Mark Billingham Awarded the 2026 CWA Diamond Dagger \u2013 A Landmark Moment for Crime Fiction! #CWA #DaggerAwards \u2013 CrimeBookJunkie<\/title><br \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"max-image-preview:large\"\/><\/p>\n<link rel=\"dns-prefetch\" href=\"https:\/\/static.addtoany.com\"\/>\n<link rel=\"dns-prefetch\" href=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\"\/>\n<link rel=\"alternate\" type=\"application\/rss+xml\" title=\"CrimeBookJunkie \u00bb Feed\" href=\"https:\/\/crimebookjunkie.co.uk\/feed\/\"\/>\n<link rel=\"alternate\" type=\"application\/rss+xml\" title=\"CrimeBookJunkie \u00bb Comments Feed\" href=\"https:\/\/crimebookjunkie.co.uk\/comments\/feed\/\"\/>\n<link rel=\"stylesheet\" id=\"sfmsb-style-css\" href=\"https:\/\/crimebookjunkie.co.uk\/wp-content\/plugins\/simple-follow-me-social-buttons-widget\/assets\/css\/style.css?ver=3.3.3\" type=\"text\/css\" media=\"all\"\/>\n<link rel=\"stylesheet\" id=\"sfmsb-icons-css\" href=\"https:\/\/crimebookjunkie.co.uk\/wp-content\/plugins\/simple-follow-me-social-buttons-widget\/assets\/css\/icons.css?ver=3.3.3\" type=\"text\/css\" media=\"all\"\/>\n<link rel=\"stylesheet\" id=\"wp-components-css\" href=\"https:\/\/crimebookjunkie.co.uk\/wp-includes\/css\/dist\/components\/style.min.css?ver=6.8.8\" type=\"text\/css\" media=\"all\"\/>\n<link rel=\"stylesheet\" id=\"godaddy-styles-css\" href=\"https:\/\/crimebookjunkie.co.uk\/wp-content\/mu-plugins\/vendor\/wpex\/godaddy-launch\/includes\/Dependencies\/GoDaddy\/Styles\/build\/latest.css?ver=2.0.2\" type=\"text\/css\" media=\"all\"\/>\n<link rel=\"stylesheet\" id=\"genericons-css\" href=\"https:\/\/crimebookjunkie.co.uk\/wp-content\/themes\/catch-box\/genericons\/genericons.css?ver=3.4.1\" type=\"text\/css\" media=\"all\"\/>\n<link rel=\"stylesheet\" id=\"catchbox-style-css\" href=\"https:\/\/crimebookjunkie.co.uk\/wp-content\/themes\/catch-box\/style.css?ver=20260526-120340\" type=\"text\/css\" media=\"all\"\/>\n<link rel=\"stylesheet\" id=\"catchbox-block-style-css\" href=\"https:\/\/crimebookjunkie.co.uk\/wp-content\/themes\/catch-box\/css\/blocks.css?ver=1.0\" type=\"text\/css\" media=\"all\"\/>\n<link rel=\"stylesheet\" id=\"addtoany-css\" href=\"https:\/\/crimebookjunkie.co.uk\/wp-content\/plugins\/add-to-any\/addtoany.min.css?ver=1.16\" type=\"text\/css\" media=\"all\"\/>\n<link rel=\"https:\/\/api.w.org\/\" href=\"https:\/\/crimebookjunkie.co.uk\/wp-json\/\"\/><link rel=\"alternate\" title=\"JSON\" type=\"application\/json\" href=\"https:\/\/crimebookjunkie.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11705\"\/><link rel=\"EditURI\" type=\"application\/rsd+xml\" title=\"RSD\" href=\"https:\/\/crimebookjunkie.co.uk\/xmlrpc.php?rsd\"\/>\n<meta name=\"generator\" content=\"WordPress 6.8.8\"\/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/crimebookjunkie.co.uk\/2026-cwa-diamond-dagger\/\"\/>\n<link rel=\"shortlink\" href=\"https:\/\/crimebookjunkie.co.uk\/?p=11705\"\/>\n<link rel=\"alternate\" title=\"oEmbed (JSON)\" type=\"application\/json+oembed\" href=\"https:\/\/crimebookjunkie.co.uk\/wp-json\/oembed\/1.0\/embed?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcrimebookjunkie.co.uk%2F2026-cwa-diamond-dagger%2F\"\/>\n<link rel=\"alternate\" title=\"oEmbed (XML)\" type=\"text\/xml+oembed\" href=\"https:\/\/crimebookjunkie.co.uk\/wp-json\/oembed\/1.0\/embed?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcrimebookjunkie.co.uk%2F2026-cwa-diamond-dagger%2F&format=xml\"\/>\n<p>\t<meta name=\"twitter:widgets:link-color\" content=\"#000000\"\/><meta name=\"twitter:widgets:border-color\" content=\"#000000\"\/><meta name=\"twitter:partner\" content=\"tfwp\"\/><\/p>\n<p><meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary\"\/><meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"Mark Billingham Awarded the 2026 CWA Diamond Dagger \u2013 A Landmark Moment for Crime Fiction! #CWA #DaggerAwards\"\/><meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@nholten40\"\/><meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"Crime fiction fans, in case you missed the BIG news...The Crime Writers\u2019 Association has revealed that Mark Billingham is the 2026 recipient of the prestigious CWA Diamond Dagger, the highest honour in the crime-writing world\u2026 and honestly, I\u2019m buzzing. For\u2026\"\/><meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/crimebookjunkie.