Daggers Drawn

by Ian Rankin, Jefferey Deaver, John Connolly

Edgy, twisted and disturbing, the first Crime Writers’ Association Daggers Award retrospective anthology featuring 19 visceral and thrilling stories.

Featuring bestselling authors Ian Rankin, Jeffery Deaver, John Connolly, Denise Mina, John Harvey and more.

NINETEEN CWA DAGGER AWARD-WINNING SHORT STORIES FROM THE BEST OF THE BEST IN CRIME FICTION

The first retrospective of the CWA’s Dagger Award winners, brings together some of the greatest names in crime fiction to deliver a cutthroat collection of serial killers, grizzled detectives, drug dealers and master forgers.

Observe as a Senior Curator at the Tate Gallery constructs the perfect crime in Ian Rankin’s “Herbert in Motion”. Watch an unlikely romance sour into a deadly obsession in Stella Duffy’s “Martha Grace”. Face parents who discover their child has committed the unthinkable in Denise Mina’s “Nemo Me Impune Lacessit”. And in Jeffery Deaver’s “The Weekender” an intense hostage situation hits its peak in the most unlikely conclusion.

Keep your secrets close, and your daggers drawn.

Peter O' Donnell (writing as Madeleine Brent), Julian Rathbone, Larry Beinhart, Ian Rankin, Jerry Sykes, Stella Duffy, Jeffery Deaver, Peter Lovesey, Cath Staincliffe, Margaret Murphy, John Harvey, Richard Lange, L. C. Tyler, Denise Mina, Danutah Reah and Lauren Henderson.

Genres: Short Stories, Crime, Mystery, Anthologies, Fiction

384 pages, Hardcover

First published September 21, 2021

About the author

AKA Jack Harvey.

Born in the Kingdom of Fife in 1960, Ian Rankin graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 1982 and then spent three years writing novels when he was supposed to be working towards a PhD in Scottish Literature. His first Rebus novel was published in 1987; the Rebus books are now translated into 22 languages and are bestsellers on several continents.

Ian Rankin has been elected a Hawthornden Fellow. He is also a past winner of the Chandler-Fulbright Award, and he received two Dagger Awards for the year's best short story and the Gold Dagger for Fiction. Ian Rankin is also the recipient of honorary degrees from the universities of Abertay, St Andrews, and Edinburgh.

A contributor to BBC2's Newsnight Review, he also presented his own TV series, Ian Rankin's Evil Thoughts, on Channel 4 in 2002. He recently received the OBE for services to literature, and opted to receive the prize in his home city of Edinburgh, where he lives with his partner and two sons.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/ianrankin

Reviews

[Paromjit · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Crime Writers Association created its annual awards, The Daggers, the well known prestigious set of crime writing awards, that include the short story dagger. The CWA chair, Maxim Jakubowski, has compiled a superb collection of outstanding crime stories to illustrate to readers the art of mystery short story writing at its best. None of the stories are recent, yet all had passed me by, I had read none of them, so I really appreciated this opportunity to read them. As any crime and mystery afficionado will know, these authors are a talented group of writers, ensuring that you are in for a real treat. There are 19 short stories in this anthology:

Swiftwing 98 by Peter O'Donnell
Some Sunny Day by Julian Rathbone
Funny Story by Larry Beinhart
Herbert in Motion by Ian Rankin
Roots by Jerry Sykes
Martha Grace by Stella Duffy
The Weekender by Jeffery Deaver
Needle Match by Peter Lovesey
The Bookbinder's Apprentice by Martin Edwards
Homework by Phil Lovesey
Laptop by Cath Staincliffe
Fedora by John Harvey
Apocrypha by Richard Lange
On the Anatomisation of an Unknown Man (1637) by Frans Mier by John Connolly
The Trials of Margaret by L.C. Tyler
Nemo Me Impune Lacessit by Denise Mina
The Dummies' Guide to Serial Killing by Danuta Reah
#Me Too by Lauren Henderson

It has to be said that some of the stories veer into horror territory, such as Edwards offering, Mina writes of the worst nightmare that can befall a family, and a murderer on trial misreads a jury. A woman that boosts a laptop from a man she refers to as The Wolf at Manchester Airport, is to live to regret her actions, and a NYC male predator in the film industry, in the Harvey Weinstein mould, gets more than he bargained for. An art expert from the Tate Gallery dreads a party at Downing Street, a grandfather relates a heartbreaking 'funny' story to his young grandson from his life as a gifted thief and we get a glimpse into a ex-con security guard's job at a jewellery store. Two schoolchildren find themselves serving as ball boys at Wimbledon, at a tennis match where it appears a murder has taken place and a student takes revenge on a teacher as we discover from her homework.

