cross-border crimes / bouchercon 2026
GUESTS OF HONOUR
We are pleased to introduce you to our guests for the following Guest of Honour categories:
- Lifetime Achievement
- Cross-Border
- International
- American
- Canadian
- Cozy
- Toastmaster
- Fan
Keep an eye on this page for new additions
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT GUEST OF HONOUR
LOUISE PENNY
LOUISE PENNY, a former CBC radio journalist, is the #1 New York Times, USA Today, and Globe and Mail bestselling author of the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache novels. She has been awarded the CWA Dagger, Nero, Macavity and Barry Awards, as well as two each of the Arthur Ellis and Dilys Awards. In addition, she has won the Agatha Award (eight times), and was a finalist for the Edgar Award for Best Novel. The series has been translated into 35 languages. In 2017, she received the Order of Canada for her contributions to Canadian culture. Louise Penny lives in a small village south of Montréal.
CROSS-BORDER GUEST OF HONOUR
KATHY REICHS
Kathy Reichs is actually Dr. Kathy Reichs, one of only eighty-two forensic anthropologists ever certified by the American Board of Forensic Anthropology. For years she consulted to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in North Carolina, and she continues to do so for the Laboratoire de Sciences Judiciaires et de Médecine Légale in the province of Québec. Her first novel, Déja Dead, became a New York Times best seller. There have been twenty-three Temperance Brennan novels since, most #1 New York Times best sellers. The hit Fox TV series Bones is based on her books. She divides her time between Charlotte, North Carolina, and Montreal, Québec. All things Kathy Reichs can be learned at kathyreichs.com.
INTERNATIONAL GUEST OF HONOUR
ABIR MUKHERJEE
Abir Mukherjee is the Times bestselling author of the Wyndham & Banerjee series of crime novels set in colonial-era India. His books have been translated into fifteen languages and won various awards including the CWA Dagger for best Historical Novel, the Prix du Polar Européen, and the Wilbur Smith Award for Adventure Writing. His first standalone thriller, Hunted, set in the UK, Canada and USA will be published in May 2024 and is already receiving rave reviews from the likes of Lee Child, James Patterson and Mick Herron. He also co-hosts the popular Red Hot Chilli Writers podcast which takes a wry look at the world of books, writing, and the creative arts, tackling everything from bestsellers to pop culture. Originally from Scotland, Abir now lives in Surrey with his wife and kids.
AMERICAN GUEST OF HONOUR
MARK GREANEY
MARK GREANEY is the #1 NYT bestselling author of twenty-five novels, including THE GRAY MAN (2009), and twelve more books in the Gray Man series. He also coauthored three Jack Ryan novels with Tom Clancy, and authored four more Jack Ryan novels after Mr. Clancy’s death. Mark is the co-author of the military thriller, RED METAL (2019), and the author of the Josh Duffy series, including ARMORED (2022) and SENTINEL (2024).
The film adaptation of THE GRAY MAN was released in 2022, starring Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans, and Ana de Armas, and was the fifth most-watched Netflix film of all time.
Mark lives in Memphis, TN, with his wife, Allison, his three stepchildren, and his four rescue dogs.
CANADIAN GUEST OF HONOUR
JENNIFER HILLIER
JENNIFER HILLIER is the USA Today, Toronto Star, and The Globe and Mail bestselling author of Things We Do in the Dark, described as “an intoxicating thrill ride” by the New York Times and “propulsive and chilling” by People magazine. It was an Indigo Top Ten Best Book of the Year, an Amazon Editor’s Spotlight Pick, a Goodreads Choice Award nominee, a Loan Stars pick, and her third consecutive novel to be honored as a Library Reads pick, which places her in their Hall of Fame. She’s also the author of six other novels including the USA Today bestselling Little Secrets, which is currently being adapted for Peacock by Tish Cyrus’s Hopetown Entertainment and Universal Television, and Jar of Hearts, which won the ITW Thriller Award for Best Hardcover Novel. A Filipino-Canadian, she was born in Toronto and spent several years in Seattle before returning home to Canada. She currently lives in Oakville, Ontario with her family.
COZY GUEST OF HONOUR
VICKI DELANY
VICKI DELANY is the recipient of the 2019 Derrick Murdoch Award for contributions to Canadian crime writing. She is one of Canada’s most prolific and varied crime writers and a national bestseller in the U.S. She has written more than fifty books: clever cozies to Gothic thrillers to gritty police procedurals, to historical fiction and novellas for adult literacy. She is currently writing the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop series, the Year-Round Christmas mysteries, the Tea by the Sea books, and the Lighthouse Library series (as Eva Gates).
Vicki is a past chair of the Crime Writers of Canada and co-founder and organizer of the Women Killing It Crime Writing Festival. Her work has been nominated for the Derringer, the Bony Blithe, the Ontario Library Association Golden Oak, and the CWC Awards of Excellence. She lives in Prince Edward County, Ontario.
KIDS’ GUEST OF HONOUR
KEVIN SANDS
Since escaping from university with a pair of degrees in theoretical physics, KEVIN SANDS has worked as a researcher, a business consultant, a teacher, and a professional poker player. He lives in Ontario, Canada. He is the author of the bestselling and multiple award-winning Blackthorn Key adventures and Thieves of Shadow fantasy heist series.
TOASTMASTER
P.J. VERNON
P. J. VERNON was born in South Carolina. His latest novel, Bath Haus, praised as a “twisted, pulse pounding cat-versus-mouse thriller” by the L.A. Times, was nominated for a 34th annual Lambda Literary Award. He writes, loves and lives on Treaty 7 territory (Calgary) in Canada with his husband and two wily dogs.
FAN GUEST OF HONOUR
STEELE CURRY
STEELE CURRY has been a passionate reader, collector and sometime reviewer of mystery fiction and thrillers for over the past 40 years. During that time, Steele has tried to offer encouragement and support to a number of author friends from around the globe. Since 2000, Steele has been a regular attendee of Bouchercons where he developed close relationships with other attendees and enjoyed meeting his favorite authors. From 2008 to 2012, Steele was a member of the board of directors of the Bouchercon National organization and, for the latter year, served as its Co-Chair together with Mike Bursaw. In 2021, Steele donated his collection of some 8,000 first edition books, mystery-related publications and “archives” to the University of Calgary to be held in its special book collections department as the “Steele Curry Mystery, Espionage and Thriller Collection”. This will enable students, researchers, budding authors and film writers to access his collection at the University.