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Copy-of-Copy-of-Copy-of-New-blog-banner-1.jpg\"\/><meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@nholten40\"\/><\/p>\n<p>\t\t<\/head><\/p>\n<p><body class=\"wp-singular post-template-default single single-post postid-11705 single-format-standard custom-background wp-embed-responsive wp-theme-catch-box single-author right-sidebar one-menu header-image-top\" id=\"wp_automatic_ReadabilityBody\"><\/p>\n<div id=\"page\" class=\"hfeed site\">\n<p> <a href=\"#main\" class=\"skip-link screen-reader-text\">Skip to content<\/a><\/p>\n<header id=\"branding\" role=\"banner\">\n<p> \t<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<\/header>\n<p><\/p>\n<div id=\"main\" class=\"clearfix\">\n<div id=\"primary\" class=\"content-area\">\n<div id=\"content\" role=\"main\">\n<article id=\"post-11705\" class=\"post-11705 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-home\">\n\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<h4 data-start=\"388\" data-end=\"644\">Crime fiction fans, in case you missed the BIG news\u2026The Crime Writers\u2019 Association has revealed that <strong data-start=\"484\" data-end=\"503\">Mark Billingham<\/strong> is the 2026 recipient of the prestigious <strong data-start=\"545\" data-end=\"567\">CWA Diamond Dagger<\/strong>, the highest honour in the crime-writing world\u2026 and honestly, I\u2019m <em data-start=\"634\" data-end=\"643\">buzzing<\/em>.<\/h4>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-11707\" src=\"https:\/\/crimebookjunkie.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Mark-Billingham-photo-credit-Steve-Best-300x219.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"219\" srcset=\"https:\/\/crimebookjunkie.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Mark-Billingham-photo-credit-Steve-Best-300x219.jpg 300w, https:\/\/crimebookjunkie.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Mark-Billingham-photo-credit-Steve-Best-1024x746.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/crimebookjunkie.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Mark-Billingham-photo-credit-Steve-Best-768x560.jpg 768w, https:\/\/crimebookjunkie.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Mark-Billingham-photo-credit-Steve-Best-1536x1119.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/crimebookjunkie.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Mark-Billingham-photo-credit-Steve-Best-2048x1492.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\"\/><\/p>\n<h4 data-start=\"646\" data-end=\"898\">For those new to the genre (welcome to the dark side!), the <strong>Diamond Dagger<\/strong> is awarded to authors who have shown <strong data-start=\"758\" data-end=\"782\">sustained excellence<\/strong> and made a <strong data-start=\"794\" data-end=\"822\">significant contribution<\/strong> to crime fiction. And if anyone fits that brief perfectly, it\u2019s Mr Billingham.<\/h4>\n<h4 data-start=\"941\" data-end=\"1301\">It\u2019s absolutely unbelievable to think that <strong data-start=\"965\" data-end=\"1006\">25 years <\/strong>have passed since<strong data-start=\"965\" data-end=\"1006\"> Sleepyhead<\/strong> hit the shelves (and if you haven\u2019t read it yet, THIS IS YOUR SIGN!) introducing us to DI Tom Thorne. That debut kicked off an incredible run of <strong data-start=\"1170\" data-end=\"1190\">18 Thorne novels<\/strong>, a TV adaptation starring David Morrissey, and most recently, What the Night Brings (Billingham\u2019s 25th book!).