I found it extremely difficult to pick favourites from this wonderful collection, but I did love Martha Grace, a woman ostracised from the community as a 'witch' and 'dyke', I enjoyed the black humour in Danuta Reah's story of the making of a serial killer and the twist in Deaver's The Weekender is absolutely terrific. I cannot recommend this highly enough, particularly to those who love the crime and mystery genre, and even to those readers who tend to shy away from short stories! Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

[Carolyn Walsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars.
This is a superior compilation of short stories involving crime. Their excellence has been recognized and awarded by the CWA Daggers Award for short story writing. 19 prize-winning stories are featured here with hints that another collection of Dagger-winning short stories could be forthcoming. This retrospective compilation is a must for those who enjoy thrilling crime stories. All are well-written with shocking and clever twists, and readers will find many favorites.

Among the stories I found most compelling were: The Weekender by Jeffery Deaver about a bank robbery and hostage-taking gone horribly wrong. A real shocker.
Bookbinder's Apprentice by Martin Edwards. Two elderly men obsessed with rare books befriend a young couple in Venice for nefarious purposes.
Funny Story by Larry Beinhart. A grandfather relates a story to his 6-year-old grandson about his criminal past, much to the discomfort of the boy's parents.
Nemo Me Impune Lacessit by Denise Mina. Parents take their children, including a dangerous, uncontrollable eleven-year-old son on an outing to a Scottish castle.
On the Anatomization of an Unknown Man by John Connolly. How a macabre, but famous work of art came to exist.
Herbert in Motion by Ian Rankin. A twisty story of art forgery at the Tate museum.
Needle Match by Peter Lovesey. An unsolved murder during the Wimbledon tennis matches.
Recommended for fans of short stories involving the criminal and sinister. They are sure to find exciting and thrilling stories for their reading pleasure.

[Ceecee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here we have a collection of nineteen short stories that have won the CWA Short Story Dagger over the 38 years since its inception. It’s pretty obvious therefore, that as winners they’re all going to be good and they are! It’s an eclectic mixture such as a spy mystery, several examples of the consequences of supping with the devil, what loyalty and love really mean, we have a conspiracy or three and some that are about guilt, atonement and revenge. A few have a sprinkling of humour albeit towards the black side of the colour spectrum, some are very dark such as The Book Binders Apprentice by Martin Edwards which is a real gut puncher. Some prove the old adage of the female of the species being a tad deadlier than the male. What they all have in common is how well they are all well written, the twists are clever, some more so than others and they all prove to me once again, just how much it’s possible to achieve in storytelling with well constructed, sharp and punchy short stories.

Although I enjoy them all my favourites include Nemo Me Impune Lacessit by the wonderful Denise Mina which tells the story of eleven year old Jake. He demonstrates to his mother and father that as per the inscription above the portcullis at Edinburgh Castle that you do indeed ‘Cross Me and Suffer’. It’s a terrifically dark, shocking jaw dropper which is incredibly sad too. I really enjoy Danuta Reay’s The Dummies Guide to Serial Killing, so who’s the dummy now??!! Herbert in Motion by Ian Rankin is a very clever art based story with an excellent twist which makes me smile! Stella Duffy’s Martha Grace, who is a fine figure of a woman, is a story of humiliation and sweet sweet revenge. Finally, tennis anyone? Needle Match by Peter Lovesay is an intriguing story centred on Wimbledon with a couple of misdirections and a very surprising end.

Overall, they’re all good, well written and so worth reading especially if you like crime based short stories. There’s a bit of something for everyone here!

