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.
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.
The year cited below is the year in which the work was published.
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
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
2012 - Peter Robinson, Before the Poison
2013 - Giles Blunt, Until the Night
2014 - Seán Haldane, The Devil's Making
2015 - C. C. Humphreys, Plague: Murder Has a New Friend
2016 - Peter Kirby, Open Season
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
1998 - C. C. Benison, Death At Buckingham Palace
1997 - 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 Mandelman, The Debba
2012 - Ian Hamilton, The Water Rat of Wanchai
2013 - Simone St. James, The Haunting of Maddy Clare
2014 - J. Kent Messum, Bait
2015 - Steve Burrows, A Siege of Bitterns
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 - No award given
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
2012 - Martin Michaud, La chorale du diable
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
2012 - Tim Wynne-Jones, Blink & Caution
2013 - Shane Peacock, Becoming Holmes
1985 - Martin Friedland, The Trials of Israel Lipsky
1986 - Maggie Siggins, A Canadian Tragedy
1987 - Elliott Leyton, Hunting Humans
1988 - Gary Ross, Stung
1989 - Mick Lowe, Conspiracy of Brothers
1990 - Lisa Priest, Conspiracy of Silence
1991 - Susan Mayse, Ginger
1992 - William Lowther, Arms and the Man
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
1999 - Derek Finkle, No Claim to Mercy
2000 - Gordon Sinclair, Jr., Cowboys and Indians
2001 - A.B. McKillop, The Spinster and the Prophet
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
2007 - Brian O'Dea, High
2008 - Julian Sher, One Child at a Time
2009 - Michael Calce and Craig Silverman, Mafiaboy
2010 - Terry Gould, Murder Without Borders
2011 - Stevie Cameron, On the Farm
2012 - Joshua Knelman, Hot Art
2013 - Steve Lillebuen, The Devil’s Cinema: The Untold Story behind Mark Twitchell’s Kill Room
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
2007 - Dennis Richard Murphy, "Fuzzy Wuzzy", in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, August 2006
2008 - Leslie Watts, "Turners", in Kingston 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
2012 - Catherine Astolfo, "What Kelly Did"
2013 - Yasuko Thanh, "Spring-blade Knife" in Floating Like The Dead
2014 - Twist Phelan, "Footprints in Water"
2015 - Margaret Atwood, "Stone Mattress"
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, "The Corpse Flower"
2011 - John Jeneroux, "Better Off Dead"
2012 - Sam Wiebe, "Last of the Independents"
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 - Louise Allin and N.A.T. Grant
2012 - Don Graves and Catherine Astolfo
The award for Best Play has only been presented once.
1994 - Timothy Findley, The Stillborn Lover