<\/h4>\n<h4 data-start=\"1303\" data-end=\"1612\"\/>\n<h4 data-start=\"1649\" data-end=\"1887\">Mark Billingham hasn\u2019t slowed down. In 2023, he introduced DS Declan Miller in <strong data-start=\"1723\" data-end=\"1741\">The Last Dance<\/strong>, followed by <strong data-start=\"1755\" data-end=\"1774\">The Wrong Hands<\/strong> in 2024 \u2013 both recommended by me BTW! Book three, <strong data-start=\"1796\" data-end=\"1815\">The Shadow Step<\/strong>, arrives this year and I know many readers (Coughs\u2026it\u2019s me, I\u2019m many readers\u2026) are already counting down.<\/h4>\n<h4 data-start=\"1889\" data-end=\"2047\">He\u2019s also written powerful standalones like <em data-start=\"1933\" data-end=\"1946\">In the Dark<\/em>, <em data-start=\"1948\" data-end=\"1962\">Die of Shame<\/em>, and <em data-start=\"1968\" data-end=\"1981\">Rabbit Hole<\/em>, with <em data-start=\"1988\" data-end=\"2001\">In the Dark<\/em> and <em data-start=\"2006\" data-end=\"2021\">Time of Death<\/em> adapted for BBC1 in 2017.<\/h4>\n<h4 data-start=\"2049\" data-end=\"2081\">So what did Mr Billingham have to say?<\/h4>\n<h4 data-start=\"2082\" data-end=\"2416\">He joked that he hopes his win isn\u2019t \u201can administrative error,\u201d but also shared how honoured he is to join a list of writers who are not only legends in the genre, but many of whom are personal friends. If you\u2019ve ever been around the crime-writing community, you\u2019ll know exactly what he means\u2026 it really is something special.<\/h4>\n<h4 data-start=\"2418\" data-end=\"2454\"\/>\n<h4 data-start=\"2455\" data-end=\"2708\">CWA Chair Nadine Matheson praised Mark for setting the standard in contemporary crime fiction while generously supporting emerging writers. She highlighted his \u201clasting impact on readers and writers alike,\u201d which honestly couldn\u2019t be more spot-on. I was chuffed one year at Bute Noir when I had nervously read the prologue to Dead Inside out loud and he came over and congratulated me.\u00a0 Honestly, I nearly died, but that is the kind of person he is!<\/h4>\n<h4 data-start=\"2710\" data-end=\"2926\">Mark already holds the <strong data-start=\"2739\" data-end=\"2768\">CWA Dagger in the Library<\/strong> (2022), two <strong data-start=\"2781\" data-end=\"2831\">Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year<\/strong> wins, and now \u2014 the crown jewel: the <strong data-start=\"2869\" data-end=\"2891\">CWA Diamond Dagger<\/strong>, sponsored by Karen Baugh Menuhin.<\/h4>\n<h4 data-start=\"3117\" data-end=\"3413\">If you\u2019re a crime fiction nerd like me, you\u2019ll definitely know about <strong data-start=\"3186\" data-end=\"3218\">The Fun Lovin\u2019 Crime Writers<\/strong> \u2014 the crime-writing supergroup featuring Billingham, Val McDermid, Luca Veste, Doug Johnstone, Stuart Neville, and Chris Brookmyre. They\u2019ve rocked Glastonbury twice\u2026 because of course they have.<\/h4>\n<h4 data-start=\"3415\" data-end=\"3439\"\/>\n<h4 data-start=\"3415\" data-end=\"3439\"><em><strong data-start=\"3777\" data-end=\"3796\">Final Thoughts:<\/strong><\/em><br data-start=\"3796\" data-end=\"3799\"\/>Mark Billingham\u2019s influence on crime fiction is undeniable, and seeing him receive the genre\u2019s highest honour feels absolutely right. Whether you came in through DI Tom Thorne, Declan Miller, or his chilling standalones, this news is a moment worth celebrating.<\/h4>\n<h4 data-start=\"4062\" data-end=\"4161\">Huge congratulations to Mark and here\u2019s to many more dark, twisty, unforgettable stories ahead!<\/h4>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n<footer class=\"entry-meta\">\n\t\tThis entry was posted in <a href=\"https:\/\/crimebookjunkie.co.uk\/category\/home\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Home<\/a> by <a href=\"https:\/\/crimebookjunkie.co.uk\/author\/crimebookjunkie40\/\">crimebookjunkie<\/a>. 