2026 Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence

Since it is the end of May it is time for the Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence. Congratulations to all the winners. 

I have read The Black Wolf and have mixed emotions about the book. I was waiting to see how it fared in the CWC Award process.  I still have mixed emotions.

A copy of the news release announcinig the Awards is below.

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The Peter Robinson Award for Best Crime Novel

With a $1000 prize

Louise Penny, The Black Wolf, Minotaur Books

Congratulations to Louise Penny and The Black Wolf, our unanimous winner of The Peter Robinson Award for Best Crime Novel for 2026. The jurors were first-time readers of Louise Penny and were inescapably drawn in from the first line to the last. Never has a location held so much depth and complexity as Three Pines. Being the twentieth installment of the Inspector Gamache series, Penny’s masterful knack of weaving a story that carries years of knowledge mixed with a hint of a future and a never overdone richness of character is at its finest. Armand Gamache is simply a brilliant character, and this novel captivates with no good place to put it down. Both series-long and new readers belong here, in this world, that terrifyingly mimics our own. Penny brilliantly threads a complex and interconnected web through police and science agencies, organized crime, government, and even dear friends and foes leaving no one safe…nor innocent. At the heart sits Three Pines, a hopeful refuge from the world-altering revelations Penny crafts to test the very heart and soul of those we love and those we trust most. But, no one will be quite the same after The Black Wolf, Penny insists on it.

 

Best Crime First Novel

Sponsored by Melodie Campbell with a $1000 prize

Ray Critch, The Beltane Massacre, Breakwater Books

The Beltane Massacre distinguished itself to the jury as an impressive and deeply satisfying debut, one that combines suspense, emotional depth, and a confident command of story from beginning to end. The jurors respected the novel’s ability to deliver a compelling crime narrative while remaining grounded in character, grief, and the lasting consequences of violence. At the same time, it feels fully rooted in contemporary reality, bringing modern pressures of power, surveillance, and instability into a story that never loses its human centre. The narrative unfolds with skill, allowing mystery and momentum to develop alongside a more intimate search for truth. The result is a novel that is both absorbing and affecting, and one that arrives at an ending of real force. As a debut by Newfoundland and Labrador writer Ray Critch, The Beltane Massacre is a remarkable achievement, a worthy winner, and a memorable introduction to a fresh voice in Canadian crime fiction.

 

Best Crime Novel Set in Canada

Sponsored by Shaftesbury with a $500 prize

C.S. Porter, Salt on Her Tongue, Vagrant Press

Animated by the intense fog and turbulence of the Bay of Fundy, as well as the personal struggles of the varied characters who take the reader on this gripping journey, Salt on Her Tongue keeps the reader engaged through masterful pacing and startling revelations.

The jurors pointed in particular to how well the author evokes the geography, maritime life and weather that forms the setting, and how well it amplifies the conflicts and mysteries in the plot. Also, the characters, from salty locals disdainful of big-city practices to wealthy and powerful elites, are drawn with a clarity that brings them to life, making the reader see their unique perspectives. Notably, the detective’s self-awareness of her mental fragility helps the reader see inside her head, empathizing as she persists despite barriers, including that the people around her seem to be trying to hinder her investigation. Further, the scope of the plot is engaging, convincingly telescoping from local corruption to an unexpected plot twist sure to leave readers satisfied

 

The Whodunit Award for Best Traditional Mystery

Sponsored by Jane Doe with a $500 prize

Iona Whishaw, The Cost of a Hostage, TouchWood Editions

The jurors were unanimous in awarding this year’s CWC Award of Excellence for Best Traditional Mystery to Iona Whishaw’s The Cost of a Hostage, the twelfth Lane Winslow story. 

This book represents all the best elements of Lane’s adventures: engaging characters living in beautifully described settings, both in Canada and this time in Mexico and France, skilfully woven plot strands that come together in a satisfying way at the very end, and Whishaw’s command of the narrative arc examining the rippling effects of Lane’s wartime service on her postwar life.

Although the book takes place in the 1940s, its themes of addiction and drug trafficking are familiar to contemporary readers and yet this is not an anachronism. Whishaw’s characters are of their time. The crimes could be contemporary, but they are solved in a way that is true to the world in which they occur.

Sustaining reader interest over a long series, yet producing books that can also stand alone, is a challenge of the mystery-writing craft, one that Iona Whishaw has met with solid success. 

