Michelle Stanworth (born 1947) is a Canadian sociologist and writer of mystery fiction, who has published both academic work under her own name and mystery fiction under the pen name Michelle Spring. [1] She is most noted for her 2001 novel In the Midnight Hour, which won the Arthur Ellis Award for Best Novel in 2002. [2]
Born in Victoria, British Columbia, Spring spent much of her adult life in Cambridge, England, where she was a professor of sociology at Anglia Ruskin University. [3] She published her debut novel, Every Breath You Take, in 1994, [4] and received an Arthur Ellis Award nomination for Best First Novel in 1995. [3] Her third novel, Standing in the Shadows, was published in 1998 and garnered Spring an Arthur Ellis Award nomination for Best Novel in 1999.
Most of her crime novels centred on private detective Laura Principal. She has also published one crime novel with a different protagonist, a non-fiction guide to mystery fiction writing, and several non-fiction books on sociology.
Carol Ann Shields, was an American-born Canadian novelist and short story writer. She is best known for her 1993 novel The Stone Diaries, which won the U.S. Pulitzer Prize for Fiction as well as the Governor General's Award in Canada.
Edith Mary Pargeter, also known by her nom de plumeEllis Peters, was an English author of works in many categories, especially history and historical fiction, and was also honoured for her translations of Czech classics. She is probably best known for her murder mysteries, both historical and modern, and especially for her medieval detective series The Cadfael Chronicles.
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."
Sheri Stewart Tepper was an American writer of science fiction, horror and mystery novels. She is primarily known for her feminist science fiction, which explored themes of sociology, gender and equality, as well as theology and ecology. Often referred to as an eco-feminist of science fiction literature, Tepper personally preferred the label eco-humanist. Though the majority of her works operate in a world of fantastical imagery and metaphor, at the heart of her writing is real-world injustice and pain. She employed several pen names during her lifetime, including A. J. Orde, E. E. Horlak, and B. J. Oliphant.
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 at a gala dinner in the year following publication.
Minette Caroline Mary Walters DL is an English crime writer.
Barbara Louise Mertz was an American author who wrote under her own name as well as under the pseudonyms Elizabeth Peters and Barbara Michaels. In 1952, she received a PhD in Egyptology from the University of Chicago. While she was best known for her mystery and suspense novels, in the 1960s she authored two books on ancient Egypt, both of which have remained in print ever since.
Ann Maxwell, also known as A.E. Maxwell and Elizabeth Lowell, is an American writer. She has individually, and with co-author and husband Evan, written more than 50 novels and one non-fiction book. Her novels range from science fiction to historical fiction, and from romance to mystery to suspense.
Scott Mackay is a Canadian mystery and science fiction author from Toronto, Ontario, where he still lives with his wife and two children. He is the author of eleven novels and over forty short stories. His short story, Last Inning, won the 1999 Arthur Ellis Award for best short mystery fiction. Another story, Reasons Unknown, won the Okanagan Award for Best Literary Short Fiction in early 1999. His first Barry Gilbert mystery, Cold Comfort, was nominated for the Arthur Ellis Award for best mystery novel, and his science fiction novel, The Meek, was a finalist for the prestigious U.S. John Campbell Memorial Award for Best SF Novel of 2001. His novels have been published in six languages.
Jan Burke is an American author of novels and short stories. She is a winner of the Edgar Award for Best Novel, the Agatha for Best Short Story, the Macavity, and Ellery Queen Readers Award.
Lucy Sussex is an author working in fantasy and science fiction, children's and teenage writing, non-fiction and true crime. She is also an editor, reviewer, academic and teacher, and currently resides in Melbourne, Australia.
Nancy Springer is an American author of fantasy, young adult literature, mystery, and science fiction. Her novel Larque on the Wing won the Tiptree Award in 1994. She also received the Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for her novels Toughing It in 1995 and Looking for Jamie Bridger in 1996. Additionally, she received the Carolyn W. Field Award from the Pennsylvania Library Association in 1999 for her novel I am Mordred. She has written more than fifty books over a career that has spanned nearly four decades.
Barbara Fradkin, née Currie, is a Canadian mystery writer, and a two-time winner of the Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence, for Best Novel.
Louise Penny is a Canadian author of mystery novels set in the Canadian province of Quebec centred on the work of francophone Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Sûreté du Québec. Penny's first career was as a radio broadcaster for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). After she turned to writing, she won numerous awards for her work, including the Agatha Award for best mystery novel of the year five times, including four consecutive years (2007–2010), and the Anthony Award for best novel of the year five times, including four consecutive years (2010–2013). Her novels have been published in 23 languages.
Mary Jane Maffini is a Canadian mystery writer. She has created three mystery series and written 12 novels.
Leanne Frahm is an Australian writer of speculative short fiction.
Yasuko Nguyen Thanh is a Canadian writer and guitarist born June 30, 1971, in Victoria, British Columbia. She has lived in Canada, Mexico, Germany, and Latin America and she was named one of ten CBC Books' writers to watch in 2013. Thanh completed a Bachelor of Arts as well as a Masters of Fine Arts from the University of Victoria. She performs with the bands Jukebox Jezebel and 12 Gauge Facial, and lives with her two children in Victoria, British Columbia.
Ausma Zehanat Khan is an American-Canadian novelist and author of crime and fantasy novels.
Edith Maxwell is an Agatha Award-winning American mystery author also currently writing as Maddie Day. She writes cozy, traditional, and historical mysteries set in the United States.
Hilary Davidson is a Canadian and American novelist and journalist. Her novels include The Damage Done (2010), The Next One to Fall (2012), Evil in All Its Disguises (2013), Blood Always Tells (2014), One Small Sacrifice (2019), Don't Look Down (2020), and Her Last Breath (2021). She is also a prolific author of short stories, for which she has won multiple awards.