Hats In The In Crowd

My wife, Sharon, loves hats. She has several dozen. She divides them between summer hats and winter hats. Between Sharon’s love of hats and reading the fine blog. Clothes in Books, by my friend, Moira Redmond, I note when hats appear in crime fiction.

In The In Crowd Calliope Foster Millinery is doing well enough to give its sole employee, Callie, a tolerable living if she works 7 days a week.

Callie designs and makes hats, especially big hats, for the upper class women of the country. Her friend Harriet assists her by wearing Callie’s creations at Ascot.

When Callie meets DI Caius Beauchamp at the theatre
she is wearing a wide straw hat with silk monkshood flowers sewn into its burgundy band. (It is a coincidence that only three posts ago in Nightshade by Michael Connelly, the purple of nightshade flowers was featured. Monkshood is very much the same purple. While different species, nightshade and monkshood are often identified as the same flower.) Above and to the right are they type of hat I consider she was wearing and some monkshood flowers that would look wonderful on the band.

Callie lives in a world that still appreciates handwritten notes “landing on their doormat with a gentle thud and not in a text message with a ping”. She has personalised note cards printed for her and writes the notes with her “favourite fountain pen”.

She is uncertain she wants to expand her one woman business but answers the phone in the higher-pitched voice of the imaginary Amelia as “she pretended she had an assistant”.

Callie meets with clients individually. Penny is looking for a hat for her daughter’s summer wedding. She wants “something elegant, but distinct”. Callie suggests a pillbox.

In adding flowers to hats she considers the romantic meanings of flowers as defined in The Language of Flowers by Kate Greenaway. Who knew “deep red roses mean ‘shame’ “ and Monkshood means “Knight Errant”?

Callie has an endearing quirk about her hats:

‘I give all my hats names like Sophie in Howl’s Moving Castle. This is Petunia and this is Margot.’

It was not until this book that I learned the importance of hat blocks. For the equally uninformed they are carved wooden blocks to enable the milliner to shape a hat.

Callie loves vintage hat blocks and orders online German antique hat blocks. An example of vintage German hat blocks is above.

While Callie makes big hats for the big events she also makes small hats. The German antique hat blocks help her make cloches.

Sharon keeps hoping more women will wear hats but I cannot say I have observed a trend in women wearing hats. Pity.

****

Vasell, Charlotte - (2025) - The In Crowd

The In Crowd by Charlotte Vassell

(25. - 1268.) The In Crowd by Charlotte Vassell - The members of the “in crowd”, whether old or new money, embrace class distinctions. 

Eight oarsmen, well past their university years, practise weekly for the Henley regatta where they are annually an early elimination. A practice session is interrupted when an oar connects with a drowned woman.

At a party Calliope “Callie” Foster, is resplendent in a “buttermilk-coloured linen sundress that fell to the floor with a tight waist and a balcony bust - a revelation compared to the other female guests’ aggressively ditzy floral prints”. She is dutifully cutting fruit for Pimm’s and lemonade. She is maid of honour for her best friend, Harriet. 

Callie is a milliner and my next post will discuss hats in The In Crowd.

Callie is socially judgmental. She does not regret have turned down Harriet’s betrothed, Inigo, for a date before he was going out with Harriet:

Callie could think of nothing worse than waking up next to such a boring man every day. He only ever wore grey or blue. She could never be in a relationship with someone with such a limited colour palette.

Subsequently, Harriet demotes Callie to bridesmaid mainly because Harriet does not want wedding photos with herself beside the very pretty Callie.

Harriet is comfortable being a snob. Her family is new money.

Callie meets DI Caius Beauchamp at a theatre where all the actors are intentionally drunk. The man seated beside them is found to be dead after being vomited upon by a cast member.

The deceased, Martin Hartley, was a retired optician, obsessed with a missing persons case 15 years old. Eliza Chapel had disappeared from St. Ursula’s, a boarding school in Cornwall.

