Nominees for the 2012 Arthur Ellis Awards Announced

The Crime Writers of Canada have announced the shortlists for the 2012 Arthur Ellis Awards, which recognize excellence in Canadian crime writing.

The winners will be announced on May 31st, 2012 at the Arthur Ellis Awards Banquet in Toronto.

Best Crime Novel …

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

Best First Crime Novel …

• Watching Jeopardy by Norm Foster (XLibris)
• The Water Rat of Wanchai by Ian Hamilton (House of Anansi Press)
• The Man Who Killed by Fraser Nixon (Douglas & McIntrye)
• The Survivor by Sean Slater (Simon & Schuster)
• Tight Corner by Roger White (BPS Books)

Best Crime Novel in French …

• Pour Ne Pas Mourir ce soir by Guillaume Lapierre-Desnoyers (Lévesque Éditeur)
• La chorale du diable by Martin Michaud (Les Editions Guélette)
• Pwazon by Diane Vincent (Editors Triptyque)

Best Crime Non-Fiction …

• The Pirates of Somalia by Jay Bahader (HarperCollins )
• A Season in Hell by Robert Fowler (Harper Collins )
• The Weasel: A Double Life in the Mob by Adrian Humphreys (Wiley)
• 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)

Best Juvenile/Young Adult Crime Book …

• Missing by Becky Citra (Orca Book Publishers)
• Charlie's Key by Rob Mills (Orca Book Publishers)
• Held by Edeet Ravel (Annick Press)
• Empire of Ruins by Arthur Slade (HarperCollins)
• Blink & Caution by Tim Wynne-Jones (Candlewick Press)

Best Crime Short Story …

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

Best Unpublished First Novel ("Unhanged Arthur") …

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

Hat tip to Janet Rudolph for alerting us to this list.