3-Aug-07 3:00 PM CST

Peter Temple wins the Duncan Lawrie Dagger [Extract]

JULY 5 2007: The Crime Writers’ Association are delighted to announce the winners of this year’s Daggers - the prestigious awards that celebrate the very best in crime and thriller writing.

The Australian writer Peter Temple has won the 2007 Duncan Lawrie Dagger, for the best crime novel of the year. The dagger, with its cheque for £20,000, is the biggest crime writing prize in the world. was awarded for his book The Broken Shore, published by Quercus. This is the first time that an Australian author has appeared on the shortlist for the Duncan Lawrie Dagger, or its predecessor the CWA Gold Dagger for Fiction.

For the second year running the Duncan Lawrie International Dagger has been won by the writer/translator team of Fred Vargas and Sîan Reynolds, this time with Wash this Blood Clean from my Hand, published by Harvill Secker. This prize, for the best crime novel translated into English, is also sponsored by The Duncan Lawrie Private Bank, with £5000 going to the author and £1000 to the translator.

[For the Full Article and more information about the Dagger Awards, visit the Crime Writers Association]

Peter Temple - THE BROKEN SHORE - Quercus

Synopsis: Broken by his last case, homicide detective Joe Cashin has fled the city and returned to his hometown to run its one-man police station while his wounds heal and the nightmares fade. He lives a quiet life with his two dogs in the tumbledown wreck his family home has become. It’s a peaceful existence - ideal for the rehabilitating man. But his recovery is rudely interrupted by a brutal attack on Charles Bourgoyne, a prominent member of the local community. Suspicion falls on three young men from the local Aboriginal community. But Cashin’s not so sure and as the case unfolds amid simmering corruption and prejudice, he finds himself holding on to something that it might be better to let go.

Judges’ comments: ‘This is a well written crime novel with excellent characterisation mingled with a subtle exploration of contemporary Australian landscape and mores. This is a first class read with a sympathetic engrossing police protagonist.’