{"title":"CWA Historical Dagger Shortlist 2026","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe 2026 shortlist of the Crime Writers' Association Historical Dagger award for the best historical crime novel, as announced on the 28th May 2026.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"a-case-of-life-and-limb-by-sally-smith-9781526668752","title":"A Case of Life and Limb","description":"\u003cp\u003eWinter, 1901. The Inner Temple is even quieter than usual under a blanket of snow and Gabriel Ward KC is hard at work on a thorny libel case. All is calm, all is bright - until the mummified hand arrives in the post...\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWhile the hand's recipient, Temple Treasurer Sir William Waring, is rightfully shaken, Gabriel is filled with curiosity. Who would want to send such a thing? And why? But as more parcels arrive - one with fatal consequences - Gabriel realises that it is not Sir William who is the target, but the Temple itself. Someone is holding a grudge that has already led to at least one death.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eNow it's up to Gabriel, and Constable Wright of the City of London Police, to find out who, before an old death leads to a new murder.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sally Smith","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51890707530069,"sku":"003987","price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0877\/7462\/6133\/files\/9781526668752.jpg?v=1762873142"},{"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":"a-granite-silence-by-nina-allan-9781529435603","title":"A Granite Silence","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWinner of the 2026 CWA Historical Dagger award.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA Granite Silence is an exploration - a journey through time to a particular house, in a particular street, Urquhart Road, Aberdeen in 1934, where eight-year-old Helen Priestly lives with her mother and father. Among this long, grey corridor of four-storey tenements, a daunting expanse of granite, working families are squashed together like pickled herrings in their narrow flats. Here are Helen's neighbours: the Topps, the Josses, the Mitchells, the Gordons, the Donalds, the Coulls and the Hunts.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eReturning home from school for her midday meal, Helen is sent by her mother Agnes to buy a loaf from the bakery at the end of the street. Agnes never sees her daughter alive again. Nina Allan explores the aftermath of Helen's disappearance, turning a probing eye to the close-knit neighbourhood - where everyone knows everyone, at least by sight - and with subtlety and sympathy, explores the intricate layers of truth and falsehood that can coexist in one moment of history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFull of echoes, allusions and eerie diversions, A Granite Silence is an investigation into a notorious true crime case, but also a stylish, imaginative inquiry into who gets to tell a story, how it is told, and why.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Nina Allan","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53709093208405,"sku":"004511","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0877\/7462\/6133\/files\/9781529435603_e30303a3-e4af-40d3-b0c0-06f0cc5de793.jpg?v=1776438302"},{"product_id":"the-devils-draper-by-donna-moore-9781915789402","title":"The Devil's Draper","description":"\u003cp\u003eWhen whispers of abuse at Arrol's department store reach Mabel, a determined policewoman, she knows she must act. Enlisting the help of Johnnie, a cunning thief, and Beatrice, a savvy businesswoman, they embark on a perilous journey to uncover the truth. Set against the backdrop of 1920s Glasgow, where women's voices are often silenced, this thrilling tale weaves together crime, justice, and the fight for equality.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAs the trio inches closer to exposing the scandal, they realize that in a world where women are rarely believed, their very lives may be at stake.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Donna Moore","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53709094125909,"sku":"004513","price":11.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0877\/7462\/6133\/files\/9781915789402_5ed2f4a8-fbb9-4161-83cc-8324da9f15a6.jpg?v=1776438316"},{"product_id":"gunner-by-alan-parks-9781399819688","title":"Gunner","description":"\u003cp\u003eMarch 1941. Joseph Gunner is back on the streets of Glasgow after being wounded on the front lines in France. Keeping the pain in his leg at bay with the help of morphine, Gunner, a former detective, is hoping to lie low as the Luftwaffe begins bombing Glasgow.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBut when he runs into his old boss Drummond, he is persuaded to help examine a body found in the wreckage. When it turns out to be that of a German, mutilated to disguise his identity, Gunner reluctantly agrees to investigate. As he begins to hunt for the truth Gunner runs into old flames and bitter enemies, before finding himself embroiled in a high-level conspiracy that reaches far beyond his hometown of Glasgow.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Alan Parks","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53709094388053,"sku":"004514","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0877\/7462\/6133\/files\/9781399819688_b5142ab7-d696-4abb-bc85-9d169e2b80fc.jpg?v=1776438323"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.gumshoebooks.com\/collections\/cwa-historical-dagger-shortlist-2026.oembed","provider":"Gumshoe Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}