Following the beginning of Prohibition, crime and accompanying dishonesty in police departments and in city hall increased. This development provided the inspiration for the fictional private eye. Two-fisted, hard-drinking, honest to a certain extent, the detective fought against crime and corruption.
Detnovel.com
by William Marling. This is an extensive history of the writers and themes of hard-boiled detective novels.
Black Mask Magazine - In 1920, the first issue of Black Mask Magazine appeared. It and other
pulp fiction magazines published the stories of many of the private detectives.
Dashiell Hammett (1894-1961) Hammett was the first successful author of novels of the tough private detective.
His book The Red Harvest was published in 1929. This was followed by The Maltese Falcon, The Thin Man, and other novels and short stories. Hammett stopped writing
novels in the mid-1930's. He was active in the Communist party, was a subject of the McCarthy investigations, and went to prison for a short time for failing to
reveal what he knew about other party members.
The Continental Op - Biography and bibliography of Hammett from the Thrilling Detective web site.
Raymond Chandler (1870-1959) - Chandler continued the tough guy tradition which Hammett had started.
Chandler's first novel The Big Sleep appeared in 1939. It was followed by other novels such Farewell My Lovely and The Lady in the Lake, and
short stories which were published in Black Mask. For a biography, bibliography, and filmography, go to the Raymond Chandler page of the Thrilling Detective web site.
Earle Stanley Gardner (1889-1970) Gardner originally practised law. He, however, hoped that if he became an author
that he would have both financial success and more free time. He wrote many short stories which were published in pulp magazine before 1932 In 1933, he published
The Case of the Velvet Claw which was the first Perry Mason novel. This book was the first in a long series of extremely popular books about the crime fighting lawyer.
Earle Stanley Gardner - Commentary and bibliography by the Thrilling Detective web site.
James M. Cain (1892 - 1977). Cain was born in Annapolis, MD. He was a reporter for the The Baltimore American andNew York World. He published short stories in pulp magazines and, in 1934, his first and most famous novel The Postman Always Rings Twice was published. Cain also worked as a screenwriter in Hollywood for 17 years. Cain never did write a true detective novel. His books are almost always from the criminal's point of view. Several were made in successful movies such as Double Indemnity and Mildred Pierce. Cain was named a Grand Master of Mystery in 1970. His biography and bibliography may be found at the
Books and Writers web site.
Ross Macdonald - (1915 - 1983) Pseudonym of Kenneth Millar. Millar was born in California, and had doctorate in English literature, and, at one time, was a university professor. He was married to Margaret Millar who was also a successful mystery novelist. He wrote under the name MacDonald to avoid confusion with her books. Macdonald is best known for his books featuring Lew Archer. The first of these, The Moving Target was published in 1949.His biography and bibliography may be found at the Books and Writers web site. More information about Margaret Millar (1915 - 1994) may be found at the Books and Writers web site.
John D. MacDonald - (1916-1986) MacDonald was born in Sharon, PA. He studied business administration before entering
the army in 1940. MacDonald began writing short stories for pulp magazines when he was still in the army. His first novel The Brass Cupcake was published in 1950.He is best known for the Travis McGee series. He was named a Grand Master of Mystery in 1972. For more information, see his homepage
Mickey Spillane (1918 - 2006) Spillane was born and grew up in a tough section of Brooklyn, NY. He started writing for slick magazines before turning to pulp fiction. He also wrote comic books and was the originator of Captain Marvel and Captain America. He was in the Air Force during WWII. After the war, he worked for Barnum and Bailey
Circus as a trampoline performer. Spillane is best known for his brutal tough guy hero Mike Hammer. For more information, try the
Books and Writers web site.
Robert B. Parker (1932 - 2010). Parker was 40 before he turned to writing. His first book The Godwulf Manuscript featuring his tough private eye Spenser (no first name) was published in 1973. For more information, go to an article and bibliography at the Bookreporter web site.
