Comments: Both Larry Gandle (who has read all the short lists for Best Novel, Best First and Best Thriller) and I are disappointed in the Gold Dagger choice of THE KINGDOMS OF SAVANNAH by George Dawes Green. We both would put it on our short list of least favorite crime novels of 2022.

On the other hand, I’m quite happy with the Dagger winners in other categories:

EVEN THE DARKEST NIGHT by Javier Cercas was one of my favorite crime novels of 2022. Likewise SEVENTEEN by John Brownlow was one of my favorite thrillers of 2022. Both were on my Best of the Year list. Note: The sequel to SEVENTEEN, ASSASSIN EIGHTEEN, will be out in the U.K. in August, 2023. And the sequel to EVEN THE DARKEST NIGHT, PREY FOR THE SHADOW is out in the U.K. this month. Needless to say, I’ll be getting a hold of copies to read.

D. V. Bishop won for Best Historical and it should be noted that the author is signed up to attend this year’s Bouchercon in San Diego. I’m looking forward to meeting David and congratulating him on the Dagger Award.

The next issue of Deadly Pleasures will feature Larry Gandle’s reviews of three of the Dagger categories. He liked quite a few of the short-listed titles — more than he normally does. He told me that he regretted not reading some of the titles earlier — for they would have been included on his list of Best of 2022.

I’m also excited for Hayley Scrivenor’s DIRT TOWN, which is entitled DIRT CREEK in its U.S. iteration. It is up for this year’s Barry Award for Best First Novel. DP contributors Jeff Popple and Ted Hertel especially liked it.