CRIME WRITERS OF CANADA 2026 AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE SHORTLIST & GRAND MASTER RECIPIENT RICK MOFINA

Crime Writers of Canada (CWC) announced the Shortlists for the 2026 Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence in Canadian Crime Writing. Since 1984, Crime Writers of Canada has recognized the best in mystery, crime, suspense fiction, and crime nonfiction by Canadian authors, including citizens abroad and new residents. Winners will be announced on Friday, May 29, 2026.

GRAND MASTER AWARD RECIPIENT
Rick Mofina has been named the recipient of the 2026 Grand Master Award. This prestigious biennial honor recognizes a Canadian crime writer with a substantial body of work who has garnered significant national and international acclaim while demonstrating a steadfast commitment to the crime-writing community. CWC selected Mofina for this distinction based on his prolific output, professional integrity, and years of dedicated service to both the organization and the genre.

THE 2026 AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE SHORTLISTS

The Peter Robinson Award for Best Crime Novel, with a $1000 prize

Sue Hincenbergs, The Retirement Plan, HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Jen Sookfong Lee, The Hunger We Pass Down, McClelland & Stewart
Tamara L. Miller, Into the Fall, Thomas and Mercer
Louise Penny, The Black Wolf, Minotaur Books
Eddy Boudel Tan, The Tiger and the Cosmonaut, Viking Canada

Best Crime First Novel, sponsored by Melodie Campbell with a $1000 prize

Ray Critch, The Beltane Massacre, Breakwater Books
Jan Field, Yesterday’s Lies, La Cloche Publishing
Joel Nedecky, The Broken Detective, Run Amok Crime
David L. Tucker, A Painting to Die For, Otter & Osprey Press
A.L. Wahdel, Too Dark For the Light, Butterfly 80 Publishing

Best Crime Novel Set in Canada, sponsored by Shaftesbury with a $500 prize

Lis Angus, That Other Family, Next Chapter
Angela Douglas, Every Fall, Rising Action Publishing Co.
Uzma Jalaluddin, Detective Aunty, HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
C.S. Porter, Salt on Her Tongue, Vagrant Press
Chevy Stevens, The Hitchhikers, St. Martin’s Press

The Whodunit Award for Best Traditional Mystery, sponsored by Jane Doe with a $500 prize

Shelley Adina, The Engineer’s Nemesis, Moonshell Books
Mel Anastasiou, Stella Ryman and the Search for Thelma Hu, Pulp Literature Press
Alice Fitzpatrick, A Dark Death, Stonehouse Publishing
Laury Silvers, Some Justice: A Ghazi Ammar Medieval Mystery,Independently Published
Iona Whishaw, The Cost of a Hostage, TouchWood Editions

Best Crime Short Story, sponsored by Crime Writers of Canada with a $200 prize

Lis Angus, Under the Circumstances, A Capital Mystery Anthology, Ottawa Press and Publishing
Madeleine Harris Callway, The Lost Diner, Pulp Literature Press (story on p.115)
Barbara Fradkin, Cold Shock, A Capital Mystery Anthology, Ottawa Press and Publishing
Billie Livingstone, The Headache, Dark Yonder (story on p.31)
Sylvia Maultash Warsh, Polly Wants a Freakin’ Cracker, Malice Domestic: Murder Most Humorous, Wildside Press

Best French Language Crime Book, sponsored by Carrick Publishing with a $500 prize

Chrystine Brouillet, Le regard des autres, Druide
André Jacques, Jeux d’ombres, Druide
Steve Laflamme, La mémoire du labyrinthe, Libre Expression
Maureen Martineau, Une nuit d’été à Littlebrook, Héliotrope
Martin Michaud, Delta Zéro, Libre Expression

Best Juvenile / YA Crime Book, sponsored by Superior Shores Press with a $250 prize

Charis Cotter The Mystery of the Haunted Dancehall, Tundra Books
Vicki Grant, Death by Whoopee Cushion, Tundra Books
Claire Hatcher-Smith, The Mizzy Mysteries: A Skeleton in the Closet, Tundra Books
Tanya Lloyd Kyi, The City of Lost Cats, Tundra Books
John Lekich, Bark Twice for Murder, Orca Book Publishers

The Brass Knuckles Award for Best Nonfiction Crime Book, sponsored by David Reid Simpson Law Firm (Hamilton) with a $300 prize

Robert Cree with Therese Greenwood, The Many Names of Robert Cree: How a First Nations Chief, Brought Ancient Wisdom to Big Business and Prosperity to His People, ECW Press
John L. Hill, Acts of Darkness: Notorious Criminals, Their Defenders, Prosecutors, and Jailers, Durvile & UpRoute 
Kathleen Lippa, Arctic Predator: The Crimes of Edward Horne Against Children in Canada’s North, Dundurn Press 
Lorna Poplak, On the Lam: Great (and Not So Great) Escapes from Prison, Dundurn Press 
Julian Sher & Lisa Fitterman, Hitman: The Untold Story of Canada’s Deadliest Assassin, HarperCollins Publishers Ltd

Best Unpublished Crime Novel manuscript written by an unpublished author, sponsored by ECW Press with a $500 prize

Anne Burlakoff, Val's Story
William Hall, The Less You Know
Francis K. Lalumière, Lens Flare
Barbara Stokes, Death Scent
Isabelle Zimmermann, Blistered

A Mystery Love Letter to Ottawa: Guest Post by Mike Martin

A Capital Mystery is an anthology of 21 short stories that are all set and written in Ottawa, Canada’s capital city. The idea for such an anthology has been percolating for some time and finally brewed over into this new anthology featuring stories from well-known authors Barbara Fradkin and Brenda Chapman as well as rising star, Katie Tallo. But it was an also an opportunity for new and emerging writers to join the team. Some with their very first publishing credit.

