Peter James wins Crime Writers’ Association Diamond Dagger award

This week, acclaimed British writer Peter James has received one of the most prestigious awards in crime writing, the CWA Diamond Dagger. The award is given out annually to  one writer in recognition of excellence and success across their whole career.

Author of the bestselling, much-loved Roy Grace series as well as a number of gripping standalone novels, Peter has been published in 37 languages and has won a number of many international awards including the US Barry Award for Best British Crime Novel in 2012. In 2015 he was voted by WH Smith readers as The Best Crime Author of All Time.

James Runcie, making the opening speech of the Crime Awards evening, managed to reference almost all of Peter’s Roy Grace titles in a very funny sequence that had the whole room laughing.

Chair of the Crime Writers’ Association Len Tyler said that Peter James combines up-to-the-minute accuracy with tight plotting and a fast pace and he considers James to be the King of the Police Procedural.

Peter said he was ‘thrilled and immensely proud’ to win the award, adding: ‘Thanks to all of you at the wonderful Crime Writers Association for giving me an honour which, when I was first published all those years back, was one I could only dream of and never ever believed could one day become a reality.’

Following YOU ARE DEAD, Peter’s 11th novel in the bestselling Roy Grace series which sat for five weeks at the top of the UK bestseller chart, Peter’s new novel LOVE YOU DEAD will be published in paperback 20 October 2016. This new gripping read sees Roy Grace come up against black widow Jodie Bentley, perhaps his most venomous adversary yet.

Peter has also recently launched his own ‘author crime-hub’ YouTube channel, Peter James TV. The channel will feature exclusive interviews with household names in crime including RL Stine, Martina Cole, Lee Child and Paula Hawkins, as well as behind the scenes research footage for his bestselling Roy Grace series.

Praise for Peter James

'Peter James is one of the best crime writers in the business.' – Karin Slaughter

'Exceptional, knock-your-socks-off.' – Washington Post

‘Sinister and riveting… Peter James is one of the best British crime writers, and therefore one of the best in the world.’ – Lee Child

Find out more about Peter James at Blake Friedmann's, Pan Macmillan's and Peter’s websites and follow him on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

PETER JAMES AWARDED THE 2016 DIAMOND DAGGER

Acclaimed British writer Peter James is awarded the highest Crime Writers’ Association reward, the CWA Diamond Dagger. This prestigious prize is awarded every year to a deserving writer with a past career marked by excellence and success.

CWA chair Len Tyler said that Peter James is able to combine up-to-the-minute accuracy with tight plotting and a fast pace in his books. He considers James to be the King of the Police Procedural.

Peter has had an exceptionally successful 2015 with his 11th novel in the best-selling Roy Grace series, YOU ARE DEAD, spending a total of 5 weeks at No. 1 in the bestseller chart, and many more weeks in the top 5. YOU ARE DEAD was awarded the Dr. Lector Award for Scariest Villain at Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Festival in Harrogate.

Peter’s standalone THE HOUSE ON COLD HILL was published in hardback in October 2015 and went straight to number 9 on the bestseller chart. His 30 year old novel, BILLIONAIRE, was republished this month and went straight into the chart at number 8.

Peter James has been twice Chair of the Crime Writers’ Association and has won many literary awards: as popular internationally as in the UK. He won the US Barry Award for Best British Crime Novel in 2012.  Last year he was voted by WH Smith readers as The Best Crime Author Of All Time. He is published in more than 3 dozen languages.

Praise for Peter James:

'Peter James is one of the best crime writers in the business.' – Karin Slaughter

'Exceptional, knock-your-socks-off.' – Washington Post

‘Sinister and riveting… Peter James is one of the best British crime writers, and therefore one of the best in the world.’ – Lee Child

Find out more about Peter James at Blake Friedmann's, Pan Macmillan's and Peter’s websites and follow him on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

COBRA shortlisted for the CWA International Dagger

Deon Meyer’s COBRA has been shortlisted for the Crime Writers’ Association International Dagger. COBRA is translated by K L Seegers. The shortlists were announced at Crimefest in Bristol last Friday. The overall winners will be presented with their awards on 30th June, to mark the end of Crime Reading Month, at a gala dinner in central London.

Also shortlisted are Camille by Pierre Lemaitre, translated by Frank Wynne, Into a Raging Blaze by Andreas Norman, translated by Ian Giles, Falling Freely, As If In A Dream by Leif GW Persson, translated by Paul Norlen, Arab Jazz by Karim Miské, translated by Sam Gordon and The Invisible Guardian by Dolores Redondo, translated by Isabelle Kaufeler.

Deon was previously shortlisted for the awards in 2010 with his novel THIRTEEN HOURS, also translated by K L Seegers.

COBRA was published in the UK by Hodder in 2014. It was chosen by Publisher’s Weekly as one of the Top Ten Mystery and Thriller for Fall and ‘Thriller of the Week’ on the very popular Dutch thriller & crime fiction communityCrimezone.nl. In his home territory South Africa, COBRA (published in Afrikaans by Human & Rousseau as KOBRA) shot to Number 1 on Afrikaans publication last year, beating off all international competition in English as well. 

Praise for COBRA:

‘A masterful new thriller.  This is terrific stuff:  fine plotting, superb characterisation, a constant thread of suspense, a multi-ethnic cast and an intriguing setting. It also comes with a glossary of South African terms and if COBRA doesn’t win at least one major prize this year, then someone needs a good snotskoot blikseming.’ – Mike Ripley, Shotsmag

‘The plot clicks along like a machine… The set pieces, such as a complex train-hopping action sequence, are slickly executed. This is an author in full charge of his technique, but he burnishes the mechanics of the story with delicious Kaapse characters and richly idiomatic dialogue. The feral pickpocket Tyrone Kleinbooi is one of Meyer’s best characters ever, sly and quick with a strong sense of thieves’ honour. Meyer has a habit of beckoning side characters to the front of stage in subsequent books… Here’s hoping Meyer will put Mbali Kaleni centre stage in future.  More of Mbali, please, and more, much more of Deon Meyer.’ – Michele Magwood, SA Sunday Times

Praise for Deon Meyer:

‘A master on vintage form… He is a defining novelist of modern South Africa.’ – Barry Forshaw, Books of the Year 2012, Independent

‘Deon Meyer is one of the best crime writers on the planet.’ – Mail on Sunday

 'With Deon Meyer you can't go wrong. He's a writer whose work I admire, wait for and then devour.' -- Michael Connelly