(Rick Mofina (Michael Mofina)

Crime Writers of Canada has announced the 2026 finalists for the Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence in Canadian Crime Writing.

The awards, presented in nine categories, recognize the best in mystery, crime, suspense fiction, and crime nonfiction by Canadian authors. The winners will be announced on May 29.

Crime Writers of Canada also announced Rick Mofina as recipient of the biennial Grand Master Award.

The award is given to a crime writer with a substantial body of work who has garnered significant national and international acclaim and who has demonstrated a commitment to the crime-writing community. Previous winners of the Grand Master Award include Maureen Jennings, Louise Penny, and Peter Robinson.

A former journalist for The Toronto Star, The Ottawa Citizen, and The Calgary Herald, Ottawa-based Mofina has published more than 30 novels over 30 years and has twice won the Arthur Ellis Award. His fiction – his latest novel, One Second Away, publishes next week – is know for its grit and procedural accuracy.

In announcing Mofina as the award’s recipient, the association lauded Mofina  for his work as an advocate for Canadian crime writers and for his work with CWC as a mentor to emerging authors and as a frequent contributor to its professional-development series: “It isn’t just about the books sold, but the way he has consistently elevated the genre and supported his peers. His generosity in sharing his expertise has made an indelible mark on our community.”

The 2026 shortlisted titles are:

The Peter Robinson Award for Best Crime Novel ($1,000)

• Sue Hincenbergs, The Retirement Plan (HarperAvenue/HarperCollins Canada)
• Jen Sookfong Lee, The Hunger We Pass Down (McClelland & Stewart/Penguin Random House Canada)
• Tamara L. Miller, Into the Fall (Thomas and Mercer/Amazon Publishing)
• Louise Penny, The Black Wolf (Minotaur Books/Macmillan Publishers)
• Eddy Boudel Tan, The Tiger and the Cosmonaut (Viking Canada/Penguin Random House Canada)

Best Crime First Novel ($1,000)

• Ray Critch, The Beltane Massacre (Breakwater Books)
• Jan Field, Yesterday’s Lies (La Cloche Publishing)
• Joel Nedecky, The Broken Detective (Run Amok Crime)
• David L. Tucker, A Painting to Die For (Otter & Osprey Press)
• A.L. Wahdel, Too Dark For the Light (Butterfly 80 Publishing)

Best Crime Novel Set in Canada ($500)

• Lis Angus, That Other Family (Next Chapter)
• Angela Douglas, Every Fall (Rising Action Publishing)
• Uzma Jalaluddin, Detective Aunty (HarperCollins Publishers)
• C.S. Porter, Salt on Her Tongue (Vagrant Press/Nimbus Publishing)
• Chevy Stevens, The Hitchhikers (St. Martin’s Press/Macmillan Publishers)

The Whodunit Award for Best Traditional Mystery ($500)

• Shelley Adina, The Engineer’s Nemesis (Moonshell Books)
• Mel Anastasiou, Stella Ryman and the Search for Thelma Hu (Pulp Literature Press)
• Alice Fitzpatrick, A Dark Death (Stonehouse Publishing)
• Laury Silvers, Some Justice: A Ghazi Ammar Medieval Mystery (Independently Published)
• Iona Whishaw, The Cost of a Hostage (TouchWood Editions)

Best French Language Crime Book ($500)

• Chrystine Brouillet, Le regard des autres (Druide)
• André Jacques, Jeux d’ombres (Druide)
• Steve Laflamme, La mémoire du labyrinthe (Libre Expression)
• Maureen Martineau, Une nuit d’été à Littlebrook (Héliotrope)
• Martin Michaud, Delta Zéro (Libre Expression)

Best Juvenile / YA Crime Book

• Charis Cotter, The Mystery of the Haunted Dancehall (Tundra Books/Penguin Random House Canada)
• Vicki Grant, Death by Whoopee Cushion (Tundra Books/PRHC)
• Claire Hatcher-Smith, The Mizzy Mysteries: A Skeleton in the Closet (Tundra Books/PRHC)
• Tanya Lloyd Kyi, The City of Lost Cats (Tundra BooksPRHC)
• John Lekich, Bark Twice for Murder (Orca Book Publishers)

The Brass Knuckles Award for Best Nonfiction Crime Book ($300)

• Robert Cree with Therese Greenwood, The Many Names of Robert Cree: How a First Nations Chief Brought Ancient Wisdom to Big Business and Prosperity to His People (ECW Press)
• John L. Hill, Acts of Darkness: Notorious Criminals, Their Defenders, Prosecutors, and Jailers (Durvile & UpRoute)
• Kathleen Lippa, Arctic Predator: The Crimes of Edward Horne Against Children in Canada’s North (Dundurn Press)
• Lorna Poplak, On the Lam: Great (and Not So Great) Escapes from Prison (Dundurn Press)
• Julian Sher and Lisa Fitterman, Hitman: The Untold Story of Canada’s Deadliest Assassin (HarperCollins Publishers)

Best Unpublished Crime Novel manuscript written by an unpublished author ($500)

• Anne Burlakoff, Val’s Story
• William Hall, The Less You Know
• Francis K. Lalumière, Lens Flare
• Barbara Stokes, Death Scent
• Isabelle Zimmermann, Blistered

Best Crime Short Story ($200)

• Lis Angus, “Under the Circumstances,” A Capital Mystery Anthology (Ottawa Press and Publishing)
• Madeleine Harris Callway, “The Lost Diner,” Pulp Literature Press ( Issue 47, Summer 2025)
• Barbara Fradkin, “Cold Shock,” A Capital Mystery Anthology (Ottawa Press and Publishing)
• Billie Livingstone, “The Headache,” Dark Yonder (Issue 11, Nov. 2025)
• Sylvia Maultash Warsh, “Polly Wants a Freakin’ Cracker,” Malice Domestic: Murder Most Humorous (Wildside Press)