Linwood Barclay, Uzma Jalaluddin and Eliza Reid among authors at the Motive Crime & Mystery Festival
Social Sharing
Linwood Barclay, Uzma Jalaluddin and Eliza Reid are among the authors at this year's Motive Crime & Mystery Festival.
Presented by the Toronto International Festival of Authors (TIFA), Motive is a festival focused on crime and mystery literature; this year's event takes place June 27-29, 2025 at the University of Toronto.
Canada Reads 2025 contestant and bestselling author Linwood Barclay will be there to discuss his most recent novel, Whistle, which dips into the horror genre as a train set comes to life with sinister motives.
In Whistle, Annie moves to a charming town in upstate New York with her young son. She's reeling from the sudden death of her husband in an accident and the fact that one of the children's books she authored and illustrated ignited a major scandal.
Linwood Barclay's latest novel, Whistle, is a spooky tale about an evil toy train set — read an excerpt now
When her son, Charlie, finds an old train set in a locked shed on their property, he's thrilled, but there's something eerie about the toy. As weird things start happening in the neighbourhood, Annie can't help but feel that she's walked out of one nightmare and right into another.
Barclay has written over 20 books, including thrillers I Will Ruin You, Find You First, Broken Promise and Elevator Pitch and the middle-grade novels Escape and Chase. Many of Barclay's books have been optioned for film and television, and he wrote the screenplay for the movie Never Saw It Coming, adapted from his novel of the same name.
His books The Accident and No Time for Goodbye were made into a television series in France. Barclay lives near Toronto. He championed the memoir Jennie's Boy by Wayne Johnston on Canada Reads 2025.
Linwood Barclay and Wayne Johnston dish on Canada Reads strategy — and the magic of writing a life's story
Jalaluddin will also be at the festival. A romance writer making her debut when it comes to cozy mystery, she'll be discussing her latest book, Detective Aunty. 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 hold her back to help figure out who is the true culprit. But even Kausar is unprepared for the secrets, lies and betrayals that she'll uncover along the way.
Uzma Jalaluddin explains how writing about love is similar to writing about murder
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.
Reid will be attending Motive to discuss her debut novel Death on the Island, a mystery set in Vestmannaeyjar (the Westman Islands) 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.
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.
You can see the full program on the Motive Crime & Mystery Festival website.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
31 minutes ago
- CTV News
Montreal elementary students to sing national anthem at Canadian Grand Prix
A group of elementary school students from Montreal's west end perform live at the Canadian Grand Prix opening. A group of elementary school students from Montreal's west end will have their voices heard by hundreds of thousands this weekend — live at the Canadian Grand Prix. The Willingdon Elementary School choir will perform 'O Canada' at the start of Sunday's Formula 1 race on the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, in front of an international crowd and millions more watching on television. 'It's a little nerve-racking, but also really, really exciting,' said Morgana Grindlay, a Grade 6 student in the choir. 'I've ever done anything this big before.' The performance will mark one of the biggest appearances yet for the school's music program, which has grown under the leadership of longtime teacher Nick Batzios. He's taught music at the English Montreal School Board school for 27 years and says this moment represents more than just a musical milestone. 'I reached out to the people at Formula 1 and presented what we have to offer,' said Batzios. 'They eventually got back to us and said, 'We'd love to have you.' It was incredible news to bring back to the students.' Batzios is known at the school not just for teaching music, but for giving his students opportunities to shine on big stages. In 2022, his choir performed at the Bell Centre before a Montreal Canadiens game. But the F1 event, he says, is something entirely different. 'It combines two of my passions: music and fast cars,' he said. 'But more than that, it's my hope that the students take this experience and run with it. That they keep pursuing their dreams, and never give up on them.' For many of the young performers, the news is still sinking in. 'It makes me feel excited, and honestly, really lucky,' said 12-year-old Madeleine Rondeau. 'When I first found out, I didn't realize just how many people would hear us.' The Willingdon Elementary School choir The Willingdon Elementary School choir will perform 'O Canada' at this year's first Formula 1 race. (Laurence Brisson Dubreuil / CTV) As many as 350,000 spectators are expected to attend the Canadian Grand Prix over the weekend, making it one of the largest sporting events in the country. It also reaches a global audience on television, with millions tuning in from around the world. That's a lot of eyes and ears for a group of students used to singing in a classroom. For Grindlay, just joining the group was already a leap of courage. 'I was nervous about joining the choir at first,' admitted the student. 'But I'm really glad I did because we have so much fun singing together.' After taking that first step herself, she encourages others to do the same. 'If anyone out there is scared to try something new, I'd say just go for it,' said Grindlay. 'Don't be afraid of the worse, instead, enjoy the experience and live it to the fullest.' Batzios said encouraging students to step out of their comfort zones is a key part of his role as an educator. 'It's about building confidence and showing kids what they're capable of,' he said. When asked where they'd love to perform one day, the students didn't hesitate. 'The Super Bowl,' said Michaïla Borden, flashing a grin. 'For me, the Bell Centre, because I really like hockey,' said Evelyn Chan. While those dreams may seem far away, Batzios believes Sunday's anthem is proof that anything's possible. 'It all started with an email,' he said. 'Now look where we are.' With just days left before race day, the Willingdon choir is still hard at work rehearsing. Their goal: to make sure every note lands, and, more importantly, have fun.
