Collins Crime Club
Encyclopedia
The Collins Crime Club was an imprint of UK book publishers William Collins & Co Ltd
and ran from May 6, 1930 to April 1994
. Customers registered their name and address with the club and were sent a newsletter
every three months which advised them of the latest books which had been or were to be issued; they did not have to promise to buy a certain number of volumes each year.
Collins' intention was to publish new three crime books
on the first Monday of every month. All three books were supposedly picked by a panel of experts (only one of whom seems to have been named — Cyril Alington
) and they chose for each month one book which they termed a Selection and two which were Recommended.
As a marketing device, the club seems to have been successful in that Collins boasted 25,000 subscribers in 1934
. Certainly the number of books published increased beyond the three promised per month, reaching a pre-war peak of 42 books in 1938
.
The real reason for the success of the club probably lies in the authors that it had on its list, topped by the best-selling crime writer of all time, Agatha Christie
. Under contract to Collins since 1926
, all except five of her books were published under the Crime Club imprint from The Murder at the Vicarage
onwards and most of her classic titles such as Murder on the Orient Express
first appeared as Crime Club books with huge sales.
From 1939
, the Crime Club also issued all the remaining works of Ngaio Marsh
to be published (starting with Overture to Death) as well as many of the volumes of such 'Golden Age of Detective Fiction
' writers such as John Rhode
and Freeman Wills Crofts
. U.S. writers such as Hulbert Footner
and, later, Rex Stout
were also well represented.
Wartime
paper shortages hit the Crime Club badly. From 1942
, it announced on its dustwrappers that they were no longer able to issue quarterly newsletters. The page count of its books reduced from an average of 252–280 pages down to 160–192 with smaller typefaces being used as well as far inferior paper. The number of new books being issued dropped dramatically with an all-time low being reached in 1946
when just 16 new books were issued.
After the war, both the number of books and their quality of production increased as shortages ceased. The Crime Club managed to keep up with the times with far more diverse and gritty novels and was able to claim notable 'firsts' throughout the remainder of its existence, publishing the first editions of all of the early Lovejoy
novels by Jonathan Gash
from 1977
onwards starting with The Judas Pair
and the Dalziel and Pascoe
books of Reginald Hill
starting in 1970
with A Clubbable Woman.
The end was in sight for the Crime Club when Collins was bought out by Rupert Murdoch
's News Corporation
in 1989
. The editor of the Club, Elizabeth Walter, managed to keep the imprint going but upon her retirement in 1994, the Club was brought to an end and the final novels to appear under the Crime Club imprint were published in April of that year. HarperCollins
' crime fiction output was much reduced and most of the best-selling authors were absorbed into the main imprint of the publishers.
Throughout its 64 years the club issued a total of 2,025 first edition
s of crime novels and reached a high standard of quality throughout. In the field of crime book collecting
, Collins Crime Club is eagerly sought, particularly pre-war first editions in dustwrappers with their vivid and imaginative images.
William Collins (publisher)
William Collins was a Scottish schoolmaster and publisher.Collins was born near Glasgow in 1789. In 1819 he set up a publishing business, initially selling religious books. He produced the first Collins dictionary in 1824, when he also obtained a licence to publish the Bible...
and ran from May 6, 1930 to April 1994
1994 in literature
The year 1994 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-New books:*Kevin J. Anderson - Champions of the Force, Dark Apprentice and Jedi Search*Reed Arvin - The Wind in the Wheat*Greg Bear - Songs of Earth and Power...
. Customers registered their name and address with the club and were sent a newsletter
Newsletter
A newsletter is a regularly distributed publication generally about one main topic that is of interest to its subscribers. Newspapers and leaflets are types of newsletters. Additionally, newsletters delivered electronically via email have gained rapid acceptance for the same reasons email in...
every three months which advised them of the latest books which had been or were to be issued; they did not have to promise to buy a certain number of volumes each year.
Collins' intention was to publish new three crime books
Crime fiction
Crime fiction is the literary genre that fictionalizes crimes, their detection, criminals and their motives. It is usually distinguished from mainstream fiction and other genres such as science fiction or historical fiction, but boundaries can be, and indeed are, blurred...
on the first Monday of every month. All three books were supposedly picked by a panel of experts (only one of whom seems to have been named — Cyril Alington
Cyril Alington
Cyril Argentine Alington was an English educationalist, scholar, cleric, and prolific author. He was the headmaster of both Shrewsbury School and Eton College. He also served as chaplain to King George V and as Dean of Durham....
