The best crime book in 50 years:

John le Carré wins the Dagger of Daggers!
And the best crime novel of 2005 is...

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