The members of the Crime Writers of Canada, ranging from long-established favourites to up and coming first-timers, give you a fast-paced introduction to their newest mystery, suspense and true crime titles, and tell you why they should be in your library.
Celebrating 35 years, Crime Writers of Canada (CWC) is a national non-profit organization for Canadian mystery and crime writers, associated professionals, and others with a serious interest in Canadian crime writing. Our mission is to promote Canadian crime writing and to raise the profile of Canadian crime writers with readers, reviewers, librarians, booksellers, and media.
Ginger Bolton author of Survival of the Fritters, Kensington Publishing Corp.
Emily Westhill runs the best donut shop in Fallingbrook, Wisconsin, alongside her retired police chief father-in-law and her tabby Deputy Donut. But after murder claims a favourite customer, Emily can’t rely on a sidekick to solve the crime – or stay alive. First in the Deputy Donut Mystery Series.
Mel Bradshaw author of Winner’s Loss, Iguana Books
1927. Nora Britton wins the commission to paint a war memorial mural for a Toronto church, then is found dead at the foot of the scaffold she was working on. An accidental fall? So it seems, until police detective Paul Shenstone learns that the artist has been the subject of death threats.
Melodie Campbell author of The B-Team: The Case of the Angry First Wife, Orca Books
Meet THE B-TEAM! (They do wrong for all the right reasons. And sometimes it even works.) Perhaps you’ve heard of The A-Team? Vietnam vets turned vigilantes? They had a television show a while back. We’re not them. But if you’ve been the victim of a scam, give us a call. We’re The B-Team!
Sharon A. Crawford author of Beyond Faith, Blue Denim Press
A nun from Dana Bowman’s past and an email to Bast Overture to find Eli Foster’s birth parents send Thurston, Ontario’s twin PIs on a scenario of extortion, stalking, fire, vandalism, secret adoptions, murders, and an assault leaving Dana with a concussion and memory loss which might get her killed.
Jen Danna author of Before It’s Too Late, Kensington Books
A serial killer taunts the FBI with coded riddles that must be solved in time to save the victims – women that all look like FBI handler Meg Jennings. Meg and her K-9 partner, Hawk, will do whatever it takes to bring a killer to justice, even if they have to colour outside the lines to do so.
Lisa de Nikolits author of No Fury Like That, Inanna Publications
No Fury Like That is a one-of-a kind literary thriller about life and death and the power of second chances. The novel takes you on a fast-paced, funny, adventurous ride, exploring love, the meaning of life, friendship, revenge, family, and the transformation of a character under trying circumstance.
Barbara Fradkin author of Prisoners of Hope, Dundurn Press
In the third Amanda Doucette thriller, set against the stunning backdrop of Georgian Bay, the former international aid worker finds herself drawn into the world of exploited foreign workers when she meets a Filipino nanny accused of murdering her wealthy employer at his island estate.
R. J. Harlick author of Purple Palette for Murder, Dundurn
In this 8th Meg Harris mystery, Meg flies to Yellowknife in a desperate attempt to prove the innocence of her husband Eric, who has been arrested for murder. As an underlying theme, R.J. Harlick explores the impact of residential schools on multiple generations of a fictitious Dene family.
Madeleine Harris-Callway author of 13 Claws, Carrick Publishing
13 Claws presents 17 fantastic crime tales – pun intended – where cats, dogs, dragons, snakes and even animal crackers dispense justice. The critically acclaimed third anthology by the Mesdames of Mayhem features thrillers, cozies and noir, and includes three talented newcomers.
Nate Hendley author of The Boy on the Bicycle: A Forgotten Case of Wrongful Conviction in Toronto, Five Rivers Publishing
This true-crime book details the horrific, largely forgotten case of Ron Moffatt, a 14 year-old Toronto boy accused and convicted in 1956 of an awful crime he didn’t commit. A shocking story about a coerced confession, fumbled police investigation and the star lawyer who fought to free Moffatt.
 (1).jpg)
Michael Kent author of Tainted Evidence, Mezzo Publications
The world doesn’t stop when you’re on vacation. It’s back to cold case files, a murder in the family of his best friend, an international assassin doing business in town, and Pat, the love of Beaudry’s life is strangely sullen. Everything is layered, and nothing is at it seems.
