Stephen Booth, who's 50, lives near Retford. He's currently had three novels published with a fourth in the pipeline.

Now he's become the first author to win the prestigious Barry Award twice - in 2001 and 2002.

He received the award at the World Mystery Convention in Austin, Texas beating off other notable writers like P.D. James, Iain Rankin, Val McDermid, Reginald Hill and John Connolly.

The cover to Black Dog

This year's winner was Dancing With The Virgins, following the success of his first novel Black Dog.

They're the first two books in a series set in and around the fictional Peak District town of Edendale, featuring young Derbyshire police detectives Ben Cooper and Diane Fry.

Booth’s dark, atmospheric mysteries have been widely praised for their humanity, compassion and depth of characterisation, as well as their sense of history and intriguing locations.

The cover to Blood on the Tongue

A third title Blood On The Tongue was released earlier this year and Mr Booth has just finished work on a fourth - Blind To The Bones.

Stephen Booth is a former newspaper journalist who gave up his day job as deputy editor of the Worksop Guardian when Black Dog became a success.

He says: "Awards like the Barrys mean a lot, because the winners are chosen by readers, rather than by a committee. From my point of view, the most important thing in the world is to know that readers are enjoying my books."

Blind To The Bones will be published in April 2003.