The drowned woman, Lynne Rodgers, had been the secretary of Robert Symington 30 years ago. The day he stole his firm’s pension plan fund, he was to fly to Brazil with Rodgers. He never showed at the airport. Harriet’s father, Peter, was finance director of the firm at that time. He went on to a very successful business career in women’s fashion.

Caius is uncomfortable with the investigations. Persons in high positions, in the shadows of power, arranged for him to be assigned the cases and are pushing him for reasons unknown to Caius. He is always aware he is not a member of the upper class. With the approval of supervisors Caius shares information with the “friends in high places”.

Suspicions on where the stolen pension money went have never been proven.

The romance of Caius and Callie was captivating. Two bright and beautiful young people whose easy banter is entrancing. I wanted the relationship to succeed. 

English police nutrition is changing. Caius eats “an almond protein ball that he’d batch blended” and another detective picks up sushi for lunch.

There are brilliant twists that I never saw coming that cause chaos for all the major characters. Caius finds his personal and professional lives suddenly intersecting.

Until the twists I had wondered why The In Crowd won the 2025 Edgar Best Novel Award. It had been a good book. The clever complications made it a great book. I am going to have to find The Other Half the first in the series.

The Mountain Master of Sha Tin by Ian Hamilton

(26. - 1269.) The Mountain Master of Sha Tin by Ian Hamilton - A triad war is looming in Hong Kong. Ava Lee is drawn because Xu, head of the Shanghai triads and Chairman of the Triad Society in Asia, has bacterial meningitis. He had taken over the Wanchai triads in Hong Kong forcing Sammy Wing into a largely ceremonial position. Lop, Xu’s designated leader for Wanchai, has been badly wounded in an attempted assassination. There is reliable information that Carter Wing, the Mountain Master of the Sha Tin triads, is behind the attack in an effort to restore his uncle to power. The information is proven accurate when 7 of Lop’s men are kidnapped by the Sha Tin. Carter Wing demands Xu and his triads leave Wanchai.

Tension rises with an accelerated threat from Carter who thinks Xu is avoiding him. Ava and Xu’s executives want to keep Xu’s condition a secret.

It is the type of situation in which Uncle, Ava’s mentor, excelled. While not afraid of violence he could defuse dangerous situations with actions that showed strength and determination but kept violence in reserve.

Pang Fai, Ava’s lover, is worried about Ava’s safety. Ava acknowledges the risk but her loyalty to Xu, Uncle’s godson, and his triads means she will always be resolute in doing what is necessary for them.

Too ill to negotiate, Xu designates Ava to speak for him.

Ava talks with the Wings. She is used to dealing with men who would like to dismiss her. Can she negotiate a solution that saves face for each side?

Ava negotiates in good faith but she cannot find a weak point in the Wings position to press. They are highly confident they have the advantage.

To her dismay Ava finds the Wings are skilled plotters. She is very uncomfortable that the Wings are a step ahead and she is scrambling to react to them.

The Wings leave an unmistakeable message they are coming for Ava. She refuses to leave Hong Kong. The violence is spiralling. Ava learned from Uncle there is a time to be ruthless with those who will never give up on revenge. It is time to be ruthless.

Xu sends 100 men from Shanghai to Hong Kong to be ready for war.

Ava’s empathy leaves her with regret for the families and friends of those killed but regret will not blunt her ruthlessness.

The Mountain Master of Sha Tin is one of the action adventures of Ava Lee. Her only accounting is of the bodies falling. I prefer the books in the series where Ava is focused on accounting and business issues. Still, The Mountain Master of Sha Tin  is a compelling driving adventure that drew me through the 311 pages in 24 hours.

