CWA Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction

Christchurch City Libraries lists literary prize winners and links to catalogue searches, but we may not hold copies of all titles mentioned.

The Crime Writers’ Association Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction award recognises a non-fiction work on a real-life crime theme or a closely-related subject.

The award was established in 1978. For the two years of 1978-1979 the Silver Dagger for Non-Fiction was also awarded. Between 2006 and 2010 the Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction was awarded every other year, in even-numbered years; however in 2011 it returned to be an annual award.

See other CWA category winners and all the other literary prize winners we list.

2024

• Ian Fleming: The complete man Nicholas Shakespeare 

2023

• Unlawful Killings: Life, Love and Murder: Trials at the Old Bailey Wendy Joseph

2022

• The disappearance of Lydia Harvey: The true story of sex, crime and the meaning of justice Julia Laite

2021

• Written in bone Sue Black

2020

• Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud and the Last Trial of Harper Lee Casey Cep

2019

• The spy and the traitor: The greatest espionage story of the Cold War Ben Macintyre

2018

• Blood on the page: A murder, a secret trial, a search for the truth Thomas Harding

2017

• Close but no cigar: A true story of prison life in Castro's Cuba Stephen Purvis

2016

• You could do something amazing with your life (you are Raoul Moat) Andrew Hankinson

2015

• In plain sight: the life and lies of Jimmy Savile Dan Davies

2014

• The siege: 68 hours inside the Taj Hotel Adrian Levy and Cathy Scott-Clark

2013

• Midnight in Peking Paul French Winner
• The boy in the river Richard Hoskins Highly Commended

2012

• The eleventh day Anthony Summers and Robbyn Swan

2011

• The killer of little shepherds Douglas Starr

2010

• Aftermath: the Omagh bombing & the families’ pursuit of justice Ruth Dudley Edwards

2008

• Nationality: Wog - the hounding of David Oluwale Kester Aspden

2006

• The Dagenham murder (The Borough of Barking and Dagenham) Linda Rhodes, Lee Shelden and Kathryn Abnett

2005

• On the run Gregg and Gina Hill

2004

• Joint winners Cosa Nostra: a history of the Sicilian Mafia John Dickie; The Italian boy: murder and grave robbery in 1830s London Sarah Wise

2003

• Pointing from the grave Samantha Weinberg

2002

• Dead man’s wages Lillian Pizzichini

2001

• The infiltrators Philip Etienne, Martin Maynard and Tony Thompson

2000

• Mr Blue: memoirs of a renegade Edward Bunker

1999

• The case of Stephen Lawrence Brian Cathcart

1998

• Cries unheard: the story of Mary Bell Gitta Sereny

1997

• The jigsaw man Paul Britton

1996

• The Gunpowder Plot: terror and faith in 1605 Antonia Fraser

1995

• Dead not buried Martin Beales

1994

• Criminal shadows David Canter

1993

• Murder in the heart: a true-life psychological thriller Alexandra Artley

1992

• The reckoning: the murder of Christopher Marlowe Charles Nicholl

1991

• Giordano Bruno and the Embassy affair John Bossy

1990

• The passing of Starr Faithfull Jonathan Goodman

1989

• A gathering of saints Robert Lindsey

1988

• The secret lives of Trebitsch Lincoln Bernard Wasserstein

1987

• Perfect murder: a century of unsolved homicides Bernard Taylor and Stephen Knight

1986

• Evil angels John Bryson

1985

• Killing for company: the case of Dennis Nilsen Brian Masters

1984

• In God’s name David Yallop

1983

• Double dealer Peter Watson

1982

• Earth to earth John Cornwell

1981

• Prisoner without a name, cell without a number Jacobo Timerman

1980

• Conspiracy Anthony Summers