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The Daggers

The best crime book in 50 years:

The Spy Who came in from the Cold

John le Carré wins the Dagger of Daggers!

And the best crime novel of 2005 is...

Silence of the Grave

Silence of the Grave by Arnaldur Indridason

Full list of 2005 awards

History of the CWA

The Crime Writers' Association was founded by John Creasey in 1953 and it has grown steadily ever since. Its membership has increased, its range of activities has widened, its sponsorship has developed and its prestige has grown. It has adapted itself to changing circumstances in crime publishing and done its utmost to serve the astonishingly diverse group of writers whom it represents. In short, it has become a distinctive feature on the crime-fiction landscape in the UK.

ESSAYS

PAST OFFICERS OF THE CWA

John Creasey convened the first meeting of the Association on the 5th November 1953. This list of chairs since then is a Who's Who of British crime writing:

1953/57JOHN CREASEY
1957/8BRUCE GRAEME
1958/9JULIAN SYMONS
1959/60JOSEPHINE BELL
1960/1T C H JACOBS
1961/2VAL GIELGUD
1962/3CHARLES FRANKLIN
1963/4JOHN BOLAND
1964/5MICHAEL UNDERWOOD
1965/6PHILIP McCUTCHAN
1966/7BERKELY MATHER
1967/8GAVIN LYALL
1968/9MILES TRIPP
1969/70HERBERT HARRIS
1970/1H R F KEATING
1971/2JOHN BINGHAM
1972/3CHRISTIANNA BRAND
1973/4DICK FRANCIS
1974/5KENNETH BENTON
1975/6JEAN BOWDEN
1976/7DUNCAN KYLE
1977/8ELIZABETH FERRARS
1978/9DONALD RUMBELOW
1979/80MARGARET YORKE
1980/1PENELOPE WALLACE
1981/2BASIL COPPER
1982/3LAURENCE HENDERSON
1983/4MADELAINE DUKE
1984/5PETER CHAMBERS
1985/6LADY ANTONIA FRASER
1986/7SIMON BRETT
1987/8TIM HEALD
1988/9PAULA GOSLING
1989/90SUSAN MOODY
1990/1CATHERINE AIRD
1991/2PETER LOVESEY
1992/3NANCY LIVINGSTON
1993/4ROBERT RICHARDSON
1994/5JOHN MALCOLM
1995/6PETER N WALKER
1996/7KATE CHARLES
1997/8KEITH MILES
1998/9JANET LAURENCE
1999/2000IAN RANKIN
2000/1NATASHA COOPER
2001/2RUSSELL JAMES
2002/3LINDSEY DAVIS
2003/4HILARY BONNER
2004/5MICHAEL JECKS
2005/6DANUTA REAH

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