Meet the Pulp Lit Mistresses of Mystery

We’re delighted to announce that not one, but two, Pulp Literature authors have shortlisted works in the 2026 Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence!

Stella Ryman and the Search for Thelma Hu

by Mel Anastasiou

Finalist for the Whodunit for Best Traditional Mystery

Octogenarian sleuth Stella Ryman returns to investigate a perplexing care home mystery that precipitates the disappearance of her closest friend, the fragile and fierce Thelma Hu.

The Greek Chorus spells out Thelma’s doom: “Those who leave Fairmount seldom return.”

Stella’s only hope to find Thelma and bring her home, is to escape Fairmount Manor and head out alone, armed with her wiles and the resilience born of long experience  —  through the big city that she never thought she’d see again.

Mel Anastasiou loves her writing life in Canada and the UK, devising mysteries for Stella Ryman to solve. She can be found every day writing, walking for miles to look at inspired Victorian architecture, and eating scones with clotted cream and jam—hence the walking.

‘The Lost Diner’, PL Issue 47, Summer 2025

by MH Callway

Finalist for Best Crime Short Story

From Pulp Literature Issue 47, ‘The Lost Diner’ takes us on a dangerous road trip involving smuggled cars, a backwoods diner, and no small amount of spilled blood. Read an excerpt of this high-tension thriller here >>

MH Callway is an award-winning author of short crime fiction and the thriller Windigo Fire. She has published two collections of her works: Glow Grass and Snake Oil. She and Donna Carrick are co-founders of the Mesdames and Messieurs of Mayhem, a national collective of 25 leading Canadian crime writers. They have published six anthologies, including the 2025 Derringer finalist The 13th Letter.

Congratulations to all the Finalists!

Stay tuned to find out the winners of the CWC Awardson May 29th. In the meantime we’re celebrating by putting both Stella Ryman and the Search for Thelma Hu and Pulp Literature Issue 47, Summer 2025, on sale for 20% off till the end of May.