Arthur Ellis Awards

 

The Arthur Ellis Awards are a group of Canadian literary awards, presented annually by the Crime Writers of Canada for the best Canadian crime and mystery writing.

The awards are named for Arthur Ellis, the pseudonym of Canada's official hangman. The award statue itself is wooden model of a hanging man. The arms and legs move when the statue's string is pulled.

Best Novel

• 1984 - Eric Wright, The Night the Gods Smiled
• 1985 - Howard Engel, Murder Sees the Light
• 1986 - Eric Wright, Death in the Old Country
• 1987 - Edward O. Phillips, Buried on Sunday
• 1988 - Carol Shields, Swann: A Mystery
• 1989 - Chris Scott, Jack
• 1990 - Laurence Gough, Hot Shots
• 1991 - L.R. Wright, A Chill Rain in January
• 1992 - Peter Robinson, Past Reason Hated
• 1993 - Carsten Stroud, Lizardskin
• 1994 - John Lawrence Reynolds, Gypsy Sins
• 1995 - Gail Bowen, A Colder Kind of Death
• 1996 - L.R. Wright, Mother Love
• 1997 - Peter Robinson, Innocent Graves
• 1998 - William Deverell, Trial of Passion
• 1999 - Nora Kelly, Old Wounds
• 2000 - Rosemary Aubert, The Feast of Stephen
• 2001 - Peter Robinson, Cold is the Grave
• 2002 - Michelle Spring, In the Midnight Hour
• 2003 - Rick Mofina, Blood of Others
• 2004 - Giles Blunt, The Delicate Storm
• 2005 - Barbara Fradkin, Fifth Son
• 2006 - William Deverell, April Fool
• 2007 - Barbara Fradkin, Honour Among Men
• 2008 - Jon Redfern, Trumpets Sound No More
• 2009 - Linwood Barclay, Too Close to Home
• 2010 - Howard Shrier, High Chicago
• 2011 - Louise Penny, Bury Your Dead

Best First Novel

• 1987 - Medora Sale, Murder on the Run
• 1988 - Laurence Gough, The Goldfish Bowl
• 1989 - John Brady, A Stone of the Heart
• 1990 - John Lawrence Reynolds, The Man Who Murdered God
• 1991 - Carsten Stroud, Sniper's Moon
• 1992 - Paul Grescoe, Flesh Wound
• 1993 - Sean Stewart, Passion Play
• 1994 - Gavin Scott, Memory Trace
• 1995 - Sparkle Hayter, What's A Girl Gotta Do?
• 1996 - (tie) John Spencer Hill, The Last Castrato and D.H. Toole, Moonlit Days and Nights
• 1997 - C. C. Benison, Death At Buckingham Palace
• 1998 - Kathy Reichs, Déja Dead
• 1999 - Liz Brady, Sudden Blow
• 2000 - Andrew Pyper, Lost Girls
• 2001 - Mark Zuehlke, Hands Like Clouds
• 2002 - Jon Redfern, The Boy Must Die
• 2003 - James W. Nichol, Midnight Cab
• 2004 - Jan Rehner, Just Murder
• 2005 - Jon Evans, Dark Places
• 2006 - Louise Penny, Still Life
• 2007 - Anne Emery, Sign of the Cross
• 2008 - Liam Durcan, Garcia's Heart
• 2009 - Howard Shrier, Buffalo Jump
• 2010 - Alan Bradley, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
• 2011 - Avner Mandleman, The Debba