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\n \n \n \n Mark Billingham Awarded the 2026 CWA Diamond Dagger \u2013 A Landmark Moment for Crime Fiction! #CWA #DaggerAwards \u2013 CrimeBookJunkie<\/title><br \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"max-image-preview:large\"\/><\/p>\n<link rel=\"dns-prefetch\" href=\"https:\/\/static.addtoany.com\"\/>\n<link rel=\"dns-prefetch\" href=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\"\/>\n<link rel=\"alternate\" type=\"application\/rss+xml\" title=\"CrimeBookJunkie \u00bb Feed\" href=\"https:\/\/crimebookjunkie.co.uk\/feed\/\"\/>\n<link rel=\"alternate\" type=\"application\/rss+xml\" title=\"CrimeBookJunkie \u00bb Comments Feed\" href=\"https:\/\/crimebookjunkie.co.uk\/comments\/feed\/\"\/>\n<link rel=\"stylesheet\" id=\"sfmsb-style-css\" href=\"https:\/\/crimebookjunkie.co.uk\/wp-content\/plugins\/simple-follow-me-social-buttons-widget\/assets\/css\/style.css?ver=3.3.3\" type=\"text\/css\" media=\"all\"\/>\n<link rel=\"stylesheet\" id=\"sfmsb-icons-css\" href=\"https:\/\/crimebookjunkie.co.uk\/wp-content\/plugins\/simple-follow-me-social-buttons-widget\/assets\/css\/icons.css?ver=3.3.3\" type=\"text\/css\" media=\"all\"\/>\n<link rel=\"stylesheet\" id=\"wp-components-css\" href=\"https:\/\/crimebookjunkie.co.uk\/wp-includes\/css\/dist\/components\/style.min.css?ver=6.8.8\" type=\"text\/css\" media=\"all\"\/>\n<link rel=\"stylesheet\" id=\"godaddy-styles-css\" href=\"https:\/\/crimebookjunkie.co.uk\/wp-content\/mu-plugins\/vendor\/wpex\/godaddy-launch\/includes\/Dependencies\/GoDaddy\/Styles\/build\/latest.css?ver=2.0.2\" type=\"text\/css\" media=\"all\"\/>\n<link rel=\"stylesheet\" id=\"genericons-css\" href=\"https:\/\/crimebookjunkie.co.uk\/wp-content\/themes\/catch-box\/genericons\/genericons.css?ver=3.4.1\" type=\"text\/css\" media=\"all\"\/>\n<link rel=\"stylesheet\" id=\"catchbox-style-css\" href=\"https:\/\/crimebookjunkie.co.uk\/wp-content\/themes\/catch-box\/style.css?ver=20260526-120340\" type=\"text\/css\" media=\"all\"\/>\n<link rel=\"stylesheet\" id=\"catchbox-block-style-css\" href=\"https:\/\/crimebookjunkie.co.uk\/wp-content\/themes\/catch-box\/css\/blocks.css?ver=1.0\" type=\"text\/css\" media=\"all\"\/>\n<link rel=\"stylesheet\" id=\"addtoany-css\" href=\"https:\/\/crimebookjunkie.co.uk\/wp-content\/plugins\/add-to-any\/addtoany.min.css?ver=1.16\" type=\"text\/css\" media=\"all\"\/>\n<link rel=\"https:\/\/api.w.org\/\" href=\"https:\/\/crimebookjunkie.co.uk\/wp-json\/\"\/><link rel=\"alternate\" title=\"JSON\" type=\"application\/json\" href=\"https:\/\/crimebookjunkie.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11705\"\/><link rel=\"EditURI\" type=\"application\/rsd+xml\" title=\"RSD\" href=\"https:\/\/crimebookjunkie.co.uk\/xmlrpc.php?rsd\"\/>\n<meta name=\"generator\" content=\"WordPress 6.8.8\"\/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/crimebookjunkie.co.uk\/2026-cwa-diamond-dagger\/\"\/>\n<link rel=\"shortlink\" href=\"https:\/\/crimebookjunkie.co.uk\/?p=11705\"\/>\n<link rel=\"alternate\" title=\"oEmbed (JSON)\" type=\"application\/json+oembed\" href=\"https:\/\/crimebookjunkie.co.uk\/wp-json\/oembed\/1.0\/embed?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcrimebookjunkie.co.uk%2F2026-cwa-diamond-dagger%2F\"\/>\n<link rel=\"alternate\" title=\"oEmbed (XML)\" type=\"text\/xml+oembed\" href=\"https:\/\/crimebookjunkie.co.uk\/wp-json\/oembed\/1.0\/embed?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcrimebookjunkie.co.uk%2F2026-cwa-diamond-dagger%2F&format=xml\"\/>\n<p>\t<meta name=\"twitter:widgets:link-color\" content=\"#000000\"\/><meta name=\"twitter:widgets:border-color\" content=\"#000000\"\/><meta name=\"twitter:partner\" content=\"tfwp\"\/><\/p>\n<p><meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary\"\/><meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"Mark Billingham Awarded the 2026 CWA Diamond Dagger \u2013 A Landmark Moment for Crime Fiction! #CWA #DaggerAwards\"\/><meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@nholten40\"\/><meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"Crime fiction fans, in case you missed the BIG news...The Crime Writers\u2019 Association has revealed that Mark Billingham is the 2026 recipient of the prestigious CWA Diamond Dagger, the highest honour in the crime-writing world\u2026 and honestly, I\u2019m buzzing. For\u2026\"\/><meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/crimebookjunkie.