Dundurn Press is thrilled to announce that three authors have been shortlisted for the 2022 Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence! Seven Down by David Whitton is shortlisted in the Best Crime First Novel category, and both The Don by Lorna Poplak, and The Beatle Bandit by Nate Hendley have been shortlisted in the The Brass Knuckles Award for Best Nonfiction Crime Book category. Congratulations David, Lorna, and Nate!
David Whitton’s Seven Down is a quirky, character-driven debut novel where seven hotel employees puzzle out the events of a botched assassination attempt, called “a debut that is both comedic and introspective” by Booklist.
The Don by Lorna Poplak is an in-depth exploration of the Don Jail from its inception through jailbreaks and overcrowding to its eventual shuttering and rebirth, and has been shortlisted previously for the 2021 Speaker's Book Award and the 2021 Brass Knuckles Award.
The Beatle Bandit by Nate Hendley tells the sensational true story of how a bank robber killed a man in a wild shootout, sparking a national debate around gun control and the death penalty. The Miramichi Reader says this “excels at unpacking the crime in light of the time setting in which it occurred.”
Crime Writers of Canada (CWC) is a national non-profit organization for Canadian mystery and crime writers, associated professionals, and others with a serious interest in Canadian crime writing. The annual Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence recognizes the best in mystery, crime, and suspense fiction, and crime nonfiction by Canadian authors. Learn more about the awards here.
David Whitton is the author of The Reverse Cowgirl, a story collection. His short fiction has appeared in a number of journals and anthologies, including Darwin's Bastards, Best Canadian Stories, and The Journey Prize Stories. He is a graduate of the University of Guelph's Creative Writing MFA program. David lives in Toronto.
Lorna Poplak is a writer, editor, and researcher, with a fascination for the stories behind the facts of Canadian history. She lives in Toronto.
Nate Hendley is a journalist and author. His books include The Boy on the Bicycle, The Big Con, and Bonnie and Clyde. Nate lives in Toronto.