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In this post we review 3 CWA Dagger Debut Nominees, shortlisted for the award in 2024, 2023 and 2022!
The Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) Dagger Awards are the gold standard for crime and mystery writing. The Debut Dagger category is where new voices are highlighted and the shortlist is a great place to find some fresh favourites!
Bridget Walsh’s The Tumbling Girl (Shortlisted 2024) blends Victorian intrigue with a dash of theatre noir, Patricia Wolf’s Outback (Shortlisted 2023) delivers a gritty murder mystery set in the unforgiving Australian wilderness, and Alan Gillespie’s The Mash House (Shortlisted 2022) paints a vivid picture of rural Scotland hiding dark secrets.
With a mix of historical London, the stark beauty of the Australian Outback, and the haunting landscapes of the Scottish Highlands – these 3 CWA Dagger Debut Award nominees will take you on a unique journey!
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Happy Reading, Friends!
Series or Standalone? :
This is Book One in the ‘Variety Place Mystery‘ series.
"The Tumbling Girl" Book Blurb:
1876, Victorian London. Minnie Ward, a feisty scriptwriter for the Variety Palace Music Hall, is devastated when her best friend is found brutally murdered. She enlists the help of private detective Albert Easterbrook to help her find justice. Together they navigate London, from its high-class clubs to its murky underbelly. But as the bodies pile up, they must rely on one another if they’re going to track down the killer – and make it out alive.
What did we think?: 4 Stars
This was a lovely surprise! I enjoyed the setting of ye olde victorian London and Minnie is a strong character who has set herself up as a writer in the Music Hall after being a performer once herself. The duo of Minnie and Albert worked well, and I’d be happy to follow them both through more investigative adventures. I had kinda guessed the reveal towards the end, but the book does set itself up for some interesting sequels. If you like plucky young female investigators foiling murderous plots, exclusive gentlemen’s clubs with suspicious undertones, all with a lite Sherlockian twist and secret Stanhope necklaces – then this one may be for you! The quotes on the cover call the novel ‘racy’ and ‘darkly depraved’ – which it isn’t, so it’s suitable for readers that shy away from spice with their murders.
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Series or Standalone? :
This is Book One in the ‘DS Walker‘ series.
"Outback" Book Blurb:
DS Lucas Walker is on leave in his hometown, Caloodie, taking care of his dying grandmother. When two young German backpackers, Berndt and Rita, vanish from the area, he finds himself unofficially on the case. But why all the interest from the Federal Police when they have probably just ditched the heat and dust of the outback for the coast? Working in the organised crime unit has opened Walker’s eyes to the growing drug trade in Australia’s remote interior – and he becomes convinced there is more at play. As the number of days since the couple’s disappearance climbs, Walker is joined by Rita’s older sister. A detective herself with Berlin CID, she has flown to Australia – desperate to find her sister. Their search becomes ever more urgent as temperatures soar. Even if Walker does find the young couple, will it be too late?
What did we think?: 4 Stars
I’ve been getting a kick out of Aussie outback thrillers lately, and this is a new series I’ll be sure to follow on with. Set in remote northern Queensland, the landscape is a character in itself. Our local detective Walker (who seems to live off Cherry Ripes) is paired well with Barbara, the detective from Berlin and sister to one of the missing tourists – and together they attempt to unravel the disappearance before it’s too late. The family thread through the novel was effective, and the small town characters were well drawn. I gasped at some places towards the end, and was on the edge of my seat for the finale. Recommended for lovers of Aussie crime in a small town setting.
“Somewhere in between they disappeared. Two youngsters, foreigners in an old car who don’t understand the heat, the emptiness and the dangers of this part of the world, have vanished on a quiet road on the way to an even quieter town.” (p27)
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Series or Standalone? :
This is a standalone novel.
"The Mash House" Book Blurb:
Cullrothes, in the Scottish Highlands, where Innes hides a terrible secret from his girlfriend Alice, a gorgeous, cheating, lying schoolteacher. In the same village, Donald is the aggressive distillery owner, who floods the country with narcotics alongside his single malt; when his son goes missing, he becomes haunted by an anonymous American investor intent on purchasing the Cullrothes Distillery by any means necessary. Schoolgirl Jessie is trying to get the grades to escape to the mainland, while Grandpa counts the days left in his life. This is a place where mountains are immense and the loch freezes in winter. A place with only one road in and out. With long storms and furious midges and a terrible phone signal. The police are compromised, the journalists are scum, and the innocent folk of Cullrothes tangle themselves in a fermenting barrel of suspicion, malice and lies.
What did we think?: DNF
Despite the absence of quotes around the dialogue (which always irritates me and just feels pretentious) and the casual instances of animal cruelty and violence – ultimately I didn’t jive with this one as it doesn’t have a strong plot. We follow multiple characters as they do questionable things to each other in this small Scottish town, and if you’re a fan of more of a ‘slice of life’ drama, this may appeal to you. Without a strong thread to keep me invested, and a cast of unlikeable characters, there wasn’t much to keep me turning the pages. Shortlisted for the Daggers, and with a solid rating on Goodreads – this might still find a home in your shelves if you like small-town, character-driven novels with sinister undertones.
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