The key to getting this project off the ground was eager and active support from Crime Writers of Canada who along with a local mystery writing group, Capital Crime Writers, agreed to sponsor and promote this anthology. There are stories from modern day Ottawa and others reaching back into the 1950’s. One goes all the way back to the 1800’s when Ottawa was called Bytown, a muddy hole in pre-Confederation Canada. The stories range from mild to dark to darker. There are department store owners, a famous Canadian hero, jilted lovers, and desperate people during desperate times. Even a weird ceramic polar bear enters the scene.

Early readers and reviewers have been impressed by the depth and quality of the stories. Melodie Campbell, the best-selling author of The Silent Film Star Murders said: “From clever whodunits to edge of seat thrillers, this anthology covers all the bases. Ottawa takes the stage front and centre in twenty-one crime stories by seasoned writers and fresh new voices. A historical mystery places us deftly into 19th century Bytown. Blackmailers and burglars terrorize our current day capital, and even the weather has a part to play.”

And Judy Penz Sheluk author and publisher of the Derringer-nominated Superior Shores Anthologies said: “This is a love letter to Ottawa, a city these writers call home, and they’ve done it proud. If you can only read one anthology this year, read this one. It would be a capital crime to miss it.”

A Capital Mystery was published by Ottawa Press and Publishing and available from Amazon all over the world.

***

Mike Martin is the Co-editor of A Capital Mystery along with Bernadette Cox and the author of the Sgt. Windflower Mystery series.

  

Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence Winners

Crime Writers of Canada (CWC) announced the Winners of the 2025 Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence in Canadian Crime Writing. 

THE 2025 AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE WINNERS

The Miller-Martin Award for Best Crime Novel
Sponsored by the Boreal Benefactor with a $1000 prize

Conor Kerr, Prairie Edge Strange Light, an imprint of Penguin Random House Canada

Best Crime First Novel
Sponsored by Melodie Campbell with a $1000 prize

Ashley Tate, Twenty-Seven Minutes, Doubleday Canada

Best Crime Novel Set in Canada
Sponsored by Shaftesbury with a $500 prize

Shane Peacock, As We Forgive Others, Cormorant Books

The Whodunit Award for Best Traditional Mystery
Sponsored by Jane Doe with a $500 prize

Thomas King, Black Ice, HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.

Best Crime Novella
Sponsored by Carrick Publishing with a $200 prize

Pamela Jones, The Windmill Mystery, Austin Macauley Publishers

Best Crime Short Story

Therese Greenwood, “Hatcheck Bingo”, from The 13th Letter, Mesdames and Messieurs of Mayhem,
Carrick Publishing

Best French Language Crime Book

Guillaume Morrissette, Une mémoire de lion, Saint-Jean

Best Juvenile / YA Crime Book
Sponsored by Superior Shores Press with a $250 prize

Sigmund Brouwer, Shock Wave, Orca Book Publishers

The Brass Knuckles Award for Best Nonfiction Crime Book
Sponsored by David Reid Simpson Law Firm (Hamilton) with a $300 prize

It’s a tie!

Denise Chong, Out of Darkness: Rumana Monzur's Journey through Betrayal, Tyranny and Abuse 

and 

Tanya Talaga, The Knowing.

Denise Chong, Out of Darkness: Rumana Monzur's Journey through Betrayal, Tyranny and Abuse,
Random House Canada

Tanya Talaga, The Knowing, HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.

Best Unpublished Crime Novel manuscript written by an unpublished author
Sponsored by ECW Press with a $500 prize

Luke Devlin, Govern Yourself Accordingly

***

About Crime Writers of Canada
Crime Writers of Canada was founded in 1982 as a professional organization designed to raise the
profile of Canadian crime writers. Our members include authors, publishers, editors, booksellers,
librarians, reviewers, and literary agents as well as many developing authors. Past winners of the
Awards have included such major names in Canadian crime writing as Mario Bolduc, Gail Bowen,
Stevie Cameron, Howard Engel, Barbara Fradkin, Louise Penny, Peter Robinson and Eric Wright. We
thank our sponsors and volunteers, and the many participating publishers, authors and judges for their
continued support.

CRIME WRITERS OF CANADA 2025 AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE SHORTLIST AND DERRICK MURDOCH AWARD RECIPIENT

4/26 Crime Writers of Canada (CWC) announced the Shortlists for the 2025 Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence in Canadian Crime Writing. Since 1984, Crime Writers of Canada has recognized the best in mystery, crime, suspense fiction, and crime nonfiction by Canadian authors, including citizens abroad and new residents. Winners will be announced on Friday, May 30, 2025.

DERRICK MURDOCH AWARD RECIPIENT

The Derrick Murdoch Award is a special achievement award presented at the discretion of the Board Chair of Crime Writers of Canada. It recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to developing crime writing in Canada.

