The suspense has been killing us! We're excited to announce the lineup for MOTIVE Crime & Mystery Festival 2026. We'll be back sleuthing through the halls of @viccollege in the University of Toronto with authors from around the world in over 55 conversations, workshops, masterclasses, and a special Murder Mystery Dinner!
Featuring MOTIVE staples like Hannah Mary McKinnon, Shari Lapena, and Uzma Jalaluddin; an international spotlight on French crime writers Hannelore Cayre, Olivier Norek, Sophie Hénaff, and Johana Gustawsson; our ever popular Tea, cake, and Murder series; and hands on workshops lead by the University of Toronto Mississauga Forensic Science Program.
Passes are available now! Be sure to get yours soon to receive an early-bird discount. Visit the link in our bio 🔎
#MOTIVE2026
The countdown is officially on! 3 weeks until we're back at @viccollege at the University of Toronto for our 5th MOTIVE Crime & Mystery Festival June 5-7.
There are so many fun things to do at the festival including author conversations, masterclasses, and yoga, plus pass holders will have access to our Board Games Lounge where you can kill time between events!
Get your passes today!
#MOTIVE2026
Get to know #MOTIVE2026 author, Hannah Mary McKinnon! Hear her idea of a perfect crime, why the genre interests her, and who she’s looking forward to seeing at the festival!
Catch her in the act at:
🔎 The Art of Unease: Eva Björg Ægisdóttir & Hannah Mary McKinnon • June 6, 2026 at 12:00pm
🔎 How To Eat An Elephant… & Other Plotting Advice with Hannah Mary McKinnon • June 7, 2026 at 11:30am
Get your passes today at the link in our bio!
Spots in our MOTIVE Masterclasses are filling up fast! If you'd like to attend, sign up today 🖊 Learn how to:
🔨 Build tension from Lilja Sigurðardóttir
✂ Ruthlessly edit with Doug Johnstone
📝 Plot deviously with Hannah Mary McKinnon
✍ Structure your story with Canadian mystery icon Maureen Jennings
Head to our link in bio to learn more and get your #MOTIVE2026 passes today!
📸 Briande Rivera Simon
Hey True Crime fans 🕵 We have something for you at MOTIVE, too! We are always excited to feature authors of true crime books and events showing the dark side of Toronto.
Leslie Bradford-Scott, Edward Chisholm, Hank Idsinga, and Lorna Poplak will be at #MOTIVE2026 with their stories of family, history, and breakouts. PLUS, in our free programming in the @viccollege quad, Adam Bunch (@todreamsproject ) and the Toronto Crime Tours will be back telling the twisted tales of the city!
Get your passes today at the link in our bio!
SUSPECT: Jinwoo Park
Nationality: Korean Canadian (Montreal)
Occupation: Writer, Marketer
Jinwoo Park completed a master’s degree in creative writing at the University of Oxford, and currently works as a marketer in the tech industry. In 2021, he won the Jim Wong-Chu Emerging Writers Award.
See him at #MOTIVE2026 in
🔎 Hidden Identities: Genevieve Graham & Jinwoo Park: Sunday, June 7, 2026 • 1:00pm
Just over 1 week until Louise Penny and Mellissa Fung will be in Toronto discussing their latest novel, The Last Mandarin (@raincoastbooks ). Perfect for if you’re staying in the city for the long weekend, or making the trip here!
May 16 at 7:30 PM
TIFF Lightbox
Visit the link in our bio to get your tickets today!
TIFA Presents is generously supported by Presenting Donors Beth Nowers and Jack Curtin
The Re-Read is back at MOTIVE! This is an exciting series at all our Festivals where we ask authors to talk about their favourite authors. This year, Nicholas Shakespeare, author of Frame 37, will be discussing author Graham Greene (not to be confused with the actor!). Hear from TIFA Director, Roland Gulliver, all about what you can expect from the event 🕵🏻♂️
🔍 The Re-Read: Nicholas Shakespeare on Graham Greene: Saturday, June 6 at 6:30 PM
#MOTIVE2026
June 5-6 at @viccollege in the University of Toronto
Maggie O’Farrell, the bestselling author of HAMNET, will join TIFF in person for the exclusive Canadian launch of her latest work of fiction, LAND: A NOVEL 📖
In an in-depth conversation with bestselling author and journalist Claire Cameron, O’Farrell will discuss LAND, as well as her creative process and her collaboration with Chloé Zhao on adapting HAMNET for the big screen, which went on to win the #TIFF50 People’s Choice Award.
Following the in-cinema event, Maggie O’Farrell will be stamping copies of LAND with a custom stamp in lieu of signing books due to an injury. She looks forward to meeting guests in the post-event “stamping” line.
This event is presented in partnership with our Programming Partners, Penguin Random House Canada and the Toronto International Festival of Authors.
Get tickets through the link in bio.
#maggieoferrell #hamnet #bookstagram #chloezhao
We may be international, but we do love a story set in Toronto! Be it past or present, on the way to or from, check out these titles featuring our home city 🏙 BONUS: The view from our HQ roof on a gloomy day -- trust us, it's really nice in the summer!
Taking place in the heart of downtown Toronto at @viccollege June 5-7. Get your passes today! /c39da99p
#MOTIVE2026
SUSPECT: Kevin Jagernauth
Nationality: Canadian (Ottawa)
Occupation: Culture Writer, Critic
Kevin Jagernauth is a pop culture critic who has written about cinema, music, and literature for over twenty years. He appears at #MOTIVE2026 with his debut novel, The Longest Death. Born in Ottawa, he currently resides in Montreal.
Catch him at the festival in:
🔎 American Dreams & Mysteries: Naomi Hirahara & Kevin Jagernauth: Sunday, June 7, 2026 • 2 PM
Get your passes today at the link in our bio!
Our TBR lists are becoming full of books in preparation for #MOTIVE2026, and what better way to spend any weekend than with a cozy mystery! Chilly & cloudy? Read inside ☕ Warm & Sunny? Read outside🌞 Here is a stack of some of the authors with cozy books that you can catch June 5-7 at @viccollege
Get your passes today!
UPDATE: Karsten Dusse will no longer be appearing at MOTIVE.