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Titan Book for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

[Shannon M (Canada) · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I enjoyed the second book in this short story anthology series a few weeks ago, I decided to borrow the first one from my library, DAGGER’S DRAWN. Again it was a group of 19 stories that had previously won the CWA Short Story Dagger. Again I read it over a period of several days, savouring two or three stories each day. The jar from one writing style to another makes short story collections by a group of different authors difficult to deal within a one- or two-day reading period.

I didn’t enjoy this collection quite as much as I did the second (“Ink and Daggers”) but there were enough good stories in this collection to give the book the same four-star rating. Again I noticed that the “twist” is an important component of whether or not I will like a short story, but that twist must also give me a feeling of satisfaction. As well, I found that although the author has a very short time in which to establish meaningful characters, those characters must ring true to me or I don’t like the story. Consequently, the best stories, in my opinion, were those in which a reader’s understanding of a character unfolds as the story progresses, such as the young girl in “Homework” and the ex-con in “Apocrypha”.

The stories and my ratings:

Swiftwing 98 by Peter O’Donnell. A Sherlock Holmes pastiche that is quite good because it is humorous. And yes, it does have a surprise ending. 4*

Some Sunny Day by Julian Rathbone. Another Sherlock Holmes pastiche wherein Holmes and Watson are females. This one was overwritten and almost incomprehensible. Also, it didn’t have a surprise ending. 1*

Funny Story by Larry Beinhart. A grandfather tells his grandson a story about when he was a young thief in Germany. But he was also a Jew during the time of the Nazis, and there is an underlying sadness to his story. Finally, the twist, unexpected and yet, when you think about it, was obvious throughout the entire narrative. 5*

Herbert in Motion by Ian Rankin. A story of a theft, very different in style from Rankin’s Rebus novels. A bit of sarcasm, I thought, with regards to the rarified world of abstract art collections. An unexpected twist that I loved. But the story continues after the twist when it should have stopped immediately after it occurred. Only four stars because of the unneeded details that were added after the twist. 4*

Roots by Jerry Sykes. A difficult story to summarize without adding a spoiler. A man returns to the scene of childhood misdeed that has haunted him since he was a teen. It takes two twists at the end. 4*

Martha Grace by Stella Duffy. Passionate sex between an unattractive older woman and good-looking, virile teenaged boy leads to an expected end. No surprises at all. 2*

The Weekender by Jeffery Deaver. A drugstore robbery gone bad, three murders, a hostage taken. And that is just the prelude, a precise description in a few words. Then it comes down to a dialogue between the hostage (a salesman) and the robber/killer. Very well done, with a good twist at the end. Deaver shows how he is a master at keeping the suspense going in a short story. 5*

Needle Match by Peter Lovesey. This story made a tennis match exciting—and normally I hate reading about a sports game of any type. It definitely does have a twist near the end. The only problem I had with it was motive; the murderer’s motive didn’t ring true to me. Still, it was very well written, and exciting. 4*

The Bookbinder’s Apprentice by Martin Edwards. This one tried for a twist but the ending was telegraphed early in the story. Plus I didn’t find any of the characters appealing. 2*

Homework by Phil Lovesey. A pastiche using Hamlet as its source. A young girl sets out to get revenge on those who arranged for her dad to take the fall for a robbery. There isn’t just one single twist at the end but rather a series of progressive twists as the story unfolds. 5*

Laptop by Cath Staincliffe. A woman who steals laptops for a living, steals one from a man she slowly realizes is a serial murderer after she reads his notes. She hesitates to report it because she’s a thief. Then a final twist. Okay story but I couldn’t relate to the character, and didn’t like the ending. 3*

The Message by Margaret Murphy. A young boy steals a package from a car, and his sister, a devout Catholic, finds it. A Northern Irish bomber with a mission. I liked the interactions between the boy and his sister. The twist wasn’t unexpected, but still was well done. 4.5*

Fedora by John Harvey. I expected a short detective tale and didn’t get it. Instead a commentary on the #MeToo crusade. More of a slice of life incident than gripping short story. 2*

Apocrypha by Richard Lange. A description of a loser—an ex-con, living in a slum amongst drugged up thieves, with dreams of living better in Mexico. He has come to realize that he has been acting stupidly most of his life. He acts smartly for once, and manages to survive to live another day. 5*