Crime Writers of Canada is also pleased to announce William H. Deverell, a distinguished Canadian novelist, activist, and criminal lawyer, as the recipient of the 2025 Derrick Murdoch Award. Deverell’s bibliography includes nineteen novels, many drawing from his extensive legal experience. Notable works include Trial of Passion, which earned the Dashiell Hammett Prize for Literary Excellence in Crime Writing in 1997 and Crime Writers of Canada’s Arthur Ellis Award for Best Canadian Crime Novel in 1998. Trial of Passion introduced readers to Arthur Beauchamp, QC, a character who became central to a series that includes titles such as April Fool (2003 Arthur Ellis award winner) and Kill All the Judges. He is the author of A Life on Trial – The Case of Robert Frisbee, based on a notorious murder trial in which he was defense counsel. Street Legal, which aired on CBC Television from 1987 to 1994, was the longest running one-hour scripted drama in the history of Canadian television. The show was based on an original pilot, Shellgame, which Deverell authored.

Beyond his writing, he continues to be a pivotal figure in Canadian literature, inspiring readers and mentoring emerging Canadian writers within the crime and mystery genres.

Deverell is the founder and honorary director of the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association. He served as chair of the Writers’ Union of Canada in 1994 and 1999 and is a life member of the Writers Guild of Canada, a Member Emeritous of Crime Writers of Canada and a member of PEN International.

THE 2025 AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE SHORTLISTS

The Miller-Martin Award for Best Crime Novel
Sponsored by the Boreal Benefactor with a $1000 prize

Colin Barrett, Wild Houses, McClelland & Stewart
Jaima Fixsen, The Specimen, Poisoned Pen Press
Conor Kerr, Prairie Edge, Strange Light, an imprint of Penguin Random House Canada
John MacLachlan Gray, Mr. Good-Evening, Douglas & McIntyre
Louise Penny, The Grey Wolf, Minotaur Books

Best Crime First Novel
Sponsored by Melodie Campbell with a $1000 prize

Suzan Denoncourt, The Burden of Truth, Suzan Denoncourt
Peter Holloway, The Roaring Game Murders, Bonspiel Books
Jim McDonald, Altered Boy, Amalit Books
Marianne K. Miller, We Were the Bullfighters, Dundurn Press
Ashley Tate, Twenty-Seven Minutes, Doubleday Canada

Best Crime Novel Set in Canada
Sponsored by Shaftesbury with a $500 prize

Brenda Chapman, Fatal Harvest, Ivy Bay Press
Barry W. Levy, The War Machine, Double Dagger Books
Shane Peacock, As We Forgive Others, Cormorant Books
Greg Rhyno, Who By Fire, Cormorant Books
Kerry Wilkinson, The Call, Bookouture

The Whodunit Award for Best Traditional Mystery
Sponsored by Jane Doe with a $500 prize

Cathy Ace, The Corpse with the Pearly Smile, Four Tails Publishing Ltd.
Raye Anderson, The Dead Shall Inherit, Signature Editions
Susan Juby, A Meditation on Murder, HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
Thomas King, Black Ice, HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
Jonathan Whitelaw, Concert Hall Killer, HarperNorth/HarperCollins Canada

Best Crime Novella
Sponsored by Carrick Publishing with a $200 prize

Marcelle Dubé, Chuck Berry is Missing, Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine
Liz Ireland, Mrs. Claus and the Candy Corn Caper, Kensington
Pamela Jones, The Windmill Mystery, Austin Macauley Publishers
A.J. McCarthy, A Rock, Black Rose Writing
Twist Phelan, Aim, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine

Best Crime Short Story

Catherine Astolfo, Farmer Knudson, from Auntie Beers: A Book of Connected Short Stories, Carrick
Publishing
Therese Greenwood, Hatcheck Bingo, from The 13th Letter, Mesdames and Messieurs of Mayhem,
Carrick Publishing
Billie Livingston, Houdini Act, Saturday Evening Post
Linda Sanche, The Electrician, from Crime Waves, Dangerous Games, A Canada West Anthology
Melissa Yi, The Longest Night of the Year, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine

Best French Language Crime Book

J.L. Blanchard, La femme papillon, Fides
R. Lavallée, Le crime du garçon exquis, Fides
Jean Lemieux, L’Affaire des montants, Québec Amérique
Guillaume Morrissette, Une mémoire de lion, Saint-Jean
Johanne Seymour, Fracture, Libre Expression

Best Juvenile / YA Crime Book
Sponsored by Superior Shores Press with a $250 prize

Sigmund Brouwer, Shock Wave, Orca Book Publishers
Meagan Mahoney, The Time Keeper, DCB Young Readers
Twist Phelan, Snowed, Bronzeville Books, LLC
David A. Poulsen, The Dark Won't Wait, Red Deer Press
Melissa Yi, The Red Rock Killer, Windtree Press

The Brass Knuckles Award for Best Nonfiction Crime Book
Sponsored by David Reid Simpson Law Firm (Hamilton) with a $300 prize

Denise Chong, Out of Darkness: Rumana Monzur's Journey through Betrayal, Tyranny and Abuse,
Random House Canada
Nate Hendley, Atrocity on the Atlantic: Attack on a Hospital Ship During the Great War, Dundurn
Press
John L. Hill, The Rest of the [True Crime] Story, AOS Publishing
Dean Jobb, A Gentleman and a Thief: The Daring Jewel Heists of a Jazz Age Rogue, HarperCollins
Publishers Ltd.
Tanya Talaga, The Knowing, HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.

