GAIL BOWEN: R.I.P.

Sad news. Gail Bowen, Canadian crime writer, passed away this week. She will be missed. 

Gail Bowen whose Joanne Kilbourn mystery series garnished multiple awards and very satisfied readers for more than three decades, died on June 2026 in Regina, Saskatchewan, following a brief battle with cancer. She was 83. Her death was announced on June 26.

Bowen launched the Joanne Kilbourn series with Deadly Appearances in 1990, introducing a widowed mother, political analyst, and university professor who keeps finding herself drawn into criminal investigations across Saskatchewan. The series ran for more than 20 novels, including A Colder Kind of Death, which won the Arthur Ellis Award, and continued into her final years with titles like The Legacy (2023) and The Solitary Friend (2025). Many of the books were adapted as Canadian television movies by Shaftesbury Films, bringing Kilbourn to a national audience.

Beyond the novels, Bowen was a prolific playwright. Several of her works premiered at Regina’s Globe Theatre, among them ‘Dancing in Poppies’ and adaptations of ‘Beauty and the Beast’ and ‘Peter Pan’, the latter featuring singer-songwriter Fred Penner as Captain Hook in a 2000 production. Her radio work for CBC included an adaptation of ‘Dr. Dolittle’ and ‘The World According to Charlie D.’, a play built around a radio talk-show host from her Kilbourn novels, which later expanded into a series of mystery novellas.

Bowen also gave back to the literary communities that shaped her, serving as writer-in-residence at the Toronto Reference Library, Calgary’s Memorial Park Library, and the Regina Public Library. A member of the Saskatchewan Order of Merit, she leaves behind a body of work that helped define the Canadian mystery for a generation of readers.

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.

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

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.