Sue Grafton wins Cartier Diamond Dagger

The Crime Writers’ Association has awarded this year’s Cartier Diamond Dagger Award to American novelist, Sue Grafton who is well know for her Alphabet series of crime novels. The first book in the series, A is for Alibi was inspired by the author’s own divorce. She said: “For months I lay in bed and plotted to kill my ex-husband, but I knew I’d bungle it and get caught so I wrote it in a book instead.”

Sue Grafton has been writing the series which feature private investigator Kinsey Millhone for over twenty-five years. Ms Grafton plans to carry the series all the way through to Z. The latest, T is for Trespass, was published in the US in December 2007 and is available to download in the unabridged form from Audible. The print book will come out in the UK in April 2008.

Ms Grafton’s novels are published in 26 languages and in 28 countries, including Bulgarian and Indonesian although she has consistently refused to sell the film and television rights, claiming her experience as a screenwriter “cured” her of the desire to work with Hollywood.

Sue Grafton wins the Cartier Diamond Dagger in its twenty-third year. Previous winners include John Harvey, Elmore Leonard, Ian Rankin, Lawrence Block, Sara Paretsky, Colin Dexter, Ed McBain, Reginald Hill, Ellis Peters, Dick Francis, and PD James.