The Black Dagger Crime series is the result of an on-going collaboration between Chivers and a sub-committee of the Crime Writers' Association, consisting of Marian Babson, Peter Chambers, Peter Lovesey, and Sarah J. Mason and offers an exciting range of outstanding crime fiction, drawing on the cream of both traditional and innovative titles from the vast library of the genre.

It is designed to select archetypal examples of crime writing- novels whose primary features are sharp plotting, perceptive characterisation and exhilerating dénouements- to provide enthusiasts with a fresh chance to rediscover prominent examples of the genre as well as offering a new generation of readers an opportunity to sample the very best in crime writing.

Every author whose work is selected for inclusion in the series has been widely acknowledged as a supreme exponent of the specialist crafts of mystery, thriller or crime writing.