On the Anatomization of an Unknown Man (1637) by Frans Mier by John Connelly. Supposed to be an attempt to solve a (possible) murder in the district past, but really doesn’t make much sense. 1*

The Trials of Margaret by L. C. Tyler. Humorous. Margaret murdered her husband after a quarrel. We don’t know what the quarrel was about. During the trial, she appears to have the sympathy of the majority of the jurors (9 women and 3 men). One even texts her, appearing to provide emotional support. The ending is a surprise for the reader. 3*

Nemo Me Impune Lacessit by Denise Mina. A very disturbing read that is not believable. Jake, a vicious 11-year-old is still allowed to live with his family, even though his behaviour shows that he is pathologically disturbed. The mother’s reactions to her son’s obviously extremely disturbed behaviour make no sense. Scary but not plausible. 3*

The Dummies’ Guide to Serial Killing by Danuta Reah. A comedy about a rather dumb, want-to-be serial killer, with a great twist at the end. 5*

#MeToo by Lauren Henderson. A good revenge story in the spirit of the #MeToo movement. No unexpected twist, but an excellent rendition. 4*

I borrowed this book from the Greater Victoria Public Library.

[8stitches 9lives · Rating 5 out of 5]

Daggers Drawn is the first retrospective deep dive into the prestigious Crime Writers’ Association’s (CWA) archive of Short Story Dagger Award winners from its inception in 1938 right through to present day, bringing many of the stories back into print and collecting together incredible modern crime authors such as Ian Rankin, Jeffery Deaver and John Connolly to deliver a cutthroat collection of serial killers, grizzled detectives, drug dealers and master forgers. Maxim Jakubowski is a leading and well-respected figure in British crime fiction, chair of the CWA and a celebrated multi-award-winning editor with over 70 anthology volumes to his credit. We all know short story collections have the tendency to be hit and miss, but I can honestly profess that I haven't got a bad word to say about this scintillating and wide-ranging collection that encompasses the mystery, thriller, suspense and horror genres magnificently. The nineteen stories featured are as follows:

Swiftwing 98 by Peter O'Donnell
Some Sunny Day by Julian Rathbone
Funny Story by Larry Beinhart
Herbert in Motion by Ian Rankin
Roots by Jerry Sykes
Martha Grace by Stella Duffy
The Weekender by Jeffery Deaver
Needle Match by Peter Lovesey
The Bookbinder's Apprentice by Martin Edwards
Homework by Phil Lovesey
Laptop by Cath Staincliffe
Fedora by John Harvey
Apocrypha by Richard Lange
On the Anatomisation of an Unknown Man (1637) by Frans Mier by John Connolly
The Trials of Margaret by L.C. Tyler
Nemo Me Impune Lacessit by Denise Mina
The Dummies' Guide to Serial Killing by Danuta Reah
#Me Too by Lauren Henderson

Observe as a Senior Curator at the Tate Gallery constructs the perfect crime in Ian Rankin’s “Herbert in Motion”. Watch an unlikely romance sour into a deadly obsession in Stella Duffy’s “Martha Grace”. Face parents who discover their child has committed the unthinkable in Denise Mina’s “Nemo Me Impune Lacessit”. And in Jeffery Deaver’s “The Weekender” an intense hostage situation hits its peak in the most unlikely conclusion.

This is a top-notch anthology from some of the greats of the genre in which you can sink in and totally immerse yourself in the writing or pick and choose at your leisure. There is something for everyone to enjoy here, and it is undoubtedly a must-have collection for any crime fiction connoisseur or short story fiend. An unmissable read of incredible quality with a selection of ingenious and devious tales that will keep you glued to the pages. Highly recommended.

