Canadian Accolades

Crime Writers of Canada (CWC) announced the Shortlists for the 2021 Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence in Canadian Crime Writing. Formerly known as the Arthur Ellis Awards (which started in 1984), the annual Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence recognizes the best in mystery, crime, and suspense fiction, and crime nonfiction by Canadian authors.  Winners will be announced Thursday, May 27, 2021.

 

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

• Marjorie Celona, How a Woman Becomes a Lake, Hamish Hamilton Canada; Penguin Canada
• Cecilia Ekbäck, The Historians, HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
• Will Ferguson, The Finder, Simon & Schuster Canada
• Thomas King, Obsidian, HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
• Roz Nay, Hurry Home, Simon & Schuster Canada

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

• Raye Anderson, And We Shall Have Snow, Signature Editions
• Chris Patrick Carolan, The Nightshade Cabal, Parliament House Press
• Guglielmo D’Izza, The Transaction, Guernica Editions
• Russell Fralich, True Patriots, Dundurn Press
• Emily Hepditch, The Woman in the Attic, Flanker Press

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

• Randall Denley, Payback, Ottawa Press and Publishing
• Helen Humphreys, Rabbit Foot Bill, HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
• Ann Lambert, The Dogs of Winter, Second Story Pres
• Kevin Major, Two for The Tablelands, Breakwater Books
• Katrina Onstad, Stay Where I Can See You, HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.

Best Crime Novella sponsored by Mystery Weekly with a $200 prize

• C.C. Benison, The Unpleasantness at the Battle of Thornford, At Bay Press
• Vicki Delany, Coral Reef Views, Orca Book Publishers
• Winona Kent, Salty Dog Blues, Sisters in Crime - Canada West
• Sam Wiebe, Never Going Back, Orca Book Publishers

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

• Marcelle Dubé, Cold Wave, Sisters in Crime - Canada West
• Twist Phelan, Used to Be, Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine
• Zandra Renwick, Killer Biznez, Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine
• Sylvia Maultash Warsh, Days Without Name, Carrick Publishing
• Sarah Weinman, Limited Liability, Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine

Best French Crime Book (Fiction and Nonfiction)

• Roxanne Bouchard, La mariée de corail, Libre Expressio
• Stéphanie Gauthier, Inacceptable, Éditions Québec Amérique
• Christian Giguère, Le printemps des traîtres, Héliotrope NOIR
• Guy Lalancette, Les cachettes, VLB éditeur
• Jean Lemieux, Les Demoiselles du Havre-Aubert, Éditions Québec Amérique

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

• Frances Greenslade, Red Fox Road, Puffin Canada, an imprint of Penguin Random House
• Janet Hill, Lucy Crisp and the Vanishing House, Tundra Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House
• Sheena Kamal, Fight Like a Girl, Penguin Teen, an imprint of Penguin Random House
• Kelly Powell, Magic Dark and Strange, Margaret K. McElderry Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Inc.
• Tom Ryan, I Hope You're Listening, Albert Whitman & Co.

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

• Jeff Blackstock, Murder in the Family: How the Search For My Mother's Killer Led to My Father, Viking Press
• Norm Boucher, Horseplay: My Time Undercover on the Granville Strip, NeWest Press
• Silver Donald Cameron, Blood in the Water: A True Story of Revenge in the Maritimes, Viking Press
• Justin Ling, Missing From the Village: The Story of Serial Killer Bruce McArthur, the Search for Justice, and the System That Failed Toronto's Queer Community, McClelland & Stewart
• Michael Nest with Deanna Reder and Eric Bell, Cold Case North: The Search for James Brady and Absolom Halkett, University of Regina Press

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

• The Future by Raymond Bazowski
• Predator and Prey by Dianne Scott
• Notes on Killing your Wife by Mark Thomas
• A Nice Place to Die by Joyce Woollcott
• Cat with a Bone by Susan Jane Wright

CWC also announced the 2021 Derrick Murdoch Award recipient, Marian Misters.

The Derrick Murdoch Award is a special achievement award for contributions to the Canadian crime writing genre. As co-owner of Toronto’s Sleuth of Baker Street, Marian Misters has been supporting mystery authors since the bookstore opened and CWC from its inception. Through hosting book events, she has helped launch the career of many CWC authors. In addition, Marian served as Jury Chair for the Awards for three years, during which time she streamlined and developed written procedures for the judges. She was also instrumental in guiding CWC to a new, more diverse, Jury Selection Committee format, and has been active on the Awards Committee for five years.