{"title":"CWA Gold Dagger Shortlist 2026","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe 2026 shortlist of the Crime Writers' Association Gold Dagger award for the best crime novel, orginially written in English, as announced on the 28th May 2026.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"the-frozen-river-by-ariel-lawhon-9781800755550","title":"The Frozen River","description":"\u003cp\u003eMaine, 1789: When the Kennebec River freezes, entombing a man in the ice, Martha Ballard is summoned to examine the body and determine cause of death.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAs a midwife and healer, she is privy to much of what goes on behind closed doors in Hallowell. Her diary is a record of every birth and death, crime and debacle that unfolds in the close-knit community. Months earlier, Martha documented the details of an alleged rape committed by two of the town’s most respected gentlemen—one of whom has now been found dead in the ice.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBut when a local physician undermines her conclusion, declaring the death to be an accident, Martha is forced to investigate the shocking murder on her own. Over the course of one winter, as the trial nears, and whispers and prejudices mount, Martha doggedly pursues the truth. Her diary soon lands at the center of the scandal, implicating those she loves, and compelling Martha to decide where her own loyalties lie.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eInspired by the life of Martha Ballard, a renowned 18th-century midwife who defied the legal system and wrote herself into history.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ariel Lawhon","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51251428720981,"sku":"003592","price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0877\/7462\/6133\/files\/9781800755550_e384b4f0-7173-4087-82a2-268adfd9ef05.jpg?v=1754836457"},{"product_id":"the-death-of-us-by-abigail-dean-9780008625658","title":"The Death of Us","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWinner of the 2026 CWA Gold Dagger award\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIsabel and Edward meet as teenagers. When she tells him she loves him, it feels like the bravest thing she’s ever done. But years later, a stranger walks into their home and tears their world apart.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is where their story really begins.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Crime Writer Association judges: \u003cem\u003eA tense and unflinching story of the aftermath of violent crime. The novel shifts between timelines, examining the effects on a couple over the years between the incident and the upcoming trial of their attacker, showing that the violence and violation never truly ended for them. It’s an outstanding examination of the effects of trauma, and the power of love.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Abigail Dean","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52047601107285,"sku":"004060","price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0877\/7462\/6133\/files\/9780008625658_6e95215d-d169-44c1-93a9-14c8318522b1.jpg?v=1765291271"},{"product_id":"the-girl-in-cell-a-by-vaseem-khan-9781399707749","title":"The Girl in Cell A","description":"\u003cp\u003eConvicted of murder at seventeen, infamous killer and true crime celebrity Orianna Negi has always maintained her innocence.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOrianna has a blind spot over that fateful day: she can't remember what happened.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eForensic psychologist Annie Ledet is tasked with unlocking the truth.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOrianna grew up in Eden Falls, ruled by the insular Wyclerc dynasty and its ruthless patriarch, Amos. As their sessions progress, Annie reaches into Orianna's past to a shattering realisation....\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Vaseem Khan","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52146809176405,"sku":"004122","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0877\/7462\/6133\/files\/9781399707749_fa3fa25c-7169-4d7c-959b-ece96dc956fc.jpg?v=1782296782"},{"product_id":"the-art-of-a-lie-by-laura-shepherd-robinson-9781529053746","title":"The Art of a Lie","description":"\u003cp\u003eLondon, 1749. Following the murder of her husband in a violent street robbery, Hannah Cole is struggling to keep her head above water. The Punchbowl and Pineapple, her confectionary shop on Piccadilly, is barely turning a profit, and her suppliers are conspiring to put her out of business.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSo when she learns that her husband had a large sum of money in his bank account that she knew nothing about, the surprise is extremely welcome. And when William Devereux, a friend of her late husband, tells her about a new Italian delicacy called “iced cream”, Hannah believes it might transform the fortunes of her shop. But her husband’s unexpected windfall attracts the attention of author-turned-magistrate Henry Fielding, who suspects the money was illicitly acquired.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eUnless Hannah can prove otherwise, her inheritance will be confiscated. As she and Devereux work to uncover the secrets of her husband’s double life, their friendship opens Hannah to speculation and gossip, locking her into a battle of wits more devastating than anything, even her husband’s murder.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Laura Shepherd-Robinson","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52174467957077,"sku":"004155","price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0877\/7462\/6133\/files\/9781529053746_612d1dd2-9e43-47b2-a0ed-76dec83d218c.jpg?v=1767112705"},{"product_id":"king-of-ashes-by-s-a-cosby-9781472299208","title":"King of Ashes","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWinner of the 2026 Ian Fleming Steel Dagger award\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRoman Carruthers left the smoke and fire of his family's crematory business behind in his hometown of Jefferson Run, Virginia. He is enjoying a life of shallow excess as a financial adviser in Atlanta until he gets a call from his sister, Neveah, telling him their father is in a coma after a hit-and-run accident. When Roman goes home, he learns the accident may not be what it seems.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHis brother, Dante, is deeply in debt to dangerous, ruthless criminals. And Roman is willing to do anything to protect his family. Anything.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA financial whiz with a head for numbers and a talent for making his clients rich, Roman must use all his skills to try to save his family while dealing with a shadow that has haunted them all for twenty years: the disappearance of their mother when Roman and his siblings were teenagers. It's a mystery that Neveah, who has sacrificed so much of her life to hold her family together, is determined to solve once and for all. As fate and chance and heartache ignite their lives, the Carruthers family must pull together to survive or see their lives turn to ash.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBecause, as their father counseled them from birth, nothing lasts forever. Everything burns.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"S. A. Cosby","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52180568965461,"sku":"004186","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0877\/7462\/6133\/files\/9781472299208_415fea0f-6769-4ffe-9503-5f25a1b45f1b.jpg?v=1767281523"},{"product_id":"not-quite-dead-yet-by-holly-jackson-9781405977029","title":"Not Quite Dead Yet","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn seven days Jet Mason will be dead.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eJet is the daughter of one of the wealthiest families in Woodstock, Vermont. Twenty-seven years old, she’s still waiting for her life to begin. She’ll do it later, she always says.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eShe has time. Until, on the night of Halloween, Jet is violently attacked by an unseen intruder. She suffers a catastrophic brain injury.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe doctor is certain that within a week, she’ll suffer a deadly aneurysm. Jet never thought of herself as having enemies. But now she looks at everyone in a new light: her family, her ex-best friend turned sister-in-law, her former boyfriend.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eShe only has seven days, and as her condition deteriorates she has only her childhood friend Billy for help. But nevertheless, she’s absolutely determined to finally finish something:Jet is going to solve her own murder.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Holly Jackson","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53708337054037,"sku":"004502","price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0877\/7462\/6133\/files\/9781405977029_1e57bac0-6747-4d60-b0cb-78e4962d23f0.jpg?v=1776430101"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.gumshoebooks.com\/collections\/cwa-gold-dagger-shortlist-2026.oembed","provider":"Gumshoe Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}