****

Hamilton, Ian - (2012) - The Water Rat of Wanchai; (2013) - The Disciple of Las Vegas; (2014) - The Wild Beasts of Wuhan; (2014) - The Red Pole of Macau; (2016) - The Scottish Banker of Surabaya; (2018) - The Two Sisters of Borneo; (2019) - The King of Shanghai; (2020) - The Princeling of Nanjing; (2020) - Fate; (2020) - Foresight; (2021) - Fortune; (2022) - Finale; (2022) - Body Counts in Fictional Gang Wars (Ian Hamilton, John Grisham and Don Winslow); (2023) - The Couturier of Milan; (2023) - The Iman of Tawi-Tawi; (2024) - The Goddess of Yantai

Resistance Man by Martin Walker

(23. - 1266.) The Resistance Man by Martin Walker - Father Sentout calls Bruno to come to the home of Loïc Murcoing, an old resistance fighter who has died at 86. Being a  resistance man provides special status for his funeral. Surprisingly, he also had several large denomination bills from the Vichy regime of WW II. The money came from a World War II robbery of the Neuvic train. A huge amount of money disappeared. It has never been clear where the money went.

Bruno is next called to the burglary of the summer home of a retired English civil servant, Mr. Crimson. Fine quality furnishings and even higher quality wine have been stolen. What appears to be a relatively routine burglary becomes more complicated when Bruno is advised that Mr Crimson was a senior intelligence administrator in England before he retired. Bruno’s sometime lover, Isabelle, is sent from the Ministry of the Interior to take charge of the investigation.

His third call is to a vacation rental where a Parisian actor and theatre director, Yves Valentoux, has found the brutally beaten body of his lover, English antique dealer Francis Fullerton.

Gay men have not always been treated well in rural France. The investigators from the gendarmes focus on Valentine as the killer, considering the killing a gay lovers quarrel. 

Mr. Crimson's intelligence connections - he may not fully be retired for he has a secure phone - draw more attention.

Isabelle’s arrival continues the awkwardness of Bruno's love life. Pamela has returned from Scotland. Neither relationship looks destined for permanency. 

Bruno's patient investigation, calling upon contacts and residents of the area, leads the investigation towards further gay connections. 

Rumours reach Bruno that there are political developments in Paris that could reach out as far as St. Denis. There is a pending federal election.

How far would the government go to prevent a scandal that could affect its electoral success? Jacqueline Morgan, a Franco-American historian, with a home near St. Denis, has unearthed information involving the French and American governments from decades ago that would be scandalous.

Bruno has a great phrase for describing political and government statements:

“Never believe anything until it’s been officially denied.”

Yet again, Walker credibly mixes into the plot issues of history, political intrigue and international affairs while continuing the focus on a local murder investigation. Few authors can realistically manage such a combination in a story that is set deep in the French countryside, over 6 hours by road from Paris. What more could a reader want in a work of crime fiction?

While Bruno is officially a simple country policeman he is as adept at intrigues as those within the palaces of power in Paris.

The webs of politics, sexual connections and money spread across nations.

As always, Walker involves the life of the community of St. Denis in the plot. In this book, it is the health of the mayor's wife.

Balzac, Bruno's basset hound puppy, is growing up. While charming all, he is demonstrating to Bruno that he will be a very intelligent dog.

Among the dining pleasures of this book is a simple dish made by Bruno for his guests. He heats sunflower oil and thinly slices zucchini. After lightly breading the zucchini he quickly fries the slices until they are “brown and crisp” and sprinkles salt upon them. He serves the beignets with two bowls - one of fresh cheese flavored with herbs and garlic and the other of salsa. Guests hold the hot beignets in paper napkins and smear upon them one of the two accompaniments. (Sigh.)

A remarkable find is a shrine in Fullerton's home that is unlike any I have read about in real life or fiction.

Walker does not shy away from life’s complexities.

Bruno is a modest man but he has a healthy Gallic ego. It occasionally leads him astray.

There is a revelation that deeply affects Bruno’s romantic relationships and left me very sad. 

The Resistance Man’s funeral draws out the full community in remembrance. It is a moving celebration of history and honouring Murcoing who fought for the liberty of France.

The ending had me racing through the pages. Martin Walker is one of the best writers of crime fiction in the world today.

