Photo: Brett Carlson
The Crime Writers’ Association is delighted to announce that Sean Chercover has won this year’s CWA Short Story Dagger with his story One Serving of Bad Luck, taken from from Killer Year, edited by Lee Child and published by Mira. He was presented with his prize and dagger at a drinks reception held at the Tiger Tiger nightspot in London on the evening of July 15.
Judges’ comments: Neat, tight and economical, this is a new take on the private eye; the auguries are good for a major crime writing career for this writer.
Formerly a private investigator in Chicago and New Orleans, Sean Chercover now writes full-time. His debut novel, Big City Bad Blood, won the Shamus, Gumshoe, Crimespree, and Lovey awards for best first novel, and was shortlisted for the ITW Thriller, Arthur Ellis, Barry, and Anthony awards. Trigger City, his second novel, received the 2009 Dilys Award. He lives in Toronto and Chicago with his wife and their son.
His web site is www.chercover.com
The CWA Dagger Awards are the longest established literary awards in the UK and are internationally recognised as a mark of excellence and achievement.
The other shortlisted entries are listed below, in alphabetical order. There are more details about them on the shortlist page.
Lawrence Block: Speaking of Lust from Crime Express series (Five Leaves Publications)
Laura Lippman: Cougar from Two of the Deadliest edited by Elizabeth George (Hodder & Stoughton)
Peter Robinson: The Price of Love from The Blue Religion edited by Michael Connelly (Quercus)
Zoë Sharp: Served Cold from The Mammoth Book of Best British Crime edited by Maxim Jakubowski (Constable & Robinson)
Chris Simms: Mother’s Milk from The Mammoth Book of Best British Crime edited by Maxim Jakubowski (Constable & Robinson)
Simon Brett is a radio presenter, man of the theatre and writer of civilized and witty crime entertainments.
Ayo Onatade - not content with running the lives of senior judges, she is also a well-connected crime journalist.