Rightly or wrongly, this cover reminds me of the jackets of British adventure novels of the 1920s and 30s. The artwork was done by Winslow Pinney Pels, while the overall cover design was by Louise Fili. I’ve found no website for Mr. Pels, but his primary work seems to have been for children’s books. The cover at hand, while almost suitable for a boys’ aviation novel, appears to me to be just a little more “adult” than that.

   Perhaps I’m wrong.

   As for James McClure, I included a bibliography for him on the main Mystery*File website along with a short obituary I did for him when he died. I’ve obtained a sizable number of his books since then, but sad to say, I’ve not yet read any of them. This one, perhaps, after reading the back cover blurb below, may be the first.

Pantheon. Paperback reprint, April 1982. British First Edition: Macmillan, 1980. US hardcover: Harper & Row, 1981.

      From the back cover:

Six days into their search for the man who put a .32-caliber bullet into a South African antique dealer, neither Kramer of the Murder Squad nor his Bantu assistant, Zondi, has a single lead in the case. On the seventh day, Mrs. Digby-Smith opens the trunk of her car and discovers the hideous, tied-up corpse of her younger brother. Two violent crimes — seemingly unconnected. But as Kramer and Zondi pursue their investigation, startling connections turn up in the sordid underworld of Trekkersburg and in the secret, unresolved enmities of World War II.

“An altogether superior piece of work … McClure’s ability to create convincing characters, a wry sense of humor, and the rather exotic locale [puts this series] at the top of its class.”     Newgate Callander, The New York Times

“The concluding scene is one rarely matched for slashing irony and sheer impact.”     Publishers Weekly

“This well-plotted, well-written murder mystery is exceptional … sometimes grim, sometimes sourly comic, always shocking.”     Atlantic Monthly

   I spent some time with Part 21 this afternoon, largely in the S’s. There’s a PI series of sorts that Kevin Burton Smith doesn’t know about, yet, but what I also came across Van Siller, a writer with a lengthy career and over 20 books to her credit. There’s very little to be discovered about her on the Internet, and I have the strong feeling that she’s very nearly been forgotten.

FARROW, MICHAEL DAVID. 1944- . Pseudonym: Tommy Sledge, q.v.

HOWE, DORIS KATHLEEN. 1904-1994. Add as a new author entry. Ref: CA. English author of many works of romantic fiction under her own name and as Mary Munro & Kay Stewart. Joint pseudonym with sister Muriel Howe: Newlyn Nash, q.v.

HOWE, MURIEL. Maiden name and working byline of Muriel Howe Smithies, ca.1912-. Add tentative year of birth; also add joint pseudonym with sister Doris Kathleen Howe, 1904-1994: Newlyn Nash, qq.v. As Muriel Howe, the author of two mystery novels included in the (Revised) Crime Fiction IV. See below.
      The Affair at Falconers. Macdonald, UK, hc, 1957.
      Pendragon. Macdonald, UK, hc, 1958.

NASH, NEWLYN. Add as a new author entry. Joint pseudonym of sisters Doris Kathleen Howe, 1904-1994, and Muriel Howe [Muriel Howe Smithies] ca.1912- , qq.v. Under this pen name, the author of two romance novels with strong criminous content.
      The Affair at Claife Manor. John Gresham, UK, hc, 1963. [The disappearance of a woman is invesigated by her brother.]
      Wild Garlic. John Gresham, UK, hc, 1962. Setting: Mediterranean Island.

SILLER, VAN. Pseudonym of Hilda van Siller, 1911-1982, q.v. Under this pen name, an American writer and author of more than 20 crime and mystery novels published between 1943 and 1974, some only in the UK. Series characters: Richard Massey (2 books), Allan Stewart (3 books), and Pete Rector (2 books). Massey appears in her first book (Echo of a Bomb, Doubleday Crime Club, 1943), which was a wartime espionage affair taking place in New York City and Virginia; its cover is shown below.

      The Red Geranium. Hammond, UK, hc, 1966. Delete: not criminous.

SKINNER, MICHAEL. 1924- . Pseudonym: Nicholas Spain, q.v.; other pseudonyms: Alix De Marquand, Cynthia Hyde. Under his own name, the author of three crime thrillers included in the (Revised) Crime Fiction IV. All three were published in the UK by Robert Hale between 1978 and 1983.