) and they chose for each month one book which they termed a Selection and two which were Recommended.
As a marketing device, the club seems to have been successful in that Collins boasted 25,000 subscribers in 1934
1934 in literature
The year 1934 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:* The first Flash Gordon comic strip is published.*Boris Pasternak and Korney Chukovsky are among those present at the first Congress of the Soviet Union of Writers....
. Certainly the number of books published increased beyond the three promised per month, reaching a pre-war peak of 42 books in 1938
1938 in literature
The year 1938 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:* The trilogy, U.S.A. by John Dos Passos, is published containing his three novels The 42nd Parallel , 1919 , and The Big Money ....
.
The real reason for the success of the club probably lies in the authors that it had on its list, topped by the best-selling crime writer of all time, Agatha Christie
Agatha Christie
Dame Agatha Christie DBE was a British crime writer of novels, short stories, and plays. She also wrote romances under the name Mary Westmacott, but she is best remembered for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections , and her successful West End plays.According to...
. Under contract to Collins since 1926
1926 in literature
The year 1926 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*Bread Loaf Writers' Conference is founded in Middlebury, Vermont....
, all except five of her books were published under the Crime Club imprint from The Murder at the Vicarage
The Murder at the Vicarage
The Murder at the Vicarage is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie and first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club in October 1930 and in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company later in the same year...
onwards and most of her classic titles such as Murder on the Orient Express
Murder on the Orient Express
Murder on the Orient Express is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie featuring the Belgian detective Hercule Poirot.It was first published in the United Kingdom by the Collins Crime Club on January 1, 1934 and in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company later in the same year under the title of...
first appeared as Crime Club books with huge sales.
From 1939
1939 in literature
The year 1939 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*December 25 - A Christmas Carol is read before a radio audience for the first time....
, the Crime Club also issued all the remaining works of Ngaio Marsh
Ngaio Marsh
Dame Ngaio Marsh DBE , born Edith Ngaio Marsh, was a New Zealand crime writer and theatre director. There is some uncertainty over her birth date as her father neglected to register her birth until 1900...
to be published (starting with Overture to Death) as well as many of the volumes of such 'Golden Age of Detective Fiction
Golden Age of Detective Fiction
The Golden Age of Detective Fiction was an era of classic murder mystery novels produced by various authors, all following similar patterns and style.-Origins:Mademoiselle de Scudéri, by E.T.A...
' writers such as John Rhode
Cecil Street
Cecil John Charles Street, MC, OBE, , known as CJC Street and John Street, began his military career as an artillery officer in the British army. During the course of World War I, he became a propagandist for MI7, in which role he held the rank of Major...
and Freeman Wills Crofts
Freeman Wills Crofts
Freeman Wills Crofts was an Irish mystery author, one of the 'Big Four' of the Golden Age of Detective Fiction.-Birth and education:Crofts was born at 26 Waterloo Road, Dublin, Ireland...
. U.S. writers such as Hulbert Footner
Hulbert Footner
Hulbert Footner was a Canadian writer of non-fiction and detective fiction.- Early career :He was born William Hulbert Footner in Hamilton, Ontario, and traveled to New York in 1898. In the United States, he attempted an acting career, which he eventually gave up on...
and, later, Rex Stout
Rex Stout
Rex Todhunter Stout was an American writer noted for his detective fiction. Stout is best known as the creator of the larger-than-life fictional detective Nero Wolfe, described by reviewer Will Cuppy as "that Falstaff of detectives." Wolfe's assistant Archie Goodwin recorded the cases of the...
were also well represented.
Wartime
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
paper shortages hit the Crime Club badly. From 1942
1942 in literature
The year 1942 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*André Gide leaves France to live in Tunis.*Robertson Davies becomes editor of the Peterborough Examiner.*Thomas Mann emigrates to California....
, it announced on its dustwrappers that they were no longer able to issue quarterly newsletters. The page count of its books reduced from an average of 252–280 pages down to 160–192 with smaller typefaces being used as well as far inferior paper. The number of new books being issued dropped dramatically with an all-time low being reached in 1946
1946 in literature
The year 1946 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*November 7 - Walker Percy marries Mary Bernice Townsend.*Launch in the United Kingdom of Penguin Classics under the editorship of E. V...
when just 16 new books were issued.
