Of the books nominated I have read Susan Juby’s book in Best Traditional and Dean Jobb’s book in Best Non-Fiction.
I am very familiar with the brilliant books of William Deverell, the winner of the Derrick Murdoch Award. He is the best writer of legal fiction in Canada. I may have a further post about him.
The Winners will be announced on May 30
Congratulations to all the nominees.
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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
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.
I'm very happy to see William Deverell named as the winner of such a prestigious award, Bill. His work is excellent, and it is distinctly Canadian. I look forward to your post on his books. As for the rest, there are definitely some very worthy names here. It'll be interesting to see who the winners are. Thanks for this update.
ReplyDeleteMargot: Thanks for the comment. There is a wide diversity in the authors chosen. There is a large selection of Canadian crime fiction being published. I am equally looking forward to the announcement of the winners.
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