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
Caesars Windsor donates $10K to Pride Fest
A funding boost of $10,000 was made in support of Pride Fest by Caesars Windsor Cares. Caesars Windsor Cares celebrated Pride month with a special donation of $10,000 in support of Pride Fest. The official announcement was made by Susanne Tomkins, manager of public relations and communications with Caesars Windsor, at Lanspeary Park Wednesday afternoon. This money will directly support social programming designed to address the problem of social isolation. Those initiatives provide meaningful social engagement and participation to increase connections and overcome isolation. This is especially important to foster a welcoming and safe space for people who are age 50 and older of the two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, intersex and asexual adults. PRIDE WINDSOR David Lenz, left, of Windsor-Essex Pride Fest, Susanne Tomkins, manager of Communications at Caesars Windsor, and Wendy Nicholson, president Windsor Pride Fest, on June 11, 2025. (Gary Archibald/CTV News Windsor) Wendy Nicholson is the president of Windsor Pride Fest. Nicholson and her team are appreciative of all support, monetary or otherwise, to help fund programs that in turn assist those in need in the 2SLBBTQIA+ community. 'It means so much to us, just the support of Caesars Windsor,' said Nicholson. 'Also, it's going to help with our programs continue running. Without donations like this, our programs won't be able to run. And every donation we get that goes to, that comes in is very welcomed.'
CTV News
5 hours ago
- CTV News
Longtime North Bay editor challenges himself by writing fiction
Allister Thompson's first book was self-published, but his second, 'Birch and Jay: The Knowledge Seekers: Book 1,' was published by Latitude 46. A North Bay editor turned author has released his second book. Allister Thompson's first book was self-published, but his second, 'Birch and Jay: The Knowledge Seekers: Book 1' was published by Latitude 46. Allister Thompson book Allister Thompson's first book was self-published, but his second, 'Birch and Jay: The Knowledge Seekers: Book 1' was published by Latitude 46. 'I have been an editor for most of my life, and I had my first bookstore job when I was 16,' Thompson said. 'I edit fiction every day, all day long. Eventually, you start to think, can I do this? Have I learned from analyzing other people's stories and telling them what to do? Can I tell myself what to do?' He asked himself whether he could tell a compelling story. The first book he wrote was a long time ago. 'This is my first mature piece of work, I would guess you could say,' said Thompson. 'I really just wanted to see if I could do it.' Book is set in 'Norbay' The main characters in his book are Birch and Jay. They are living in North Bay 100 years in the future. 'The community is renamed Norbay,' he said. 'They are two teens who are in a relationship. Jay is a member of a guild in a town called the 'Knowledge Seekers.' The founders of the town who were survivors of the climate collapse were very idealistic. What they want to do is gather and archive the knowledge of the previous generations.' Thomspon said Jay is a member of the guild, but Birch is not. He said Birch is a more impetuous type who has not figured out what to do with her life. 'Birch has not figured out if she wants to join this guild, and she is in a bit of conflict.' Thompson said that Jay is sent out on his first mission to get his feet wet on former Highway 11. He added that it pains him that this is a very realistic book. 'This is about looking at things that really could happen,' he said. 'The things you will face in a lawless society will be wildlife, dangerous animals, but more so dangerous people.' Thompson's book is available at
