John Keyse–Walker Books In Order

Publication Order of Cuban Noir Books

Publication Order of Teddy Creque Mystery Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

John Keyse-Walker grew up in a farming setting in Columbia Station, Ohio. His father owned a vegetable greenhouse project while his mother stayed at home to look after the kids. John spent his childhood days exploring the rural rivers, and nature in his country home setting. He enjoyed the outdoors, mostly fishing, walking in the woods, and swimming in Florida where his parents had a holiday home. In his spare time, John read books, and with time, as he matured up, the books replaced his love of outdoor exploits. John attended and graduated Wooster College in Ohio; he majored in political science. He later on attended Duke University Law School and graduated with a degree in Law. While at Duke University, John met Irene Walker whom he married a little after graduating. After law school, John began his legal practice in Elyria, Ohio bar and did legal work for thirty years as a managing partner in his firm.

In 2012, Walker retired from his law firm and took a back seat from the 9-5 job schedule. He took up his love of fishing, traveling, sporting, and volunteer work. When he found that his hobbies did not take up too much of his time in the daytime, John began to write. Two years into writing, he published his first book, Sun, Sand, and Murder. The book won him Minotaur Writers of America First Crime Book Award. John and his wife live in northern Ohio and occasionally travel to their second home in Florida.

John Keyse-Walker Best Books

Sun, Sand, Murder #1A Teddy Creque Mystery

Teddy Creque is a special constable on an isolated sun-scotched Island of Anegada in the British Virgin Islands. In his policing career, Teddy never imagined that he’d one day wake up to a criminal case on the idyllic island. A tourist was found murdered on the beach, leaving everyone in the town in shock and disbelief. Indeed, too perturbed to comprehend the murder of a frequent visitor, biologist Paul Kelliher, Teddy arrives at the beach to find the biologist’s lifeless body lying on the shores of the beach. He has a single bullet lodged in his head. Paul visited the Island every winter to carry out his research work. As if the death of a working scientist is not enough, Teddy receives another shocker, when searching for Paul’s next of kin, Paul Kelliher, never existed. The “real police” BVIPF tasks Teddy with finding his relatives, but first he must find out Paul’s identity. Against his superior’s wishes, Teddy prods into the homicide.

Teddy’s schedule takes a back seat as he delves into tracking an unknown killer and dig on the real identity of Paul, the biologist. Teddy has his plate full, handling three extra jobs and trying to stay sane in his family life. The special police constable tries to maintain his duties and a recent affair with an American pilot who recently visited the Island. Walker poises the portrayal of life in the islands of the Caribbean and a fascinating mystery with bountiful of surprises. The book contains interesting characters including Teddy and his critic of a boss. The locals typically call the police boss, “De White Rasta,” a British expatriate who fell in love with Caribbean life and decided to adopt their culture and way of life. Teddy suspects his lover’s involvement in the murder case, while his wife Icilda grows distant due to teddy’s indecent behavior over the past years. Teddy feels guilty in betraying his wife, but he does not change his ways.

The more Teddy digs into the murder case; the more he discovers his lackluster in crime solving cases. He feels terrible for the lack of experience in such matters, but turns out; he is a natural at investigating. Written with a cynical, humorous narrative and a plot packed with suspense, John managed to produce a delightful crime novel.

Beach, Breeze, Bloodshed #2 A Teddy Creque Mystery

After barely a first attempt at solving a murder crime in a remote island off the Caribbean seas in the sun-blazed British Island, Teddy Creque puts on a brave face six months after the long hard days of surviving a criminal investigation. Constable Creque has spent six months trying to comprehend the murder case aftermath, and carry on with his life. After receiving a medal of honor, and promotion, Teddy feels a sense of accomplishment, and begins to take his job seriously.

Not long afterward, a woman dies in a terrible shark attack on the adjacent island of Virgin Gorda. Teddy feels obliged when called upon to help by the deputy commissioner Howard Lanes. As Teddy goes in to help capture the creature, he suspects foul play. There were people involved in the fatal attack on the dead woman.

The sharks in the island do not attack humans; something’s just not right at the crime scene. Unfortunately, the authorities on the island no not take kindly Teddy’s connotations of human involvement in the murder. However, Teddy probes into the case with caution; he does not want to stir up a string of murders now that the secret is out. Teddy discovers a child with exceptional communication skills as the sole witness to the crime. Chartering in unfamiliar territory, Teddy knows he needs to earn trust with the locals with a silent child as his only witness and a rambling parrot to hopefully follow the clues and catch the killer. John Keyse-Walker has written one more tight, clever mystery that will keep his fans enthralled with this second crime book. Walker writes eloquently about life on the island, combining great cultural details and elucidating the characters as regular folk going through the motions of life just like ordinary city folk. He makes it easy for the readers to visualize life in the island as he creatively describes the rich natural features of island life.

Teddy Creque no doubt has grown from the first novel where he was seen at a roller coaster with his work and deteriorating family life. He has learned a lot about the qualities of a responsible police officer, and he is ready to know more besides his natural flare at investigating crimes. This book is a winner. Written with the precision of a Caribbean setting, and stirs up an edgy tempo that suits the hero, Teddy Creque, and his domain, the Virgin Islands.