10 thrilling Canadian crime and mystery books to read this summer
From boozy crime and corruption to pirate treasure heists, these crime and mystery books will keep you turning pages all summer long.
Detective Aunty by Uzma Jalaluddin
In Detective Aunty, when recently widowed Kausar Khan hears that her daughter has been accused of murdering the landlord of her clothing boutique, nothing can stop her quest to unveil the true culprit. But even Kausar is unprepared for the secrets, lies and betrayals that she'll uncover along the way.
Uzma Jalaluddin is a teacher, parenting columnist and author based in Ontario. Her previous works include the novels Ayesha At Last, Hana Khan Carries On, Much Ado About Nada and Three Holidays and a Wedding.
Margaret's New Look by Katherine Ashenburg
In Margaret's New Look, Margaret's life appears flawless. She's a respected fashion curator at a prominent city museum, a mother to teenage twin daughters and the wife of a successful mystery novelist. However, her world begins to unravel when she faces pushback over her Dior haute couture exhibition and the death of her father forces her to confront her family's hidden Jewish roots. Along this journey, Margaret crosses paths with an elderly couture collector who shares a personal connection to Dior.
Katherine Ashenburg is a writer and journalist who has worked for the Globe and Mail and the CBC. Some of Ashenburg's other titles include the nonfiction books Going to Town, The Mourner's Dance, The Dirt on Clean and the novels Sofie & Cecilia and Her Turn.
The Treasure Hunters Club by Tom Ryan
The Treasure Hunters Club is a mystery novel that follows three strangers visiting the coastal town of Maple Bay, where tourists believe a pirate treasure is hidden and locals know something more sinister lurks. Peter, Dandy and Cass are all drawn to Maple Bay for different reasons. Peter receives a suspicious letter inviting him to his estranged family's mansion, Dandy is trying to solve the mystery her grandfather dedicated his life to, and Cass is an author searching for inspiration. As the three band together to unravel the secrets of Maple Bay, what they discover will shock them and bring tragedy to the town.
Tom Ryan is the author of several books for young readers, including I Hope You're Listening, a YA novel that won the 2021 Lambda Award for best LGBTQ mystery. His novel Keep This to Yourself is being turned into a TV show at Peacock. He spends his time between Ontario and Nova Scotia.
Dirty Little War by Dietrich Kalteis
At the start of prohibition in Dirty Little War, Huckabee Waller flees to Chicago from his hometown of New Orleans after being inadvertently involved in the death of a gangster. While he hoped to turn his life around in the new city, he finds himself drawn only deeper into boozy crime and corruption.
Dietrich Kalteis is the author of 12 novels, including Under an Outlaw Moon, which won the 2022 Crime Writers of Canada Award of Excellence for Best Crime Novel. He lives in Vancouver.
The Last Exile by Sam Wiebe
In The Last Exile, private investigator Dave Wakeland returns to the streets of Vancouver to solve his most dangerous case yet. Maggie Zito, a single mother, stands accused of killing the retired leader of the notorious Exiles motorcycle gang and his wife. Wakeland digs into the case, facing off against the gang and their bloodthirsty leader to figure out why Maggie was framed.
Sam Wiebe is the award-winning author of the Wakeland detective series, including Invisible Dead, Cut You Down, Hell and Gone and Sunset and Jericho. His debut novel, Last of the Independents, won the Arthur Ellis Award for best unpublished first novel and the Kobo Emerging Writer Prize. His work has been shortlisted for the Edgar Awards, Hammett Prize, Shamus Awards and City of Vancouver Book Awards, and has won the Crime Writers of Canada Award and a silver medal from the Independent Publisher Book Awards. He lives in New Westminster, B.C.
The Cost of a Hostage by Iona Whishaw
In the Cost of a Hostage, Lane's quiet August morning is jolted when two shocking cases unfold — she receives news that her brother-in-law, Bob, is missing in Mexico, while her husband, Inspector Darling, is confronted by a frantic mother reporting her son's kidnapping. While the couple searches for Bob, the kidnapper and child are found, making it seem like the case is solved — until another body is discovered.
Iona Whishaw is a Vancouver-based author and former teacher and social worker. She has published works of short fiction, poetry, the children's book Henry and the Cow Problem and the Lane Winslow Mystery series.
Killer on the First Page by Ian Ferguson and Will Ferguson
In Killer on the First Page, the town of Happy Rock is alive with excitement as the I Only Read Murder bookstore hosts a murder mystery festival featuring six top crime fiction authors. New co-owner Miranda Abbott is eager to welcome the literary stars, but she's unprepared for the line between fiction and reality to blur when one author is found dead in a locked room. Now, Miranda must solve the crime quickly before another author becomes the next victim.
Will Ferguson has written humour, travel books and fiction. The Calgary-based writer won the 2012 Scotiabank Giller Prize for his thriller 419. He has won the Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour three times: for his novel Generica (now titled Happiness), his Canadian travel book Beauty Tips from Moose Jaw and his travel memoir Beyond Belfast.
Ian Ferguson is a Victoria-based writer and creative director in the film and television industry. Ferguson won the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour three times, including for HappinessTM and for Village of the Small Houses. He is the co-author, with his brother, Will Ferguson, of I Only Read Murder, Mystery in the Title and How to Be a Canadian, which was shortlisted for the Leacock Medal and won the CBA Libris Award for nonfiction.
Picks and Shovels by Cory Doctorow
In Picks and Shovels, San Francisco-based Martin Hench is an MIT dropout who picks up odd jobs in a world where a revolutionary new technology promises to change everything about crime.
When Marty gets a gig investigating a group of disgruntled ex-employees who've founded a competitor startup, he quickly realizes he might be on the wrong side of things. Martin's life could be in danger and he has to quickly solve a corporate mystery.
Cory Doctorow is a Toronto-born author, activist and journalist living in Los Angeles. His work, spanning non-fiction, fiction, and adult, YA and childhood audiences, has seen him inducted into the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame and earned him the Sir Arthur Clarke Imagination in Service to Society Award for lifetime achievement. His book Radicalized was a 2020 Canada Reads contender, defended by Akil Augustine
Death on the Island by Eliza Reid
Death on the Island is a mystery set in Vestmannaeyjar (the Westman Islands off Iceland) during a diplomatic dinner party. When the deputy ambassador of Canada dies suddenly, her boss, the Canadian ambassador, is quickly thrown under suspicion, and his wife must figure out everyone's secrets to clear his name and save her crumbling marriage.
Eliza Reid is the writer of Secrets of the Sprakkar: Iceland's Extraordinary Women and How They Are Changing the World. Born in Canada but currently living in Iceland, Reid served the unofficial role of First Lady while her husband was President of Iceland from 2016-2024.
The Maid's Secret by Nita Prose
The latest by bestselling author Nita Prose is the novel The Maid's Secret. Everything seems to be on the up and up for Molly Gray, but her life is soon to change. Despite a new promotion at the hotel where she works — and impending nuptials to her beloved Juan Manuel — a new mystery involving a rare treasure, an elusive thief and a long-forgotten diary put Molly's life in peril.
Prose is a Toronto author and editor. She was formerly the Canadian vice president and editorial director for publishing company Simon & Schuster. Her books include The Maid, The Mystery Guest and The Mistletoe Mystery.