****

Walker, Martin - (2019) - Bruno, Chief of Police and The Magic of St. Denis and Three Pines; (2023) - The Dark Vineyard; (2024) Black Diamond and The Crowded Grave; (2025) The Devil's Cave

Nightshade by Michael Connelly

(22. - 1265.) Nightshade by Michael Connelly - Connelly had me hooked in the pages it took Detective Sgt. Stilwell of the Catalina substation of the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department to transport in his utility task vehicle, an electric golf cart, Judge Harrell, who had swum ashore from his yacht, to the Justice Center. 

The Catalina substation is “a way station for the department’s freaks and fuckups”. Initially resentful at being assigned to the island, Stilwell has come to love island life.

Stilwell is focused on the mutilation of a buffalo when he gets a call to the harbor where he dons a wetsuit - he had been a member of the sheriff’s dive team - to confirm a body is anchored to the ocean floor.

The sight of the body reminds him of “floaters or sinkers” he had dealt with as a “body-recovery diver” - another occupation I could never have handled. He speaks of going under the surface as being in “the blue world”.

It is a woman with a purple streak in her hair.

Mayor Doug Allen is unhappy. Murder is bad for business and it is the Memorial Day Weekend.

The lead homicide detective from overtown (the mainland), Rex Ahearn, makes a memorable entrance into the book when, on the skiff dock gangway while wearing oxfords, he slips and slides into the ocean. Ahearn, whose nicknames are “A-Hole” and “King-A-Hole”, is sent for a shower and dry clothes.

Stilwell’s girlfriend is Tash Dano, the assistant habormaster. She is Catalina born.

Among Stilwell’s other cases is an investigation into the theft of a small black marlin statue from the exclusive Black Marlin club.

With regard to the buffalo there is speculation the head was severed by aliens. Several on the island are profiting from continuing reports of alien activity on Catalina. (In the Age of Trump, I clarify that the suspected aliens are the green extra-terrestrial kind, not foreigners to America.)

As often in a Connelly book the investigation shifts from exploring to finding supporting evidence when detailed police work finds the thread of proof that will be followed to solve the mystery.

Stilwell has a strong resemblance in character to Harry Bosch. Stilwell, formerly a homicide detective, personally investigates the woman’s murder. He knows the detectives assigned to the case will blow up if they find out he is actively pursuing the case. Stilwell does not care. He expects Ahearn will conduct a superficial investigation. The murder also happened on his island.

Considering the last blowup between Hearn and Stilwell ended up with Stilwell being sent to Catalina I wondered what would happen when Ahearn learns Stilwell has ignored his warning.

I should not have been surprised by how deftly Connelly handled the situation. By order of their Captain, Stilwell, Ahearn and Ahearn’s partner, Frank Sampedro become a three man team.

Stilwell discovers the purple streak in the hair of the victim was Nightshade, a deep violet color. That the berries of Nightshade are poisonous seemed appropriate.

As Stilwell pushes the investigation the circumstances become ever more complex.

I was troubled that Connelly once again has a detective, Stilwell, act without backup, and continue his investigation while  suspended from active duty. As well, the body count keeps rising.

As with all Connolly books the story moves smoothly. I could not stop reading but the resolution was not up to the opening.

Stilwell is an interesting character, though I think lacking a partner weakens aspects of the story for he is forced to do more on his own then is really credible. I did appreciate that he has come up with a new detective. Just as John Grisham is great at creating lawyers, Connelly is excellent at creating detectives.

Connelly continues to have one dimensional bad guys. 

There was modest suspense in identifying the perpetrators.

I found it an interesting quirk that Stilwell's first name is never revealed in the book.

For the first time I felt the writing was sometimes formulaic and predictable. Connelly remains an excellent author but Nightshade was not up to the high standard he has maintained for decades in almost all of the 31 books of his previous 39 books I have read. It is not a decline like Robert Crais was for me. Connelly says he is not putting a lot of time into his T.V work. I hope he further decreases his T.V. involvement. In reading other reviews I have not found another reviewer with comparable reservations about the book. 