[Bandit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Crime Writers Association (proving that crime does pay, at least so long as you get published) since 1953 is an esteemed organization. And genre establishment, really. And as such they have their own awards, The Daggers, given to the best of the best in crime fiction. This is an anthology of those Dagger deserving tales and it is absolutely excellent.
This collection is arranged chronologically, and, to be fair, it starts off kind of unimpressively with two gimmicky Sherlock pastiches, but then it pivots dramatically and from the terrific third story on…it’s pure magic.
I never seem to remember the story titles, so I figured I’ll try to memorize the numbers of the stories, 3, 5, etc. but soon I realized there’s no need to do that, there are simply too many good ones in here. The quality is so uniformly great that this collection can be reviewed as a single body of work.
There are some widely recognizable names in here, but the majority are authors I’ve never heard off and because the anthology (at least the Netgalley provided ARC) doesn’t come with author’s bios, I’m still in the dark as to who they are. But then again, the dark isn’t such a terrible place to be when reading crime fiction, in fact it’s perfectly appropriate and editor recommended. Suffice it to say in this instance the name recognition mattered not at all, the unfamiliar names provided stories every ounce as good if not more so than the well known ones.
Right now, the market is all about mystery thrillers, they are everywhere, often sacrificing originality at the altar of commercial success, so it’s easy to just think of the entire genre as those formulaic works and yet crime fiction is so much more inclusive. It can be simply fine works of dramatic literary fiction, just so long as they feature crime is some way, shape or form. This collection reminds you of that so nicely, by offering such a terrific variety, by offering such terrific writing. Because those ubiquitous mystery thrillers sometimes don’t take the time to actually craft the narrative, so long as they ply the formula. You take away the formula and sky’s the limit and this anthology takes it to the clouds. Such great stories, such interesting, original, compelling, fascinating, psychological tales of lives marred, altered and sometimes enhanced by crimes.
Whether crime is a lucrative proposition or not may be up for debate, but it certainly pays to check this terrific crime fiction collection out. This…this is how it’s done. Reader beware, the daggers are drawn, business ends out. An absolute must read for all crime fiction fans. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.


This and more at https://advancetheplot.weebly.com/

[Tonia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fabulous collection of 19 short stories by famous crime writers. I found it best to read 2 or 3 and then switch to a novel. There was only one story I thought was dull and 3 that were so dark they were a bit disturbing. The rest were great.

[Bridget · Rating 5 out of 5]

Daggers Drawn is a leap into the Crime Writers’ Association’s (CWA) archive of Short Story Dagger Award winners from its beginnings in 1938 through to the present day. It brings the reader a collection of works from incredible modern crime authors such as Ian Rankin, Jeffery Deaver and John Connolly. Short story collections can be a little hit and miss, but this is a greatly compelling and scintillating collection. The nineteen stories featured are:

Swiftwing 98 by Peter O'Donnell
Some Sunny Day by Julian Rathbone
Funny Story by Larry Beinhart
Herbert in Motion by Ian Rankin
Roots by Jerry Sykes
Martha Grace by Stella Duffy
The Weekender by Jeffery Deaver
Needle Match by Peter Lovesey
The Bookbinder's Apprentice by Martin Edwards
Homework by Phil Lovesey
Laptop by Cath Staincliffe
The Message by Margaret Murphy
Fedora by John Harvey
Apocrypha by Richard Lange
On the Anatomization of an Unknown Man (1637) by Frans Mier by John Connolly
The Trials of Margaret by L.C. Tyler
Nemo Me Impune Lacessit by Denise Mina
The Dummies' Guide to Serial Killing by Danuta Reah
#MeToo by Lauren Henderson

My favourite in the collection is Jeffery Deaver's The Weekender. A top-notch collection, every crime fiction connoisseur or short story fan will find Daggers Drawn pure delight. Unmissable.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my own request from Titan Books via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slightly mixed bag of short stories. Some very unsettling and some hmm did I like it or not ones 🤔.

[Runalong · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun collection of award winning from stories informative over how the genre changed over nearly forty years

Full review - https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/bl...

[M. K. French · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Crime Writers Association hosts its Daggers Awards, awarding the best crime short stories. In this collection of nineteen award-winning stories, we meet drug dealers, forgers, detectives, and the hapless people caught up in traps they couldn’t imagine.

We open with “Swiftwing 98,” where Inspector Lestrade is using a prediction program to prevent crime with his new Detective Sergeant; this isn’t the Lestrade from Holmes stories but his descendant, and there is a longstanding enmity that takes a decidedly deadly turn. Holmes figures again in another story, but I was more drawn to the stories that were original and didn’t rely on knowing the Holmes canon.

