Deverell wins Arthur Ellis Award for 'April Fool'

William Deverell's April Fool has won the 2006 Arthur Ellis Award for best novel from the Crime Writers of Canada.

The Arthur Ellis Awards, named for the nom de travail of Canada's official hangman, were awarded Thursday night in Toronto.

Deverell, who won the Dashiell Hammett Award for his 1997 novelTrial of Passion,is winning the Arthur award for the second time.

Deverell has brought back defence attorney Arthur Beauchamp for a comic turn in April Fool. Beauchamp, now retired onfictional Garibaldi Island, agrees to defend an old client accused of murder. As he unlocks the mystery of who really did the killing, his new wife takes up residence in a tree to save it from loggers.

The other nominees were Rick Blechta for Cemetery of the Nameless, Giles Blunt for Blackfly Season, Alex Brett for Cold Dark Matter and Peter Robinson for Strange Affair.

It is the 23rd year for the awards, which honour excellence in Canadian crime writing.

The Arthur Ellis Award for best non-fiction book went to Rebecca Godfrey for Under the Bridge: The True Story of the Murder of Reena Virk, about the murder of a B.C. teen by a group of other teenagers.

Godfrey was competing against a roster of strong non-fiction crime books, including Susanne Reberand Robert Renaud's Starlight Tour: The Last, Lonely Night of Neil Stonechild, about the death of a native teen; Daniel Sanger's biker tale Hell's Witness and Linda Diebel's Betrayed: The Assassination of Digna Ochoa, about the murder of a Mexican activist.

The other winners of 2006 Arthur awards are:

• Best First Novel: Louise Penny for Still Life.
• Best Short Story: Rick Mofina for Lightning Rider in Murder in Vegas.
• Best Juvenile: Vicki Grant for Quid Pro Quo.
• Best Crime Writing in French: Gérald Galarneau for Motel Riviera.

Past winners of the Arthur have included Howard Engel, Eric Wright, Carol Shields, Gail Bowen, Kathy Reichs, James Dubro, Stevie Cameron and Harvey Cashore and Andrew Pyper.