SLEDGE, TOMMY. Add as a new author entry. Pseudonym of Michael David Farrow, 1944- , q.v. Occupation, under this name: actor, “standup detective.” Besides his longtime stage routine – sample lines: “I just rolled into town. Boy, do my sides hurt.” – the author of two humorous private eye novels. SC: Tommy Sledge, in both titles. His short radio plays have also aired on stations across the country as Tommy Sledge’s Dime Novel.

      Eat Lead, Clown! Full Court Press, pb, 1987. “This is one gumshoe who’s in over his head – in hilarious hijinks and murderous mirth!”
      Kiss It or Die! Private Shadow Press, pb, 1995.

SMITHIES, MURIEL HOWE. ca.1912- . Working byline: Muriel Howe, q.v.

SPAIN, NICHOLAS. Pseudonym of Michael Skinner, 1924- , q.v. Under this pen name, the author of two crime novels included in the (Revised) Crime Fiction IV.
      Name Your Vice. Kozy Books, pb, 1963. Delete the dash previously assigned. Add setting: New York City.

      Wine, Women & Bullets. Kozy Books, pb, 1963.

van SILLER, HILDA. 1911-1982. Pseudonym: Van Siller, 1911-1982, q.v.

   In all honesty, only one of these authors was familiar to me before this evening, but now that I’ve met them, all of their books sound interesting. Not that I’m likely to come across the work of one of them, but then again, one never knows. These all came from Part 19, by the way, working at the top of the page, or needn’t I have mentioned that?

ABDOH, SALAR. 1965- . Confirm correct date of birth. Graduate of U. of Calif. and CCNY; born in Iran and living in NYC. Author of one work of fiction included in the (Revised) Crime Fiction IV. See below.
      The Poet Game. Picador, pb, 2000. Setting: New York City. [A young agent is sent by a top-secret Iranian government agency to infiltrate a group of Islamic extremists in New York and thwart a terrorist attack.]

ABEL, JOEL S. 1938- . Confirm correct date of birth. Author of one book included in the (Revised) Crime Fiction IV. See below.
      The Jonah Game. Curtis, pb, 1973.

ABSHIRE, RICHARD K(YLE). 1945- . Add full middle name and year of birth. A former member of the Dallas Police Department; presently a reporter for The Dallas Morning News’ Garland bureau. Joint pseudonym with William R. Clair: Terry Marlow, q.v. Under his own name, the author of three cases for private eye Jack Kyle; and in collaboration with William R. Clair again, two adventures of a gent named Gants, a private eye whose cases took on supernatural overtones. Abshire also wrote one book in the men’s adventure series Talon Force under the house name Cliff Garnett. A paperback cover of one of the Jack Kyle books is shown below.

ABSINTHE, PERE. Add as a new author’s entry. Pseudonym of George C. Kelly, 1849-1895; other pseudonym: Harold Payne, qq.v.
      Who Shot Chief Hennessy? Street & Smith, 1902. Setting: New Orleans. (Novelized true crime.)

ADAMS, ERIC J. This combines two entries previously listed separately with the bylines now correctly identified. A producer, director, screenwriter, award-winner journalist, and novelist with three crime thrillers included in the (Revised) Crime Fiction IV. See below.
      Birdland [as by Eric Adams]. Hodder & Stoughton, UK, hc, 1997. Setting: California. “Katie Jacobs travels to Bodega Bay, California, where Hitchcock filmed the movie The Birds, in search of her long-lost brother … [he] has come under the spell of Madame Charay, a wealthy eccentric obsessed with the Master of Suspense.”

      Loss of Innocence. Avon, US, pb, 1991. Setting: Colorado, 1983. [Novelized true crime: Two young girls are murdered by another child, a 13-year-old neighbor boy.]
      Plot Twist [as by Eric Adams]. St. Martin’s, US, pb, 1995. Hodder & Stoughton, UK, 1995. [When the son of a true crime writer is kidnapped, the kidnappers demand the writer’s severed hands as a ransom payment.]

KELLY, GEORGE C. Add pseudonym: Pere Absinthe; other pseudonym: Harold Payne, qq.v.

