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The Motive Crime & Mystery Festival is back for its fifth year.
Presented by the Toronto International Festival of Authors (TIFA), Motive is a festival focused on crime and mystery literature, featuring authors from from Canada and beyond.
With over 55 events, Motive takes place June 5 to 7, 2026 at the University of Toronto.
Ontario author Shari Lapena is among the authors set to appear, known for her bestselling domestic noir novels.
Lapena will be featured at a panel event called Canada Bleeds on June 5 at 3:30 p.m., and in conversation on June 7 at 4:30 p.m. about the 10-year anniversary of her debut thriller The Couple Next Door.
“The Couple Next Door was the book that launched my thriller career — and in such a big way — that it’s wonderful to be able to celebrate it 10 years on,” she told CBC Books in an email.
She’ll also be talking about her latest book, Getting Away With Murder, set to publish on July 28.
For Lapena, who has attended Motive since its inception, having a festival for the genre in Toronto means a lot.
“I think there are a lot of dedicated crime and thriller readers out there and they tend to get ignored a little in terms of prizes and festivals unless there is a festival devoted to them,” she said.
A newcomer to thriller writing, Nicole Blades, now based in the U.S., is looking forward to heading back home to Canada and connecting with readers and writers of the genre at Motive.
“For me, the best part of this kind of festival is the people,” she told CBC Books in an email.
“The readers are smart, voracious, and loyal; they appreciate nuanced stories that focus on the flawed and complicated side of being human, even if it means sometimes rooting for the ‘bad guy.’ And the crime fiction writer community is so welcoming and supportive, especially considering how solitary writing can be.”
Blades will be on the Debuts & Fresh Voices panel on June 6 at 5:30 p.m., discussing her fourth book, but debut thriller, Would I Lie To You?, about a cat burglar tasked with stealing from her own husband.
“I like digging into flawed characters, specifically women, where you might not agree with their choices or condone their every action, but you can empathize enough that you understand them, landing you in a place where — judgment aside — you’re still rooting for them to be OK, to make it through the storm,” she said.
Other Canadian authors at this year’s Motive festival are Nita Prose, Uzma Jalaluddin and Sharon Bala.
International guests include U.K. writer Clare Mackintosh and Icelandic author Lilja Sigurdardottir.
You can see the full program and buy tickets on the Motive Crime & Mystery Festival website.