After the war, both the number of books and their quality of production increased as shortages ceased. The Crime Club managed to keep up with the times with far more diverse and gritty novels and was able to claim notable 'firsts' throughout the remainder of its existence, publishing the first editions of all of the early Lovejoy
Lovejoy
Lovejoy is a TV series about the adventures of Lovejoy, a British antiques dealer and faker based in East Anglia, a less than scrupulous yet likeable rogue. The episodes were based on a series of picaresque novels by John Grant...
novels by Jonathan Gash
John Grant (Lovejoy)
John Grant is an English crime writer, who writes under the pen name Jonathan Gash. He is the author of the Lovejoy series of novels. He wrote the novel The Incomer under the pen name Graham Gaunt....
from 1977
1977 in literature
The year 1977 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*Douglas Adams begins writing for BBC radio.*V. S. Naipaul declines the offer of a CBE....
onwards starting with The Judas Pair
The Judas Pair
The Judas Pair is a crime novel by Jonathan Gash, author of the Lovejoy series of novels. The story was first published in 1977 and won a John Creasey Award....
and the Dalziel and Pascoe
Dalziel and Pascoe
Dalziel and Pascoe consist of Detective Superintendent Andrew Dalziel and Detective Sergeant Peter Pascoe....
books of Reginald Hill
Reginald Hill
Reginald Charles Hill is an English crime writer, and the winner in 1995 of the Crime Writers' Association Cartier Diamond Dagger for Lifetime Achievement.- Biography :...
starting in 1970
1970 in literature
The year 1970 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:* Deliverance by American poet James Dickey published...
with A Clubbable Woman.
The end was in sight for the Crime Club when Collins was bought out by Rupert Murdoch
Rupert Murdoch
Keith Rupert Murdoch, AC, KSG is an Australian-American business magnate. He is the founder and Chairman and CEO of , the world's second-largest media conglomerate....
's News Corporation
News Corporation
News Corporation or News Corp. is an American multinational media conglomerate. It is the world's second-largest media conglomerate as of 2011 in terms of revenue, and the world's third largest in entertainment as of 2009, although the BBC remains the world's largest broadcaster...
in 1989
1989 in literature
The year 1989 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:* February 24 - Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini places a US$3 million bounty for the death of The Satanic Verses author Salman Rushdie.-Literature:...
. The editor of the Club, Elizabeth Walter, managed to keep the imprint going but upon her retirement in 1994, the Club was brought to an end and the final novels to appear under the Crime Club imprint were published in April of that year. HarperCollins
HarperCollins
HarperCollins is a publishing company owned by News Corporation. It is the combination of the publishers William Collins, Sons and Co Ltd, a British company, and Harper & Row, an American company, itself the result of an earlier merger of Harper & Brothers and Row, Peterson & Company. The worldwide...
' crime fiction output was much reduced and most of the best-selling authors were absorbed into the main imprint of the publishers.
Throughout its 64 years the club issued a total of 2,025 first edition
First edition
The bibliographical definition of an edition includes all copies of a book printed “from substantially the same setting of type,” including all minor typographical variants.- First edition :...
s of crime novels and reached a high standard of quality throughout. In the field of crime book collecting
Book collecting
Book collecting is the collecting of books, including seeking, locating, acquiring, organizing, cataloging, displaying, storing, and maintaining whatever books are of interest to a given individual collector. The love of books is bibliophilia, and someone who loves to read, admire, and collect...
, Collins Crime Club is eagerly sought, particularly pre-war first editions in dustwrappers with their vivid and imaginative images.
Complete list of authors published as UK first editions by Collins Crime Club
- Anthony Abbot
(pen name of Fulton OurslerFulton OurslerCharles Fulton Oursler was an American journalist, playwright, editor and writer. Writing as Anthony Abbot, he was an notable author of mysteries and detective fiction.-Life:...
) - Paul AdamPaul Adam (English novelist)Paul Adam is a British writer of novels for both adults and younger readers.Adam was born in Coventry in 1958, but moved to Sheffield before the age of one. He studied law at Nottingham University, then began a career in journalism, working both in England, in his childhood town of Sheffield, and...
- Herbert Adams
- Catherine AirdCatherine AirdCatherine Aird is the pseudonym of novelist Kinn Hamilton McIntosh. She is the author of more than twenty crime fiction novels and several collections of short stories...
- Cyril AlingtonCyril AlingtonCyril Argentine Alington was an English educationalist, scholar, cleric, and prolific author. He was the headmaster of both Shrewsbury School and Eton College. He also served as chaplain to King George V and as Dean of Durham....
