Chesapeake, VA (October 24, 2022)
Hazardous Duty, directed by Sean Olson, is set to air on October 30 on UPtv. The movie is based on the novel by Christy Barritt, a 1994 graduate of Indian River High School and a current Chesapeake resident.
The story features an inquisitive crime scene cleaner, Gabby St. Claire, who went to school to study forensics but had to drop out before finishing her degree. She finds evidence the police missed and inadvertently becomes wrapped up in solving the crime.
The movie originally premiered on the Heart and Home channel in Canada and went on to be featured on Pure Flix (a family friendly streaming service owned by Sony Pictures) where it remained in the top ten new releases for the first month.
The debut novel in the eighteen-book Squeaky Clean Series was originally published by Kregel Publications (Michigan) in 2008. The book was originally set in Norfolk, but the movie places it in the fictional town of Dentonville, Arkansas. Barritt was able to travel to Arkansas for filming.
“I’m so thrilled to see one of my books made into a movie and to see my characters come to life on screen,” Barritt, a Riverwalk resident, said. “It is an incredible opportunity and feels surreal. Ten years ago, I almost walked away from writing, but I’m so glad I didn’t.”
Barritt is a USA Today bestselling author whose books have sold nearly four million copies. She’s won the Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Suspense and Mystery and her books have climbed into the top five on the Publisher’s Weekly bestseller list.
Barritt’s husband is a youth pastor at Kempsville Christian Church, and they have two sons who attend Oaktree Academy in Virginia Beach.
Three other books by Barritt have also been optioned for film.
Movie Trailer: