Arthur Ellis Nominees Named!

On Thursday, April 19th, Crime Writers of Canada announced this year’s slate of nominees for the Arthur Ellis Awards at events across the country. Established in 1984, the awards are named after the nom de travail of Canada’s official hangman. (Yes, we once had one, but not for some time). The Arthur Ellis awards celebrate excellence in crime writing, which can include all genres of mystery, espionage, and nonfiction. Eligible books were published in 2011, with the exception of the Unhanged Author, which awards a prize to the year’s best unpublished novel. Winners will be announced at the Bloody Woods Conference banquet on May 31, 2012. Good luck to all nominees. And the nominees are:

BEST CRIME NOVEL

A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny, St. Martin’s Press
Before the Poison by Peter Robinson, McClelland and Stewart
I Am Half-Sick of Shadows by Alan Bradley, Doubleday Canada
I’ll See You in My Dreams by William Deverell, McClelland and Stewart
The Guilty Plea by Robert Rotenberg, Simon & Schuster

BEST FIRST NOVEL

The Man Who Killed by Fraser Nixon, Douglas & McIntyre
The Survivor by Sean Slater, Simon & Schuster
The Water Rat of Wanchai by Ian Hamilton, House of Anansi Press Inc.
Tight Corner by Roger White, BPS Books
Watching Jeopardy, by Norm Foster, Xilibris

BEST JUVENILE OR YOUNG ADULT CRIME BOOK

Blink & Caution by Tim Wynne-Jones, Candlewick Press
Charlie’s Key by Rob Mills, Orca Book Publishers
Held by Edeet Ravel, Annick Press
Missing by Becky Citra, Orca Book Publishers
Empire of Ruins by Arthur Slade, Harper Collins

BEST CRIME NONFICTION

A Season in Hell by Robert Fowler, Harper Collins
Hot Art: Chasing Thieves and Detectives Through the Secret World of Stolen Art by Joshua Knelman, Douglas & McIntyre
The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by Steven Laffoley, Pottersfield
The Pirates of Somalia by Jay Bahder, Harper Collins
The Weasel: A Double Life in the Mob by Adrian Humphreys, Wiley

BEST UNPUBLISHED FIRST NOVEL – ‘UNHANGED ARTHUR’

Gunning for Bear by Madelaine Harris-Callway
Last of the Independents by Sam Wiebe
Snake in the Snow by William Bonnell
The Rhymester by Valergie A. Drego
Too Far to Fall by Shane Sawyer

BEST CRIME SHORT STORY

A New Pair of Pants by Jas R. Petrin, Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine
Beer Money by Shane Nelson, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine
The Girl with the Golden Hair by Scott Mackay, Ellery Queen Mystery Mag.
The Perfect Mark by Melodie Campbell, Flash Fiction Magazine
What Kelly Did by Catherine Astolfo, North Word Magazine

BEST CRIME BOOK IN FRENCH

La chorale du diable by Martin Michaud, Les Editions Guelette
Pwazon by Diane Vincent, Editors Triptyque
Pour Ne Pas Mourir Ce Soir by Guillaume Lapierre-Desnoyers, Levesque Éditeur

For more information about Crime Writers of Canada and the conference (to be held in Toronto this year), visit their website at http://www.crimewriterscanada.com/

DEADLY ACCUSATIONS, (now also out on Kindle) http://tinyurl.com/7b5dfub

THE OPPOSITE OF DARK, now available for iphones, iPads, and iPodTouch at http://bit.ly/nZLlS8.
 Also available in paperback at http://tinyurl.com/30dlx64 and on Kindle at http://tinyurl.com/7kxuat8

FATAL ENCRYPTION, http://tinyurl.com/ddzsxl

TAXED TO DEATH, http://tinyurl.com/czsy5n