- Stella Allan
- Lindsay Anson
- David Anthony
- Michael David Anthony
- Catherine Arley
- Charlotte ArmstrongCharlotte ArmstrongCharlotte Armstrong Lewi was an American author. Under the names Charlotte Armstrong and Jo Valentine she wrote 29 novels, as well as working for the New York Times advertising department, as a fashion reporter for Breath of the Avenue , and in an accounting firm.Armstrong Lewi graduated from Vulcan...
- David ArmstrongDavid ArmstrongDavid Armstrong may refer to:*Dave Armstrong , American Catholic apologist and author*Dave Armstrong , Canadian record producer*Dave Armstrong , New Zealand scriptwriter...
- Vivien Armstrong
- Jeffrey Ashford
- Alex AuswaksAlex AuswaksAlex Auswaks is a Jerusalem-based Tientsin, China-born writer of Crime Fiction and Man of Letters. Though his work is primarily in shorter Crime Fiction, his novel "A Trick of Diamonds" was featured by Collins Crime Club in 1981...
- Marian BabsonMarian babsonMarian Babson a pseudonym for Ruth Stenstreem. She is a mystery author with a large body of work that rotates in and out of print. She was born in Salem, Massachusetts, USA, but has lived most her life in London, England....
- Edith-Jane Bahr
- Edwin BalmerEdwin BalmerEdwin Balmer was an American science fiction and mystery writer. He was born in Chicago to Helen Clark and Thomas Balmer. In 1909, he married Katharine MacHarg, sister of the writer William MacHarg. After her death, he married Grace A. Kee in 1927.He began as a reporter for the Chicago Tribune...
- Robert BarnardRobert BarnardRobert Barnard is an English crime writer, critic and lecturer.- Life and work :Born in Essex, Barnard was educated at the Colchester Royal Grammar School and at Balliol College in Oxford....
- Nina BawdenNina BawdenNina Bawden CBE is a popular British novelist and children's writer. Her mother was a teacher and her father a marine.-Life:...
- George BaxtGeorge BaxtGeorge Baxt was a prolific American screenwriter and author of crime fiction, best remembered for creating the gay black detective, Pharoah Love.-Life and work:...
- Ken Begg
- Kenneth BentonKenneth BentonKenneth Benton, CMG was an English MI6 officer and diplomat from 1937-68.Following retirement, Benton began a second career as writer of spy and crime thrillers.-Early life and education:...
- Maisie Birmingham
- Gavin Black
(pseudonym of Oswald WyndOswald WyndOswald Wynd was a Scottish writer, born in Tokyo of parents who had left their native Perth to run a mission in Japan.He attended schools in Japan where he grew up speaking both English and Japanese. In 1932 he returned with his parents to Scotland, and studied at the University of Edinburgh and...
) - Lionel Black
- Nicholas Blake
- Lawrence G. Blochman
- Martin BoothMartin BoothMartin Booth was a prolific British novelist and poet. He also worked as a teacher and screenwriter, and was the founder of the Sceptre Press.-Early life:...
- Ruth Brandon
- Lilian Jackson BraunLilian Jackson BraunLilian Jackson Braun was an American writer, well known for her light-hearted series of "The Cat Who..." mystery novels...
- Mary Bringle
- Lynn Brock
- Gordon Bromley
- Pat Burden
- Eric Burgess
- Miles Burton
(see John Rhode) - Roger Busby
- Gwendoline ButlerGwendoline ButlerGwendoline Butler is a writer of mystery fiction credited for inventing the "woman's police procedural" and known for her series of Inspector John Coffin novels. She has also published a series featuring female detective Charmian Daniels under the pseudonym Jennie Melville...
- Michael ButterworthMichael ButterworthMichael Butterworth is a British author and publisher who has written many novels and short stories, particularly in the genre of science fiction...
(also published one book in the Crime Club series under the name Sarah Kemp) - Alison Cairns
- Taylor CaldwellTaylor CaldwellJanet Miriam Holland Taylor Caldwell was an Anglo-American novelist and prolific author of popular fiction, also known by the pen names Marcus Holland and Max Reiner, and by her married name of J. Miriam Reback....
- Alice Campbell
- Harriette Campbell
- Harry Carmichael
(see Hartley Howard) - Carol Carnac
(see E.C.R. Lorac) - Sarah CaudwellSarah CaudwellSarah Caudwell was the pseudonym of Sarah Cockburn , a British barrister and writer of detective stories.She is best known for a series of four murder stories written between 1980 and 1999, centred around the lives of a group of young barristers practicing in Lincoln’s Inn and narrated by a Hilary...