****

Connelly, Michael – (2000) - Void Moon; (2001) - A Darkness More than Night; (2001) - The Concrete Blonde (Third best fiction of 2001); (2002) - Blood Work (The Best);  (2002) - City of Bones; (2003) - Lost Light; (2004) - The Narrows; (2005) - The Closers (Tied for 3rd best fiction of 2005); (2005) - The Lincoln Lawyer; (2007) - Echo Park; (2007) - The Overlook; (2008) - The Brass Verdict; (2009) – The Scarecrow; (2009) – Nine Dragons; (2011) - The Reversal; (2011) - The Fifth Witness; (2012) - The Drop; (2012) - Black Echo; (2012) - Harry Bosch: The First 20 Years; (2012) - The Black Box; (2014) - The Gods of Guilt; (2014) - The Bloody Flag Move is Sleazy and Unethical; (2015) - The Burning Room; (2015) - Everybody Counts or Nobody Counts; (2016) - The Crossing; (2016) - Lawyers and Police Shifting Sides; (2017) - The Wrong Side of Goodbye and A Famous Holograph Will; (2017) - Bosch - T.V. - Season One and Titus Welliver as Harry Bosch; (2018) - Two Kinds of Truth; (2019) - Dark Sacred Night and A Protest on Connelly's Use of Vigilante Justice; (2020) - The Night Fire; (2020) - Fair Warning; (2021) - The Law of Innocence and Writing a Credible Trial; (2022) - The Dark Hours; (2024) - Resurrection Walk; (2024) -Kim Stone and Harry Bosch; (2025) - The Waiting

The Devil’s Cave by Martin Walker

(21. - 1264.) The Devil’s Cave by Martin Walker - A deceased naked woman floats on a punt through St. Denis gathering more and more attention. After a failed attempt at catching the punt with a fishing cast, it is stopped on the edge of town. 

Police Chief, Bruno Courrèges, is startled to find a pentagram drawn on the woman’s torso, a charred bottom to the punt from a fire and two black candles. Can there be black magic or Satanism involved?

The mayor, Gérard Mangin, futilely hopes the death will get little attention.

Bruno, using his deep knowledge of the community, informally deals with a spousal assault. Resenting Bruno’s questions, the husband, Louis Junot, attacks Bruno who deftly evades and delivers a pair of punishing blows. Then, after carefully listening to husband and wife, he does not arrest the husband. His predecessor, Joe, was also noted for informal justice. In such a situation Joe and a couple of rugby “chums” might have taken the offending husband behind “the barn and treat him with some of his own medicine”.

The investigation takes Bruno out on the river in a canoe to search for the location from which the punt was launched. The search provided a vivid view of the beauty of the Périgord region from a perspective not provided in the earlier books.

The leisurely ride down the river takes them past a chateau. The complexities of French life and history are reflected in the owner of the chateau - the Red Countess, a WW II hero of the Resistance and a committed communist.

The area’s greatest attractions are the caves with amazing prehistoric depictions of animals.

The Devil’s Cave is actually a commercial cave drawing thousands of tourists annually.

As always, there is a major contemporary issue. Mayor Mangin wants to proceed with a large land development. Bruno conducts his customary low key but effective investigation and has reservations. The Mayor listens.

Bruno’s love life remains complicated with the dynamic police officer Isabelle, still working in Paris, and the lovely Pamela, in Scotland because of her ailing mother. A visit from Isabelle stirs up his conflicted heart. I think there are a couple of women in St. Denis awaiting an opportunity for a relationship with Bruno.

One of the reasons I love the series involves Walker’s skilful touch with regard to Bruno’s personal life. Bruno’s devoted dog, Gigi, was killed in the previous book defending Bruno. He is moved to learn Gigi has been honoured by the Ministry as a canine hero. 

