The Cob & Pen Award celebrates the finest crime novel of the year.

 

The shortlist is announced in the summer, with the winner revealed at the closing-night ceremony.

 

The 2026 Cob & Pen Award was presented to Mark Ellis for Death of an Office. A former barrister turned crime novelist, Ellis is best known for his atmospheric DCI Frank Merlin series, set in the fog-soaked streets of wartime London.

 

His novels weave meticulously researched history with page-turning mystery, and he has become a leading voice in British historical crime writing as well as a long-standing champion of the genre through his work with the Crime Writers’ Association.

 

“Winning the Cob & Pen changed everything.

It’s the kind of recognition that makes the solitary hours worthwhile.”