THE RUSTY DAGGER by Russell James Which was the Best British Crime Novel of the 1930s? That was the question behind THE RUSTY DAGGER AWARD, first awarded in October 1996 at the CWA's annual conference in Cheltenham.
Earlier in the year the entire CWA membership was invited to nominate their choices, and from the first inevitably long list, they were then asked to vote again to draw up a final short list of 5 books  - which became:

 The Mask of Dimitrios, by Eric Ambler
 Brighton Rock, by Graham Greene
 Rogue Male, by Geoffrey Household
 Malice Aforethought, by Francis Iles
 The Nine Tailors, by Dorothy L Sayers

Before the conference itself, delegates were urged to read or re-read the shortlisted books.  Then, at the annual conference, an invited Selection Panel debated the 5 chosen books before a hundred fellow writers.  The panel was chaired by H R F KEATING and comprised some celebrated names:
        Catherine Aird
        Robert Barnard
        Reginald Hill
        Peter Lewis
        Sarah J Mason
Each member of the panel championed one of the selected books, and made the case for that particular book t