Isabelle and her superiors in the Ministry of the Interior obtain a puppy bassett hound, Balzac, for Bruno. He tries not to love the puppy so that he can choose a new dog on his own, but his defences are instantly overcome when he picks up the affectionate puppy with his long long ears. 

While the Mayor remains uncomfortable, it turns out Satan is good for business.

Identification of the floating woman proves unexpectedly difficult considering the notoriety surrounding her discovery.

As the investigation probes relationships that would prefer privacy Bruno and those with him eat very well. Every Bruno story has one or more amazing food experiences. In The Devil’s Cave Bruno picks the flower buds of dandelions and uses them to flavour an omelet.

Bruno and the Mayor tread very carefully in their study of the backers of the proposed development.

The Church does not ignore evidence of Black Masses being conducted in the Devil’s Cave. The response demonstrates the Church’s powerful and majestic rituals.

I was swept up into the story eagerly reading page after page. Walker manages to credibly involve the elites of France with the locals of St. Denis in story after story. The Devil’s Cave is another complex satisfying mystery.  I would like to visit the Périgord.

****

Walker, Martin - (2019) - Bruno, Chief of Police and The Magic of St. Denis and Three Pines; (2023) - The Dark Vineyard; (2024) Black Diamond and The Crowded Grave

The 2025 Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence Winners

Since it is the end of May it is time for the crime writers of Canada awards of excellence. Congratulations to all the winners. Unfortunately, I have not read any of the books. I hope to read several over the rest of the year. The CWC press release is below.

****

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

In Conor Kerr’s exceptional novel Prairie Edge cousins Ezzy, an aimless big-hearted drifter, and Grey, a cynical burned out activist, hatch an audacious scheme to abduct a herd of bison and release them into a downtown Edmonton park. What follows is a tragic, unsentimental exploration of the unpredictable sometimes fatal consequences of their actions and the brutal realities of contemporary activism. Characterizations are complex and multi-layered; dialogue is raw and authentic; the propulsive narrative is flawless with passages of astounding beauty and lyricism. It is a profound testament to the enduring legacy of multi-generational trauma. This powerful, gripping, darkly funny crime novel is brimming with love and rage, despair and hope and is utterly impossible to either put down or forget.

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Best Crime First Novel

Sponsored by Melodie Campbell with a $1000 prize

Ashley Tate, Twenty-Seven Minutes, Doubleday Canada

From its haunting opening description of death to its surprising but somehow exactly right ending, Ashley Tate’s Twenty-Seven Minutes is a gripping, assured debut novel. As the story of Phoebe Dean’s death unfurls, we discover its effect on her family, her friends, and her neighbours in the little town of West Wilmer. Tate takes her time, revealing twist after twist but never allowing the pace to falter. The reader is hooked; we care about these people and hope for a happy ending for them, even as we know disaster is coming. The author shows real skill in concealing so much in plain sight, and the jury is sure that Twenty-Seven Minutes is only the first book in a long, successful career for Ashley Tate.

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Best Crime Novel Set in Canada

Sponsored by Shaftesbury with a $500 prize

Shane Peacock, As We Forgive Others, Cormorant Books

In Shane Peacock’s As We Forgive Others, the Canadian setting stands as a character in its own right. The talented author creates the brooding atmosphere of a rural Ontario winter seen, ironically, through the eyes of a New York homicide detective. Hugh Mercer is trying to escape a shattered marriage and career in an old, rented farmhouse he describes as located, “at the end of nowhere.” The peace he craves eludes him when a mysterious woman appears at the farmhouse door with a ludicrous, perhaps clairvoyant, prediction of a murder. Peacock pulls the reader deep inside the character as he tries but fails to understand the Canadians he meets. The author’s wry humour shows when Mercer compares dangerously polite Canadians, bereft of emotion, to his transparent American countrymen. A laconic local cop with strong appetites, Alice Morrow, invites herself into his life. A skillfully crafted character, she is secretive and incomprehensible, like the Canadian winter. Together, they solve the ingenious mystery, but Mercer is left without answers or forgiveness for his own broken story.