Jeffery Deaver’s “The Weekender” hit just right, with twists until the very last page of the story that you don’t see coming.

I really enjoyed “The Bookbinder’s Apprentice,” which doesn’t seem like much of a crime story until you reach the very end of it.

“Homework” was another twisting tale, with a student’s assignment outlining everything in a meandering tone until it all comes together at the very end.

Denise Mina’s “Nemo Me Impune Lacessit” will draw chills to any parent that has a child that is out of control despite all their best intentions and all the help they can get.

The final story, Lauren Henderson’s “#MeToo” is also chilling in a different way; the casting couch and the way that women are treated in major industries is appalling, and here it’s twisted and used to deliberate effect.

While these are short stories, that doesn’t mean that this book is a quick read. I found myself going back in each story, looking for the details that serve as clues that I missed. Sometimes there are none, it’s the menacing air before the proverbial shoe drops. Sometimes it’s figuring out the motivation behind the crime. We don’t always get one, but that doesn’t mean I won’t sit there for a while trying to figure out what happened. They’re chilling and crafty, and full of devious characters. Not all of the victims are innocent, and the effects of each story will linger long after you close the volume.

[Jessica Lerbs · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'd read at least one of the short stories before. And I had thought they were going to be mysteries, but instead they were "crime" so they were pretty much all just horrible people doing horrible things, yuck.

[Doreen · Rating 3 out of 5]

11/1/2021 Full review tk at TheFrumiousConsortium.net.

11/2/2021 I really struggled with this short story collection, which is unusual given that its publisher tends to be astonishingly good at anthologies. I wonder if some small part of that was due to how my brains have been practically leaking out my ears as I worked to hit several deadlines this past week (including the publication of my own brand new role-playing game system, Equinox.) Like, I had to sit down and re-read the introduction twice to see if I could properly grok the point of this book, which is apparently to collect in one volume the winners of the Crime Writers' Association's Short Story Dagger since the award was first handed out in 1983. Twenty of those stories have been included in this book, cut down from thirty-eight, as several of the authors won more than once (and picked out the one they liked best for inclusion here,) and at least one other is not permitting reprints. So this is essentially a really good look at the stories that crime writers have really loved over the past four decades or so.

Trouble is, I found very few of them surprising in much more than how envelope-pushing they were attempting to be. The first story, Swiftwing 98, by Peter O'Donnell writing as Madeleine Brent is clever enough. While I enjoyed the unusual cast of the next entry, Julian Rathbone's Some Sunny Day, I was quite underwhelmed with the mystery itself. Larry Beinhart's Funny Story was a thoughtful tale of crime and genuine evil wrapped in a morally ludicrous, if not outright terrible, framing device. Things started to go rapidly downhill from there on in. I was not a fan of the moralizing in Jerry Sykes' Roots, and I straight up cringed through Stella Duffy's Martha Grace, which reduced its title character to a punch line throughout. John Harvey's Fedora had a similar sort of punching-down feel to it, and I am 100% not surprised to discover that the author of Apocrypha, a tale narrated by a Black man down on his luck, is, as far as I can tell, a white guy. I also found the representation of neurodivergency in Denise Mina's Nemo Me Impune Lacessit incredibly grating, if not borderline offensive.

There were four stories here that I did very much enjoy, however. The Weekender by Jeffery Deaver and The Dummies' Guide To Serial Killing by Danuta Kot actually had twists I did not see coming. Phil Lovesey's Homework features a swotty teenage girl taking a page from Hamlet to exact some necessary vengeance. And the very last story, #Me Too by Lauren Henderson, gets in some of that punching-up that's necessary for any type of entertainment to escape soullessness.

It actually grieves me somewhat to think that any but the last four stories I mentioned were considered the best of the year by a group of what I always assumed to be esteemed, wise crime authors (granted, Swiftwing 98 had slightly different selection criteria, but it is also not a bad story.) Most of the selections that I didn't care for feel reactionary, as if pushing back against liberal ideas of empathy and civility and minority representation. I don't know if the stories were written that way on purpose, or if that was just an unhappy aftereffect of aiming for edginess. More surprising is that these stories were rewarded so handsomely for such an adolescent aim by people who ought to be widely read enough to know better.

