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Mike W. Craven (born 1968) is an English crime writer. He is the author of the Washington Poe series and the DI Avison Fluke series. In 2019 his novel The Puppet Show won the Crime Writers' Association Gold Dagger award.

Biography

Craven was born in Carlisle and grew up in Newcastle. He joined the British Army at the age of 16. After two and a half years' training as an armourer, he spent 10 years travelling the world with the army. In 1995, he left the army and began a degree in social work, specialising in criminology, psychology, and substance misuse, before joining the Cumbria Probation Service in Whitehaven as a probation officer. After 16 years of service, with the rank of assistant chief executive, he accepted redundancy, and became a full-time author.

Awards

• 2013 CWA Debut Dagger shortlist for Born in a Burial Gown
• 2019 CWA Gold Dagger winner for The Puppet Show
• 2020 CWA Gold Dagger longlist for Black Summer
• 2021 CWA Gold Dagger longlist for The Curator
• 2022 CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger winner for Dead Ground
• 2023 CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger shortlist for The Botanist
• 2023 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award winner for The Botanist

Personal life

Craven lives in Carlisle with his wife, Joanne, and his springer spaniel, Bracken.

Novels

Avison Fluke series

Washington Poe series

Ben Koenig series

Reception

Craven's work has been well received in publications such as The Times, Woman & Home, Female First, Whispering Stories, and What's Good To Read

References

1. ^ "M. W. Craven". Retrieved 12 January 2021.
2. "Dead Ground: The Sunday Times bestselling thriller". Hachette Australia. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
3. ^ "M.W. Craven". Goodreads. 2021. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
4. ^ "M W Craven". FantasticFiction. 2021. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
5. "CWA Winners Archive". CWA. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
6. "Carlisle author Mike Craven wins the most prestigious award in crime writing". News & Star. 4 November 2019. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
7. "The Gold Dagger". CWA. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
8. "Crime author longlisted for prestigious writers award". News & Star. 20 June 2020. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
9. "The Gold Dagger". CWA. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
10. "2022 CWA Dagger Awards Announced". The Crime Writers’ Association. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
11. "The 2023 CWA Daggers Shortlists Have Been Announced". Ian Fleming. 17 May 2023. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
12. "The best crime fiction for June 2020 — rich or poor, they've got plenty to hide". The Times. 10 June 2020. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
13. "The best book club books that get conversation (and wine) flowing". Women&Home. 25 May 2021. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
14. "Review: Dead Ground by M. W. Craven". Female First. 2 June 2021. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
15. "The Curator by M. W. Craven – Book Review". Whispering Stories. 14 June 2020. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
16. "The Puppet Show by M. W. Craven – Book Review". Whispering Stories. 28 January 2019. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
17. "Dead Ground by M.W. Craven Review". What's Good To Read. Retrieved 17 September 2021.

External links

• Official website

• English crime fiction writers
• 1968 births
• Living people
• English thriller writers
• 21st-century English novelists
• Writers from Carlisle, Cumbria
• 21st-century English male writers
• British Army soldiers