Ladysmith author who were drawn for the National Crime Writing Award

Ladysmith author Kerry Wilkinson was nominated for his novel for a National Crime Writing Award The call, A psychological thriller who mostly plays in the Shawnigan lake.

The book is one of five finalists for the best crime novel in Canada, part of the 2025 Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence.

Although Wilkinson wrote more than 30 books, The call has been his first set in Canada since he moved from Great Britain to Ladysmith in 2015.

“I'm really thrilled with it,” said Wilkinson about the nomination. “Every step of my career as a writer has pushed to see if I can do the next. Can I write a book with full stop? Can I write a thriller book? A book in another genre? A book that is outside of Great Britain? And then a book in Canada. It is so gratifying to have recognition in Canada.” I am really pleased. “

In The callThe British tourist Melody brings her family to a hut on the lake on Vancouver Island in the hope of visiting child memories again. But when her fiance calls Evan to say that he came across a girl in need, the line becomes dead and Evan disappears without trace. When melody was looking for answers, she moved into a darker, more complicated version of the island from which she believed she knew.

Although the British characters anchor the narrative, Wilkinson said that the history of history on Vancouver Island was essential.

“I somehow cheated,” he said. “The story follows British tourists who are on vacation on Vancouver Island, where things go wrong very quickly. But it enabled me to tell a story that shows in my opinion a few different perspectives.”

Wilkinson said this was not the kind of search that could take place in Great Britain.

“Vancouver Island is so big and almost everything is untouched. The locals know this, of course. They can run into the forest for five minutes and they are in the middle of the (almost) nowhere,” said Wilkinson. “It is not as if a person would disappear in a British city, even a rural one. Here people can be able to Really They disappear devastating, terrible way – and it can happen immediately. But because there is a street or a few houses nearby, there is also a feeling of security, courtesy and normality. ”

Wilkinson, who was recognized for the first time as a self -published Kindle bestseller in Great Britain, said that the local landscape has also inspired some particularly criminal thoughts.

“Sometimes it is difficult to be a crime writer and not sound like a psychopath,” joked Wilkinson. “They often wandered around and think” that would be a good place to hide a (fictional) body. “

The winners of the 2025 Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence will be announced on May 30th.