Best Short Story

• 1988 - Eric Wright, "Looking for an Honest Man", in Cold Blood: Murder in Canada
• 1989 - Jas. R. Petrin, "Killer in the House", in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, December 1988
• 1990 - Josef Skvorecky, "Humbug", in The End of Lieutenant Boruvka
• 1991 - Peter Robinson, "Innocence", in Cold Blood III
• 1992 - Eric Wright, "Two in the Bush", in Christmas Stalkings
• 1993 - Nancy Kilpatrick, "Mantrap", in Murder, Mayhem, and the Macabre
• 1994 - Robert J. Sawyer, "Just Like Old Times", in On Spec, Summer 1993
• 1995 - Rosemary Aubert, "The Midnight Boat Toronto Palermo", in Cold Blood IV
• 1996 - Mary Jane Maffini, "Cotton Armour", in Ladies Killing Circle
• 1997 - Richard K. Bercuson, "Dead Run", in Storyteller, Winter 1996-97
• 1998 - Sue Pike, "Widow's Weeds", in Cottage Country Killers
• 1999 - Scott Mackay, "Last Inning", in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, February 1998
• 2000 - Matt Hughes, "One More Kill", in Blue Murder Magazine, December 1999
• 2001 - Peter Robinson, "Murder in Utopia", in Crime Through Time III
• 2002 - Mary Jane Maffini, "Sign of the Times", in Fit to Die
• 2003 - James Powell, "Bottom Walker", in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, May 2002
• 2004 - Gregory Ward, "Dead Wood", in Hard Boiled Love
• 2005 - Leslie Watts, "Crocodile Tears", in Revenge: A Noir Anthology
• 2006 - Rick Mofina, "Lightning Rider", in Murder in Vegas: New Crime Tales of Gambling and Desperation
• 2007 - Dennis Richard Murphy, "Fuzzy Wuzzy", in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, August 2006
• 2008 - Leslie Watts, "Turners", in London Whig-Standard, July 7, 2007
• 2009 - Pasha Malla, "Filmsong", in Toronto Noir
• 2010 - Dennis Richard Murphy, "Prisoner in Paradise", in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine
• 2011 - Mary Jane Maffini, "So Much in Common", in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine

Best Juvenile/YA Crime Book

• 1994 - John Dowd, Abalone Summer
• 1995 - James Heneghan, Torn Away
• 1996 - Norah McClintock, Mistaken Identity
• 1997 - Linda Bailey, How Can a Frozen Detective Stay Hot on the Trail?
• 1998 - Norah McClintock, The Body in the Basement
• 1999 - Norah McClintock, Sins of the Father
• 2000 - Linda Bailey, How Can a Brilliant Detective Shine in the Dark?
• 2001 - Tim Wynne-Jones, The Boy in the Burning House
• 2002 - Norah McClintock, Scared to Death
• 2003 - Norah McClintock, Break and Enter
• 2004 - Graham McNamee, Acceleration
• 2005 - Carrie Mac, The Beckoners
• 2006 - Vicki Grant, Quid Pro Quo
• 2007 - Sean Cullen, Hamish X and the Cheese Pirates
• 2008 - Shane Peacock, Eye of the Crow
• 2009 - Sharon E. McKay, War Brothers
• 2010 - Barbara Haworth-Attard, Haunted
• 2011 - Alice Kuipers, The Worst Thing She Ever Did

Best Nonfiction/True Crime Book

• 1985 - Martin Friedland, The Trials of Israel Lipsky
• 1986 - Maggie Siggins, A Canadian Tragedy
• 1987 - Elliott Leyton, Hunting Humans
• 1988 - Gary Ross, Stung: The Incredible Obsession of Brian Moloney
• 1989 - Mick Lowe, Conspiracy of Brothers
• 1990 - Lisa Priest, Conspiracy of Silence
• 1991 - Susan Mayse, Ginger: The Life and Death of Albert Goodwin
• 1992 - William Lowther, Arms and the Man: Dr. Gerald Bull, Iraq and the Supergun
• 1993 - Kirk Makin, Redrum the Innocent
• 1994 - David R. Williams, With Malice Aforethought
• 1995 - Michael Harris, The Prodigal Husband
• 1996 - Lois Simmie, The Secret Lives of Sgt. John Wilson
• 1997 - Jean Monet, The Cassock And The Crown
• 1998 - Patricia Pearson, When She Was Bad: Violent Women and The Myth of Innocence
• 1999 - Derek Finkle, No Claim to Mercy
• 2000 - Gordon Sinclair, Jr., Cowboys and Indians
• 2001 - A.B. McKillop, The Spinster and the Prophet: Florence Deeks, H.G. Wells and the Mystery of the Purloined Past
• 2002 - Stevie Cameron and Harvey Cashore, The Last Amigo
• 2003 - Andrew Mitrovica, Covert Entry
• 2004 - Julian Sher and William Marsden, The Road to Hell
• 2005 - Matthew Hart, The Irish Game
• 2006 - Rebecca Godfrey, Under the Bridge: The True Story of the Murder of Reena Virk
• 2007 - Brian O'Dea, High: Confessions of a Pot Smuggler
• 2008 - Julian Sher, One Child at a Time: The Global Fight to Rescue Children from Online Predators
• 2009 - Michael Calce and Craig Silverman, Mafiaboy: How I Cracked the Internet and Why It’s Still Broken
• 2010 - Terry Gould, Murder Without Borders
• 2011 - Stevie Cameron, On the Farm