 

Best Crime Short Story

Sponsored by Crime Writers of Canada with a $200 prize

Sylvia Maultash Warsh, “Polly Wants a Freaking Cracker”, Malice Domestic: Murder Most Humorous, Wildside Press

Everything about this delicious easter-egg-rich criminal confection is as engaging as the title.  Author Sylvia Maultash Warsh gets full marks for leading readers through the investigation into a fatal mid-city hit-and-run; narrated from the perspective of one of the most unlikely protagonists to make their Canadian crime lit debut. Jurors were unanimous in their shared delight of the twists, turns and—much to their amazement—legal logical leaps that crime readers everywhere savour.  The narrative unfolds with simple straightforward language; the characters are likeable and worth cheering on from start to finish. This story is a delicious blend of suspense, sympathy, action, and well-placed humour. The ending ties up loose ends, but it’s not what the reader is expecting.

Because of its truly unique premise, “Polly Wants A Freaking Cracker” led the pack of this year’s finalists, but the jurors wish to note that all 45 of the entries were riveting reads.

 

Best French Language Crime Book

Sponsored by Carrick Publishing with a $500 prize

Maureen Martineau, Une nuit d’été à Littlebrook, Héliotrope

Les jurées ont choisi ce roman pour ses nombreuses qualités littéraires, notamment son originalité. Elles ont apprécié le fait que l’histoire évoque un thème très actuel : un monde rural frappé directement par les changements climatiques. Et qu’elle mette en lumière l’impact de cette crise sur les gens qui habitent ces régions.

L’autrice décrit avec beaucoup de doigté les tourments des personnages, notamment le personnage principal. Le rôle des femmes est central dans cette histoire, ce que à quoi le jury a été sensible.

L’écriture de Maureen Martineau est à la fois délicate et percutante. À travers la plume de l’autrice, on découvre un univers riche. Dialogues et narrations s’y côtoient, en un parfait équilibre. Les différentes facettes de l’histoire ; une pénurie d’eau, des cultures menacées par la sécheresse, une étrange maladie génétique, des drames familiaux, des abus sexuels, constituant un aspect important du récit, sont imbriqués de façon fluide et limpide.

Le thème de la vengeance qui mène au crime est présent, en toile de fond, dès les premières pages du roman, ce qui contribue à créer une tension dramatique que les jurées ont particulièrement aimé.

 

Best Juvenile / YA Crime Book

Sponsored by Superior Shores Press with a $250 prize

Charis Cotter, The Mystery of the Haunted Dance Hall, Tundra Books

The heart of The Mystery of the Haunted Dance Hall is a decades-old love story that ended in tragedy. Charis Cotter pulls in the reader with her gripping storytelling and immersive descriptions of a 1960s bird-watching camp for girls, founded by the elderly Miss Linnet, an austere figure who changes dramatically over the course of the book. The author’s strength lies in her unique characters, both major and minor. Bee, the eccentric, self-deprecating protagonist with no camp experience, meets two girls who become unlikely sidekicks, their friendship growing over time. The writing is gripping as the threesome discover that the older girls in a neighbouring cabin are being lured nightly to a haunted island in the middle of the lake by “fairy music.” The author establishes a connection between the distant past and the present in a powerful tale that engages the reader on an emotional level. A compelling mystery, sparked by a crime, unfolds through an engaging investigative process. Beautifully written, the story blends mystery and the fantastical to create a memorable and poignant novel that stays with the reader.

 

The Brass Knuckles Award for Best Nonfiction Crime Book

Sponsored by David Reid Simpson Law Firm (Hamilton) with a $300 prize

Julian Sher & Lisa Fitterman, Hitman: The Untold Story of Canada’s Deadliest Assassin, HarperCollins Publishers Ltd

While all the shortlisted titles masterfully explored timely aspects of Canadian crime and justice, Hitman stood out for the jurors from the first page by the quality of the writing, bringing to life characters both major and minor in memorable ways. The jurors appreciated the thorough examination of both the titular character and the law enforcement obstacles that allowed his career to continue unchecked through so many assassinations. The research was deep and broad, uncovering intimate personal moments all the way to necessary development of policing strategies and inter-force communication protocols that continue to inform gang investigations in Canada today.