- Nellise Child
- Agatha ChristieAgatha ChristieDame Agatha Christie DBE was a British crime writer of novels, short stories, and plays. She also wrote romances under the name Mary Westmacott, but she is best remembered for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections , and her successful West End plays.According to...
- Anna Clarke
- Carol Clemeau
- Liza CodyLiza CodyLiza Cody is an English crime fiction writer.She is the author of twelve novels and many short stories. Her Anna Lee series introduced the professional female private detective to British mystery fiction. The entire Anna Lee series was adapted for television and broadcast in both the U.K...
- G. D. H. ColeG. D. H. ColeGeorge Douglas Howard Cole was an English political theorist, economist, writer and historian. As a libertarian socialist he was a long-time member of the Fabian Society and an advocate for the cooperative movement...
and Margaret Cole - Norman CollinsNorman CollinsNorman Collins was a British writer, and later a radio and television executive, who became one of the major figures behind the establishment of the Independent Television network in the UK...
- Barry Cork
- Mary Craig
- Freeman Wills CroftsFreeman Wills CroftsFreeman Wills Crofts was an Irish mystery author, one of the 'Big Four' of the Golden Age of Detective Fiction.-Birth and education:Crofts was born at 26 Waterloo Road, Dublin, Ireland...
- Maurice Culpan
- Clare Curzon
- George Davis
- S.F.X. Dean
- Anthony Dekker
- David Delman
- Michael Delving
- Dominic Devine
- Eileen Dewhurst
- Roy Doliner
- Sergio Donati
- Patricia Donnelly
- Theodora Du Bois
- Roger East
- Mignon G. EberhartMignon G. EberhartMignon Good Eberhart was an American author of mystery novels. She had one of the longest careers among major American mystery writers.-Biography:...
- Marjorie Eccles
- A.C. & Carmen Edington
- Janet Edmonds
- Aaron J. Elkins
- Charlotte Epstein
- Francis Everton
- J. Jefferson Farjeon
(son of Benjamin FarjeonBenjamin FarjeonBenjamin Leopold Farjeon was a British novelist, playwright, printer and journalist. As an author, he was known for his huge output....
) - Stewart FarrarStewart FarrarFrank Stewart Farrar , who always went by the name of Stewart Farrar, was an English screenwriter, novelist and prominent figure in the Neopagan religion of Wicca, which he devoted much of his later life to propagating with the aid of his seventh wife, Janet Farrar, and then his friend Gavin Bone...
- Katherine Farrer
- John Ferguson
- Elizabeth FerrarsElizabeth FerrarsElizabeth Ferrars , born Morna Doris MacTaggart, was a British crime writer.-Life:She was born in Rangoon , Burma into a Scottish timber and rice-trading family. Her early years were in the hands of a German nanny, and the initial intention was that she should be sent to Berlin to complete her...
- A Fielding
- Nigel Fitzgerald
- Anne Fleming
- Joan FlemingJoan FlemingJoan Fleming was a British writer of crime and thriller novels. Her novel The Deeds of Dr Deadcert was made into the film Rx for Murder , and she won the Gold Dagger award twice, for When I Grow Rich and Young Man I Think You're Dying .-Family background and early life:She was born at Horwich,...
- J. S. FletcherJ. S. FletcherJoseph Smith Fletcher was a British journalist and writer. He wrote about 200 books on a wide variety of subjects, both fiction and non-fiction. He was one of the leading writers of detective fiction in the "Golden Age"....
- Pat Flower
- Hulbert FootnerHulbert FootnerHulbert Footner was a Canadian writer of non-fiction and detective fiction.- Early career :He was born William Hulbert Footner in Hamilton, Ontario, and traveled to New York in 1898. In the United States, he attempted an acting career, which he eventually gave up on...
- Florence Ford
- Leslie Ford
- Malcolm Forsythe
- Anthea FraserAnthea FraserAnthea Mary Fraser is a novelist. Her mother was a published novelist and Anthea began composing poems and stories before she could write. At the age of five she announced that she wanted to be an author...
- Timothy Fuller
- Maurice Gagnon
- Malcolm Gair
- Andrew Garve
- Jonathan Gash
(also published one book in the Crime Club series under the name Graham Gaunt) - James Gibbins
- Val GielgudVal GielgudVal Henry Gielgud was an English actor, writer, director and broadcaster. He was a pioneer of radio drama for the BBC, and also directed the first ever drama to be produced in the newer medium of television....
