Toronto author Ashley Audrain among the winners of 2022 Crime Writers of Canada Awards
Audrain won the Best Crime First Novel award for the bestselling thriller novel The Push
Toronto-based writer Ashley Audrain is among the winners of the 2022 Crime Writers of Canada Awards.
The annual awards, created by the Crime Writers of Canada were formerly known as the Arthur Ellis Awards. The prizes recognize works in mystery, crime and suspense fiction and nonfiction by Canadian authors across 10 categories.
Audrain won the Best Crime First Novel award for her debut novel, The Push.
In The Push, Blythe Connor is determined that she will be the warm, comforting mother to her new baby Violet that she herself never had. But in the thick of motherhood's exhausting early days, Blythe becomes convinced that something is wrong with her daughter — she doesn't behave like most children do.
Ashley Audrain is a writer living in Toronto and the former publicity director of Penguin Canada. The Push is her first novel.
LISTEN | Ashley Audrain on The Next Chapter:
Canadians authors such as Cherie Dimaline, Linwood Barclay, Shari Lapena were among the writers on this year's shortlists.
In addition to the 10 categories, the Crime Writers of Canada also presents the Grand Master Award, a biennial prize given to a Canadian crime writer with a large body of work with national and international recognition.
The 2022 Grand Master Award was presented to Louise Penny, international bestselling author of the Armand Gamache mysteries. The former CBC journalist began her series in 2005 with Still Life, introducing readers to a veteran detective and his adventurous life in a small, tight-knit Quebec village called Three Pines. She went on to win the CWC Award for best first novel, the New Blood Dagger, Anthony and Barry awards, and publish 16 more books in the series. She recently co-authored the thriller State of Terror with Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Penny was named to the Order of Canada in 2017.
The full list of winners is below:
- Under an Outlaw Moon by Dietrich Kalteis, winner of the Best Crime Novel with a $1000 prize
- The Push by Ashley Audrain, winner of Best Crime First Novel sponsored by Writers First with a $500 prize
- What's the Matter with Mary Jane? by Candas Jane Dorsey, winner of The Whodunit Award for Best Traditional Mystery with a $500 prize
- Beneath Her Skin by C. S. Porter, winner of The Howard Engel Award for Best Crime Novel Set in Canada with a $500 prize
- Letters From Johnny by Wayne Ng, winner of the Best Crime Novella with a $200 prize
- Number 10 Marlborough Place by Elizabeth Elwood, winner of the Best Crime Short Story with a $300 prize
- Flots by Patrick Senécal, winner of the Best French Crime Book (Fiction and Nonfiction)
- The Traitor's Blade by Kevin Sands, winner of the Best Juvenile or YA Crime Book (Fiction and Nonfiction) with a $500 prize
- The Beatle Bandit by Nate Hendley, winner of The Brass Knuckles Award for Best Nonfiction Crime Book with a $300 prize
- Elmington by Renee Lehnen, winner of The Award for Best Unpublished Manuscript with a $500 prize
The Crime Writers of Canada was founded in 1982 as a professional organization designed to raise the profile of Canadian crime writers. The awards were first given out in 1984.
Past winners of the awards have included such major names in Canadian crime writing such as Will Ferguson, Gail Bowen, Stevie Cameron, Howard Engel, Peter Robinson and Eric Wright.
