We have a very special treat for you today: please join us in welcoming A.J. Devlin, the multi-award-winning author of the “Hammerhead” Jed professional wrestling mystery-comedy series!

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Keeping it Kayfabe

What a thrill to visit CHICKS ON THE CASE!

When Ellen asked me if I would be interested in writing a guest blog post, of course I jumped at the chance. But it didn’t really occur to me until summer crept around and my kids were out of school that I’d better come up with something worthy to discuss on a site that showcases the best mystery writers in the biz with a “killer sense of humour” (and sorry folks, but get used to those extra “u’s” because like all Canucks I have some British spelling rules engrained deep in my DNA alongside a fondness for the metric system and ketchup flavoured potato chips).

I wasn’t kidding, eh?

So, what could I possibly bring to the table? I batted around a few ideas before I realized the answer was right there in my work – quirkiness.

That is the definitive word that popped into my head the moment I first conceived of my series character “Hammerhead” Jed Ounstead, a six-foot-four, two-hundred-and-forty-pound Hoss ring general with a strong sense of morality and a sweet tooth for banana milkshakes. You see, having been a big fan of mysteries that showcase athlete-detectives – whether they be boxers-turned-investigators, surfer sleuths, or hockey hawkshaws – I saw an opportunity to draw upon that love and fuse it with a long-time fandom of sports entertainment in order to cook up my very own grappling gumshoe.

And what pro-wrestler private eye would be complete without a gimmick or two? Inspired by the likes of “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Bret “The Hitman” Hart, and “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan, not to mention the fact my grandfather was a pioneer British Columbian lumberman, it seemed fitting that a Vancouver born-and-bred musclebound menace in the squared circle might have a reputation for breaking a two-by-four piece of Western Red Cedar over his head and chugging a couple of celebratory beers in the ring after winning a match.

Now that’s what I call a tag-team.

Nevertheless, I realized that in order to do justice to a fictional pro-wrestler PI, it wasn’t just “Hammerhead” Jed himself who needed to be a little quirky – it was also necessary for the cases he caught to be as well.

Why? Because in order to tell the stories I wanted to with a character who was designed to be a larger-than-life, atypical investigator there needed to be a legitimate reason for how and why he could at times be one or two steps ahead of law enforcement. As a former WWE superstar turned detective, he comes from a world of over-the-top theatrics offset by the real-life, dark and tragic underbelly of the colourful, frenzied, and sometimes deadly realm of sports entertainment. This specialized pedigree makes Jed ideally suited to take on jobs that pull him into many unique subcultures rife with even more eccentric characters.

After all, if someone had kidnapped your precious pet snake and pro-wrestling ringside gimmick and held it for ransom, or if you were hired by players from a women’s flat track roller derby team who went by badass, girl-powered monikers like “Amazombie” and “Pippi Longstomping” after their coach disappeared right before playoffs, wouldn’t you prefer a sleuth on your side who has seen a lot of weird, wild, and wacky stuff?

Most of all, what I love about all things quirky and offbeat is that when utilized in a certain way they can enrich something as tried and true as crime fiction and offer a bit of a spin or a twist on the familiar. There might not be any re-inventing of the wheel here, but if ol’ “Hammerhead” Jed and the eclectic individuals he encounters in his cases can create for some unusual antics and, even better, some genuine guffaws then that is more than I could have ever hoped to share with readers out there willing to go on a little adventure into my imagination.

In professional wrestling, there is one term that is unique to the industry – kayfabe – which is defined as “the fact or convention of presenting staged performances as genuine or authentic.” And while the word may be specific to the hijinks and drama that unfolds inside of the squared circle, is that not also what all authors try to do in their books? To provide pure, page-turning, escapist entertainment that makes the willing suspension of disbelief easy in exchange for a guaranteed payoff that rewards us after going along on a fictional yet fun ride?

I certainly hope so, and as an avid mystery buff myself, I know that just like fans of sports entertainment, I don’t care if the outcome is pre-determined – it’s the dynamic characters, adventure, panache, and ultimately the satisfaction of great storytelling that always keeps me coming back for more.

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A.J. has very kindly brought multiple giveaways today (thank you)! To enter, please include your guesses in the comments below, along with any other comments or questions you’d like to share with the author.

Giveaways includes personalized and signed print copies of all three books in the ‘Hammerhead’ Jed pro-wrestler PI mystery-comedy series.

1. To win a copy of COBRA CLUTCH, be the first to correctly answer this question: What is the name of the 1980s professional wrestler famous for bringing a snake to the ring?  
2. To win a copy of ROLLING THUNDER, be the first to correctly answer this question: What is the name of the 2009 Drew Barrymore directed roller derby film?  
3. To win a copy of FIVE MOVES OF DOOM, be the first to correctly answer this question: Name a current WWE superstar who has also been a UFC champion?  

 

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A.J. Devlin grew up in Greater Vancouver before moving to Southern California where he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Screenwriting from Chapman University and a Master of Fine Arts in Screenwriting from The American Film Institute. After working as a screenwriter in Hollywood, he moved back home to Port Moody, BC, where he now lives with his family.

Cobra Clutch, the first book in the “Hammerhead” Jed professional wrestling mystery-comedy series, was released in spring 2018 and nominated for a Lefty Award for Best Debut Mystery and won the 2019 Crime Writers of Canada Arthur Ellis Award for Best First Novel.

The third book in the series, Five Moves of Doom, was published in September 2022 by NeWest Press and featured on The House of Mystery Radio Show on NBC. It won the 2022 Crime Fiction Lover Editor’s Choice Award for Best Indie Crime Novel, was selected by The Globe and Mail as one of the Best Books of 2022, nominated for the 2023 Lefty Award for Best Humorous Mystery, shortlisted for the 2023 Crime Writers of Canada Howard Engel Award of Excellence for Best Novel Set in Canada, and is a finalist for the 2023 Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Award for Best Comedic Mystery.

For more information on A.J. and his books visit ajdevlin.com.