- Anthony GilbertAnthony Gilbert (author)Anthony Gilbert, the pen name of Lucy Beatrice Malleson , was an English crime writer. She also wrote non-genre fiction as Anne Meredith. She also published one crime novel under the Meredith name....
- Josephine Gill
- Robert GoldsboroughRobert Goldsborough (author)Robert Gerald Goldsborough is an American author of mystery novels.Goldborough grew up in the Chicago area. Although he worked for 45 years for the Chicago Tribune and Advertising Age, he first came to prominence in the 1980s with the publication, with the approval of the estate of Rex Stout, of...
- C.L. Grace
(pseudonym of P. C. Doherty) - J.M. Gregson
- Francis D. Grierson
- Margaret Haffner
- Patricia Hall
- Bruce Hamilton
- Ian Hamilton
- Jeanne Hart
- Steve Haywood
- Keith Heller
- James Henderson
- Reginald HillReginald HillReginald Charles Hill is an English crime writer, and the winner in 1995 of the Crime Writers' Association Cartier Diamond Dagger for Lifetime Achievement.- Biography :...
- John Buxton HiltonJohn Buxton HiltonJohn Buxton Hilton was a British crime writer . Hilton was born in Buxton, Derbyshire. He wrote the Superintendent Simon Kenworthy series and the Inspector Thomas Brunt series, as well as the Inspector Mosley series under the pseudonym John Greenwood...
- Margaret Hinxman
- Henry Holt
- Hartley HowardHartley HowardHartley Howard was the pen name of Leopold Horace Ognall, a British crime novelist. Ognall was born in Montreal and worked as a journalist before starting his fiction career. He wrote over ninety novels before his death in 1979...
- Helen Hull
- Richard Hull
- Peter Inchbald
- Anne Infante
- Jacquemard-Senecal
- Terry James
- Charlotte JayCharlotte JayCharlotte Jay was the pseudonym adopted by Australian mystery writer and novelist, Geraldine Halls . One of the best and most singular authors of the suspense era , she wrote only nine crime books, but their unorthodoxy secured her a high place in Mystery Hall of Fame.Jay was Hall's maiden name and...
- Simon Jay
- Roderic Jeffries
- Cecil Jenkins
- Selwyn JepsonSelwyn JepsonSelwyn Jepson was a British author, of the Far House, Farther Common, Liss, Hants.His father was the mystery/detective author Edgar Alfred Jepson , his mother was Frieda Holmes, daughter of the musician Henry Holmes. His sister Margaret , also a novelist, was the mother of Fay Weldon.Jepson was...
- Hamilton Jobson
- Sheila Johnson
- Hazel Wynn Jones
- Lucille Kallen
- Frances Kazan
- H.R.F. Keating
- David Keith
- Faye KellermanFaye KellermanFaye Kellerman is an American author of mystery novels, in particular the "Peter Decker/Rina Lazarus" series, as well as three non-series books, The Quality of Mercy, Moon Music and Straight into Darkness.-Early life:...
- Nora Kelly
- Sarah Kemp
(see Michael Butterworth) - Michael KenyonMichael KenyonMichael F. Kenyon was an American author of crime novels. Author of more than 20 humorous mystery novels, he was one of the first in the field of spoof-espionage story telling, but perhaps better known for the Superintendent O'Malley, and latterly Inspector Henry Peckover series of books...
- C. Daly King
- Pauline King
- Frank Kippax
- Auguste Le Breton
- Roy Lewis
- Conyth Little
- Vernon Loder
- E.C.R. Lorac
- Philip LorainePhilip LoraineRobin Estridge, aka Robin York and Philip Loraine is a British author of suspense fiction and screenwriter. His date of birth is unknown....
- Ona Low
- Francis Lyall
- Thomas McCann
- Philip MacDonaldPhilip MacDonaldPhilip MacDonald was an English author of thrillers.-Life and work:...
- Ross MacDonaldRoss MacDonaldDavid Ross MacDonald is a Canadian sailor. He began sailing at the age of 11....
- Donald Mackenzie
- Allan MacKinnon
- Charlotte Macleod
- John Malcolm
- Jessica MannJessica MannJessica Mann is a British writer. As a novelist she specialises in the mystery and suspense genres, having published 20 crime novels since 1971.She has also written several non-fiction books, including Out Of Harm's Way, the story of the overseas evacuation of children during WW2.Mann was educated...
