Giles Blunt

Last updated
Giles Blunt
Born1952 (age 7172)
Windsor, Ontario, Canada
OccupationAuthor
Genre Mystery fiction
Years active1987–present
Notable worksJohn Cardinal series
Notable awards

Giles Blunt (born 1952) is a Canadian novelist, poet, and screenwriter. His first novel, Cold Eye, was a psychological thriller set in the New York art world, which was made into the French movie Les Couleurs du diable (Allain Jessua, 1997).

Contents

Career

Blunt is also the author of the John Cardinal novels, set in the small city of Algonquin Bay, in Northern Ontario. Blunt was born in Windsor, Ontario, and grew up in North Bay; Algonquin Bay is North Bay thinly disguised — for example, Blunt retains the names of major streets and the two lakes (Trout Lake and Lake Nipissing) that the town sits between, the physical layout of the two places is the same, and he describes Algonquin Bay as being in the same geographical location as North Bay.

The first Cardinal story, Forty Words for Sorrow , won the British Crime Writers' Association Silver Dagger, and the second, The Delicate Storm, won the Crime Writers of Canada's Arthur Ellis Award for best novel, as did the sixth, Until the Night. The 2010 John Cardinal novel Crime Machine was described as "a richly plotted work by one of Canada's best mystery novelists." [1]

Blunt also has written No Such Creature, a "road novel" set in the American southwest, and Breaking Lorca, which is set in a clandestine jail in El Salvador in the 1980s. Twice nominated for the International Dublin Literary Award, [2] his novels have been compared to the work of Ian Rankin and Cormac McCarthy. [3] [4]

Giles Blunt on Bookbits radio.

Blunt's television credits include episodes of Law & Order , Street Legal, and Night Heat plus four series of Cardinal , a series adapted from his novels. [5]

Awards and honors

Blunt received the honorary degree of Doctor of Education on June 12, 2014, from Nipissing University. [6]

Awards for Blunt's writing [7]
YearTitleAwardResultRef.
2001 Forty Words for Sorrow Arthur Ellis Award for Best Novel Finalist [8]
Silver Dagger Winner
2003The Delicate Storm Hammett Prize Finalist
2004 Anthony Award for Best Novel Finalist
Arthur Ellis Award for Best Novel Winner [9]
Macavity Award for Best Novel Finalist [10]
2006Black Fly Season Arthur Ellis Award for Best Novel Finalist [8]
2007By the Time You Read This Gold Dagger Finalist
2013Until the Night Arthur Ellis Award for Best Novel Winner [11]

Bibliography

John Cardinal series

Other books

Screenwriting credits

YearTitleNotes
1987 Night Heat Episode: The Cost of Doing Business
1987-89 Diamonds Episodes: The Smiling Mortician and Dinosaur
1991 Law & Order Episode: His Hour Upon the Stage
1993 Street Legal Episode: Thicker Than Water

Other

YearTitleNotes
2011 Republic of Doyle Script consultant, 2 episodes

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Irving</span> American-Canadian novelist and screenwriter (born 1942)

John Winslow Irving is an American-Canadian novelist, short story writer, and screenwriter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Bay, Ontario</span> City in Ontario, Canada

North Bay is a city in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. It is the seat of Nipissing District, and takes its name from its position on the shore of Lake Nipissing. North Bay developed as a railroad centre, and its airport was an important military location during the Cold War. The city is located 350 kilometres (220 mi) from both Ottawa and Toronto.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Historical mystery</span> Literary subgenre

The historical mystery or historical whodunit is a subgenre of two literary genres, historical fiction and mystery fiction. These works are set in a time period considered historical from the author's perspective, and the central plot involves the solving of a mystery or crime. Though works combining these genres have existed since at least the early 20th century, many credit Ellis Peters's Cadfael Chronicles (1977–1994) for popularizing what would become known as the historical mystery. The increasing popularity and prevalence of this type of fiction in subsequent decades has spawned a distinct subgenre recognized by the publishing industry and libraries. Publishers Weekly noted in 2010 of the genre, "The past decade has seen an explosion in both quantity and quality. Never before have so many historical mysteries been published, by so many gifted writers, and covering such a wide range of times and places." Editor Keith Kahla concurs, "From a small group of writers with a very specialized audience, the historical mystery has become a critically acclaimed, award-winning genre with a toehold on the New York Times bestseller list."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Ontario</span> Primary Region in Ontario, Canada

Northern Ontario is a primary geographic and quasi-administrative region of the Canadian province of Ontario, the other primary region being Southern Ontario. Most of the core geographic region is located on part of the Superior Geological Province of the Canadian Shield, a vast rocky plateau located mainly north of Lake Huron, the French River, Lake Nipissing, and the Mattawa River. The statistical region extends south of the Mattawa River to include all of the District of Nipissing. The southern section of this district lies on part of the Grenville Geological Province of the Shield which occupies the transitional area between Northern and Southern Ontario.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nipissing University</span> Public university in Ontario, Canada

Nipissing University is a public university located in North Bay, Ontario, Canada. The campus overlooks Lake Nipissing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anne Perry</span> English author (1938–2023)

Anne Perry was a British writer and murderer. She was the author of the Thomas and Charlotte Pitt and William Monk series of historical detective fiction.

