The CWA Gold Dagger 2009

Judges’ comments: ‘A multifaceted and thought-provoking exploration of the aftermath of a savage family killing.’

Synopsis: In rural Devon, six-year-old Joanna Mason witnesses an appalling crime. Thirty years later the man convicted of the crime is released from prison.

In Edinburgh, sixteen-year-old Reggie works as a nanny for a G.P. But Dr Hunter has gone missing and Reggie seems to be the only person who is worried.

Across town, Detective Chief Inspector Louise Monroe is also looking for a missing person, unaware that hurtling towards her is an old friend — Jackson Brodie — himself on a journey that becomes fatally interrupted.

Kate Atkinson was born in York and now lives in Edinburgh. Her first novel, Behind the Scenes at the Museum, won the Whitbread Book of the Year Award. She is the author of a collection of short stories, Not the End of the World, and of the critically acclaimed novels Human Croquet, Emotionally Weird, One Good Turn and Case Histories, which introduced her readers to Jackson Brodie, former police inspector turned private investigator. She was shortlisted for the 2007 Dagger in the Library.

Judges’ comments: ‘A cutting, topical take on drug crime in contemporary London, with a brilliantly engineered twist.’

Synopsis: A rainy night in London. Shots are fired into a car which swerves on to the pavement, ploughing into a bus stop. It seems that a chilling gang initiation has cost an innocent victim their life. But the reality is far more sinister&helip;

One life is wiped out and three more are changed forever: the young man whose finger was on the trigger; an ageing gangster planning a deadly revenge, and the pregnant woman who struggles desperately to uncover the truth. Two weeks away from giving birth, how will she deal with a world where death is an occupational hazard?

In a city where violence can be random or meticulously planned, where teenage gangs clash with career criminals and where loyalty is paid for in blood, anything is possible. Secrets are uncovered as fast as bodies, and the story’s final twist is as breathtakingly surprising as they come.

Mark Billingham is a stand-up comedian, appearing regularly at the Comedy Store. He has also written drama for children's television, including Knight School which won the Royal Television Society Award for best children's drama.

Judges’ comments: ‘Immoral and highly entertaining, Block makes us root for his hitman anti-hero.’

Synopsis: When Keller gets the call to make a hit on a man in Iowa, he's tempted to pass. So far he's been lucky in his chosen profession, and he's got enough stashed away to retire. Just one more, he thinks. But he quickly finds that this job might not just mark the end of his career - it could be the end of him, period.

After three days in a motel room he realises he was never meant to make the hit - he was just supposed to take the fall when a prominent politician was gunned down by someone else. Suddenly he's on the run, all the evidence pointing the cops his way and literally nowhere to go.

Lawrence Block was awarded the CWA Cartier Diamond Dagger in 2004. He is also a Grand Master of the Mystery Writers of America. He is the author of many novels and short stories and has won numerous awards for his mystery writing. He lives and works in New York City.

Judges’ comments: ‘A very strong debut with a highly original female protagonist.’

Synopsis: When lawyer, Jenny Cooper, is appointed Severn Vale District Coroner, she’s hoping for a quiet life and space to recover from a traumatic divorce, but the office she inherits from the recently deceased Harry Marshall contains neglected files hiding dark secrets and a trail of buried evidence.

Could the tragic death in custody of a young boy be linked to the apparent suicide of a teenage prostitute and the fate of Marshall himself? Jenny’s curiosity is aroused. Why was Marshall behaving so strangely before he died? What injustice was he planning to uncover? And what caused his abrupt change of heart?

In the face of powerful and sinister forces determined to keep both the truth hidden and the troublesome coroner in check, Jenny embarks on a lonely and dangerous one-woman crusade for justice which threatens not only her career but also her sanity.

M. R. Hall is a screenwriter and producer and former criminal barrister, a profession he left due to a constitutional inability to prosecute. Educated at Hereford Cathedral School and Worcester College, Oxford, he lives in the Wye Valley in Monmouthshire with his wife, journalist Patricia Carswell, and two sons. Aside from writing, his main passion is the preservation and planting of woodland. In his spare moments, he is mostly to be found amongst trees.

Judges’ comments: ‘The seamy and menacing side of a modern Dublin awash in a sea of cocaine and drug warfare.’

Synopsis: Danny Callaghan is having a quiet drink in a Dublin pub when two men with guns walk in. They're here to take care of a minor problem - petty criminal Walter Bennett. On impulse, Callaghan intervenes to save Walter's life. Soon, his own survival is in question. With a troubled past and an uncertain future, Danny finds himself drawn into a vicious scheme of revenge.

Dark Times in the City depicts an edgy city where affluence and cocaine fuel a ruthless gang culture, and a man’s fleeting impulse may cost the lives of those who matter most to him.

Gene Kerrigan grew up in Cabra West, Dublin. He was Journalist of the Year in 1985 and 1990. He is the author of a number of books, including the bestselling Hard Cases. He writes for the Independent on Sunday.