PAYNE, HAROLD. Pseudonym of George C. Kelly, 1849-1895; add new pseudonym: Pere Absinthe, qq.v. Under this name, the author of one title included in the (Revised) Crime Fiction IV. See below.
      The Gilded Fly. Price-McGill Co., hc, 1892. Described as “a political satire” by Publishers Weekly, 28 Jan 1893.

   The following author entries come from Part 19 except for the last one, which can be found in Part 3, where I combined two batches of information about Glenn Canary together.

   Most of the names in this post are minor ones, but they’re all interesting people, about whom we know more about than we do others. But one of them has a strong connection with an author included in the last post. There aren’t any prizes for naming him. All you need to do is read on…

CAMACHO, AUSTIN S. 1953- . Correction of birth date; born in New York City. Former US Army broadcast journalist; author of one private eye novel included in the (Revised) Crime Fiction IV. Leading character: Hannibal Jones, a “troubleshooter [and] a self-styled knight errant in dark glasses.” Jones has appeared in three other books since 2000.
      Blood and Bone. Buy Books on the Web, pb, 1999. Add revised edition: Echelon Press, pb, 2006. [See comment below.] Add setting: Washington DC/Baltimore. [Jones is hired to track down a man whose son needs a bone-marrow transplant.]

CAMERON, JULIA (B.) 1948- . Correction of birth date; born in Illinois. Artist, poet, filmmaker, composer, playwright and essayist; married to and divorced from movie director and producer Martin Scorsese. Of two works of fiction, one is included in the (Revised) Crime Fiction IV. See below.
      The Dark Room (Carroll & Graf, hc, 1998. Carroll & Graf, UK, hc, 1999. Setting: Chicago IL. Leading character: veteran Chicago homicide cop Elliott Mayo. “A gruesome murder lifts the lid on the sleazy underworld of child pornography.”

CAMERON, MONTGOMERY (F.) 1930- . Add middle initial and year of birth. Author of one book included in the (Revised) Crime Fiction IV. See below.
      The Ugly Woman. Vantage, US, hc, 1966. “A tale of passionate terror.”

CAMP, (CHARLES) WADSWORTH. 1879-1936. Born in Philadelphia PA. A journalist, writer and foreign correspondent whose lungs were said to have been damaged by exposure to mustard gas during World War I. Father of writer Madeleine L’Engle, 1918-2007, q.v. Author of six titles included in the (Revised) Crime Fiction IV. See below. [Films based on these books are omitted from this entry.]
      The Abandoned Room. Doubleday, hc, 1917. Jarrolds, UK, hc, 1919. “A murder is solved by Carlos Paredes, the Panamanian Sherlock Holmes.”
      The Communicating Door. Doubleday, hc, 1923. Story collection (ghost tales).
      -The Forbidden Years. Doubleday, hc, 1930.
      The Gray Mask. Doubleday, hc, 1920. SC: Jim Garth. Setting: New York. Collection of seven connected novelets, untitled. “Mystery novel of a detective who falls in love with the chief of police’s daughter.”

      The House of Fear. Doubleday, hc, 1916. Hodder, UK, hc, 1917. Setting: New York; theatre. Also published as: Last Warning (Readers Library, 1929).
      _The Last Warning. Readers Library, UK, hc, 1929. See: The House of Fear (Doubleday, 1916)
      Sinister Island. Dodd Mead, hc, 1915. Setting: Louisiana.

CAMPBELL, ARMINE. 1949- . Add confirmed year of birth. Author of one mystery novel included in the (Revised) Crime Fiction IV. See below.
      Getting Away with Murder. Vantage, US, hc, 1976.

CAMPBELL, HARLEN (JOSEPH). 1945- . Correction of date of birth; delete previously suggested year of death. Add full middle name. Lives in Albuquerque; author of one book included in the (Revised) Crime Fiction IV. See below.
      Monkey on a Chain. Doubleday, hc, 1993. Setting: New Mexico. Leading character: Rainbow Potter, throwback to the outlaw heroes of the Old West. “To his door comes lovely Eurasian April Bow, adopted daughter of one of his Vietnam buddies, to appeal for help.” The image shown is that of a recent trade paperback reprint edition (Poisoned Pen Press, 1999).

CANARY, BRENDA BROWN. 1945- . Add year of birth. Author of one crime/horror novel included in the (Revised) Crime Fiction IV. See below.
      The Voice of the Clown. Avon, US, pb, 1982. [No hardcover edition.] Avon, UK, pb, 1983. “Little Laura is so adorable. Why is her mother so terrified?”

