John Dean – Crime Writer

Publisher Joffe Books has announced the winner of the Joffe Books Prize 2025, which has gone to T.L. Haseeb, for The Portrait Maker, the first in a new police procedural series featuring Amber Kash, a seasoned British Asian Detective Inspector in her forties.

The author receives a two-book publishing deal with Joffe Books, a £1,000 cash prize and a £25,000 audiobook deal from Audible for the first book. This is one of Britain’s biggest crime prizes.

 The Joffe Books Prize for Crime Writers of Colour was established in 2021 to discover talented new writers from Black, Asian, Indigenous and minority ethnic backgrounds, who remain underrepresented in crime fiction publishing, and to support them in building sustainable careers.

 Joffe Books is one of the UK’s leading independent publishers of commercial fiction, with a special focus on crime and mystery, and this year celebrates the fifth year of the prize. Submissions included historical mysteries set in far-flung climes, gritty police procedurals, fast-paced speculative thrillers, shocking domestic suspense and witty cosy mysteries.

The judges included award-winning crime writer Vaseem Khan, author most recently of James Bond spin-off Quantum of Menace; award-winning crime fiction commentator, book reviewer and blogger Ayo Onatade; The Bookseller Deputy News Editor Heloise Wood; 2023 Joffe Books Prize winner Renita D’Silva; and Joffe Books Editorial Director Rachel Slatter.

Together, the judges considered each manuscript in terms of both the strength of the writing and its bestselling potential, and unanimously awarded the Joffe Books Prize 2025 to T.L. Haseeb.

The judges said: “We were all hooked on this fresh, original and incredibly tense police procedural from the very first line. The set-up of the story is fun, unsettling and very entertaining, the pacing is superb, and we all fell in love with Amber – it’s a pleasure to read from her warm, wry perspective.”

T.L. Haseeb, who was born and bred in Birmingham, began her career writing short films and worked as a storyline writer for ITV, before turning to novel writing. She developed The Portrait Maker on the Curtis Brown “Writing Your Novel” course, where she was awarded a full scholarship.

She said: “The last time I won anything was the under 8 school beanbag race, so I am still in a state of blissful shock. I must thank Joffe Books for their dedication to bringing new voices to the fore and recognising that wider perspectives can enrich us all. I feel honoured to be given this incredible opportunity.”

Rachel Slatter said: “It’s been a joy and a privilege to be able to read this year’s fantastic submissions, but as soon as I read T.L.’s fantastic police procedural I knew we had something special on our hands. A very intriguing plot, fantastic pacing, strong tension, and a main character readers will want to root for – all that plus a killer first line. What could be better?”