The U.K.’s most prestigious and well-known organization representing and promoting crime writers have picked American/British detective author Teddy Hayes to be a part of their judging panel to choose a winner of “The Dagger Award” for crime fiction in the John Creasy “New Blood” category.
Teddy Hayes is well known for his creation of Devil Barnett, an African American ex-CIA assassin turned detective who owns a jazz club called “The BeBop Tavern”, and operates mainly out of Harlem New York.
Hayes’ first detective novels were initially published more than twenty years ago, in London by “The Xpress”, and then followed in the USA by “Justin Charles Publishers”.
A growing fan base and fascination with the gritty, hard-boiled, kick-ass detective has resulted in eight Devil Barnett novels so far, as well as interest from Hollywood.
“To be asked to be a part of the Crime Writer’s Association judging panel is for me a great form of recognition, an honour, and a high point in my career; because The “Dagger Awards” are very well known, and highly respected throughout the world. It’s like the BAFTA or OSCAR award for crime writing.”
“When I was in my early teens, my mother and head teacher discovered that I had been missing lots of days from school, and that instead of attending classes, I had been spending my days at the public library where I read all of the Miss Marple, Hercule Poirot and Sherlock Holmes stories. I wonder would they have been more sympathetic, if they had known my distraction with school and my love of crime novels would lead to this,” Hayes laughed.
Hayes will serve on the judging panel along with publisher, Edwin Buckhalter, novelist Susan Moody, and Sunday Times Supplement Editor, Karen Robinson.
“The Killing of Eleanor Rigby,” the eighth novel in the Devil Barnett series will be published mid- September on Amazon.