That said, as a snapshot of what a certain group of people found prodigious each year round the turn of the 21st century, this is a highly illuminating collection. Alas that it's more intriguing from an anthropological standpoint than an entertainment.

Daggers Drawn edited by Maxim Jakubowski was published September 21 2021 by Titan Books and is available from all good booksellers, including Bookshop.

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another cracking crime compilation from Maxim Jakubowski, this time pulling together 19 award-winning short stories from the Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) Dagger Awards.

The Short Story Dagger award was introduced in 1982 and this collection begins with the winner from two years later, “Swiftwing 98” a beautifully compact story by Peter O’Donnell that feels familiar from the start and ends with a lovely little pay off. It’s a delight.

The rest of the stories don’t disappoint either. Shorts from some of the biggest names in crime-writing with the likes of Ian Rankin, Stella Duffy, Jeffrey Deaver, John Connolly and Denise Mina all featured and each are little gems worth every moment of your time.

It would be unfair to mention stand-outs but there are definitely a few, one of which has to be “Needle Match” by Peter Lovesey, a story of ball boys and a tennis grudge match in the 80s. And “Martha Grace” by Stella Duffy may well leave you open-mouthed at its conclusion.

All worthy winners of the “Daggers” and altogether a criminally good read. Buy it and savour it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (4.5/5 stars)

Thanks to #NetGalley and #TitanBooks for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book reviews on www.snazzybooks.com

Daggers Drawn is a great collection of crime/thriller true stories with enough variety and twists to keep things very interesting! There are stories about thefts gone wrong, a novice trying to 'get into' the art of serial killing, art forgeries and book binders using very creepy materials...

I don't want to give too much away about the stories themselves but I really enjoyed this skilful mix of shorts, all of which have won the prestigious Crime Writer's Association awards including the Short Story Dagger award. Maxim Jakubowski has done a great job of compiling these stories and they flow well from one to the other. They're always surprising and often quite creepy too, with some leaving me feeling particularly unsettled! They all have an element of surprise to them too.

I'd definitely recommend this great collection for anyone who is a crime fiction fan - whether they traditionally read shorts or not, I'd definitely recommend this great collection for anyone who is a crime fiction fan - whether they traditionally read shorts or not, I'm sure they'd enjoy this intriguing array of stories!

[Stephen Bacon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Daggers Drawn, edited by Maxim Jakubowski, features 19 winners of the Crime Writers' Association's Short Story Dagger, an award given annually for the best crime story of that particular year.
I didn't really care much for the first few stories, so I progressed with declining expectations, but quickly the tone changed to suit my tastes and by the end of the book I found there to be far more good stories than bad.
I say that because the first few stories were a bit lighter in tone and whimsical, and as I prefer darker crime or more ambiguous tales, they weren't to my taste. But as is always the case with anthologies like this, the variation is the key, and not everyone will like the same stories.
Favourites were probably Apocrypha by Richard Lange, Roots by Jerry Sykes, Febora and John Harvey, The Weekender by Jeffrey Deaver, Peter Lovesey's Needle Match, The Bookbinder's Apprentice by Martin Edwards and Denise Mina's Nemo Me Impune Lacessit (both these last two are so dark they're practically horror stories). A great selection of crime stories. Recommended.

[Annarella · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an anthology of short stories of CWA’s Dagger Award winners. I already knew some of them, I discovered some new interesting authors.
There’s a story for any type of mystery, some darker and some very funny.
My favorite were Swifting 98 by Peter O’Donnell, Herbert in Motion by Ian Rankin and The Bookbinder’s Apprentice by Martin Edwards.
Swifting 98 starts as a classic whodunnit but the final twist makes it a surreal masterpiece. Herbert in Motion is satire and story set in the world of art, the final twist was unexpected.
The Bookbinder’s Apprentice is story that could be the start of a horror or a thriller, this is one has a surprising final twists too.
You can read the stories one after the other or you can enjoy one and that jump.
It was an engrossing and entertaining read.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to Titan Books and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

