CWA Ellis Peters Dagger Award 2005

Ellis Peters 2005 CJ Samson

Ellis Peters 2005 Denise Danks & Mike Stotter

On Monday 10^th October the announcement of the winner of the CWA Ellis Peters Dagger took place in the apt location of St. Eltheldreda’s Crypt in Ely Place, Holborn. Listed below are the short-listed entries. The judges included crime writer, Janet Laurence (Chair); Sir Bernard Ingham, writer and lecturer; Colin Murray, freelance editor; Maureen Lyle, journalist & reviewer and Jessica Mann, writer. The judges commented that this was a strong year as far as entries were concerned with more enjoyable books on the list than ever. “There were a lot of very good books, a lot of fresh voices and a lot of history.”

The CWA Ellis Peter’s Dagger Award for 2005 went to CJ SANSOM for DARK FIRE.

Special mention went to IAIN PEARS for THE PORTRAIT.

The event was supported by many crime writers, publishers and the press.

A special thank you to Lucy Ramsey, Publicity Director for Headline who organised the occasion, and Nicci Praca (Headline) for selecting the wine!

Ellis Peters 2005 Jane Morpeth

Janet Laurence announces the shortlist

The short listed novels were:

	THE GOD OF CHAOS by Tom Bradby Transworld/Bantam Cairo, Egypt in 1942, the British High Command threatened by Rommel’s seemingly remorseless advance; an unusual but riveting background for a murder mystery that sets a failed New York cop against political chicanery, treason and sexual passions and an investigation through the seedy underbelly of a city where loyalty is a luxury no one can afford.
	THE PALACE TIGER Barbara Cleverly Constable Last year’s winner of the Ellis Peters Historical Dagger has provided another sparkling look at the intrigues rife in an India of the nineteen-twenties where a British Empire has to grapple with large, autonomous areas not always ruled by sympathetic potentates. Joe Sandilands, on secondment from Scotland Yard, once again finds himself surrounded by a fine cast of glamorous and scheming suspects.
	AFTER THE ARMISTICE BALL Catriona McPherson Constable A delightful mystery novel in the Golden Age tradition. Cash-strapped but pleasure-seeking society life in Scotland in the aftermath of the First World War is rocked by the disappearance of a famous set of diamonds in dubious circumstances. The independent minded and delightful society wife who is persuaded to look into the matter soon encounters murder. A sparkling cast of characters and a masterly grasp of the period provide a tale that never flags before its gripping climax.
	THE PORTRAIT Iain Pears Harper Perennial Original An unusual novel in which the narrator, a painter, speaks directly to his sitter, a heartless art critic, setting out the history of their turbulent relationship. Gradually the reader realises that at the heart of the matter is the relationship of both to a female painter and her tragic death. In the background is the revolution in painting that took place in the last part of the nineteenth century and the involvement of both men to it. Atmospheric, building up to a breath-taking climax and exploring creativity, criticism and the power of jealousy, this is a riveting read.
	DARK FIRE CJ Sansom Macmillan An intriguing crime novel in which a majestic mastery of historical context and detail provides the background for an engrossing mystery. CJ Sansom sets the lawyer who starred in his debut novel, DISSOLUTION, on the chase for the secret of Greek Fire for his master, Cromwell, Henry VIII’s foxy minister. A twisty plot involves murky politics, a great cast of characters with the action exploring every level of society and offering an ever- increasing pace.
	MORTAL MISCHIEF Frank Tallis Century A fine example of the locked room mystery is crossed with rivalries surrounding the growth of psychoanalysis and forensic science, all set in the Vienna of 1902. the action takes in the possibilities of supernatural powers; Vienna’s sophisticated social scene with its interests in art, philosophy and music; and the temptations laid in the path of a young disciple of Sigmund Freud as he assists his good friend an inspector of the Viennese police in his attempt to solve the tantalising puzzle that starts with one death but leads to others. A wealth of historical detail anchors the more sensational aspects of the story and provides a highly enjoyable read.