 

Best Unpublished Crime Novel manuscript written by an unpublished author

Sponsored by ECW Press with a $500 prize

Anne Burlakoff, Val's Story

By turns introspective and action-packed, Val’s Story is a compelling, layered novel whose prose reads smoothly and whose plot unfurls dramatically. The jurors appreciated this writer’s ability to weave current issues, historicity, personal stakes and the instigating crime into a juicy narrative. The dual perspective structure sustains tension between Eve, the sixty-ish amateur investigator who wants to reveal everyone’s secrets but her own, and Tanya Clarke, the Black homicide detective who wants to crack the case—not to earn a promotion, but to justify the promotion she’s already earned. The jurors noted complex characters, believable and well-developed character motivation, intriguing historical elements, strong dialogue, a gripping opening and controlled interiority as some of the manuscript’s particular strengths. With inclusive representation on race, disability and age, Val’s Story feels modern and satisfying without shying away from some of the ugliest issues of our times.

Images of Eliza Schulyer Hamilton

(16. - 1305) The Lace Widow by Mollie Ann Cox - My previous post was a review of the mystery which featured Eliza Schulyer Hamilton, the wife of Alexander Hamilton, with the story taking place shortly after his death in July of 1804. 

When an actual famous person of the 20th or 21st Centurey becomes a fictional sleuth I instantly have an image of the sleuth as a person for there are abundant photos.

While Eliza Schulyer Hamilton is a real person she was living before the era of photography began.

I noted no real description of her in The Lace Widow. Thus, I was left to my imagination and bits of information about her in the book.

When I read I want some visual image of the sleuth. The sleuth is not an abstract being.

For Eliza I fashioned an image that she was tall probably because she commands respect through her position in society and personality.

I thought she was trim while perhaps buxom having had 9 children. At the time of the death of her husband, Alexander Hamilton, 8 children were alive. Her son, Philip, had died in a duel 2 years before his father died in a duel.

As she deals with her grief she is not eating well but her overall diet appears balanced and there is no reference to drinking. Many women who have had many children will be heavy but she is not so described. The image on the book cover of a woman of such appearance undoubtedly influenced me though it is in black showing no features.

I considered her a fit woman. As a girl she had enjoyed time in the forest and with an Iroquois friend. In the book she is an active and energetic woman. She loves to walk.

Later in the book part of my image shifted as she is described as having a woman’s curves but not her sisters’ curves. Compared to her sisters she is “leaner and sinewy”. It contradicted my thoughts of her as a full figured woman.

She is conventionally attractive in my mind as that is how I envisage people until described otherwise.

I started writing this post early in my reading of the book and had conflicting emotions about whether to seek out images of her and information on her online immediately or wait until I had finished reading the book. I decided to wait until the end, partly to see if my image of her shifted over the book and partly to see if she was described more fully later in the book. The anticipation did spur me to read the book more quickly.

After completing the book I looked up images of Eliza Schulyer Hamilton. Most helpful was the blog of author, Susan Holloway Scott, who had numerous posts on Eliza and Alexander Hamilton. Links to a trio of posts are below. Scott says there were only two portraits of Eliza from the years she was married to Hamilton.

The first of the two portraits is the most famous and was painted in 1787 by American artist, Ralph Earl. The portrait is above. 

Quoting Scott: 

The second is this pastel drawing from around 1796 by the British artist James Sharples.

An image is to the right.

Both images come from Scott’s posts.

Scott discussed the the portraits in a post on the Sharples drawing:

I wonder if they felt the same about this delightful portrait of Eliza. Captured with the hint of a smile, Eliza is shown in profile with her dark eyes, brows, and hair in contrast to her pale complexion. The stiffly arranged and powdered hair that Eliza wore for the 1787 portrait had gone out of fashion, and although ten years separated the two portraits, she looks younger here. Her hair is loosely tied with an oversize bow and draped with a strand of faux pearls. Her dress also reflects the newer styles coming into fashion, and is probably white cotton muslin, soft and airy. (Some of this softness may in fact be due to the condition of the drawing; pastels are fragile, and easily smudged.)

The pastel portrait is the image I will carry forward of Eliza. In the book she is not a grand lady wearing gowns but a widow facing financial uncertainty.

As to my imaginary image while reading the book I would say neither my first nor my shifted image really accord with the portraits beyond she is an attractive, even beautiful woman.