Best Unpublished Crime Novel manuscript written by an unpublished author
Sponsored by ECW Press with a $500 prize

Robert Bowerman, The Man in The Black Hat
Luke Devlin, Govern Yourself Accordingly
Delee Fromm, Dark Waters
Lorrie Potvin, A Trail's Tears
William Watt, Predators in the Shadows

***

About Crime Writers of Canada
Crime Writers of Canada was founded in 1982 as a professional organization designed to raise the
profile of Canadian crime writers. Our members include authors, publishers, editors, booksellers,
librarians, reviewers, and literary agents as well as many developing authors. Past winners of the
Awards have included such major names in Canadian crime writing as Mario Bolduc, Gail Bowen,
Stevie Cameron, Howard Engel, Barbara Fradkin, Louise Penny, Peter Robinson and Eric Wright. We
thank our sponsors and volunteers, and the many participating publishers, authors and judges for their
continued support.

Andrew Pyper: R.I.P.

Canadian writer Andrew Pyper, whose debut novel Lost Girls launched a career of bestselling, award-winning literary thrillers, died yesterday at the age of 56.  

From the Toronto Star: 

Pyper passed away at his west-end home Friday of complications from cancer, his agent confirmed to the Toronto Star. 

The writer, who once said “I write scary stories for a living,” followed up Lost Girls — which won the Arthur Ellis Award for best first novel in 2000 — with such works as The Demonologist, The Damned, The Only Child, and The Homecoming. His books earned him international publishing deals, were translated in multiple languages and acquired for TV and film development. 

His most recent book, William, described as “psychological horror meets cyber noir,” was published this past fall under the pen name Mason Coile. Pyper took great delight in sharing the news that it had been chosen by the American Booksellers Association as well as People magazine as one of the best reads of September. 

 

“(Andrew) was an inventive, surprising, and profoundly collaborative writer, who clearly loved telling stories,” said Daphne Durham, Putnam Books’ executive editor who acquired and edited William as well as Exiles, which is to be published next year under the Coile pseudonym. 

 “Everyone loved working with Andrew because he was such a pro, but he was also a delightful, warm, funny person.”

Read More Here. 

Maureen Jennings: Appointee to the Order of Canada!

Congratulations, Maureen Jennings, New Appointee to the Order of Canada!!!

From the Crime Writers of Canada:

Maureen Jennings has been appointed as an Officer of the Order of Canada. The announcement was made today (December 18, 2024) by Her Excellency the Right Honourable Mary Simon, Governor General of Canada. 

“Members of the Order of Canada are builders of hope for a better future. Each in their own way, they broaden the realm of possibilities and inspire others to continue pushing its boundaries. Thank you for your perseverance, fearless leadership and visionary spirit, and welcome to the Order of Canada.” 

Maureen is a talented writer with a keen eye for setting, character and dialogue. She has helped put historical crime fiction on the Canadian literary map. She has published four series of novels as well as nonfiction, short stories and stage plays. 

This year, the Crime Writers of Canada presented its 2024 Grand Master Award to Maureen. CWC established the Grand Master Award in 2014 to recognize a Canadian crime writer with a substantial body of work who has garnered national and international recognition. The award is presented biennially, and is selected by a jury chosen by the Chair of Crime Writers of Canada, with advice from the board. 

To quote the London Free Press, "Maureen Jennings is not only just about the best crime novelist in Canada, she’s among the best writers anywhere - a national and international treasure." 

Maureen is a prolific author of non-fiction, short stories and book series featuring Christine Morris, Detective Murdoch, and D.I. Tom Tyler. The Detective William Murdoch television series, set in Victorian era Toronto, was optioned in 2003 by Shaftesbury Films. The tv series, Murdoch Mysteries, is shown in over 120 countries and features innovative crime-solving techniques, social justice subplots and surprise guest appearances. 

Maureen also co-developed the television series Bomb Girls, based on the experiences of young women working in British munitions plants during the Second World War. The series first aired early in 2012 and very quickly rose to become the highest-rated new drama on Canadian television. 

In 2011, Maureen was awarded the Grant Allen award for her on-going contribution to Canadian crime writing. The award, honoring Canada's crime-writing pioneers, is given out annually at the Scene of the Crime Festival on Wolfe Island. 

Maureen has received eight Awards of Excellence (formerly known as the Arthur Ellis Awards) nominations from Crime Writers of Canada in the Best Novel and Short Story categories. In 2014, the 180th anniversary of the city of Toronto, the Toronto Star named her one of 180 people whose influence has raised the city’s profile. 

Maureen's latest project, The Paradise Café series, is set in Depression-era Toronto and features Private Investigator Charlotte Frayne. Maureen is an exceptional talent, a generous mentor and strong supporter of Canadian crime and mystery writers. Her prolific publishing history includes the following: 

Fiction 

Detective Murdoch Series (8 novels) John Wilson Murray, who was appointed as Ontario's first government detective in 1875, "was an important inspiration" for Jennings and led to the development of the character William Murdoch. Christine Morris Series (2 novels) Detective Inspector Tom Tyler Series (4 novels) Paradise Café Series (4 novels) 

Non-fiction 

The Map of Your Mind: Journeys Into Creative Expression (filled with common-sense advice and encouragement, intended as a guide into the creative self.)

CRIME WRITERS OF CANADA AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE WINNERS 2024

Crime Writers of Canada (CWC) announced the Winners of the 2024 Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence in Canadian Crime Writing. Since 1984, Crime Writers of Canada has recognized the best in mystery, crime, suspense fiction, and crime nonfiction by Canadian authors, including citizens abroad and new residents. 

