This weekend’s Harrogate Crime Festival was certainly exciting, with Transworld authors dominating the 2010 CWA Awards and shortlists!

CWA INTERNATIONAL DAGGER

WINNER: Johan Theorin, THE DARKEST ROOM

CWA DAGGER IN THE LIBRARY (for a body of work, voted for by libraries and reading groups)

WINNER: Ariana Franklin
HIGHLY COMMENDED: Simon Beckett

CWA STEEL DAGGER FOR THRILLER OF THE YEAR

SHORTLISTED: Mo Hayder, GONE
SHORTLISTED: Lee Child, 61 HOURS

CWA GOLD DAGGER FOR BEST CRIME NOVEL OF THE YEAR

SHORTLISTED: Belinda Bauer, BLACKLANDS
SHORTLISTED: S. J. Bolton, BLOOD HARVEST

The list of finalists for the Gold and Steel Daggers (4 per award) will be announced on August 9th, and the winners will be announced at the Specsavers Crime Thriller Awards on October 8th.

How wonderful to see such a rich and varied list of authors awarded and nominated. Particular mention should go to Johan Theorin, who not only beat Stieg Larsson to win, but who now has two CWA daggers. And also to Belinda Bauer - up for the top UK crime award with her first novel, and a stand-out author at her sell-out event with Val McDermid and Attica Locke this weekend.

The CWA lists can be found here: http://www.thecwa.co.uk/daggers/2010/index.html