The CWA John Creasey Memorial Dagger 2002

Louise Welsh wins with THE CUTTING ROOM

The John Creasey Memorial Dagger is the UK's leading literary award for first time novelists writing crime fiction. It is sponsored by Chivers Press. The 2002 winner, who receives the Dagger and £1000, is Louise Welsh for her novel The Cutting Room, published by Canongate. The announcement was made at Dead on Deansgate on 5 October.

"The Cutting Room heralds the arrival of an outstanding, contemporary Glasgow novel. Its charismatic protagonist, Rilke, is eccentric, witty and frequently outrageous. An auctioneer by profession, he is an acknowledged expert in antiques but also considers himself something of an expert in many other fields. When Rilke comes upon a hidden collection of disturbing erotic photographs, he feels compelled to unearth more about the deceased owner who coveted them. What follows is a compulsive journey of discovery, decadence and deviousness, steered in part by Rilke's gay promiscuity and inquisitive nature. Louise Welsh's writing is stylish and captivating; she combines aspects of a detective story with shades of the gothic in a colourful Glasgow ranging from the genteel suburbs to a transvestite club, an auction house to the bookies and pubs to porn shops. The result is a page-turning and deliciously original debut."

The other shortlisted titles were:

Title	Author	Publisher
The 25th Hour	David Benioff	(Hodder and Stoughton)
The Emperor of Ocean Park	Stephen L. Carter	(Jonathan Cape)
The Dark Fields	Alan Glynn	(Little, Brown)
The Water Clock	Jim Kelly	(Michael Joseph)