Roxanne Bouchard, a French-Canadian author, playwright and lecturer, has taken the crime fiction world by storm with her atmospheric thrillers. Her fifth novel, We Were the Salt of the Sea, was shortlisted for multiple awards and was named the Quai Du Polar Crime Book of the Year. Now, her latest release, Whisper of the Seals (Orenda Books), has become a number one bestseller in Canada. The novel follows fisheries officer Simone Lord, who is thrust into danger aboard a trawler during a brutal seal hunt on the icy seas of Quebec’s remote Magdalen Islands. Detective Sergeant Joaquin Moralès is on his own case down the St. Lawrence River, and as the two investigations converge, the stakes get higher, and the danger more intense. Bouchard’s gripping and terrifying thriller will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end.

Roxanne Bouchard will participate in the following events:

Open-air Reading: Roxanne Bouchard
June 3, 2023 at 12pm ET, Stage in the Park

Fan Favourite Characters: Roxanne Bouchard & Marcie R. Rendon
June 4, 2023 at 2:30pm ET, Brigantine Room

Perry Chafe is a Canadian television writer, producer and songwriter known for his hit TV show Republic of Doyle. Born and raised in the small fishing community of Petty Harbour, Newfoundland, Chafe brings his knowledge of the rugged coastal landscapes and the people who inhabit them to his debut novel, Closer by Sea (Simon & Schuster). In this poignant coming-of-age story, set against the backdrop of a small island community in 1991, Chafe weaves a literary mystery that explores the fragility of childhood bonds and the brutal reality of both the natural and modern world. Part homage to the people and the place, part suspenseful thriller, Closer by Sea is a powerful novel that captures the delicate and tender moment when childhood innocence gives way to the harsh awakening of adult experience.

Perry Chafe will participate in the following events:

Newfoundland Noir: The Toronto launch of Closer By Sea by Perry Chafe, with special guests
June 3, 2023 at 8pm ET, Brigantine Room

Splitting her time between Toronto and Florida, Joy Fielding, the New York Times bestselling author of Someone Is Watching and Now You See Her, delivers another heart-pounding novel with The Housekeeper (Doubleday Canada). Jodi Bishop, a successful real estate agent, hires a housekeeper to help care for her aging parents, Vic and Audrey. But soon, Elyse Woodley, the housekeeper, takes over their lives, shutting Jodi out and manipulating her way into Audrey’s heart. As Audrey’s condition rapidly deteriorates, Jodi begins to suspect that there’s something sinister about Elyse’s intentions. A gripping tale of domestic suspense, The Housekeeper is a must-read for fans of the genre.

Joy Fielding will participate in the following events:

The Housekeeper: Joy Fielding
June 3, 2023 at 11:30am ET, Harbourfront Centre Theatre

Torontonian Elyse Friedman is an acclaimed author, screenwriter, poet and playwright whose works have been recognized by prominent awarding bodies such as the Trillium Book Award and the Tom Hendry Award. Her short story, The Soother, also won the gold National Magazine Award for Fiction. Her latest book, The Opportunist (HarperCollins), is a riveting tale of greed, power and family intrigue, perfect for fans of The Nest and Succession. Join Elyse Friedman on a thrilling ride as she takes readers on a journey through a dangerous scheme full of secrets and surprises. With smart and entertaining writing that brims with shocking twists and turns, The Opportunist is a must-read for those who love razor-sharp commentary on those who wield power in this world.

Elyse Friedman will participate in the following events:

Unsettling Circumstances: Elyse Friedman & Jenny Lund Madsen
June 4, 2023 at 12:30pm ET, Brigantine Room

Maureen Jennings, born in the UK, now residing in Toronto, is a celebrated author known for her gripping Detective Murdoch books, which have been adapted into the hit television series Murdoch Mysteries. She has also authored the Tom Tyler and Christine Morris series, and her books have been translated into multiple languages, including Italian, French, German and Czech. Her latest crime novel, Cold Snap (Cormorant Books), has been shortlisted for the 2023 Howard Engel Award for Best Crime Novel Set in Canada. The story is set in 1936 Toronto, where Charlotte Frayne narrowly escapes a car accident and meets a German refugee who possesses crucial information that could alter history. When Charlotte investigates her estranged mother’s request to locate her long-lost son, the two cases unexpectedly converge, revealing surprising connections.

