Carnival of Lies longlisted for the 2026 CWA Gold Dagger
Carnival of Lies has been longlisted for the prestigious 2026 CWA Gold Dagger.
The prize is given each year by the Crime Writers’ Association to the best crime novel by an author of any nationality, originally written in English and published in the UK.
Unusually, the 2026 longlist comprises thirteen novels: D. V. Bishop - Carnival Of Lies; James Lee Burke - Don’t Forget Me, Little Bessie; S. A. Cosby - King Of Ashes; Abigail Dean - The Death Of Us; Holly Jackson - Not Quite Dead Yet; Vaseem Khan - The Girl in Cell A; Ariel Lawhon - The Frozen River; Beth Lewis - The Rush; Simon Mason - A Voice In The Night; Liam McIlvanney - The Good Father; Martin Cruz Smith - Hotel Ukraine; Laura Shepherd-Robinson - The Art of a Lie; and Sally Smith - A Case Of Life And Limb.
‘It’s an honour to have Carnival of Lies alongside such brilliant books and amazing authors on the longlist,’ says D. V. Bishop. ‘I couldn’t be more stoked, chuffed or delighted!’
This is the third time a Cesare Aldo historical thriller has been longlisted for the Gold Dagger, following previous accolades for City of Vengeance in 2022 and A Divine Fury last year. That novel went on to make the 2025 shortlist, when the prize went to The Book of Secrets by Anna Mazzola.
Novels eligible for the Gold Dagger include mysteries, police procedurals, psychological suspense novels, thrillers, and spy fiction. The prize was created in 1955 by the Crime Writers’ Association when it was called the Crossed Red Herrings Award, before being renamed the Gold Dagger in 1960.
Past winners include John le Carre, Ruth Rendell, Colin Dexter, Patricia Cornwell, Ian Rankin, Val McDermid, Henning Mankell, Minette Walters, Mick Herron, Ann Cleeves, M. W. Craven, Jane Harper and Chris Whitaker. The 2026 shortlist will be announced at the end of May.
Pre-order SHADOW OF MADNESS, the new Cesare Aldo historical thriller, coming 9th July 2026
•
Pre-order SHADOW OF MADNESS, the new Cesare Aldo historical thriller, coming 9th July 2026 •
Listen to The Aldocast, a new podcast exploring the Cesare Aldo historical thrillers
•
Listen to The Aldocast, a new podcast exploring the Cesare Aldo historical thrillers •
Meet D. V. BISHOP at these 2026 events:
Fri. 1st May • Wrexham Carnival of Words 2026 • Historical Fiction Night with D. V. Bishop, Carolyn O’Brien, Griff Hosker & M. J. Porter • 7pm @ Wrexham Library, Rhosddu Rd, Wrexham LL11 1AU • More info and book tickets here
Wed. 10th June ¶ Noir @ the Bar, Milgavie • More info soon
Wed. 17th June • Far From the Madding Crowd, Linlithgow • More info soon
Wed. 15th July • Event @ Forum Books, Corbridge • More info soon
Wed. 22 July • Crime Central, Manchester • More info soon
Fri. 7th & Sat. 8th August • Bute Noir 2026 • More info soon
Fri. 18th-Sun/ 20th September • Bloody Scotland 2026 • More info soon
Fri. 25th-Sun/ 27th September • Preston Crime Fiction Festival 2026 • More info soon
Further details to be announced soon!
Subscribe to D. V. BISHOP’s free newsletter:
Every Tuesday author D. V. Bishop publishes a free newsletter, taking behind the scenes on life as a working writer. He gives you exclusive access to news about his historical thrillers, talks about the challenges of being an author, and reveals secrets about how traditional publishing works.
The newsletter is also the first place to see the covers of his forthcoming novels, read about his creative process and find out what D. V. Bishop is reading and enjoying right now. Best of all, you can subscribe for free - guaranteed.
Go here to join the hundreds of other readers who subscribe to the D. V. Bishop author newsletter today, and you will receive an exclusive, unpublished short story set in Renaissance Florence!