Sylvia Haymon (1918 – 1 December 1995) was a British writer of

mystery fiction Mystery is a genre fiction, fiction genre where the nature of an event, usually a murder or other crime, remains wiktionary:mysterious, mysterious until the end of the story. Often within a closed circle of suspects, each suspect is usually prov ...

autobiography An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life, providing a personal narrative that reflects on the author's experiences, memories, and insights. This genre allows individuals to share thei ...

, and other fiction and nonfiction. As an adult, she worked in public relations, broadcasting, journalism, and farming, and published nonfiction that included two childhood memoirs, a historical novel, biographies of

Bonnie Prince Charlie Charles Edward Louis John Sylvester Maria Casimir Stuart (31 December 1720 – 30 January 1788) was the elder son of James Francis Edward Stuart, making him the grandson of James VII and II, and the Stuart claimant to the thrones of England, ...

and

Monmouth Monmouth ( or ; ) is a market town and community (Wales), community in Monmouthshire, Wales, situated on where the River Monnow joins the River Wye, from the Wales–England border. The population in the 2011 census was 10,508, rising from 8 ...

, and a history of

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of the county of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. It lies by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. The population of the Norwich ...

, her birthplace. Writing under the

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's o ...

S. T. Haymon, she became well known for her

police procedural The police procedural, police show, or police crime drama is a subgenre of procedural drama and detective fiction that emphasises the investigative procedure of police officers, police detectives, or law enforcement agency, law enforcement agencies ...

series featuring Detective Inspector Ben Jurnet. She won the

Crime Writers' Association The Crime Writers' Association (CWA) is a specialist authors' organisation in the United Kingdom, most notable for its "Dagger" awards for the best crime writing of the year, and the Diamond Dagger awarded to an author for lifetime achievement. ...

Silver Dagger Award in 1983 for ''Ritual Murder''.

Critical reception

Writing in ''The St. James Guide to Crime and Mystery Writers,'' Carol M. Harper said, "The Detective Inspector Benjamin Jurnet series is one of the more literate, well written mystery series published, a series most highly recommended to those readers who like the British 'cozy' procedural."

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus. The magazine's publisher, Kirkus Media, is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fiction, no ...

called Haymon's second memoir, ''The Quivering Tree'', "great fun". It continues the childhood adventures described in her first memoir, ''Opposite the Cross Keys''. Haymon, who depicts herself as an "unusually clever, frequently petulant, and thoroughly practical young girl". The work "evokes an era when secrets still existed and scandals were bursting to happen—and makes for slyly humorous, very British entertainment." A

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

review of ''A Beautiful Death'' praised Haymon's writing: "With her elegant style and talent for exposing the raw nerves of her characters in a few select words, she cuts right to the heart of her sleuth in this powerful story." Haymon died in 1995. In 1996, the last book in her mystery series, ''Death of a Hero'', was published. Kirkus said of it, "All the elements of the author's unique talent are at work here: offbeat characters probed to the bone; plotting that's bizarre but believable, and lyrical writing by turns introspective, pungent, or poetic. She will be missed."

Bibliography

Crime novels *''Death and the Pregnant Virgin'' (1980) *''Ritual Murder'' (1982) *''Stately Homicide'' (1984) *''Death of a God'' (1987) *''A Very Particular Murder'' (1989) *''Death of a Warrior Queen'' (1991) *''A Beautiful Death'' (1993) *''Death of a Hero'' (1996) Other *''Television and Radio As a Career'' (nonfiction) (1963) *''The Loyal Traitor: A Story of Kett's Rebellion'' (novel) (1965) *''Bonnie Prince Charlie'' (nonfiction), illustrated by Peter Bailey (1969) *''King Monmouth'' (nonfiction) (1970) *''Norwich'' (nonfiction), illustrated by Joanna Worth (1973) *''Opposite the Cross Keys: An East Anglian Childhood'' (autobiography) (1988) *''The Quivering Tree'' (autobiography) (1990)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Haymon, Sylvia 1918 births 1995 deaths 20th-century British women writers English mystery writers English crime fiction writers British women mystery writers Writers from Norwich