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https://susanhollowayscott.com/blog/2019/3/3/three-portraits-of-the-widowed-elizabeth-schuyler-hamilton

https://susanhollowayscott.com/blog/2017/7/20/face-to-face-with-eliza-hamilton-in-virginia

https://susanhollowayscott.com/blog/2018/12/3/a-charming-profile-portrait-of-eliza-hamilton-c1796

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The Lace Widow by Mollie Ann Cox

The Lace Widow by Mollie Ann Cox

(16. - 1305) The Lace Widow by Mollie Ann Cox - Eliza Hamilton, the wife of Alexander Hamilton, has been a widow for 10 days in July of 1804.

She is determined to have Aaron Burr shunned in New York City and charged with the murder of her husband. She is convinced Burr murdered her husband in their duel. She will not have Hamilton’s legacy be that he died in an ordinary duel.

Eliza’s carriage is suddenly stopped on its way from Manhattan to the family home in Harlem. A body is hauled from the river. It is John Van Der Gloss who acted as second for her husband. She instantly thinks he has been murdered to prevent him from saying what happened during the duel.

Eliza is usually greeted as “Mrs. General Hamilton” reflecting the status of her father, Philip Schuyler, as an American general.

Eliza had been a founding member of the Widows Society who aided widows with financial troubles. She is worried she may face such troubles. Eliza is uneasy about the financial security of herself and her eight living children for she did not know her husband’s finances.

Eliza is stunned when her 18 year old son, Alexander Jr., is arrested for killing Van Der Gloss. At a tavern earlier in the evening they had argued over the duel and Alexander struck Van Der Gloss. Alexander insists it was but one blow and no more.

She is determined to find out who actually killed Van Der Gloss. A strong willed woman, Eliza bristles when told the investigation into the murder is “man’s business”. She will accept help but saving her son is her business.

Alice Rhodes, a beneficiary of the Widows Society, who has taken up lace making offers to ask questions for Eliza. As a woman of a certain age and modest standing in society, Alice is almost invisible. 

Eliza can ask questions at upscale establishments such as hotels.

She recruits other women to ask questions.

She will stir the pot.

Several widows who were aided by the Widows Society are now living together in a house and making their own way in the world through weaving and lace making. They are not looking for “good marriages”.

Eliza’s lawyer bluntly tells her that she has little money and must economize.

Burr’s lawyer, Jonathan Drake, may be involved. Some refer to him derisively as Burr’s dog.

It is hard for Eliza, personally known by many as Hamilton’s widow, to be inconspicuous.

Eliza pushes forward. She is uneasy but has the classic trait of a sleuth. She is persistent, even obsessive, in solving murder.

Anger builds in Eliza over Hamilton not providing for her before he went off to duel.

Eliza’s grief has been complicated by her investigation, her financial circumstances and her relationship with her late husband. She puts aside mourning.

Women of America’s upper class of the era were trained to make lace. Eliza, while long out of practice, finds she still has the skill to make lace.

Eliza pushes the investigation in a personal manner I would never have expected. She dared convention in her effort to clear her son’s name and find justice for the murdered.

It is an interesting book. I am not sure if I will read another in the series.

Quant by Anthony Bidulka (Hopes)

*(21. - 1310.) Quant by Anthony Bidulka (Hopes) - Every time I open a book I hope it will be a good book. I would be surprised if any  reader had a different hope. With authors I know well I have more hopes. With authors I know best such as Anthony Bidulka I have the most hopes. This post will be the 37th I have written about Anthony and his books. I estimate the posts total about 28,000 words or 85 pages.

Fourteen years ago I hoped the Russell Quant series would continue after Dos Equis. Twelve years ago I expressed regret to Anthony that he was not planning to write another Russell Quant novel. Anthony told me he was standing by the position that he had stated to Metro News that he would “never say never” about continuing the series. I described the situation as an “indefinite hiatus”.  I clung to a faint hope Russell would return as Anthony wrote seven novels not featuring Russell. Thus, I was very excited when my hope of more Russell Quant was realized this year with Quant.

I had two further hopes in the email exchange with Anthony in 2014 over the Russell Quant hiatus. I wrote:

I have always thought Russell could be involved in an adventure with his mother in the area of the family farm.

My heart is bursting as both hopes were fulfilled in Quant where Russell’s mother, Kay, is deeply involved in the plot and the Canadian parts of the book are set in and around Howell, the community where Russell grew up and the family farm is located.

I had also hoped that Russell might encounter some of the characters from Anthony’s other books if the hiatus ended. After all, Saskatchewan has only 1.2 million people. We encounter each other a lot. In an email exchange with Anthony last year on Home Fires, the third book in the Merry Bell trilogy, I wrote:

In a final plea I would love to see you write a mystery in which Russell joins Merry and Roger/Stella. I think it would be a grand adventure.