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The Whodunit Award for Best Traditional Mystery

Sponsored by Jane Doe with a $500 prize

Thomas King, Black Ice, HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.

Black Ice is a thoroughly enjoyable, masterfully crafted whodunnit that has it all: tight plot, clever clues, elements of surprise, and compelling characters.

King has deftly hidden clues throughout this witty mystery - if you can only stop grinning long enough to spot them. Just as the case seems impossible, Thumps Dreadful Waters, Temporary Sheriff, has a brilliant revelation—every puzzle piece clicks into place for both him and the reader - if they have been paying attention. A clever mystery that rewards the sharpest minds.

Set in a cozy-like, close-knit community where people know and care for one another, this novel blends surprise twists, resonant emotion, and humorous dialogue with deeper themes. That context supports one of the novel's underlying themes, which is how a person carries on after profound loss. The exploration of that theme, along with the light shone on environmental concerns reminds us that crime fiction can be about more than presenting a “whodunnit”.

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Best Crime Novella

Sponsored by Carrick Publishing with a $200 prize

Pamela Jones, The Windmill Mystery, Austin Macauley Publishers

The Windmill Mystery is a whodunit set in off-the-beaten-path neighbourhoods of Montreal, where an unlikely duo of detectives investigates the death of an eccentric political activist with a mysterious past and a few items of considerable value. When she is found deceased at the foot of an old windmill, the officers find several suspects with compelling motivations: a riches-to-rags sister, a shady politician, and a group of financially distressed nuns. Central to the story is the history of the expulsion of the Acadians from what is now Canada’s Maritime provinces, in 1755. With its clever writing, colourful characters and a satisfying puzzle that can be solved by the perceptive reader, The Windmill Mystery tops our list as Best Novella.

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Best Crime Short Story

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

“Hatcheck Bingo” is fresh and original with deeply Canadian historical roots. The post-WW1 period is effectively woven through the action. Our hat-check girls are clever and resourceful, moral if not entirely law-abiding. Underlying the effervescent Prohibition-era atmosphere are serious undercurrents invoking postwar PTSD, sex discrimination for jobs, and ruthless cross-border power struggles over lucrative booze trafficking routes. The jury specially commends the masterful use of these themes as essential drivers to the deliciously twisty crime story. Wit and humour sparkle to the last bubble, like the best smuggled champagne.

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Best French Language Crime Book

Guillaume Morrissette, Une mémoire de lion, Saint-Jean

The judges thoroughly enjoyed this story, with its intriguing mystery and well-drawn, complex, and sympathetic characters. The slow unfolding of the information is cleverly done, and the flashback sequences well signalled with a clear timeline. The growing trust between the autistic main character, who talks only through a lion puppet, and one of the police officers, conflicts with the understandable insistence on “going by the book” by some members of the police team. This clash between team members paints a nuanced portrait of police officers as human beings. The author skillfully draws the reader into the layered processes of police work. Readers gain insight into the life of an autistic person living off the grid and managing in what, to him, is an alien world, and are also shown the varying reactions of citizens of Trois-Rivieres towards him, ranging from protective to hostile. The town is atmospherically described, and the author’s judicious use of "joual" adds a very real, very immediate sense of place.

Une Mémoire de lion is an outstanding example of a police procedural in which the reader follows the investigation as it happens, to arrive at a very satisfying ending. A story with a great deal of heart. Bravo.

Les juges ont beaucoup apprécié cette histoire, avec son mystère captivant et ses personnages bien conçus, complexes et sympathiques. Le dévoilement progressif des informations est habilement réalisé, et les séquences de flashback sont bien signalées avec une chronologie claire. La confiance croissante entre le personnage principal autiste, qui s'exprime uniquement à travers une marionnette de lion, et un des officiers de police, contraste avec l'insistance compréhensible de certains membres de l'équipe sur le respect strict des procédures. Ce conflit entre les membres de l'équipe offre un portrait nuancé des policiers en tant qu'êtres humains. L'auteur réussit à immerger le lecteur dans les processus complexes de l'enquête policière. Les lecteurs découvrent la vie d'une personne autiste qui vit en marge de la société et s'adapte à un monde qui lui est étranger, tout en observant les réactions variées des habitants de Trois-Rivières envers lui, allant de la protection à l'hostilité. La ville est décrite de manière atmosphérique, et l'utilisation judicieuse du "joual" par l'auteur ajoute un sentiment très réel et très immédiat du lieu.