CANARY, (HILARY) GLENN. 1934- . Add first name and year of birth. One time news reporter for Massillon Evening Independent (Ohio); later worked in the Doubleday book club department. Besides a number of short stories that appeared in Manhunt and Alfred Hitchcock’s Magazine, the author of two paperback originals previously listed in the (Revised) Crime Fiction IV plus the one indicated by an asterisk (*) below.
      The Prefect Plot. Pinnacle, pb, 1974. [Alan Prefect and his wife Ann, doing twenty years in prison, are offered a deal: infiltrate a Middle East terrorist group and walk away from their sentences.] A review appears on August West’s blog, Vintage Hardboiled Reads.

      * The Trailer Park Girls. Monarch, 1962. Setting: Ohio. [Three women meet three men who are planning a $30,000 robbery.]

      A Walk in the Jungle. Pinnacle, pb, 1975. “There was no question in his mind-his wife had been killed by a pro […] and Sam should know, since he was a pro himself.”

   During the past year, until I found myself squeezed for time, I often posted lengthy death notices for mystery writers who’d recently passed away. Two that I regret not being able to do at the time were James Leasor and Madeleine L’Engle, whose deaths are mentioned in Part 19 of the Addenda.

   You’ll find a much longer obituary for Mr. Leasor by Ali Karim on The Rap Sheet blog, which I highly recommend you go read. Madeleine L’Engle is, of course, hardly best known for her crime or mystery fiction. She was a major figure in literature, probably with a capital L, even if much of it was written for (and enjoyed by) Young Adults.

   Michael Z. Lewin is still with us, perhaps I should hasten to add. He’s here only because of alphabetical propinquity — that plus some updating of the series characters who have appeared in his many mystery novels.

LEASOR, (THOMAS) JAMES. 1923-2007. Pseudonym: Andrew MacAllan, q.v. Under his own name, the author of over 20 crime and espionage adventures included in the (Revised) Crime Fiction IV. Called into service as a top British agent in nine of these novels and one story collection was Dr. Jason Love, otherwise an ordinary English country doctor. David Niven played the role in Where the Spies Are, a film based on Passport to Oblivion (Heineman, 1964). The unnamed owner of Aristo Autos narrated three of Leasor’s thrillers with racing car backgrounds, one of which Dr. Love also appeared. Another movie was based on The One That Got Away by Leasor and Kendal Burt (Collins/Michael Joseph, 1956), a non-fictional account of the only German who escaped a British POW camp.

      Who Killed Sir Harry Oakes? Heinemann, UK, hc, 1983. Houghton Mifflin, US, hc, 1983. Setting: Bahamas, 1943. [Novelized true crime.] Add: TV movie [2-part mini-series]: Picture Base International, 1989, as Passion and Paradise (scw: Andrew Laskos; dir: Harvey Hart).

L’ENGLE, MADELEINE. 1918-2007. Name at birth: Madeleine L’Engle Camp. Married actor Hugh Franklin in 1946. While the author of many books, best known for her Young Adult fiction, often of a science-fictional or fantasy nature. Of primary note is A Wrinkle in Time, winner of a Newbery Award, and its several sequels. Two of her works of fiction are included in the (Revised) Crime Fiction IV. See below.
      The Arm of the Starfish. Ariel Books, hc, 1965. Setting: Portugal. [A young college student who has been chosen to assist the famous Doctor O’Keefe in his experiments off the coast of Portugal soon finds himself an unwitting pawn in a dangerous game.]

      -A Severed Wasp. Farrar Straus & Giroux, hc, 1982. Farrar Straus & Giroux, UK, hc, 1984. Setting: New York City; church.

