Crime Writers’ Association has announced that the Diamond Dagger will be bestowed upon Peter James. While James is best known for his DSI Roy Grace novels, he has published 31 novels overall (12 of which feature DSI Grace).
The CWA Diamond Dagger is awarded each year to a writer who has a career marked by sustained excellence. Past winners have included literary giants such as Lee Child, Frederick Forsyth, P.D. James, Val McDermid and Elmore Leonard. Part of the CWA Dagger Awards, the CWA Diamond Dagger is the most prestigious prize the Association can bestow.
“I’ve always felt that the CWA Diamond Dagger stands head and shoulders above all the myriad awards in the world for crime and thriller writing,” says Peter James. “It is, without doubt, the most coveted of all, partly because of its history, partly because of who actually decides it, but more important than either of these, is the list of past winners – a veritable roll call of the giants of our genre. I remember attending the ceremonies in my earliest days as young, struggling writer, watching the annual presentations, listening to the acceptance speeches, and dreaming that one that this could be me – which I always dismissed as no more than fantasy. Now to find that I am actually to be this year’s recipient is, without doubt, one of the greatest moments of my career. And it is proof that sometimes, our dreams really can come true.”