Best French Crime Novel

• 2000 - Lionel Noël, Louna
• 2001 - Norbert Spehner, Le roman policier en Amérique française
• 2002 - Anne-Michèle Lévesque, Fleur invitait au troisième
• 2003 - Jacques Côté, Le rouge ideal
• 2004 - Jean Lemieux, On finit toujours par payer
• 2005 - Ann Lamontagne, Les douze pierres
• 2006 - Gérard Galarneau, Motel Riviera
• 2007 - Due to the low number of submissions to this category, unfortunately, there was no French award for 2007.
• 2008 - Mario Bolduc, Tsiganes
• 2009 - Jacques Côté, Le Chemin des brumes
• 2010 - Jean Lemieux, Le mort du chemin des Arsene
• 2011 - Jacques Côté, Dans le quartier des agités

Best Unpublished First Crime Novel: the Unhanged Arthur

First awarded in 2007 as part of the CWC mandate to recognize and promote the careers of promising new crime writers.

• 2007 - Phyllis Smallman, Margarita Nights
• 2008 - D.J. McIntosh, The Witch of Babylon
• 2009 - Douglas A. Moles, Louder
• 2010 - Gloria Ferris, Corpse Flower
• 2011 - John Jeneroux, Better Off Dead

Derrick Murdoch Award

This is a special achievement award for contributions to the genre of crime and mystery writing, awarded at the discretion of the president of the Crime Writers of Canada. When first presented in 1984, it was known as the Chairman's Award; it was later renamed in honour of its first recipient, Derrick Murdoch.

• 1984 - Derrick Murdoch
• 1985 - Tony Aspler
• 1986 - Margaret Millar
• 1987 - The CBC Drama Department
• 1988 - J.D. Singh and Jim Reicker
• 1989 - not presented
• 1990 - Eric Wilson
• 1991 - not presented
• 1992 - William Bankier, James Powell and Peter Sellers
• 1993 - not presented
• 1994 - not presented
• 1995 - Jim and Margaret McBride
• 1996 - not presented
• 1997 - not presented
• 1998 - Howard Engel and Eric Wright
• 1999 - Ted Wood
• 2000 - Eddie Barber, Rick Blechta, John North and David Skene-Melvin
• 2001 - L.R. Wright
• 2002 - James Dubro and Caro Soles
• 2003 - Margaret Cannon
• 2004 - Cheryl Freedman
• 2005 - Max Haines
• 2006 - Mary Jane Maffini
• 2007 - not presented
• 2008 - Edward D. Hoch
• 2009 - Gail Bowen
• 2010 - Peter Robinson
• 2011 - Lou Allin and N.A.T. Grant

Best Genre Criticism/Reference

The award for Best Genre Criticism or Reference has only been presented twice.

• 1991 - Donald A. Redmond, Sherlock Holmes Among the Pirates
• 1992 - Wesley A. Wark, Spy Fiction, Spy Films and Real Intelligence

Best Play

The award for Best Play has only been presented once.

• 1994 - Timothy Findley, The Stillborn Lover

External links

• Crime Writers of Canada
• List of Arthur Ellis Award winners 1984-Present