Steel Dagger Award

Ian Fleming Publications Ltd sponsors the Crime Writers' Association Ian Fleming Steel Dagger; an annual award for the best thriller published in the UK. The winning author is awarded £2000 and also receives a unique 'steel dagger', which is handcrafted and inspired by the weapon used by Special Forces during World War II.

Steve Hamilton Wins the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award 2011

On the evening of Friday 7 October, Steve Hamilton scooped the Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award for Best Thriller of 2011 with his undeniably gripping novel, The Lock Artist. Published in paperback this year, The Lock Artist has already garnered acclaim through word of mouth recommendations and online discussions and now, Ian Fleming Publications in association with the Crime Writer's Association, are delighted to award Steve Hamilton with our much coveted annual prize.

Without giving too much away, the judges were impressed with an intriguing sympathetic central character plunged into a terrifying life of crime and a narrative that proved gripping from start to finish. 

The judges commented: "Hamilton has real narrative flair, keeping two time schemes going and producing plenty of twists...".

This really is a story to be discovered for oneself. If you're a thriller fan looking for a new book to sink your teeth into, or if you're new to the genre and after an excellent example of a literary thriller, you need look no further than Steve Hamilton's The Lock Artist.

Published by Orion Books, 2010.

2011 CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award

Chaired by Corinne Turner, Managing Director of Ian Fleming Publications, the judging panel is made up of a plethora of talented and experienced individuals in the field of narrative fiction:

Sarah Fairbairn - Editorial Manager of Ian Fleming Publications

Robert Laycock - Film Maker

David Headley - Bookseller / Literary Agent

Natasha Cooper - Author, Critic and Broadcaster

Philip Gooden - Author   

For further information about the Crime Writers' Association and the Dagger awards, click here.