Private Eye Writers of America Awards Jerry Kennealy the Eye Lifetime Achievement Award

TAMPA, Fla. - Sept. 25, 2017 - PRLog -- The Private Eye Writers of America announced the winners of the annual Shamus Awards last week and Jerry Kennealy was honored with the Eye Lifetime Achievement Award.

"I have been a movie and music buff all my life, and when I was told that I was to be the recipient of the PWA Life Achievement Award, a Robert De Niro line sprang to my lips: 'Me? You talkin' to me?'," said Kennealy. "It is truly a humbling experience to have my name added to the list of the prestigious former winners of this award, and I humbly thank all involved."

A former private investigator himself, Jerry Kennealy introduced his popular PI Nick Polo in 1987 with Polo Solo and followed that entry with nine more over the course of ten years, two of which—Polo's Wild Card (1991) and Special Delivery (1993)—were nominated for a Shamus Award for Best Novel. He then went on to write ten more novels, some thrillers and others featuring PIs, but all showcasing his range of talent as a crime novelist. Earlier this year, twenty years after the publication of the tenth Polo mystery, All That Glitters (1997), Down & Out Books published a new book in the series, Polo's Long Shot.

"I am so happy for Jerry," said Eric Campbell, publisher of Down & Out Books. "I have read and enjoyed all of the early Nick Polo mysteries and when approached by Jerry to continue the series, I jumped at the opportunity. This award is a well-deserved recognition for a lifetime of work in the genre of crime fiction."

Not only does Kennealy have more mysteries planned for Nick Polo, he's recently started another series featuring San Francisco Detective Inspector Johnny O'Rorke, the first book of which, Screen Test, was published last year. The second in the series, Dirty Who, will be published in 2018 by Down & Out Books.

About Down & Out Books:  Celebrating six years of publishing award-winning literary and crime fiction, Down & Out Books (https://DownAndOutBooks.com) is based in Tampa, Florida. For more information about company, or to request an interview with the author or the publisher, contact lance@downandoutbooks.com.