Award-winning Canadian crime writer Howard Engel, author of the Benny Cooperman detective series and co-founder of the Crime Writers of Canada, died July 15, CBC News reported. He was 88. His popular mystery series, which began in 1980 with The Suicide Murders, continued through the decades and included The Ransom Game, A City Called July and East of Suez.
In 2001, Engel suffered a stroke, which cost him his ability to read (alexia sine agraphia), though he could still write. "Over the following years, he learned how to read again and published the novel Memory Book, which begins as Benny Cooperman recovers in a hospital with the same condition," CBC wrote. His memoir The Man Who Forgot How to Read, for which Oliver Sacks wrote the afterword, also documented this experience.
Engel was a founding member of the Crime Writers of Canada, an organization created in 1986 to support and bolster the Canadian crime writing community. His many honors include the 2004 Writers' Trust of Canada Matt Cohen Award, recognizing the entire career of a Canadian writer; and the Crime Writers of Canada Grand Master Award in 2014. Engel was appointed to the Order of Canada in 2007.
In a tribute posted on Facebook, Crime Writers of Canada noted that "Howard's passing marks a sad day for the crime writing community. We extend our sympathy to his family and close friends. To his fellow colleagues, let us share a moment to remember a true gentleman and talent."