 | PERIODIC TABLE OF MYSTERY AUTHORS |
John Collier, full name John Henry Noyes Collier (3 May 1901-6 Apr 1980) British master of the short story form, invariably polished craftwork with precisely the right language and with amusing yet startling surprise endings; also worked as poetry editor, screenwriter in the US, winner 1951 Edgar Allan Poe awrd, winner 1952 International Fantasy Award: * 11 mystery/detective short story collections * 3 unrelated fantasy novels * 60+ fantasy short stories (often about deal with devil or evil spirit) * 3 plays * 8 screenplays (best-known "I Am a Camera", which received the famous 1-line review "No Leica") * 1 book of poetry * 2 nonfiction books (history, autobiography) * 1 book edited In the Periodic Table of the Elements, "Co" stands for Cobalt. In the Periodic Table of the Mystery Authors, "Co" stands for John Collier! Honorable Mentions: Patricia Cornwall: blockbuster best-selling author best-known for her Kay Scarpetta series of novels about a medical Examiner who gets deeply into solving violent murders, often at great personal risk. Gripping detail, great pacing, fine description, I personally enjoy her work greatly. Patricia Cornwell Patricia Cornwell G. D. H. and M. Cole: British authors, full names George Douglas Howard Cole (25 Sep 1889-15 Jan 1959) and Margaret Isabel Cole (nee Postgate) (6 May 1893-7 May 1980) sister of mystery/detective author Raymond Postgate * 30 mystery/detective novels with series characters Everard Blatchington, Dr. Benjamin Tancred, Superintendant Henry Wilson usually with country house, university, or upper-class settings * 7 mystery/detective story collections * 150 nonfiction books by G. D. H. Cole (Socialism, Economics, Politics, Biography, literary criticsm) of which the best-known is the monumental 5-volume "History of Socialist Thought" * 3 books of poetry by G. D. H. Cole * 32 nonfiction books by M. Cole (Socialism, Economics, Politics, Biography, literary criticsm), best known for biography of Beatrice Webb * 2 books of poetry by M. Cole G. D. H. and M. Cole @ MGrost Manning Coles: pseudonym of Cyril Henry Coles (11 June 1899-9 Oct 1965) and Adelaide Francis Oke Manning (1891-25 Sep 1959) British authors. He served during World War I in Hampshire Regiment and British Intelligence while she worked for a munitions factory and at the London War Office. After the war, he was an apprentice shipbuilder, and roamed Austrialia as a railwayman/garage manager/newspaper columnist: * 26 mystery/detective novels with series characters Tommy Hambledon (Thomas Elphinstone Hambleton of the British Intelligence Service) which were somewhat autobiographical of Cyril Henry Coles * 5 mystery/detective novels under pseudonym Francis Gaite, but as Manning Cole in US editions, with series characters Charles and James Latimer (also characterizable as satire/ghost stories) * 1 mystery/detective story collection * 1 novel sole authored by Manning * 2 other novels (one juvenile) Max Allan Collins, Jr. (3 March 1948-), no known Web page: American musician/songwriter, English teacher, writer of "Dick Tracy" comic strip (and others) * 15 mystery/detective novels with series characters Nathan Heller, Mallory, Nolan, typically with protagonists who are reformed criminals who still walk the grim streets albiet with a sense of irony: * the "Quarry" Mystery/Detective novel series featuring Quarry -- a hired killer: * The Broker [1976] also titled Quarry * The Broker's Wife [1976] also titled Quarry's List * The Dealer [1976] also titled Quarry's Deal * The Slasher [1977] also titled Quarry's Cut * Primary Target [1987] * the "Eliot Ness" Mystery/Detective novel series featuring Eliot Ness, Director of Public Safety of Cleveland, Ohio: * The Dark City [1987] * Butcher's Dozen [1988] * Bullet Proof [1989] * Murder by the Numbers [1993] * the "Nate Heller" Mystery/Detective novel series featuring Nate Heller, Private Investigator of Chicago, Illinois: * True Detective [1983] * True Crime [1984] * The Million Dollar Wound [1986] * Neon Mirage [1988] * Stolen Away [1991] * Carnal Hours [1995] * Blood and Thunder [1995] * Damned in Paradise [1996] * Flying Blind [1996] * Majic Man [1999] * Angel in Black [2001] * the "Mallory" Mystery/Detective novel series featuring Mallory (Student and Mystery Writer) of Iowa: * No Cure for Death [1983] * The Baby Blue Rip-Off [1983] * Kill Your Darlings [1984] * A Shroud for Aquarius [1985] * Nice Weekend for a Murder [1986] * the "Frank Nolan" Mystery/Detective novel series featuring Frank Nolan, Thief, of Iowa: * Bait Money [1973] * Blood Money [1973] * Fly Paper [1981] * Hush Money [1981] * Hard Cash [1981] * Scratch Fever [1982] * Spree [1987] * 3 mystery/detective short story collections * 5 other books (3 comics, one biography of Jim Thompson, one study of Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer character) Michael Collins: pseudonym of Dennis Lynds (15 Jan 1924-) American author who earned a Purple Heart with Three Battle Stars in World War II, chemist, editor of chemistry trade journals, college instructor, winner of 1968 Edgar Allan Poe award: * 12 mystery/detective novels with series character Dan Fortune * 8 mystery/detective novels in the Shadow series under pseudonym Maxwell Grant * 5 mystery/detective novels under pseudonym William Arden, with series character Kane Jackson * 5 mystery/detective novels under pseudonym Mark Sadler, with series character Paul Shaw * 6 mystery/detective novels under pseudonym John Crowe * 3 mystery/detective novels under pseudonym Nick Carter, with series character Nick Carter * 2 mystery/detective novelizations as Dennis Lynds, (Charlie Chan Returns, and S.W.A.T.-Crossfire") * 2 unrelated novels as Michael Collins * 2 unrelated novels as Dennis Lynds (one the science fiction "The Planets of Death [New York: Berkley, 1970] * 1 mystery/detective short story collection * 12 mystery/detective juveniles under pseudonym William Arden Michael Collins @ MGrost Return to Mystery/Detective Table of Contents Return to PERIODIC TABLE OF MYSTERY AUTHORS [Grateful acknowledgment to Professor Erich Friedman for his permission for me to use the table structure and color GIFs of the Periodic Table, above, whose Mystery Author roll-over status names and correlation of Element Abbreviations with Mystery Author names are not the fault of Professor Erich Friedman but purely the work of Professor Jonathan Vos Post] John Collier