Robert Goddard wins CWA Diamond Dagger

The Crime Writers’ Association has awarded Robert Goddard the 2019 CWA Diamond Dagger. 

The Dagger award recognises authors whose crime writing careers have been marked by sustained excellence, and who have made a significant contribution to the genre.

CWA chair Martin Edwards said: “Robert Goddard has been entertaining crime fiction fans across the world for over thirty years. His books are notable for their breathtaking plot twists, sharp characterisation, and insights into history. It is a genuine pleasure to celebrate his illustrious career with the award of the Diamond Dagger.”

Goddard added: “I’m greatly honoured to be this year’s CWA Diamond Dagger recipient, particularly since it’s an award conferred by my fellow writers, who know about the challenges of the craft from the inside. Looking back, I’m not exactly sure when trying to make a go of writing turned into a career, but it’s been a hugely enjoyable and satisfying experience and recognition like this is much appreciated. It also gives me encouragement, for which I’m very grateful, to look ahead to all those books yet to come!”

Goddard will be presented with the CWA Diamond Dagger at the CWA’s Dagger Awards ceremony in London on 24th October. Previous winners of the CWA Diamond Dagger include P.D. James, John Le Carre, Dick Francis, Ruth Rendell, Lee Child, and Ann Cleeves.

In 1986, Goddard published his first novel, Past Caring (Corgi). He won an Edgar for best original paperback for Long Time Coming (Corgi) and Into the Blue (Corgi) was televised with John Thaw as Harry Barnett, who appears in three of Robert’s novels. 

The CWA Diamond Dagger is selected from nominations provided by CWA members. Nominees have to meet two essential criteria: first, their careers must be marked by sustained excellence, and second, they must have made a significant contribution to crime writing published in the English language. 

The announcement of the award coincides with the publication of Goddard’s latest title, One False Move (Transworld), his 28th novel.

Goddard’s publisher Bill Scott-Kerr said: “Ironically we have published Robert since the year the Diamond Dagger was founded, when we put the paperback of his brilliant first novel, Past Caring, onto the bestseller list.  Since then, we have sold over five million copies of his books. I’ve been lucky enough to work with Robert for the last fifteen years or so and he has been an utter joy. Ferociously intelligent, caustically funny, utterly professional, he delivers great books time and time again, books which are clever, compelling and unputdownable.”