LEWIN, MICHAEL Z(INN). 1942- . Author of many detective novels taking place in Indianapolis IN; the primary sleuth is often PI Albert Samson, but appearing in both his cases and ones of their own are Lt. Leroy Powder and probation office Adele Buffington, who is Samson’s girl friend in his first seven books, but by the time of her own solo outing she has broken up with him. Even with the additional SC appearances for Lt. Powder listed below, this may not yet include all of them. A review of Night Cover (Knopf, 1976) here on this blog also discusses these characters and their various appearances. Add SC: Lunghi family = L. [Three generations of an Anglo-Italian family who own and operate a private investigation firm.]
      And Baby Will Fall. Morrow, hc, 1988. British title: Childproof. Macmillan, UK, hc, 1988. Setting: Indianapolis. Add: Leading character: Adele Buffington, who appears in smaller roles in many earlier novels.
      Called by a Panther. Mysterious Press, hc, 1991. Macmillan, UK, hc, 1991. SC: Albert Samson; add SC: Lt. Leroy Powder (in a minor role).

      _Childproof. Macmillan, UK, hc, 1988. See And Baby Will Fall.
      Family Business. Foul Play Press, US, hc, 1995. Constable, UK, hc, 1995. Setting: England. Add SC: L
      Family Planning. St. Martin’s, hc, 1999. Setting: Bath, England. Add SC: L

      Missing Woman. Alfred A. Knopf, hc, 1981. Robert Hale, UK, hc, 1992. SC: Albert Samson; add SC: Lt. Leroy Powder (in a minor role).
      The Silent Salesman. Alfred A. Knopf, hc, 1978. H. Hamilton, UK, hc, 1978. SC: Albert Samson; add SC: Lt. Leroy Powder (in a minor role).
      Underdog. Mysterious Press, hc, 1993. No Exit Press, UK, pb, 1995. Add SC: Lt. Leroy Powder.

MacALLAN, ANDREW. Pseudonym of (Thomas) James Leasor, q.v. To the one title previously included in the (Revised) Crime Fiction IV, add the five indicated by the dashes below as having only minimal crime content.
      -Diamond Hard. Headline, UK, 1991. Setting: South Africa.
      -Fanfare. Headline, UK, 1992. Setting: India, Afghanistan.
      Generation. Headline, UK, hc, 1990. Setting: Australia. “Only two voting shares stand between Trinity-Trio, one of the world’s greatest conglomerates, and a totally hostile takeover. The legendary tycoon they call The Australian will stop at nothing to secure them …”

      -Speculator. Headline, UK, 1993. Setting: Far East.
      -Succession. Headline, UK, 1989.
      -Traders. Headline, UK, 1994.

   Best wishes for health and happiness in the upcoming New Year! This first post for 2008 originally contained the entries for only two authors from Part 22 of the online Addenda, but it soon became apparent that a reference to one additional writer was going to be needed. Then the entry for Mrs. Rinehart was combined with a previous one appearing in Part 3, which is where you will find the expanded entries for both her and for Stephen Vincent Benét.

BENÉT, STEPHEN VINCENT. 1898-1943. American poet, novelist and short story writer. To the two story collections previously cited in the (Revised) Crime Fiction IV, add the title indicated with an asterisk (*) below.
      (*) _The Bat: A Novel of the Play [by Mary Roberts Rinehart & Avery Hopwood]. Benét was the anonymous ghost-author of this title. See the entry for Mary Roberts Rinehart for more information.
      Tales Before Midnight. Farrar & Rinehart, hc, 1939. William Heinemann, UK, hc, 1940. Short story collection, some of them criminous.
      Thirteen O’Clock. Farrar & Rinehart, hc, 1937. William Heinemann, UK, hc, 1938. Short story collection, some of them criminous.

PROWSE, PHILIP. Since 1993 a full-time writer and freelance trainer, directing teachers courses overseas and in Cambridge where he now lives. All titles below intended for adults learning to read; add the ones indicated by an asterisk (*). Add series character: private eye Lenny Samuel, who has also appeared in several similar books published after 2000. This is now the author’s complete entry in the (Revised) Crime Fiction IV.
      * Bristol Murder. Heinemann, UK, 1973, 80pp. Setting: Bristol. [A runaway boy’s uncle has been found dead.]
      Double Cross. Cambridge University Press, UK, pb, 1999, 64pp. [A politician survives an attempted assassination in Stockholm; secret agent Monika Lundgren is instructed to find the people responsible.]
      L.A. Detective. Heinemann, UK, pb, 1993, 16pp. (LS) Add setting: Los Angeles. [Lenny has to make the ransom exchange for a businessman’s kidnapped daughter.]

      * The Woman Who Disappeared. Heinemann, pb, 1975, 64pp. (LS) Setting: Los Angeles. [A beautiful blonde woman hires Lenny Samuel to find her missing sister.]