Donald Westlake (1933 - 2008) Westlake was a prolific author of crime fiction and wrote over 90 books. He published under several pseudonyms of which the best known is
probably Richard Stark. He virtually invented the comic caper novel with his series about John Dortmunder. Westlake won 3 Edgar awards, and was named a Grand Master in 1993.
Several films were based on his books. An extensive bibliography of his works may be found at the Thrilling Detective web site.
Marcia Muller (1944 - ) Muller was born in Detroit, MI. She worked for several magazine before writing mystery novels. Muller published Edwin of the Iron Shoes in 1977 which was the first in a series of Sharon McCone books. McCone was the first hard-boiled female detective. Muller is married to
Bill Pronzini, the author of the "nameless detective" series. Muller's web site
Sara Paretsky (1947 - ) Author of the series featuring the Chicago private investigator V. I. Warshawski.
The first book of the series Indemnity Only was published in 1982. Paretsky's web site
Sue Grafton (1940 - ) Ms. Grafton grew up in Louisville, Ky. She worked as a scriptwriter in Hollywood prior to
taking up the writing of mystery novels. Her series features Kinsey Milhone, P.I. who lives in
Santa Theresa, CA. Her first novel A is for Alibi was published in 1982. Grafton's web site.
Zelda Popkin (1898 - 1983) - Ms. Popkin wrote five mystery novels which featured Mary Carner, a store detective, who was one of the first female detectives in mystery literature. She also wrote one of the first novels about the Holocaust. For more information, visit this web site by her grandson.
Helen McCloy (1904 - 1994) - Ms. McCloy wrote a series featuring Dr. Basil Willing, a psychiatrist and consultant to law enforcement agencies. Helen McCloy studied at the Sorbonne and served as a foreign art critic for several US magazines. She returned to the US in 1932. She was one of the founders of the Mystery Writers of America, and was named a Grandmaster by the MWA in 1990. She was married to author Brett Halliday. Aspiring mystery writers may be interested
in applying for the Helen McCloy Scholarship given by the MWA.Her biography and bibliography may be found at Books and Writers.
Patricia Highsmith (1921 - 1995). Highsmith is a master of the crime novel. Ms. Highsmith was born in Fort Worth, Texas. She attended public schools in New York City, and graduated from Barnard College. Her first suspense novel, Strangers on a Train was published in 1950 and was an immediate success. Her subsequent books were much better received in Europe than in the United States. She is well know for the series about murderer and con man, Tom Ripley. The first Ripley book was The Talented Mr. Ripley which was published in 1955. More biographical information may be found at Books and Writers. A list of movie and TV shows based on her writings may be found at the Internet Movie Database.
Tony Hillerman (1925 - 2008) Hillerman was born in Sacred Heart, Oklahoma. He had a
career in journalism and is the author of a series of novel featuring Navaho Tribal policemen Leaphorn and Chee. The first of these was The Blessing Way which was published in 1970. A bibliography and short biography may be found at Fantastic Fiction.
Information about TV shows based on Hillerman's books may be found at the PBS web site
Ed McBain (1926 - 2005) aka Evan Hunter and Richard Marsten. McBain has established himself as the premier writer of police
procedural novels. His series about the 87th Precinct began with Cop Hater which was published in 1956. He received the Grand Master award of the MWA in 1986.
The McBain web site
Julie Smith (1944 - ) Born in Maryland, raised in Georgia, and now residing in New Orleans. Ms. Smith has written several series. The Skip Langdon series features a woman police detective in New Orleans. The first book in this series New Orleans Mourning won the Edgar Award. Ms. Smith also writes a series about African-American poet and private investigator Talba Wells who also lives in New Orleans. A bibliography of Julie Smith's books may be found at the Fantastic Fiction web site.
Patricia Cornwell (1956 - ) - Series featuring Kay Scarpetta, medical examiner.
Patricia Cornwell web site
This site is maintained by Linda Bertland,
Philadelphia, PA. Please address any comments, additions, or corrections to info@sldirectory.com
American Mystery Novels 1945 - 1990
