists and echoes those of a more modern IRA.”

The Anatomy of Ghosts – Andrew Taylor.
Judges’ comments: “An intriguing concept told with aplomb.”

Having highly commended the other four books on the shortlist, the judges also mentioned several that just missed out.

The Weed That Strings the Hangman’s Bag – Alan Bradley

Let The Dead Lie – Malla Nunn

Assassin’s Prayer – Ariana Franklin

A Razor in Wrapped Silk – R N Morris.

For press enquiries or more information on the CWA, please visit the website, www.thecwa.co.uk, or contact media.enquiries@thecwa.co.uk

Ellis Peters Award shortlist announced

The Crime Writers’ Association will next month announce the winner of this year’s prestigious Ellis Peters Historical Award. Established for the best historical crime novel (set in any period up to 35 years prior to the year in which the award will be made) by an author of any nationality, the award commemorates the life and work of Ellis Peters (Edith Pargeter) (1913-1995), a prolific author perhaps best known as the creator of Brother Cadfael.

The winners will be announced on November 4 during an event at Little, Brown Book Group, 100 Victoria Embankment, London

The Ellis Peters Historical Award Prize £3,000
Sponsors: The Estate of Ellis Peters, Headline Book Publishing Company and Little, Brown Book Group

Shortlist

Revenger – Rory Clements
Publisher: John Murray
This second novel to feature the Elizabethan ‘intelligencer’ John Shakespeare captures all the danger but also all the excitement of living in capricious times when a wrong word can get you sent to the Tower. An exuberant novel that revels in the sights and smells of Tudor England.

Washington Shadow – Aly Monroe
Publisher: John Murray
This novel shows that your allies can do you as much harm as your enemies as MI6 agent Peter Cotton gets caught up in diplomatic intrigue in Washington. Monroe conjures up a world of murder and double dealing in beautifully lyrical prose.

Heresy – S J Parris
Publisher: HarperCollins
An astonishingly accomplished first outing for Giordano Bruno, monk, poet and sleuth, investigating skulduggery in Elizabethan Oxford. Parris has resurrected an undeservedly forgotten figure and her depiction of a society riven by religious intolerance is timely.

Heartstone – C J Sansom
Publisher: Mantle
Massive, colourful and ambitious, this is a double mystery for Sansom’s wily lawyer Mathew Shardlake. The background of Tudor England - with Henry’s ill-advised foreign wars having modern resonances - is a stunning backdrop.

The Anatomy of Ghosts – Andrew Taylor
Publisher: Michael Joseph, Penguin Books
This is Andrew Taylor at his considerable best; a wonderfully atmospheric - and labyrinthine -- mystery set in a period Cambridge evoked with all the skill that Taylor is famous for.

To Kill A Tsar – Andrew Williams
Publisher: John Murray
Compromised characters with difficult moral choices are at the centre of To Kill a Tsar. Set in a strongly realised nineteenth-century St Petersburg and dealing with the first significant terrorist cell of the modern era, this is bravura storytelling.

For press enquiries or more information on the CWA, please visit the website, www.thecwa.co.uk, or contact media.enquiries@thecwa.co.uk

CWA to run crime writing initiatives again in 2011

The Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) has announced that it will again run two highly successful initiatives introduced in the past year.

National Crime Writing Week, formerly National Crime Fiction Week, will run between June 13 and 19, 2011. The name change is designed to increase the emphasis on non-fiction as well as fiction. A nationwide celebration of crime writing, the week will also see the culmination of the successful CWA Young Crime Writers’ Competition, which was run by libraries and the CWA this year and attracted 600 entries nationwide.

Both the week and competition ran for the first time this year and CWA Chair Tom Harper said: “We were delighted with the way both initiatives went. Our idea was to raise the profile of crime writing with all age groups and the success of both the dedicated crime writing week and the competition achieved just that. Crime Writing Week is an opportunity for writers to arrange events under the umbrella of a week dedicated to celebrating crime books in all their forms. It is an excellent showcase for writers.”

During the week, members of the CWA will take part in readings, discussions, readers’ group events and workshops all over the country. If you have a Crime Writing Week event in mind, you will be able to log the details on a national map of events at http://www.nationalcrimewritingweek.co.uk/

National Crime Writing Week will be coordinated by CWA press officer John Dean at media.enquiries@thecwa.co.uk

The Young Crime Writers' Competition, which will run from January 10 - 18 Feb, 2011, will again be organised in association with library authorities. Stories will again be judged by members of the CWA. More information will be released later in the year.

For press enquiries or more information on the CWA, please visit the website, http://www.thecwa.co.uk/, or contact media.enquiries@thecwa.co.uk