Maureen Jennings is this year’s recipient of the 2024 Grand Master Award. Established in 2014, the Grand Master (GM) Award recognizes a Canadian crime writer with a substantial body of work that has garnered national and international recognition.

THE 2024 AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE WINNERS

The Peter Robinson Award for Best Crime Novel sponsored by Rakuten Kobo, with a $1000 prize

Loreth Anne White, The Maid's Diary, Montlake

Best Crime First Novel, sponsored by Melodie Campbell, with a $1000 prize

Amanda Peters, The Berry Pickers, Harper Perennial 

The Howard Engel Award for Best Crime Novel Set in Canada, sponsored by Charlotte Engel and Crime Writers of Canada, with a $500 prize

Joan Thomas, Wild Hope, Harper Perennial/HarperCollins

The Whodunit Award for Best Traditional Mystery sponsored by Jane Doe, with a $500 prize

Nita Prose, The Mystery Guest, Viking

Best Crime Short Story

Marcelle Dubé, Reversion, Mystery Magazine

The Best French Language Crime Book (Fiction and Nonfiction)

André Marois, La sainte paix, Héliotrope

Best Juvenile/YA Crime Book, sponsored by Shaftesbury Films with a $500 prize (Fiction and Nonfiction)

Cherie Dimaline, Funeral Songs for Dying Girls, Tundra Books 

The Brass Knuckles Award for Best Nonfiction Crime Book sponsored by David Reid Simpson
Law Firm (Hamilton), with a $300 prize

Michael Lista, The Human Scale, Véhicule Press

Best Unpublished Crime Novel manuscript written by an unpublished author

Craig H. Bowlsby, Requiem for a Lotus

2023 Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence in Canadian Crime Writing

Crime Writers of Canada (CWC) announced the Winners of the 2023 Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence in Canadian Crime Writing. Since 1984, Crime Writers of Canada has recognized the best in mystery, crime, and suspense fiction, and crime nonfiction by Canadian authors, including citizens abroad and new residents.

Jack Batten is the recipient of the 2023 Derrick Murdoch Award. The Derrick Murdoch Award is issued every two years to recognize a member of Crime Writers of Canada who has made significant contributions to the crime/mystery/thriller genre.                          

THE 2023 AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE WINNERS

Best Crime Novel sponsored by Rakuten Kobo, with a $1000 prize

Anthony Bidulka, Going to Beautiful, Stonehouse Publishing

Best Crime First Novel sponsored by Melodie Campbell, with a $1000 prize

Sam Shelstad, Citizens of Light, TouchWood Editions 

The Howard Engel Award for Best Crime Novel Set in Canada sponsored by Charlotte Engel and CWC, with a $500 prize

Joanne Jackson, A Snake in the Raspberry Patch, Stonehouse Publishing 

The Whodunit Award for Best Traditional Mystery sponsored by Jane Doe, with a $500 prize

Thomas King, Deep House, HarperCollins Canada

Best Crime Novella sponsored by Mystery Magazine, with a $200 prize

Alexis Stefanovich-Thomson, The Man Who Went Down Under, Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazines

Best Crime Short Story sponsored by Mystery Magazine, with a $300 prize

Craig H. Bowlsby, The Girl Who Was Only Three Quarters Dead, Mystery Magazine 

Best French Crime Book (Fiction and Nonfiction)

Richard Ste-Marie, Monsieur Hämmerli, Éditions Alire

Best Juvenile or YA Crime Book (Fiction and Nonfiction) sponsored by Shaftesbury, with a $500 prize

Jo Treggiari, Heartbreak Homes, Nimbus Publishing Limited

The Brass Knuckles Award for Best Nonfiction Crime Book sponsored by David Reid Simpson Law Firm, Hamilton, with a $300 prize

Rosemary Sullivan, The Betrayal of Anne Frank: A Cold Case Investigation, HarperCollins Canada 

The Award for Best Unpublished Manuscript sponsored by ECW Press, with a $500 prize

Mary Keenan, Snowed

***

About Crime Writers of Canada

Crime Writers of Canada was founded in 1982 as a professional organization designed to raise the profile of Canadian crime writers. Members include authors, publishers, editors, booksellers, librarians, reviewers, and literary agents as well as many developing authors. 

Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence in Canadian Crime Writing Shortlists and Derrick Murdoch Award Recipient

Crime Writers of Canada (CWC) announced the Shortlists for the 2023 Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence in Canadian Crime Writing. Since 1984, Crime Writers of Canada has recognized the best in mystery, crime, and suspense fiction, and crime nonfiction by Canadian authors, including citizens abroad and new residents.

Winners will be announced Thursday 25 May 2023.

Jack Batten is the recipient of the 2023 Derrick Murdoch Award. The Derrick Murdoch Award is issued every two years to recognize a member of Crime Writers of Canada who has made significant contributions to the crime/mystery/thriller genre.

Jack Batten is an acclaimed freelancer and award-winning author of dozens of fiction and non-fiction books for adults and young people. He’s written scores of short stories and articles on topics covering music, the law, movies and sports. His Crang mystery, Straight No Chaser, was shortlisted for the Crime Writers of Canada’s 1990 Award for Best Crime Novel.

From 1999 to 2022, Jack wrote hundreds of crime fiction book reviews in his weekly Whodunit column in the Toronto Star, supporting emerging and established authors and encouraging readers to discover more about the genre.