Maureen Jennings will participate in the following events:

The Merry Widow Murders: Melodie Campbell with Maureen Jennings
June 2, 2023 at 6pm ET, Lakeside Terrace

Murder, Mystery & Mayhem: Kjell Ola Dahl & Maureen Jennings
June 4, 2023 at 6:30pm ET, Harbourfront Centre Theatre

Daniel Kalla, the internationally bestselling author of many novels, including Lost Immunity and We All Fall Down, delivers a breathtaking thriller in Fit To Die (Simon & Schuster). When a famous pop star and social media influencer dies from an overdose of illicit diet pills, LAPD Detective Cari Garcia and Vancouver Detective Anson Chen team up to investigate. As the body count rises, the detectives must race against time to uncover the people responsible for the online marketing and distribution of the lethal pills before it’s too late. Kalla, a practicing emergency medicine physician in Vancouver, infuses the novel with authentic medical knowledge, making for a truly realistic and heart-pounding read.

Daniel Kalla will participate in the following events:

Novel Warnings: Paul E. Hardisty & Daniel Kalla
June 3, 2023 at 12:30pm ET, Brigantine Room

Open-air Reading: Daniel Kalla
June 4, 2023 at 1:15pm ET, Harbourfront Centre’s West Bays

Dietrich Kalteis, winner of the 2022 Crime Writers of Canada Award of Excellence for Best Crime Novel for Under an Outlaw Moon, delivers an electrifying tale of crime and consequence in his latest book, The Get (ECW Press). Set in mid-’60s Toronto, Lenny Ovitz, a man with a dark past, is desperate to rid himself of his wife and financial problems in one fell swoop. As a member of a ruthless gangster’s collection racket, Lenny’s days are spent terrorizing locals for protection money. With dirty money borrowed from shady sources, Lenny and his partner Gabe purchase a tenement block that they can’t afford to maintain. Determined to pay off their debts, Lenny concocts a plan to re-mortgage his house without his wife’s knowledge. But, with secrets come consequences, and Lenny’s plan takes a dangerous turn.

Dietrich Kalteis will participate in the following events:

A Tale of Two Crime Cities: Dietrich Kalteis & Sam Wiebe
June 3, 2023 at 11:30am ET, Lakeside Terrace

Amy Stuart, bestselling author of Still Mine, Still Water and Still Here, delivers a sensational thriller in A Death at a Party (Simon & Schuster), perfect for fans of Ashley Audrain and Lisa Jewell. The story takes place over the course of a single day, as Nadine Walsh prepares to host a summer garden party to celebrate her mother’s birthday. When Nadine discovers a dead body in her basement, the celebration takes a dark turn, and secrets are uncovered. As the night progresses and her guests mingle, Nadine’s anxieties mount, and she must grapple with haunting memories and unanswered questions about what led to the deadly incident.

Amy Stuart will participate in the following events:

Tea, Cake & Murder with Jessa Maxwell & Amy Stuart
June 3, 2023 at 3pm ET, Lakeside Terrace

Open-air Reading: Amy Stuart
June 4, 2023 at 5:15pm ET, Harbourfront Centre’s West Bays

Scott Thornley is a highly acclaimed Canadian author who has written five novels in the popular MacNeice Mysteries series (House of Anansi Press): Erasing Memory, The Ambitious City, Raw Bone, Vantage Point and Middlemen. The series features Detective Superintendent MacNeice, who is thrown into complex cases that require maximum expertise and intuition to solve. Born and raised in Hamilton, Ontario, Thornley drew inspiration from his hometown to create the fictional setting of Dundurn in his books. He was appointed to the Royal Canadian Academy of the Arts in 1990 and became a Member of the Order of Canada in 2018. If you’re a fan of crime fiction with richly drawn characters and intricate plots, Scott Thornley’s MacNeice Mysteries series is definitely worth a read.

Scott Thornley will participate in the following events:

Secrets of the Streets: Simone Buchholz & Scott Thornley
June 04, 2023 at 4:30pm, Lakeside Terrace

Sam Wiebe has established himself as one of Canada’s most authentic and critically acclaimed contemporary crime writers. His Wakeland novels have garnered much praise, winning the Crime Writers of Canada Award and the Kobo Emerging Writers prize, and have also been shortlisted for many other awards, including the Edgar, Hammett, Shamus and City of Vancouver Book Prizes. In Sunset and Jericho (Harbour Publishing), the fourth instalment of the Wakeland series, Wiebe takes readers on a thrilling quest to Vancouver’s criminal underworld. PI Dave Wakeland finds himself caught up in a world of class warfare and ethical dilemmas as he investigates the disappearance of the mayor’s brother, and the theft of a transit cop’s service weapon.

Sam Wiebe will participate in the following events:

A Tale of Two Crime Cities: Dietrich Kalteis & Sam Wiebe
June 3, 2023 at 11:30am ET, Lakeside Terrace