Hilary MacLeod author of Cod Only Knows, The Acorn Press
90-year-old Abel Mack has gone fishin’ – and gone missing. He’s after a 300 lb codfish that got away 30 years before. He’s not the only one – as the giant fish trails murder and mayhem in its wake. Has Abel died of exposure or foul play, or is he only a figment of his wife’s imagination?
Mike Martin author of A Tangled Web, Baico Publishing
In this latest installment of the Sgt. Windflower Mystery series, life is good for the RCMP officer in Grand Bank, Newfoundland. But things go missing and there are mysterious deaths. It’s Windflower’s job to unravel the tangled web that threatens to engulf this sleepy little town.
Lynn McPherson author of The Girls’ Weekend Murder, Black Opal Books
This is the first book of a new cozy mystery series set in the 1950s. It takes place in New England and is a character-driven story about a girls weekend gone wrong. You will find a murdered husband, a wife accused, and some very loyal friends who set out to find the real killer and solve the crime.
Rick Mofina author of Last Seen, MIRA
A married couple, struggling to hide their troubled marriage, take their son to a carnival. They enter a midway house of horrors, walking through darkened chambers of live chilling sets and actors. At the exit, mom and dad emerge but their son doesn’t.
Ken Ogilvie author of Her Dark Path, Joffe Books
Rebecca Bradley was eight years old when her mother was brutally murdered. The killer has never been caught. Rebecca vowed that she would track him down and make him pay. Now 24 years old and an OPP constable, Rebecca sets out in earnest to fulfill that vow.
Judy Penz Sheluk author of A Hole in One: A Glass Dolphin Mystery #2, Barking Rain Press
Murder, mystery and mayhem… small town secrets have never been bigger. When the Glass Dolphin antiques shop agrees to sponsor a hole-in-one contest at a charity golf tournament, co-owners Arabella Carpenter and Emily Garland never dreamed they’d get wrapped up trying to solve another murder.
Katherine Prairie author of Blue Fire, Stonedrift Press Ltd.
A daring act reveals an incredible secret deep in a Brazilian mine, one that catapults geologist Alex Graham in the world of a powerful arms dealer. She flees to Tanzania, to her father, whose cryptic message started her quest. But he has disappeared, and her enemy is closing in.
Ilona Salley author of Yesterday is Never Gone, iuniverse
In this international thriller, deception and inner turmoil hamper a young woman’s journey toward a new reality. While attempting to reconcile her past, Niki encounters difficult decisions, threatening mobsters, and near-death experiences. Things are not always what they seem to be.
Ann Shortell author of Celtic Knot, Friesen Press
1868 Ottawa: a shot in the dark. D’Arcy McGee’s assassinated. John A. Macdonald blames Irish rebels. Jimmy Whelan’s hanged. Did he do the deed? In the Irish storytelling tradition McGee loved, Celtic Knot twists a crucial moment in history – and housemaid Clara Swift solves a timeless mystery.
Caro Soles author of A Friend if Mr. Nijinsky, Crossroad Press
When Nijinsky arrives in New York in 1916, Morgan Vanheusen braves his father’s wrath by helping the dancer steal away from their estate during a charity event. An unlikely alliance blossoms. As Morgan is drawn into Nijinsky’s paranoid world, he is pulled into a murder investigation and great danger.
Jennifer Soosar author of Parent Teacher Association, Black Opal Books
Fresh out of a mental hospital, Lizanne is thrilled to get a second chance at her career when she’s hired to teach 3rd grade in a backwater town. But hopes for a peaceful new life are ruined when a demanding “helicopter mom” pushes Lizanne to the brink, and that’s only the beginning of her troubles.
Jamie Tremain author of The Silk Shroud, Black Opal Books
What do Geisha dolls, industrial espionage, and a mysterious silken fabric have in common? P.I. Dorothy Dennehy is hired by Paul Webster to solve the puzzle. Dodging murder and kidnapping attempts, Dorothy and Paul follow a trail of clues leading to and art and antiquities theft… and murder.
Melissa Yi author of Human Remains, Windtree Press
When Dr. Hope Sze retreats to an Ottawa stem cell lab, she discovers a dead man – only the first in a series of corpses, both at home and around the globe. This time, the killer knows no borders and no conscience. CBC Radio’s The Next Chapter chose Human Remains as a must-read summer mystery.
