Alexander McCall Smith Wins the Crime Writers Association Dagger in the Library Award 2004

Sponsored by Random House, the Dagger in the Library is awarded to "the author of crime fiction whose work is giving the greatest enjoyment to readers", as nominated by UK libraries and judged by a panel of librarians. It emphasises the rôle played by libraries in providing an audience for authors whose careers are developing, so that nominations of authors whose discovery has particularly delighted readers (rather than established favourites) are welcome. The award is given for the body of an author's work, not for an individual title and the broadest definition of the crime novelist is used; it can include authors of thrillers, suspense novels, spy fiction and period fiction as well as more traditional forms like "cosies", "hard-boiled" and police procedurals.

Alexander McCall Smith immediately donated his £1,500 prize money to help set up a new award for short story writing in Botswana, where his Precious Ramotswe series of novels are set. The prize will be run by the British Council.

Praise for THE No 1 LADIES' DETECTIVE AGENCY series - "These tales have given the genre a new lease of life. The heroine, Precious Ramotswe, is a wholly original character whose approach to detective work is both ingenious and humane. We gain an insight into a country that is in transition and the old and the new exist together, while the gentle humour and wit of the writing appeal to readers who would not normally read crime novels. McCall Smith writes beautifully, at a measured pace, giving you the time and space to consider what his characters (and what characters!) are saying and thinking and why. And all are carried along by a woven fabric of story - crimes to solve, puzzles to unravel, questions to be asked and answered, people to be remembered and moved on."