Lynda Joy La Plante, CBE is an English author, screenwriter and former actress, best known for writing the Prime Suspect television crime series. In 2024 she was honoured with the Crime Writers' Association of Britain's Diamond Dagger award for her outstanding lifetime's contribution to the crime and mystery fiction genre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martin Cruz Smith</span> American writer

Martin Cruz Smith, born Martin William Smith, is an American writer of mystery and suspense fiction, mostly in an international or historical setting. He is best known for his ten-novel series on Russian investigator Arkady Renko, introduced in 1981 with Gorky Park. The tenth book in the series, Independence Square, was published in May 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sara Paretsky</span> American author of detective fiction

Sara Paretsky is an American author of detective fiction, best known for her novels focused on the protagonist V. I. Warshawski.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barron River (Ontario)</span> River in Ontario, Canada

The Barron River is a river in the Saint Lawrence River drainage basin in Nipissing District and Renfrew County, Ontario, Canada. It flows from Clemow Lake in northern Algonquin Provincial Park and joins the Petawawa River, whose southern branch it forms, in the municipality of Laurentian Hills, near the municipality of Petawawa.

The Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence, formerly known as 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 published in the previous year. The award is presented during May in the year following publication.

<i>Forty Words for Sorrow</i> 2000 crime novel by Giles Blunt

Forty Words for Sorrow is a 2000 crime novel from Canadian novelist Giles Blunt, and the first to feature his protagonists John Cardinal and Lise Delorme. Blunt had previous published one other novel, Cold Eye, but this was his first crime novel, and the first to be a critical and commercial success. The novel won the Crime Writers' Association Silver Dagger in 2001, and was shortlisted for the Arthur Ellis Award for Best Novel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neighbourhoods in North Bay, Ontario</span>

The Canadian city of North Bay, Ontario, is divided into numerous neighbourhoods.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Almaguin Highlands</span> Inter-region in Ontario, Canada

The Almaguin Highlands Region in Ontario, Canada, covers approximately 5,200 km2 (2,000 sq mi) comprising the eastern half of Parry Sound District. It is bounded by Muskoka in the south, and by Lake Nipissing and Nipissing District in the north. The eastern edge abuts the western boundary of Algonquin Provincial Park, whereas the western boundary of the Almaguin Highlands is generally regarded to be the mid east-west point of Parry Sound District. Originally derived from the words Algonquin, Magnetawan, and Seguin. the name Almaguin is now used to describe the marketing region of East Parry Sound.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Deverell</span> Canadian novelist, activist, and criminal lawyer

William Herbert Deverell is a Canadian novelist, activist, and criminal lawyer. He is one of Canada's best-known novelists, whose first book, Needles, which drew on his experiences as a criminal lawyer, won the McClelland & Stewart $50,000 Seal Award. In 1997 he won the Dashiell Hammett Prize for literary excellence in crime writing in North America for Trial of Passion. That book also won the 1998 Arthur Ellis Award for best Canadian crime novel, as did April Fool in 2003. Trial of Passion launched his first crime series, featuring the classically trained, self-doubting Arthur Beauchamp, QC, a series that continued with April Fool, Kill All the Judges, Snow Job, I'll See You in My Dreams, Sing a Worried Song, Whipped, and Stung.

Roy MacGregor is a Canadian author of fiction and non-fiction.

Bouchercon is an annual convention of creators and devotees of mystery and detective fiction. It is named in honour of writer, reviewer, and editor Anthony Boucher; also the inspiration for the Anthony Awards, which have been issued at the convention since 1986. This page details Bouchercon XXXV and the 19th Anthony Awards ceremony.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Claire Cameron</span> Canadian novelist and journalist

Claire Cameron is a Canadian novelist and journalist.

<i>Cardinal</i> (TV series) Canadian television series

Cardinal is a Canadian crime drama television series, which was first broadcast on January 25, 2017, on CTV and Super Écran. The series adapts the novels of crime writer Giles Blunt, focusing on police detective John Cardinal and his partner Lise Delorme, who investigate crimes in the fictional city of Algonquin Bay.

The Crime Writers of Canada Award for Best Novel is an annual literary award, presented as part of the Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence program to honour books judged as the best crime novel published by a Canadian crime writer in the previous year.

References

  1. Cannon, Margaret (18 December 2010). "Margaret Cannon's Deathly Dozen for 2010". The Globe and Mail . Toronto. Archived from the original on 21 January 2012. Retrieved 22 December 2010.
  2. "The 2011 Award". International Dublin Literary Award . 2011. Archived from the original on 26 September 2011.
  3. O'Keefe, Catherine (5 December 2006). "Review: The Detective John Cardinal Mystery Series". Seven Oaks. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 22 December 2010.
  4. National Post , November 28, 2008.
  5. "Cardinal renewed for a fourth series". The Killing Times. 8 June 2018. Archived from the original on 30 July 2018. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
  6. "Nipissing announces 2014 honorary degrees". Nipissing University. 4 June 2014. Archived from the original on 17 June 2017. Retrieved 4 July 2017.
  7. "Giles Blunt". Stop, You're Killing Me!. Archived from the original on 5 June 2023. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
  8. 1 2 Roger M. Sobin, The Essential Mystery Lists: For Readers, Collectors, and Librarians. Poisoned Pen Press, 2011. ISBN   9781615952038. pp. 191-194.
  9. "Book on Hells Angels takes prize". Brantford Expositor . 12 June 2004.
  10. "Macavity Awards". Mystery Readers International. Archived from the original on 5 April 2019. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
  11. "Giles Blunt, Steve Lillebuen take home Arthur Ellis Awards for crime writing". Canadian Press, May 31, 2013.