CWA Ellis Peters Dagger Award 2005

THE GOD OF CHAOS
by Tom Bradby
Transworld/Bantam  

Cairo, Egypt in 1942, the British High Command threatened by Rommel’s seemingly remorseless advance; an unusual but riveting background for a murder mystery that sets a failed New York cop against political chicanery, treason and sexual passions and an investigation through the seedy underbelly of a city where loyalty is a luxury no one can afford.

THE PALACE TIGER
Barbara Cleverly
Constable    

Last year’s winner of the Ellis Peters Historical Dagger has provided another sparkling look at the intrigues rife in an India of the nineteen-twenties where a British Empire has to grapple with large, autonomous areas not always ruled by sympathetic potentates. Joe Sandilands, on secondment from Scotland Yard, once again finds himself surrounded by a fine cast of glamorous and scheming suspects.

AFTER THE ARMISTICE BALL
Catriona McPherson
Constable    

A delightful mystery novel in the Golden Age tradition. Cash-strapped but pleasure-seeking society life in Scotland in the aftermath of the First World War is rocked by the disappearance of a famous set of diamonds in dubious circumstances. The independent minded and delightful society wife who is persuaded to look into the matter soon encounters murder. A sparkling cast of characters and a masterly grasp of the period provide a tale that never flags before its gripping climax.  

THE PORTRAIT
Iain Pears
Harper Perennial Original  

An unusual novel in which the narrator, a painter, speaks directly to his sitter, a heartless art critic, setting out the history of their turbulent relationship. Gradually the reader realises that at the heart of the matter is the relationship of both to a female painter and her tragic death. In the background is the revolution in painting that took place in the last part of the nineteenth century and the involvement of both men to it. Atmospheric, building up to a breath-taking climax and exploring creativity, criticism and the power of jealousy, this is a riveting read.

DARK FIRE
CJ Sansom
Macmillan  

An intriguing crime novel in which a majestic mastery of historical context and detail provides the background for an engrossing mystery. CJ Sansom sets the lawyer who starred in his debut novel, DISSOLUTION, on the chase for the secret of Greek Fire for his master, Cromwell, Henry VIII’s foxy minister. A twisty plot involves murky politics, a great cast of characters with the action exploring every level of society and offering an ever- increasing pace.

MORTAL MISCHIEF
Frank Tallis
Century  

A fine example of the locked room mystery is crossed with rivalries surrounding the growth of psychoanalysis and forensic science, all set in the Vienna of 1902. the action takes in the possibilities of supernatural powers; Vienna’s sophisticated social scene with its interests in art, philosophy and music; and the temptations laid in the path of a young disciple of Sigmund Freud as he assists his good friend an inspector of the Viennese police in his attempt to solve the tantalising puzzle that starts with one death but leads to others. A wealth of historical detail anchors the more sensational aspects of the story and provides a highly enjoyable read.