Aird, Lovesey and Taylor to feature in CWA's latest anthology

The Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) has released a new collection of crime stories by members and features  contributions from Diamond Dagger award winners including Catherine Aird, Peter Lovesey and Andrew Taylor.

Music of the Night, edited by Martin Edwards, features short stories based on the theme of music. It will be published by Flame Tree Press on 22nd February.

The 25 stories include four by winners of the CWA Diamond Dagger – the highest honour in UK crime writing – alongside nine authors who have never previously contributed to a CWA anthology.

Edwards, whose own submission will feature in the book, said: “The stories are an eclectic mix, which reflects the wide range of tastes in music and within the crime genre itself. The hope is this collection will entice readers with familiar and established authors while giving readers the chance to sample works by writers they may not have yet discovered.”

The CWA was founded in 1953 by John Creasey. It works to support, promote and celebrate the crime writing genre, and runs the annual Dagger awards. Membership includes authors at all stages of their career.

It has published anthologies of members’ works for more than 50 years and Edwards has edited them for nearly half that time. A consultant to the British Library’s Crime Classics, he is also a former chair of the CWA and current president of the Detection Club.

Maxim Jakubowski, chair of the CWA,  who also features in the collection, said: "As an anthologist myself, I’ve always admired Martin Edwards’ work in this very particular field and I was delighted he was able to include a story of my own in Music of the Night, thus combining our mutual admiration for the work the CWA has done since its inception and our own personal love of music. A winning combination for all involved and a fascinating snapshot of some of the most exciting authors in the genre at work today.”

Other contributors include Paul Charles, who spent many years working in the music business with artists such as Van Morrison and Elvis Costello.

Nick Wells, publisher, said: “Flame Tree is proud to be the steward for the current annual anthology, Music of the Night. This collection of new stories is both a fitting tribute to the CWA’s legacy of great writing while reflecting the vitality of the contemporary membership. It’s been a joy to publish.”