Created by Valerie Wilson Wesley
Another black private eye, but unlike contempories like Easy Rawlins or Aaron Gunner, TAMARA HAYLE “owes more to Waiting to Exhale than to the rage of Richard Wright. They’re funny and slight and smart,” according to The New York Times.
Tamara’s an ex-cop turned Newark, New Jersey private eye, a single mom trying to keep food on the table for herself and her teenage son, Jamal. It’s an entertaining mixture of humour, colourful characters, and Tamara’s plenty tough, tenacious and determined to do right for her client, and just hard-boiled enough to dispel any rumours that this is a series of cozies.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Author Wesley is a former editor of Essence, and has also written several books for children and young adults. Tamara’s debut, Death Comes Stealing, was nominated for the Best First P.I. Novel Shamus by the Private Eye Writers of America.
UNDER OATH
- “(Tamara Hayle is) a wonderfully believable and independent sleuth who combines intellect and intuition, sexiness and self-contol, tenderness and toughness.”
— The Denver Post - “Wesley’s fantastic PI series features ex-cop turned PI Tamara Hayle, a Black single mother raising a son in Newark, NJ. This well-written series, this character, helped put me on the writing path I’m on today. The writing is stellar. Clean. Precise. A thing of beauty. There are eight Tamara Hayle novels. Don’t stop at one.”
— Tracy Clark (January 2023, CrimeReads) - “The Hayle detective series is one of the best ethnic and female sleuthing mysteries on the market today and fans from both sub-genres will enjoy the books. Every one of the…novels are fabulous tales, filled with great story lines, interesting insight into the African-American community, and wonderful characters, especially Tamara. … very easy to enjoy and is very highly recommended for fans who take pleasure from reading about a hard boiled detective, who happens to be an African-American female. This reviewer advocates perusing the entire Hayle collection for some of the best literature around.”
—Harriet Klausner (on Dorothy L.)
NOVELS
- When Death Comes Stealing (1994) | Buy this book | Kindle it!
- Devil’s Gonna Get Him (1995) | Buy this book | Kindle it!
- Where Evil Sleeps (1996) | Buy this book
- No Hiding Place (1997) | Buy this book | Kindle it!
- Easier To Kill (1998) | Buy this book | Kindle it!
- The Devil Riding (2000) | Buy this book
- Dying in the Dark (2005) | Buy this book | Kindle it!
- Of Blood and Sorrow (2008) | Buy this book | Kindle it!