[Peggy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a collection of short stories by noted crime writers. I have to confess that I didn't read them all. Some were just strange and hard to follow (at least for me). I read the ones by authors I know - Ian Rankin, Peter Lovesey, Phil Lovesey, and Jeffery Deaver. I read a few by authors with whom I am not familiar. I wish I could say it was enjoyable, but I struggled to find a footing. I noted that Ian Rankin's story was not unlike his novel Open Doors. I didn't think I would like Jeffery Deaver, but must admit it was one of the better stories in the collection. I have read a lot of Peter Lovesey and thought his story was somewhat a departure for him, but the ending was surprising. I have not read Phil Lovesey, his son, but was surprised by enjoying that story as well.

[Gabi Coatsworth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Listening to short stories has some drawbacks. I like to know who I’m listening to, and I couldn’t find a cast list telling me who was reading what anywhere. (Not on Goodreads, Audible, etc). And if you miss the name of the author of a particular story there’s no index - no Look Inside feature on AZ even. The stories themselves varied a lot and not all of them appealed to me. I prefer mystery stories about solving crimes, not so much first-hand accounts by fictional psychopaths. A couple were humorous but I can’t tell you which - there was no way to identify them once they’d gone…

[zoe Hitchen · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent anthology of short stories , which have previously won the CWA dagger . Each one draws you in and leaves you with the little twist at the end. Exactly what you would expect from the calibre of the writers combined in this compilation.
A great collection to sit back and enjoy with a coffee, even if you’ve only a time to read one story it will be one to be savoured!
Highly recommended!

[Miriam Kahn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nineteen prize-winning crime and mystery short stories are read by nine highly experienced voice actors including AudioFile Magazine Golden Voice Narrators John Lee and Stefan Rudnicki.

The stories dating from 1985 to 2020 written by some of the best of the best mystery crime writers of the past 38 years. You won't be disappointed. I'd read them one day at a time.

For a review of the performance, see AudioFile Magazine http://www.audiofilemagazine.com

[Cybercrone · Rating 1 out of 5]

This collection was actually edited by Maxim Jakubowski. I have sworn before never to read anything he had to do with again, but then I saw some well-known and liked authors like Rankin and Connelly had contributed so got sucked in again.
Anything Jakubowski gets his hands on seems to be sort of old-man sexually creepy and I never like them.
This collection did not break the pattern unfortunately. And even discounting the creepy factor, only 2 of the stories were interesting.

[Joana Meireles · Rating 1 out of 5]

I Didnt like a bit of this book. The storys for me dont make any sense, it feels like it doesnt have a begging or a ending, and somehow Sherlock Holmes is always a reference or there.

Personally I didnt like the book or enjoy reading, it also could be the english itself, because normally i dont have any trouble reading the english, but this one was gard to get trough.

[Ciaran McLarnon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A superb collection of short stories from an impressive list of winners of Crime Writers Association awards. This diverse selection of totally different stories, highlights the range of styles and talent writing in this genre. Entertainment guaranteed!!

[Carl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Took me awhile to work through this one. Something I credit to one and two of these stories not being my cup of tea. Really enjoyed Martha Grace, #Metoo and the story by Richard Lange, the name of which escapes me now.

[Nick · Rating 1 out of 5]

Read about 40% of these 19 short stories, enough to convince me again that I do not like short stories, even if written by a good author.
I enjoy a developed story with interesting, well developed characters, and these short stories don't do that!

[Cindy B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Scary, heartening, fun, perverse, and interesting - pick your genre and it’s probably here so long as it’s somewhat scary. Narrators are professionals and it shows. Depending on the tale — rates between 2-1:2 to a heathy 4 ⭐️. Just skip what you don’t want to read.

[Chris-Cuddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A chilling collection of 19 short stories from the crime-fiction finest. My standout being The Weekender by Jeffrey Deaver. A thrilling read.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid short story compilation. Most stories were very good but a few weren’t for me after a few pages. Overall enjoyable.

[K Saju · Rating 3 out of 5]

Collection of stories by mixed crime authors. Definitely worth a read