I messed up on the previous blog post regarding the Dr. Audley movie I recently watched on DVD, so I rewrote that this afternoon, and with a big boost from Tise Vahimagi, I wrote up the entry in Part 22 for Anthony Price, who wrote the books, this evening. I also worked on a couple of others in the P section, which includes one of the few of Otto Penzler’s projects that didn’t quite work out.

   And I think I know why. Do you?

DRAKE, LISA [with OTTO PENZLER].
      The Medical Center Murders. Pocket Books, pb, 1984. Setting: New York City. (Written by Thomas Gifford, 1937-2000, from a detailed plot outline by Edward D. Hoch, 1930- , q.v.) This is the second of a three-book mystery series conceived by Otto Penzler, q.v., in which the ending was withheld and a cash prize was offered to the first reader to send in the correct solution. See Otto Penzler’s entry for others in the series.

EDWARDS, R. T. [with OTTO PENZLER].
      Prize Meets Murder. Pocket Books, pb, 1984. SC: Matthew Prize. Setting: California. (Written by Ron Goulart, 1933- , q.v., from a detailed plot outline by Edward D. Hoch, 1930- , q.v.) This is the first of a three-book mystery series conceived by Otto Penzler, q.v., in which the ending was withheld and a cash prize was offered to the first reader to send in the correct solution. See Otto Penzler’s entry for others in the series.

GIFFORD, THOMAS (EUGENE). 1937-2000. Add the following two titles.
      _The Medical Center Murders. [by Lisa Drake with Otto Penzler] Pocket Books, pb, 1984. Setting: New York City. See the entry under Lisa Drake.
      _This Prize Is Dangerous. [by Matthew Prize with Otto Penzler] Star, UK, pb, 1985. See the entry under Matthew Prize.

GOULART, RON(ALD JOSEPH). 1933- . Add the following title:
      _Prize Meets Murder [by R. T. Edwards with Otto Penzler]. Pocket Books, pb, 1984. SC: Matthew Prize. Setting: California. See the entry under R. T. Edwards.

HOCH, EDWARD D(ENTINGER). 1930- . Although not named, the behind-the-scenes plotter of a three-book mystery series in which a cash prize was offered to the first reader to send in the correct solution, which was withheld from the book. All three books were then finished by other mystery writers whose names were also not mentioned.
      _The Medical Center Murders. See the entry under Lisa Drake.
      _Prize Meets Murder. See the entry under R. T. Edwards.
      _This Prize Is Dangerous. See the entry under Matthew Prize.

PENZLER, OTTO. 1942- . Well-known editor and publisher of mystery fiction in the United States; owner of The Mysterious Bookshop in New York City. Nominally the co-author of a three-book mystery series which he conceived; a cash prize was offered to the first reader to send in the correct solution, which was withheld from the book. In actuality, regardless of the bylines on the books, all three were plotted by Edward D. Hoch, 1930- , q.v., and written in final form by either Ron Goulart or Thomas Gifford, qq.v.
      _The Medical Center Murders. See the entry under Lisa Drake.
      _Prize Meets Murder. See the entry under R. T. Edwards.
      _This Prize Is Dangerous. See the entry under Matthew Prize.

PHILLIPS, MARY. 1915- . Author of one novel included in the (Revised) Crime Fiction IV. See below.
      Catchee Chinaman. Add earlier edition: Pretoria South Africa: El Greco, hc, 1973. Ian Henry, UK, hc, 1982. Add setting: South Africa. “Novel set in Capetown dealing with the illegal gambling game known in Chinese as Fah Fee (and elsewhere as the Numbers Racket).”

PLUNKETT, SUSAN (IRENE). 1945- . Add as a new author entry. Lives in Washington state; primarily a writer of romantic fiction.
      Timepool. Jove, pb, 1999. Setting: California; 1890/1999. [A time-travel romance novel in which Caladonia Hornsby ends up in the future while hunting down her father’s killer.]

PRICE, (ALAN) ANTHONY. 1928- . Born in England; journalist and editor of the Oxford Times for many years. Author of 19 espionage novels included in the (Revised) Crime Fiction IV, with series character Dr. David Audley appeared in all but one. Three of the Audley novels were the basis for a six-episode British TV series entitled Chessgame, which aired between Nov 23 to Dec 28, 1983. [Thanks to Tise Vahimagi for the helping hand on matters TV-wise.]
      The Alamut Ambush. TV movie: UK, 1986 (scw; Murray Smith; dir: Ken Grieve). Composed of two episodes of the British TV series Chessgame: “The Alamut Ambush” plus “Enter Hassan.” SC: Dr. David Audley (Terence Stamp)

      Colonel Butler’s Wolf. TV movie: UK, 1986, as Deadly Recruits (scw: John Brason; dir: Roger Tucker). Composed of two episodes of the British TV series Chessgame: “The Roman Connection” and “Digging Up the Future.” SC: Dr. David Audley (Terence Stamp)

      The Labyrinth Makers. TV movie: UK, 1986, as The Cold War Killers (scw: Murray Smith; dir: William Brayne). Composed of two episodes of the British TV series Chessgame: “Flying Blind” and “Cold Wargame.” SC: Dr. David Audley (Terence Stamp)

PRIZE, MATTHEW [with OTTO PENZLER].
      This Prize Is Dangerous. Star, UK, pb, 1985. (Written by Thomas Gifford, 1937-2000, q.v., from a detailed plot outline by Edward D. Hoch, 1930- , q.v.) SC: Matthew Prize. This is the third of a three-book mystery series conceived by Otto Penzler, q.v., in which the ending was withheld and a cash prize was offered to the first reader to send in the correct solution. See Otto Penzler’s entry for others in the series. After poor sales on the first two, Pocket cancelled the series in the US, and this final book appeared only in the UK.