THE 2023 AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE SHORTLISTS

Best Crime Novel sponsored by Rakuten Kobo, with a $1000 prize

Linwood Barclay, Take Your Breath Away, HarperCollins Canada Anthony Bidulka, Going to Beautiful, Stonehouse Publishing
Nicole Lundrigan, An Unthinkable Thing, Viking Canada
Catherine McKenzie, Please Join Us, Simon & Schuster Canada Shelly Sanders, Daughters of the Occupation, HarperCollins Canada

Best Crime First Novel sponsored by Melodie Campbell, with a $1000 prize

T. Lawrence Davis, The Pale Horse, Friesen Press
Bill Edwards, Killer Time, Friesen Press
Adam Frost, The Damned Lovely, Down and Out Books Sam Shelstad, Citizens of Light, TouchWood Editions M.Z. Urlocker, The Man from Mittlewerk, Inkshares, Inc.

The Howard Engel Award for Best Crime Novel Set in Canada sponsored by Charlotte Engel and CWC, with a $500 prize

A. J. Devlin, Five Moves of Doom, NeWest Press
S. M. Freedman, Blood Atonement, Dundurn Press
Joanne Jackson, A Snake in the Raspberry Patch, Stonehouse Publishing Maureen Jennings, Cold Snap, Cormorant Books
Amy Tector, The Foulest Things, Keylight Books

The Whodunit Award for Best Traditional Mystery sponsored by Jane Doe, with a $500 prize

Alice Bienia, Knight in the Museum, Cairn Press
Anne Emery, Fenian Street, ECW Press
Thomas King, Deep House, HarperCollins Canada
Mary Jane Maffini, Death Plans a Perfect Trip, Beyond the Page Iona Whishaw, Framed in Fire, Touchwood Editions

Best Crime Novella sponsored by Mystery Magazine, with a $200 prize

M.H. Callway, Amdur's Ghost, In the Spirit of 13, Carrick Publishing
Hilary Davidson, Dangerous to Know, A Grifter's Song Vol. 8, Down & Out Books
Julie Hiner, Dead End Track, Julie Hiner
Matt Hughes, The Emir's Falcon, Shadowpaw Press Premiere
Alexis Stefanovich-Thomson, The Man Who Went Down Under, Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazines

Best Crime Short Story sponsored by Mystery Magazine, with a $300 prize

Craig H. Bowlsby, The Girl Who Was Only Three Quarters Dead, Mystery Magazine M.H. Callway, Must Love Dogs - or You're Gone, Red Dog Press
Blair Keetch, To Catch a Kumiho, In the Spirit of 13, Carrick Publishing
Sylvia Maultash Warsh, The Natural Order of Things, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine donalee Moulton, Swan Song, Cold Canadian Crime, Crime Writers of Canada

Best French Crime Book (Fiction and Nonfiction)

Geneviève Blouin, Le Mouroir des anges, Éditions Alire Isabelle Lafortune, Chaîne de glace, Éditions XYZ

Guillaume Morrissette, Le dernier manège, Saint-Jean éditeur Suzan Payne, Modus operandi, Éditions Perce-Neige
Richard Ste-Marie, Monsieur Hämmerli, Éditions Alire

Best Juvenile or YA Crime Book (Fiction and Nonfiction) sponsored by Shaftesbury, with a $500 prize

Natasha Deen, Lark Steals the Show, Orca Book Publisher
Marthe Jocelyn, Aggie Morton Mystery Queen: The Seaside Corpse, Tundra Books H.N. Khan, Wrong Side of the Court, Penguin Teen
Wesley King, Butt Sandwich & Tree, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Jo Treggiari, Heartbreak Homes, Nimbus Publishing Limited

The Brass Knuckles Award for Best Nonfiction Crime Book sponsored by David Reid Simpson Law Firm, Hamilton, with a $300 prize

Michael Arntfield, How to Solve a Cold Case: And Everything Else You Wanted to Know About Catching Killers, HarperCollins Canada
Sharon Anne Cook and Margaret Carson, The Castleton Massacre, Dundurn Press Ltd.
Harley Rustad, Lost in the Valley of Death, Knopf Canada - Penguin Random House Canada
Rosemary Sullivan, The Betrayal of Anne Frank: A Cold Case Investigation, HarperCollins Canada Sarah Weinman, Scoundrel, Knopf Canada - Penguin Random House Canada

The Award for Best Unpublished Manuscript sponsored by ECW Press, with a $500 prize

Jan Garnett, No Safe House
Mary Keenan, Snowed
Joanne Kormylo, Two Knots
Joel Nedecky, The Broken Detective Michael Pennock, The Peaks

***

About Crime Writers of Canada

Crime Writers of Canada was founded in 1982 as a professional organization designed to raise the profile of Canadian crime writers. Members include authors, publishers, editors, booksellers, librarians, reviewers, and literary agents as well as many developing authors. 

Mystery Readers Journal: Canadian Mysteries

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving! Hope my friends up north have a great day!

Mystery Readers Journal: Canadian Mysteries (30:1): Spring 2014 is available for purchase, but I've included links to two articles by Canadian mystery writers Vicki Delany and Louise Penny.

Buy this back issue! Available as a downloadable PDF.

MYSTERY READERS JOURNAL: CANADIAN MYSTERIES

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ARTICLES

• Canadian Crime, the Undiscovered Country by Kevin Thornton
• The Canadians Are Coming by Robin Harlick

AUTHOR! AUTHOR!

• Murder, Eh? by Lou Allin
• Becoming Canadian by Cathy Ace
• Setting Out From Saskatoon by Anthony Bidulka
• Land of Ice and Snow, Smoggy Steeltown, and the Italian Mob! Or, how to write mob comedies… by Melodie Campbell
• Mysteries in the Canadian North by Brenda Chapman
• An Insider’s Take by Miriam Clavir
• A Quiet Courage by Peter Clement
• Writing Canadian Cops by Vicki Delany
• Sleeping With an Elephant by Ruth Donald
• Research Made Fun With Vancouver’s Police Dogs by Elizabeth Elwood
• Mystery Is in the Mind by A.R. Grobbo
• Exploring the Canadian Wilds with Meg Harris by R.J. Harlick
• France on Berlin Time, Part II: The Canadian Connection by J. Robert Janes
• Canadian From Coast to Coast by Amber Harvey
• The Canadian Conundrum by Tim Heald
• Left Coast Noir by Dietrich Kalteis
• The Canadian Mystery Writer’s Wardrobe by Linda Kupecek
• Ordinary People, Like You and Me, Interrupted by Murder by J. A. Menzies
• Thoughts About Killing the Canadian Way by John Moss
• Canadianese by Louise Penny
• The Canadian Who Came in From the Cold (But Just for a Short Time) by Steve Shrott
• The Inferiority Complex of a Canadian Mystery Author by Cathy Spencer
• From Rangers to Red Serge by Kay Stewart
• Canadian as Maple Murder Pie by Robin Timmerman
• APOK? by Mike Walton

COLUMNS

• Mystery in Retrospect: Reviews by Madeleine Harris-Callway, Lesa Holstine, Gay Toltl Kinman, L.J. Roberts, Lou Allin, Margaret Blair
• Children’s Hour: Canada by Gay Toltl Kinman
• In Short: Canadian Capers by Marv Lachman
• Crime Seen: North of the Border by Kate Derie
• From the Editor’s Desk by Janet Rudolph

CRIME WRITERS OF CANADA 2022 AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE

CRIME WRITERS OF CANADA ANNOUNCES THE 2022 AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE

Crime Writers of Canada (CWC) announced the winners for the 2022 Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence in Canadian Crime Writing. Started in 1984, the annual Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence, then known as the Arthur Ellis Awards, recognizes the best in mystery, crime, and suspense fiction, and crime nonfiction by Canadian authors. 

The presentation of the winners can be viewed on CWC’s YouTube channel: https://tinyurl.com/zshycwcyt 

Best Crime Novel sponsored by Rakuten Kobo, with a $1000 prize 

Dietrich Kalteis, Under an Outlaw Moon, ECW Press 

Best Crime First Novel sponsored by Writers First, with a $500 prize 

Ashley Audrain, The Push, Viking Canada 

The Whodunit Award for Best Traditional Mystery sponsored by Jane Doe, with a $500 prize 

Candas Jane Dorsey, What’s the Matter with Mary Jane?, ECW Press 

The Howard Engel Award for Best Crime Novel Set in Canada sponsored by The Engel Family, with a $500 prize 

C. S. Porter, Beneath Her Skin, Vagrant Press / Nimbus Publishing Inc. 

Best Crime Novella sponsored by Mystery Magazine, with a $200 prize 

Wayne Ng, Letters From Johnny, Guernica Editions 

Best Crime Short Story sponsored by Mystery Magazine, with a $300 prize 

Elizabeth Elwood, Number 10 Marlborough Place, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine 

Best French Crime Book (Fiction and Nonfiction) Patrick Senécal, Flots, Editions Alire 

Best Juvenile or YA Crime Book (Fiction and Nonfiction) sponsored by Shaftesbury, with a $500 prize 

Kevin Sands, The Traitor's Blade, Aladdin (Simon & Schuster) 

The Brass Knuckles Award for Best Nonfiction Crime Book sponsored by Simpson & Wellenreiter LLP, Hamilton, with a $300 prize 

Nate Hendley, The Beatle Bandit, Dundurn Press 

The Award for Best Unpublished Manuscript sponsored by ECW Press, with a $500 prize 

Renee Lehnen, Elmington 

 ***

About Crime Writers of Canada 

Crime Writers of Canada was founded in 1982 as a professional organization designed to raise the profile of Canadian crime writers. Members include authors, publishers, editors, booksellers, librarians, reviewers, and literary agents as well as many developing authors. Past winners of the Awards have included major names in Canadian crime writing such as Mario Bolduc, Gail Bowen, Stevie Cameron, Howard Engel, Barbara Fradkin, Louise Penny, Peter Robinson and Eric Wright.

 

CRIME WRITERS OF CANADA 2022 AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE SHORTLISTS

Crime Writers of Canada (CWC) announced the Shortlists for the 2022 Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence in Canadian Crime Writing. Started in 1984, the annual Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence, then known as the Arthur Ellis Awards, recognizes the best in mystery, crime, and suspense fiction, and crime nonfiction by Canadian authors.

Winners will be announced Thursday 26 May 2022.