- Paul Mansfield
- Maxwell March
(pseudonym of Margery AllinghamMargery AllinghamMargery Louise Allingham was an English crime writer, best remembered for her detective stories featuring gentleman sleuth Albert Campion.- Childhood and schooling :...
) - Irving Marder
- Virgil Markham
- Ngaio MarshNgaio MarshDame Ngaio Marsh DBE , born Edith Ngaio Marsh, was a New Zealand crime writer and theatre director. There is some uncertainty over her birth date as her father neglected to register her birth until 1900...
- James Martin
- Sarah J. Mason
- Jean Matheson
- Lew Matthews
- Nancy Barr Mavity
- Pat McGerrPatricia McGerrPatricia McGerr was an American crime writer, primarily known for her puzzle mystery novels. She won an Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine/MWA prize for her 1968 story Match Point in Berlin and was awarded the Grand Prix de Litterature Policiere in 1952 for her 1951 novel Follow, As the Night. Her...
- Margaret McKinlay
- Donald McLarty
- Thomas Patrick McMahon
- Mary McMullen
- M.R.D. Meek
- Brown Meggs
- Lawrence Meyer
- Laurence Meynell
- George Milner
- Margaret Moore
- Susan Morrow
- Patricia MoyesPatricia MoyesPatricia Pakenham-Walsh, a.k.a. Patricia Moyes was an Irish-born British mystery writer.- Life and work :Moyes was born in Dublin on 19 January 1923 and was educated at Overstone girls' school in Northampton. She joined the WAAF in 1939. In 1946 Peter Ustinov hired her as technical assistant on his...
- Haughton Murphy
- Stephen Murray
- Magdalen NabbMagdalen NabbMagdalen Nabb was a British author, best known for the Marshal Guarnaccia detective novels.Born near Blackburn in Lancashire as Magdalen Nuttal, she was educated at the Convent Grammar School, Bury, before going on to art college in Manchester, where she studied arts and pottery, which she taught...
- Robert Nicholas
- Torben Nielsen
- A.J. Orde
- Emma Page
- Stuart PalmerStuart PalmerStuart Palmer was a popular mystery novel author and screenwriter, best known for his character Hildegarde Withers.Palmer was born in Baraboo, Wisconsin...
- Roger Parkes
- Barbara PaulBarbara PaulBarbara Paul is an American writer of detective stories and science fiction. She was born in Maysville, Kentucky, in 1931 and was educated at Bowling Green State University and the University of Pittsburgh, among others....
- Michael Pearce
- John Penn
- Rupert Penny
- Michael Pereira
- Ritchie Perry
- Ellis Peters
- Bernard Peterson
- R. Philmore
- Nancy Pickard
- Martin Porlock
(see Philip MacDonald) - Raymond PostgateRaymond PostgateRaymond William Postgate was an English socialist, journalist and editor, social historian, mystery novelist and gourmet.-Early life:...
- Lester Powell
- Andrew Puckett
- Diana Ramsay
- Clayton RawsonClayton RawsonClayton Rawson was an American mystery writer, editor, and amateur magician. His four novels frequently invoke his great knowledge of stage magic and feature as their fictional detective The Great Merlini, a professional magician who runs a shop selling magic supplies...
- Lawrie Reznek
- John Rhode
- Mike Ripley
- Mary Linn Roby
- Ralph Rodd
- A.J. Russell
- Martin Russell
- Douglas Rutherford
- Francis Ryck
- Walter Satterthwait
- Gavin Scott
- Jack Scott
- Kate SedleyKate SedleyKate Sedley is the pen-name of Brenda Margaret Lilian Honeyman Clarke, an English historical novelist. She was born in Bristol in 1926 and educated at The Red Maid's School, Westbury-on-Trym. She is married and has a son and a daughter, and one granddaughter...
- Mabel SeeleyMabel SeeleyMabel Seeley was an American mystery writer.Her family moved to St. Paul in 1920 where she attended Mechanic Arts High School and graduated summa cum laude from University of Minnesota. In 1926 she married fellow student Kenneth Seeley and they moved to Chicago, where she wrote advertising copy...