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Copy-of-Copy-of-Copy-of-New-blog-banner-1.jpg\"\/><meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@nholten40\"\/><\/p>\n<p>\t\t<\/head><\/p>\n<p><body class=\"wp-singular post-template-default single single-post postid-11705 single-format-standard custom-background wp-embed-responsive wp-theme-catch-box single-author right-sidebar one-menu header-image-top\" id=\"wp_automatic_ReadabilityBody\"><\/p>\n<div id=\"page\" class=\"hfeed site\">\n<p> <a href=\"#main\" class=\"skip-link screen-reader-text\">Skip to content<\/a><\/p>\n<header id=\"branding\" role=\"banner\">\n<p> \t<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<\/header>\n<p><\/p>\n<div id=\"main\" class=\"clearfix\">\n<div id=\"primary\" class=\"content-area\">\n<div id=\"content\" role=\"main\">\n<article id=\"post-11705\" class=\"post-11705 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-home\">\n\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<h4 data-start=\"388\" data-end=\"644\">Crime fiction fans, in case you missed the BIG news\u2026The Crime Writers\u2019 Association has revealed that <strong data-start=\"484\" data-end=\"503\">Mark Billingham<\/strong> is the 2026 recipient of the prestigious <strong data-start=\"545\" data-end=\"567\">CWA Diamond Dagger<\/strong>, the highest honour in the crime-writing world\u2026 and honestly, I\u2019m <em data-start=\"634\" data-end=\"643\">buzzing<\/em>.<\/h4>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-11707\" src=\"https:\/\/crimebookjunkie.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Mark-Billingham-photo-credit-Steve-Best-300x219.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"219\" srcset=\"https:\/\/crimebookjunkie.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Mark-Billingham-photo-credit-Steve-Best-300x219.jpg 300w, https:\/\/crimebookjunkie.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Mark-Billingham-photo-credit-Steve-Best-1024x746.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/crimebookjunkie.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Mark-Billingham-photo-credit-Steve-Best-768x560.jpg 768w, https:\/\/crimebookjunkie.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Mark-Billingham-photo-credit-Steve-Best-1536x1119.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/crimebookjunkie.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Mark-Billingham-photo-credit-Steve-Best-2048x1492.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\"\/><\/p>\n<h4 data-start=\"646\" data-end=\"898\">For those new to the genre (welcome to the dark side!), the <strong>Diamond Dagger<\/strong> is awarded to authors who have shown <strong data-start=\"758\" data-end=\"782\">sustained excellence<\/strong> and made a <strong data-start=\"794\" data-end=\"822\">significant contribution<\/strong> to crime fiction. And if anyone fits that brief perfectly, it\u2019s Mr Billingham.<\/h4>\n<h4 data-start=\"941\" data-end=\"1301\">It\u2019s absolutely unbelievable to think that <strong data-start=\"965\" data-end=\"1006\">25 years <\/strong>have passed since<strong data-start=\"965\" data-end=\"1006\"> Sleepyhead<\/strong> hit the shelves (and if you haven\u2019t read it yet, THIS IS YOUR SIGN!) introducing us to DI Tom Thorne. That debut kicked off an incredible run of <strong data-start=\"1170\" data-end=\"1190\">18 Thorne novels<\/strong>, a TV adaptation starring David Morrissey, and most recently, What the Night Brings (Billingham\u2019s 25th book!).