Quant is not about Russell joining Merry and Roger/Stella but it is entertaining with its connections to Anthony’s non-Russell Quant books, especially for readers familiar with the series.

I hoped, actually I knew that in a new Russell Quant mystery, that Anthony would continue to write about under-represented people and places in crime fiction.

Anthony carries on exploring Anthony’s life as a gay man in Saskatchewan.

Anthony has a powerful section on Russell’s  private investigation agency agonizing over an almost impossible LGBTQ+ situation. Sometimes, as first year law students learn to their dismay, there is no right answer but there may be a best answer.

I am not sure if it was intentional but Anthony was writing in Quant about a different under-represented group and place. Rural Canada and its residents, outside Saskatchewan, are under-represented in crime fiction. 

Taking a quick look at the over 200 reviews I have written on Canadian crime fiction outside Saskatchewan, about 30 are set in the country. 

I did not include the 20 books in the Gamache series by Louise Penny as set in the country. While some books in the series mainly take place in the fictional Three Pines, most of the action in the series is in Montreal and urban Quebec.

The country is well represented in Saskatchewan crime fiction as a setting outside the books of Anthony and Gail Bowen.

In the combined 35 books of Anthony and Gail Bowen before Quant which  have Saskatchewan as their major setting, only Anthony’s Going to Beautiful is truly set in rural Saskatchewan. In the 35 books characters visit or come from or sometimes stay in rural Saskatchewan but the plots primarily take place in our largest cities, Saskatoon (Livingsky) and Regina.

Of the 17 books of Saskatchewan crime fiction by authors other than Anthony or Gail that I have read 16 are set in rural Saskatchewan.

I expressed a modest hope to Anthony years ago for Russell to have at least part of an adventure in Melfort where Anthony’s sister Fran, now sadly gone, and I have both lived. The hope was partially fulfilled. Russell made a visit to Melfort in Quant to interview a witness.

I had another hope for the series that was realized but I will not describe it as I feel it is too great a spoiler. That hope will be a mystery within my trio of posts about Quant. I will be interested in talking to readers of the series after they read Quant in the fall to see if they had that same hope.

My final hope after reading Quant is that there will be another Russell Quant book. I believe there are abundant plots to explore. Anthony could fulfill my hope for Russell to have an adventure in Melfort.

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The author's website is http://www.anthonybidulka.com/ 

2011 Questions and Answers with Anthony; (2012) - Where's Anthony?; (2013) - Anthony Bidulka has Lambda Nomination and New Book; (2014) - Post on Carol Balawyder's blog on How I Got Published; (2016) - Why do so Many Canadian Crime Series have Cross-Border Settings and Anthony's Personal Experience; (2021) - Anthony Bidulka and Hesitation Over the Cover Photo; (2024) Rural Life in Saskatchewan Through Crime Fiction; (2024) - Anthony Bidulka at the Melfort Library

    1.) Russell Quant series – (2004) - Amuse Bouche

    (Most interesting of 2004 – fiction and non-fiction);

    (2005) - Flight of Aquavit (2nd Best fiction in 2005);

    (2005) - Tapas on the Ramblas (2006) - Stain of the

    Berry; (2008) - Sundowner Ubuntu; (2009) - Aloha, 

    Candy Hearts; (2010) - Date with a Sheesha; (2012) -

    Dos Equis and Q & A and Thoughts on Q &A; (2012)

    - Book Launch in Saskatoon of Dos Equis; (2014) -

    Russell Quant onIndefinite Hiatus; (2026) Quant 

    (Family Picnics and Farewells) and (The Review)

    Paperback or Hardcover

    2.) Adam Saint series - (2013) - When the Saints Go

   Marching  In; (2015) - The Women of Skawa Island

    3.) Merry Bell series - (2023) - Livingsky and Merry

    Bell - Saskatchewan Transgender Sleuth and

    Exchange with Anthony Bidulka on Livingsky; (2024)

    - From Sweetgrass Bridge and I Am Excited to

    Become a Fictional Character and Poetry in Football -

    Fictionally and Real Life; (2025) Home Fires

    Burn and Reading to Sharon and Email Exchange

   With Anthony on Home Fires Burn

    4.) Standalones - (2017) - Set Free; (2022) - Going to 

   Beautiful and Stellar Book Launch for Going to

   Beautiful