- David Serafin
- Robyn Sheffield
- Evelyn E. Smith
- Shelley Smith
- Willard K. Smith
- Paul Somers
- Pat Stadley
- Douglas Stewart
- Zachary Stone
(pseudonym of Ken FollettKen FollettKen Follett is a Welsh author of thrillers and historical novels. He has sold more than 100 million copies of his works. Four of his books have reached the number 1 ranking on the New York Times best-seller list: The Key to Rebecca, Lie Down with Lions, Triple, and World Without End.-Early...
) - Rex StoutRex StoutRex Todhunter Stout was an American writer noted for his detective fiction. Stout is best known as the creator of the larger-than-life fictional detective Nero Wolfe, described by reviewer Will Cuppy as "that Falstaff of detectives." Wolfe's assistant Archie Goodwin recorded the cases of the...
- John Stephen Strange
- L.A.G. StrongLeonard StrongLeonard Alfred George Strong was an English writer, known as a novelist, journalist, poet and director of the publishers Methuen Ltd.- Life :...
- Julian SymonsJulian SymonsJulian Gustave Symons 1912 - 1994) was a British crime writer and poet. He also wrote social and military history, biography and studies of literature.-Life and work:...
- William G. Tapply
- Phoebe Atwood TaylorPhoebe Atwood TaylorPhoebe Atwood Taylor was an American mystery author.Phoebe Atwood Taylor wrote mystery novels under her own name, and as Freeman Dana and Alice Tilton. Her first novel, The Cape Cod Mystery, introduced the "Codfish Sherlock", Asey Mayo, who became a series character appearing in 24 novels...
- Joseph TelushkinJoseph TelushkinJoseph Telushkin is an American rabbi, lecturer, and author.-Biography:Telushkin attended the Yeshiva of Flatbush, was ordained at Yeshiva University, and studied Jewish history at Columbia University....
- Rosie ThomasRosie ThomasRosie Thomas is an American singer-songwriter, originally from Michigan. It was through mutual friends that she met Trey Many and began playing shows with Velour 100. They recorded one EP together and played a few short tours, where she met Damien Jurado and Pedro the Lion...
- Alice Tilton
(see Phoebe Atwood Taylor) - Robert Tine
- Simon Troy
- Peter Turnbull
- J.V. Turner
- Jonathan ValinJonathan ValinJonathan Valin is an American mystery author of the Harry Stoner detective series. He won the Shamus Award for best mystery novel of 1989.-Works:*The Lime Pit *Final Notice...
- John WainwrightJohn Wainwright (author)John William Wainwright , was a British crime novelist and author of 83 books, four of which have been published under the pen name Jack Ripley...
- H. Russell WakefieldH. Russell WakefieldHerbert Russell Wakefield was an English short story writer, novelist, publisher, and civil servant chiefly remembered today for his ghost stories.-Life:...
- Edgar WallaceEdgar WallaceRichard Horatio Edgar Wallace was an English crime writer, journalist, novelist, screenwriter, and playwright, who wrote 175 novels, 24 plays, and numerous articles in newspapers and journals....
- J.M. Walsh
- Colin Ward
- John Welcome
- Charles West
- Ethel Lina WhiteEthel Lina WhiteEthel Lina White was a British crime writer, best known for her novel, The Wheel Spins , on which the Alfred Hitchcock film, The Lady Vanishes , was based.-Early years:...
- R.J. White
- Victor WhitechurchVictor WhitechurchVictor Lorenzo Whitechurch was a Church of England clergyman and author.He wrote many novels on different themes. He is probably best known for his detective stories featuring Thorpe Hazell, which featured in the Strand Magazine, Railway Magazine, Pearson's and Harmsworth's Magazines...
- David WilliamsDavid Williams (crime writer)David Williams was an advertising executive who became a crime writer after suffering a stroke.Williams was born in Bridgend in Wales and studied at the Hereford Cathedral School and St John's College, Oxford, where he read modern history...
- Pauline Glen Winslow
- Sarah Wolf
- Ted Wood
- Sara WoodsSara WoodsLana Hutton Bowen-Judd was a British mystery writer, better known under her pseudonym Sara Woods, but using also the pen names of Anne Burton, Mary Challis, and Margaret Leek.-Biography:...
- Eric WrightEric Wright (writer)Eric Wright is a professor and Canadian writer of mystery novels.Wright was born on Kennington Park Road, in South London, England. He is the son of seamstress Caroline , and carter Joseph Wright. Wright was born to a large poor family of ten children...
- L.R. Wright
- Philip Wylie
- Shelby Yastrow
External links
- Classic Crime Fiction — Collins Crime Club