Une Mémoire de lion est un excellent exemple d'un roman procédural policier dans lequel le lecteur suit l'enquête au fur et à mesure qu'elle se déroule, pour arriver à une fin très satisfaisante. Une histoire avec beaucoup de cœur. Bravo.

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Best Juvenile / YA Crime Book

Sponsored by Superior Shores Press with a $250 prize

Sigmund Brouwer, Shock Wave, Orca Book Publishers

In this fast paced and engaging thriller, eighteen year old Jake Ballard is tricked into helping a teenage girl break into a houseboat and becomes the target of an angry crime boss. Jake is given 24 hours to rectify the situation and, as his mother is away receiving treatment for combat related PTSD, he must do it on his own. As Jake skillfully navigates dangerous situations and finds the courage to continue, he discovers the answer to the question that many teens today face - what to do with their lives. The author elevates this storytelling by providing interesting and realistic discussions on the military, violence, service to others, and mental health. Short chapters, action filled scenes and snappy dialogue make this book set in Sicamous, British Columbia a compelling and easy read for teens.

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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!
From the judges: What a privilege to have these two stories in our lives, as devastating and emotional as they are. The authors of these women-centred, family-focused narratives show compassion for their subjects, tenacity in their research, and a commitment to shining spotlights on important issues. These two Canadian books showing survivors reclaiming their own narratives are worthy of the highest recognition. Congratulations to 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

In Out of Darkness, Denise Chong has created a compassionate and respectfully written portrait of Rumana Monzur’s horrific lived-experiences of abuse and violence. The result is a tribute to Rumana’s resilience, ambition, and strength in overcoming personal tragedy.

Chong’s masterwork in building tension examines how abuse intensifies over time, revealing the warning signs, missed clues, and betrayals that facilitate the hidden epidemic of domestic violence. Chong’s ability to immerse the reader into the narrative, to be alongside Rumana in the horror and the light, creates a long-lasting impression the reader—and the jurors—will not soon forget.

Out of Darkness honours the life Rumana has chosen for herself: A life rich with knowledge and bravery—full of happiness and love while showing her daughter, Anusheh, a way forward, out of the darkness.

Congratulations to Denise Chong and Out of Darkness.

Tanya Talaga, The Knowing, HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.

Tanya Talaga lives up to her name Ka-musko pimojijet pinaysheesh, Little Bird with Big Wings Who Carries a Heavy Burden, in her brave and ambitious book The Knowing. Talaga meticulously braids 150 years of narratives to show how crimes against Indigenous Peoples are systemic and individualized, complex, and intergenerational.

Talaga draws deeply on her personal journey to reclaim the stories of her ancestors and reveal the frustrations of trying to reconcile Indigenous Peoples’ knowledge with the reality of missing and destroyed official government records. A skilful journalist, Talaga’s detailed research and rigorous self-examination shows how crimes of the past are compounded and reverberate today.

Talaga’s thoughtful organization of The Knowing invites and moves the reader through her journey. As jurors, we were moved by Talaga’s perseverance and commitment to telling her and Indigenous Peoples’ truths.

Congratulations to Tanya Talaga and The Knowing.

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Best Unpublished Crime Novel manuscript written by an unpublished author

Sponsored by ECW Press with a $500 prize

Luke Devlin, Govern Yourself Accordingly

A surreal supernatural crossgenre work of crime fiction. The mystery at the heart of the book has a satisfying solution, and there is excellent tension as the hero battles to uncover it.