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Slow Horses author Mick Herron awarded CWA Diamond Dagger
Mick Herron, the author of Slow Horses (Baskerville), has been announced as the 2025 recipient of the Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) Diamond Dagger.
The award recognises authors whose crime writing careers have been marked by "sustained excellence", and who have made a significant contribution to the genre. Nominations are recommended by CWA members, and industry experts then narrow these down to a shortlist; the winner is voted for by a panel of past Diamond Dagger winners.
Herron’s first novel, Down Cemetery Road (Baskerville), was published in 2003, marking the start of the Zoë Boehm series, which is set to be adapted into a major TV series starring Emma Thompson and Ruth Wilson. He began writing the Slough House series (Baskerville) in 2008, featuring MI5 agents who have been exiled from the mainstream, and published Slow Horses within a couple years.
The author became a member of the CWA in 2004, and two of his books in the Slough House series have received a Dagger.
"I’ve spent the best part of my life – not the majority of it; just the best part – in the crime writers’ community, and to receive this accolade from these friends and colleagues is both a career highlight and a personal joy," Mick Herron said. "I’m touched and thrilled beyond measure, and will try to live up to the honour."
Vaseem Khan, chair of the CWA, added: "I am delighted that the Diamond Dagger judges have picked Mick as their recipient this year. Few could be more deserving. Mick is the quintessential writers’ writer and his Slough House novels have, by general consensus, reinvented the spy thriller, going on to delight millions on the page and onscreen. The Diamond Dagger is a fitting tribute to a writer whose work has become both cultural marker and record of our time."
Nominations for the CWA Diamond Dagger are recommended by CWA members. Industry experts then narrow these down to a shortlist. The winner is then voted for by a panel of past Diamond Dagger winners.
Recent recipients of the Diamond Dagger include Lynda La Plante, James Lee Burke and Val McDermid, as well as Walter Mosley, Lee Child and Ian Rankin.
The Diamond Dagger will be presented at the annual CWA Dagger Awards on 3rd July.