RINEHART, MARY ROBERTS. 1876-1958. Famed author of many mystery novels and short stories written between 1906 and 1953. Links are provided to online etexts of some of the following titles.
      -The Amazing Adventures of Letitia Carberry. Bobbs-Merrill, hc, 1911. Hodder & Stoughton, UK, hc, 1919. SC: Letitia (Tish) Carberry]. Collection of three stories. Add the dash to indicate only marginal crime content. Says Michael Grost of the Tish stories: “comic tale[s] … most of [them] are not constructed as mysteries.”

      The Bat [with Avery Hopwood, 1884-1928]. New York & London: French, pb, 1932. Published edition of the play based on Rinehart’s novel The Circular Staircase. The play ran for 867 performances between August 23, 1920 and September 1922. Add: TV movie [series episode/Dow Hour of Great Mysteries]: NBC, 1960 (scw: Walter T. Kerr; dir: Paul Nickell). [Note: Although this filmed version is not mentioned, many other adaptations of the book as a play and on film are discussed here on the Mystery*File blog.]
      The Bat: A Novel From the Play [with Avery Hopwood, 1884-1928]. George H. Doran, hc, 1926. Add: Cassell & Co., UK, hc, 1926. Novelization of the play, anonymously written by poet Stephen Vincent Benét, 1898-1943, q.v. The play was based on Rinehart’s novel The Circular Staircase. Also published as: The Bat Whispers (Grosset, 1926). Also note: Most later paperback editions do not mention either Hopwood or Benét as authors; credit is given to Rinehart alone.

      _The Bat Whispers. Grosset & Dunlap, hc, 1926. A Photoplay edition. See The Bat: A Novel from the Play.
      The Circular Staircase. Bobbs-Merrill, hc, 1908. Cassell, UK, hc, 1909. The basis for the play The Bat, with Avery Hopwood (French, 1932).
      -Two Flights Up. Doubleday Doran & Co., hc, 1928. Hodder & Stougton, UK, hc, 1928. Add the dash to indicate only marginal crime content.
      –Where There’s a Will. Bobbs-Merrill, hc, 1912. Add the dash to indicate only marginal crime content.

   OTR researchers have struck gold again:

   Peter Salem was a private eye whose cases were dramatized on the Mutual radio network from May 1949 to April 1953, but for over 50 years not a single copy of the program seemed to have survived. The voice of veteran radio actor Santos Ortega was Peter Salem for the entire run; playing his assistant Marty was Jack Grimes, another radio actor whose voice, once heard, you would never mistake for another’s ever again.

   About four years ago a five-minute opening clip finally turned up in a college archive in Arkansas, a story called “The Affair of the Murderous Mirror,” a tale which apparently had the same plot line as “Reflection of Death,” an episode of The Shadow not surprisingly written by the very same author, Louis Vittes.

   And the five minutes of that clip was all that was until just recently, when Mark Lavonier, the host of an old-time radio program airing in upstate New York, discovered in his station’s collection of recordings the first fifteen minutes of an episode of The Affairs of Peter Salem dated 14 December 1949 and entitled “The Affair of the Horrible Hitch.”

   Both of these brief excerpts can be found online with links at http://www.otr.com/affairs.shtml. A very nice way for OTR fans to celebrate the end of the year.

   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.

   This morning Al Hubin sent me Part 22 of his ongoing online Addenda to the Revised Crime Fiction IV, and I uploaded it to the CFIV website this afternoon.

   It’s noticeably shorter than previous installments. Al has exhausted most of the databases that he’s been systematically checking his records against: Contemporary Authors, Social Security files and so on. Most of the data now consists of small incremental pieces of information. Death dates, correctly identifying pseudonyms, adding settings, series characters, films made from movies, and every so often, new authors and titles that have been been missed till now.

   Some small highlights from this installment. The Mike Brett who wrote a couple of books in the Ace Double series has been identified by his daughter as the same Michael Brett who later wrote the Pete McGrath PI novels for Pocket, among other work. The “Leslie Frederick Brett” who previously was supposed to have been the Ace Double Mike Brett has been scratched as that author. He is now the Michael Brett who wrote one criminous three-act play included in CFIV.