<\/h4>\n<h4 data-start=\"1303\" data-end=\"1612\"\/>\n<h4 data-start=\"1649\" data-end=\"1887\">Mark Billingham hasn\u2019t slowed down. In 2023, he introduced DS Declan Miller in <strong data-start=\"1723\" data-end=\"1741\">The Last Dance<\/strong>, followed by <strong data-start=\"1755\" data-end=\"1774\">The Wrong Hands<\/strong> in 2024 \u2013 both recommended by me BTW! Book three, <strong data-start=\"1796\" data-end=\"1815\">The Shadow Step<\/strong>, arrives this year and I know many readers (Coughs\u2026it\u2019s me, I\u2019m many readers\u2026) are already counting down.<\/h4>\n<h4 data-start=\"1889\" data-end=\"2047\">He\u2019s also written powerful standalones like <em data-start=\"1933\" data-end=\"1946\">In the Dark<\/em>, <em data-start=\"1948\" data-end=\"1962\">Die of Shame<\/em>, and <em data-start=\"1968\" data-end=\"1981\">Rabbit Hole<\/em>, with <em data-start=\"1988\" data-end=\"2001\">In the Dark<\/em> and <em data-start=\"2006\" data-end=\"2021\">Time of Death<\/em> adapted for BBC1 in 2017.<\/h4>\n<h4 data-start=\"2049\" data-end=\"2081\">So what did Mr Billingham have to say?<\/h4>\n<h4 data-start=\"2082\" data-end=\"2416\">He joked that he hopes his win isn\u2019t \u201can administrative error,\u201d but also shared how honoured he is to join a list of writers who are not only legends in the genre, but many of whom are personal friends. If you\u2019ve ever been around the crime-writing community, you\u2019ll know exactly what he means\u2026 it really is something special.<\/h4>\n<h4 data-start=\"2418\" data-end=\"2454\"\/>\n<h4 data-start=\"2455\" data-end=\"2708\">CWA Chair Nadine Matheson praised Mark for setting the standard in contemporary crime fiction while generously supporting emerging writers. She highlighted his \u201clasting impact on readers and writers alike,\u201d which honestly couldn\u2019t be more spot-on. I was chuffed one year at Bute Noir when I had nervously read the prologue to Dead Inside out loud and he came over and congratulated me.\u00a0 Honestly, I nearly died, but that is the kind of person he is!<\/h4>\n<h4 data-start=\"2710\" data-end=\"2926\">Mark already holds the <strong data-start=\"2739\" data-end=\"2768\">CWA Dagger in the Library<\/strong> (2022), two <strong data-start=\"2781\" data-end=\"2831\">Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year<\/strong> wins, and now \u2014 the crown jewel: the <strong data-start=\"2869\" data-end=\"2891\">CWA Diamond Dagger<\/strong>, sponsored by Karen Baugh Menuhin.<\/h4>\n<h4 data-start=\"3117\" data-end=\"3413\">If you\u2019re a crime fiction nerd like me, you\u2019ll definitely know about <strong data-start=\"3186\" data-end=\"3218\">The Fun Lovin\u2019 Crime Writers<\/strong> \u2014 the crime-writing supergroup featuring Billingham, Val McDermid, Luca Veste, Doug Johnstone, Stuart Neville, and Chris Brookmyre. They\u2019ve rocked Glastonbury twice\u2026 because of course they have.<\/h4>\n<h4 data-start=\"3415\" data-end=\"3439\"\/>\n<h4 data-start=\"3415\" data-end=\"3439\"><em><strong data-start=\"3777\" data-end=\"3796\">Final Thoughts:<\/strong><\/em><br data-start=\"3796\" data-end=\"3799\"\/>Mark Billingham\u2019s influence on crime fiction is undeniable, and seeing him receive the genre\u2019s highest honour feels absolutely right. Whether you came in through DI Tom Thorne, Declan Miller, or his chilling standalones, this news is a moment worth celebrating.<\/h4>\n<h4 data-start=\"4062\" data-end=\"4161\">Huge congratulations to Mark and here\u2019s to many more dark, twisty, unforgettable stories ahead!<\/h4>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n<footer class=\"entry-meta\">\n\t\tThis entry was posted in <a href=\"https:\/\/crimebookjunkie.co.uk\/category\/home\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Home<\/a> by <a href=\"https:\/\/crimebookjunkie.co.uk\/author\/crimebookjunkie40\/\">crimebookjunkie<\/a>. 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