Best Crime Novel sponsored by Rakuten Kobo, 

with a $1000 prize

Linwood Barclay, Find You First, William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd. 
Daniel Kalla, Lost Immunity, Simon & Schuster 
Dietrich Kalteis, Under the Outlaw Moon, ECW Press 
Shari Lapena, Not a Happy Family, Doubleday Canada 
Roz Nay, The Hunted, Simon & Schuster

Best Crime First Novel sponsored by Writers First, with a $500 prize

Ashley Audrain, The Push, Viking Canada 
Fiona King Foster, The Captive, HarperCollins Publishers Ltd. 
Byron TD Smith, Windfall: A Henry Lysyk Mystery, Shima Kun Press 
Katherine Walker, All Is Well, Thistledown Press 
David Whitton, Seven Down, Rare Machines an imprint of Dundurn Press

The Whodunit Award for Best Traditional Mystery 

sponsored by Jane Doe, with a $500 prize

Candas Jane Dorsey, What’s the Matter with Mary Jane?, ECW Press 
Alice Bienia, Three Dog Knight, Cairn Press 
Jackie Elliott, Hell's Half Acre, Joffe Books 
Catherine Macdonald, So Many Windings, At Bay Press 
Vicki Delany, Murder in a Teacup, Kensington Publishing Corp

The Howard Engel Award for Best Crime Novel Set in Canada 

sponsored by The Engel Family, with a $500 prize

C. S. Porter, Beneath Her Skin, Vagrant Press / Nimbus Publishing Inc. 
Cathy Ace, Corpse with an Iron Will, Four Tails Publishing Inc. 
Alice Walsh, Death on Darby’s Island, Vagrant Press / Nimbus Publishing Inc. 
Sam Wiebe, Hell and Gone, Harbour Publishing Co. Inc. 
Kevin Major, Three for Trinity, Breakwater Books

Best Crime Novella sponsored by Mystery Magazine, with a $200 prize

Marcelle Dubé, Identity Withheld, Falcon Ridge Publishing 
Brenda Gayle, Murder in Abstract (A Charly Hall Mystery, book 6), Bowstring Books 
Wayne Ng, Letters From Johnny, Guernica Editions 
Elvie Simons, Not So Fast, Dr. Quick, Dell Magazines

Best Crime Short Story sponsored by Mystery Magazine, 

with a $300 prize

Pam Barnsley, What can You Do?, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine 
Hilary Davidson, Weed Man, Dell Magazines 
Elizabeth Elwood, Number 10 Marlborough Place, Dell Magazines 
Charlotte Morganti, All My Darlings, Die Laughing: An Anthology of Humorous Mysteries 
Melissa Yi, Dead Man's Hand, Dell Magazines

Best French Crime Book (Fiction and Nonfiction)

Roxanne Bouchard, Le murmure des hakapiks, Libre Expression 
Marc-André Chabot, Dis-moi qui doit vivre… Libre Expression 
Guillaume Morrissette, Conduite dangereuse, Saint-Jean 
Patrick Senécal, Flots, Editions Alire 
Richard Ste-Marie, Stigmates, Editions Alire

Best Juvenile or YA Crime Book (Fiction and Nonfiction) 

sponsored by Shaftesbury, with a $500 prize

Karen Bass, Blood Donor, Orca Book Publishers 
Rachelle Delaney, Alice Fleck's Recipes for Disaster, Puffin Canada 
Cherie Dimaline, Hunting By Stars, Penguin Teen 
Kevin Sands, The Traitor's Blade, Aladdin (Simon & Schuster) 
Jordyn Taylor, Don't Breathe a Word, HarperTeen (HarperCollins Publishers)

The Brass Knuckles Award for Best Nonfiction Crime Book 

sponsored by Simpson & Wellenreiter LLP, Hamilton, with a $300 prize

Sarah Berman, Don't Call it a Cult, Viking Canada 
Aaron Chapman, Vancouver Vice: Crime and Spectacle in the City's West End, Arsenal Pulp Press 
Catherine Fogarty, Murder on the Inside: The True Story of the Deadly Riot at Kingston Penitentiary, Biblioasis 
Nate Hendley, The Beatle Bandit, Dundurn Press 
Lorna Poplak, The Don: The Story of Toronto's Infamous Jail, Dundurn Press

The Award for Best Unpublished Manuscript 

sponsored by ECW Press, with a $500 prize

Delee Fromm, The Strength to Rise 
Pam Isfeld, Captives 
Renee Lehnen, Elmington 
Katie Mac, Ken's Corner 
Mark Thomas, Part Time Crazy

CWC announces the 2022 Grand Master Award recipient Louise Penny.

Louise Penny’s debut novel, Still Life, not only won CWC Award for Best First Novel but also the New Blood Dagger, Anthony and Barry awards. Since then, Louise Penny has penned over sixteen Inspector Gamache novels, won many more awards, become an International Bestseller and Canadian icon. Inspector Gamache is being adapted for television by Left Bank Productions with Alfred Molina playing the beloved detective. Her most recent book, State of Terror, was written with 2016 U.S. Presential candidate Hilary Clinton, a literary coup and another bestseller.

About Crime Writers of Canada

Crime Writers of Canada was founded in 1982 as a professional organization designed to raise the profile of Canadian crime writers. Our members include authors, publishers, editors, booksellers, librarians, reviewers, and literary agents as well as many developing authors. Past winners of the Awards have included such major names in Canadian crime writing as Mario Bolduc, Gail Bowen, Stevie Cameron, Howard Engel, Barbara Fradkin, Louise Penny, Peter Robinson and Eric Wright. We would like to thank ECW Press, Rakuten Kobo, Mystery Magazine, Shaftesbury, Simpson and Wellenreiter LLP (Hamilton), Writers First, Jane Doe and the Howard Engel family for their sponsorship, and the many participating publishers for their continued support. 
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