   This is probably confusing. As soon as I have a free moment or two, I’ll do my best to straighten it all out, and you’ll read about it here first.

   Also discovered have been three made-for-British-TV movies based on the Dr. David Audley spy novels by Anthony Price, films that had escaped Al’s notice until this week, when I happened to watch one of them (The Cold War Killers, based on The Labyrinth Makers) in a bargain DVD four-pack of “War Movies” I bought cheaply at a local library sale.

(The movie is recommended, by the way, although as usual I found I missed quite a deal, as whenever I watch a British spy movie the first time through, the cryptic conversations do not quite click as well as they should until I watch them a second time, which I haven’t yet.)

   Two movies based on a pair of P. D. James’s books are also included, missed until now. Fans of Jacques Futrelle’s stories might like to know that his year of birth has been corrected, as well as the discovery of the name he was born under: John Heath Futrell. (Thanks to Victor Berch for these small but crucial pieces of information.)

   Also note the following entry. Perhaps she was the longest living member of the MWA?

         FAULKNER, FLORENCE (OSTERN). 1899-2006.

   John Pearson was one of the authors recently covered here on the Mystery*File blog in a recent installment of the Addenda to the Revised Crime Fiction IV, by Allen J. Hubin.

   Unfortunately in this case, we happened to have gotten some basic facts wrong. Soon after the post appeared we learned of some changes that had to be made. It was Hank Reineke who left the following comment, and just from reading it I believe you can deduce what we had wrong. (Both the post and the Addenda itself have been changed to incorporate what Hank had to say.)

   First, a repeat of his previous comment:

    “John Pearson is alive and well, I’m very happy to say. I interviewed Mr. Pearson in January 2006 for a feature article that studied his noteworthy and welcome contributions to the Ian Fleming/James Bond cycle. The article/interview appears in issue no. 49 of 007 Magazine Online. I queried Mr. Pearson about the Dragon’s Play entry in the Crime Fiction tome, but Mr. Pearson told me he wrote no such novel, the credit is in error. He has written a score of other books — including a few thrillers — and his 1973 novel James Bond: The Authorised Biography of 007 has recently been reissued in the UK.”

   I replied right away, of course, sending his comment on to Al Hubin for his reaction and both of us asking a few questions. Here’s Hank’s reply:

Allen and Steve,

   I’m glad to have been of some assistance. Pearson was, arguably, the best of the Ian Fleming biographers (The Life of Ian Fleming, Jonathan Cape, 1966). He served as Fleming’s assistant when both men worked at the Sunday Times of London. Fleming arranged for Pearson to ghost-write his first book Airline Detective: The Fight Against International Air Crime as Donald E. W. Fish (also published in as a paperback in the UK as Zero One).

   The book was so popular it spawned the thirty-nine episode BBC-TV adventure series Zero One (1962-1965) featuring Nigel Patrick as Alan Garnett, Chief Investigator for the International Air Security Board. Airline Detective was, technically, non-fiction as it was the story of the real “Donald Fish,” but I believe there was a great deal of artistic license employed.

   Incidentally, Ian Fleming provided the introduction to the original Collins 1962 edition.

   Pearson’s first proper novel Gone To Timbuctoo (Collins, London) was also first published in 1962. Fleming sent Pearson to Africa for the Times and he returned with this travelogue suspense-thriller set in Africa that involved diamond smuggling and slave trading among other things. Pearson was awarded the Author’s Club Award in 1962 for Gone To Timbuctoo in the “Best First Novel” category.

   Most of Pearson’s books are non-fiction works and he seems he have switched between biographies of literary figures, royal subjects and London-based criminals. In the latter category was The Profession of Violence: The Rise and Fall of the Kray Twins (1972) which was nominated for the prestigious Edgar Allan Poe Award in 1974 for “Best Fact Crime” from the Mystery Writers of America.

   Years later he followed that book up with The Cult of Violence: The Untold Story of the Krays (2001) and, most recently, The Gamblers: John Aspinall, James Goldsmith and the Murder of Lord Lucan (2005). I believe The Gamblers is being made into a feature film or, at least, I think I’ve read that somewhere. Oh, I almost forgot: Pearson’s One of the Family: The Englishman and the Mafia (2003). More info and background material on that title, can be found here.

   If I can be of more help, please don’t hesitate to write.

            Hank