Two authors nominated for the CWA Daggers

Posted by Stephen Dumughn in Abacus, Author News, Award News, Book News, Little,Brown, News

We're thrilled to announce that we have not one – but two – authors nominated for this year's CWA Daggers, the prestigious awards that celebrate the very best in crime and thriller writing.

Domingo Villar's atmospheric and cleverly-plotted page-turner Death on a Galician Shore has been shortlisted for the CWA International Dagger. This award is for crime, thriller, suspense or spy fiction novels which have been translated into English from their original language, for UK publication.

What the judges said: ‘What looks like a banal suicide leads to an investigation into the complex past of a village of fishermen, whose lives have been changed by fished-out waters, property development and the ambitions and prejudices of a once-conservative society.’

And Mr Briggs' Hat, Kate Colquehoun's gripping and acclaimed account of the first railway murder murder, has been shortlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger for non-fiction, awarded to the best non-fiction work on a real-life crime theme.

What the judges said: 'Thomas Briggs, a City banker, was fatally attacked on a Hackney-bound train on 9 July 1844. In a blood-spattered compartment , all that was found was his walking-stick, his empty bag – and a hat that was not his. There was no sign of Briggs. The author evokes the atmosphere of Victorian rail travel, and details the hunt for the killer.'

About the authors:

Domingo Villar grew up in Vigo, Galicia and now lives in Madrid. His two novels, both featuring Inspector Leo Caldas, have been highly acclaimed top-ten bestsellers in Spain, and he is the winner of a Brigada 21 Prize for best crime novel. Death on a Galician Shore is his second novel.

Kate Colquhoun's previous non fiction titles were shortlisted for the Duff Cooper Prize 2004 and longlisted for the Samuel Johnson Prize 2003. As well as writing for several newspapers and magazines, she appears regularly on national radio and television. She lives in London with her husband and two sons.

The winners will be announced at the Harrogate Crime Writing Festival on the 22nd July.