Because I could not stop for Death,
He kindly stopped for me;
The carriage held but just ourselves
And Immortality.
--Emily Dickinson
Here are some of the many bright lights we lost from the world of crime fiction in 2008:
Eliot Asinof, d.June 10. Famous as the author of Eight Men Out, which became the basis of the 1988 movie; wrote over a dozen books including two mystery novels. He was 88.
Andrew Britton, d.March. The young military veteran wrote three Ryan Kealey counterterrorist operative novels. He was 27.
William Buchan, also known as Lord Tweedsmuir, d.June 29. He wrote two thrillers including Helen All Alone (possibly the first spy novel with a woman as its protagonist). He was 92.
George C. Chesbro, d.November 18. Author of the Robert "Mongo" Frederickson private eye novels and also wrote the CIA-agent-turned-artist Veil Kendry series and the avenger John "Chant" Sinclair series (under the David Cross pseudonym). He was 68.
Sir Arthur C. Clarke, d.March 19, 2008. Mostly known for his science fiction works, he also penned crime fiction stories. He was 90.
C. R. Corwin (pseudonym of Rob Levandoski), d.September 8. Writing as Corwin, he authored three novels in the Morgue Mama series featuring newspaper librarian Maddy Sprowls. He was 59.
Michael Crichton, d.November 4. Wrote bestsellers Andromeda Strain and Jurassic Park and created the popular TV series ER. He was 66.
Oliver Kaufman Crawford, d.September 24. Blacklisted during the "Red Scare" of the 1950's but became a successful TV writer (Perry Mason, Fugitive, Mannix, Kojak, Ironside, Petrocelli, and The Blue Knight) and also wrote two mystery novels. He was 91.
James Crumley, d.October 17. Created two private eye series: the Milo Milodragovitch series and the C. W. Sughrue series. He was 68.
Julius Fast, d.December 15. Won the first Edgar award for a mystery short story, mostly wrote popular nonfiction.
Elaine Flinn, d.October 25. Wrote the Molly Doyle mysteries set in Carmel, California.
Simon Gray, d.August 6. Wrote five novels, one of which was a thriller, as well as several crime-oriented plays. He was 71.
Oakley Hall, d.May 12. Wrote a number of novels, several of them mysteries, and the Ambrose Bierce series. He also used the pseudonym Jason Manor to write several mysteries featuring California private eye Steve Summers. He was 87.
Tony Hillerman, d.October 26, 2008. Known for his series of Navajo mysteries featuring Lt. Joe Leaphorn and Sgt. Jim Chee of the Navajo Tribal Police.
Edward D. Hoch, d.January 17. Prolific short story writer of mystery fiction. He had a story in every issue of Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine since the May 1973 issue. He was 77.
Russell Warren Howe, d.December 17. Famous for his nonfiction book, Mata Hari: The True Story, he also wrote a number of crime novels and novellas. He was 83.
Joe Hyams, d.November 8. He wrote more than 25 books, including two mystery novels. He was 85.
Donald James, pseudonym of Donald James Wheal, d.April 28. Famous as the TV scriptwriter of The Avengers and Mission: Impossible among others, he also wrote several thrillers. He was 76.
Richard Kidd, d.July 19. Authored several juvenile mysteries. He was 56.
William Cecil Knott, d.October 24. Primarily a writer of westerns penned under the Will C. Knott name, he also wrote wrote two mystery novels under the Bill Knott name featuring Skip Tracewski. He was 81.
Leon Lazarus, d.Nov. 28. He wrote 1,500 comic book stories for Stan Lee in the 50's and 60's and also two Nick Carter novels. He was 89.
Jack Lynch, d.June 6. The former journalist penned the Peter Bragg private eye series. He was 78.
Arthur Lyons, d.March 21. Author of the Jacob Asch private eye series and also a founder of the Palm Springs Film Noir Festival. He was 62.
Zekial Marko, d.May 9. He wrote the TV plays for The Rockford Files, Kolchak, and Toma, as well as the screenplay for Once a Thief, based on his own novel, Scratch a Thief, written under the John Trinian pseudonym. He authored a number of paperback mysteries. He was 74.
Stephen Marlowe, d.February 22. He wrote the Chester Drum private series. His recent books included The Lighthouse at the End of the World (about Edgar Allan Poe, 1995). He was 79.
Gregory McDonald, September 7, 2008. The former newspaper reporter authored The Fletch series. He was 71.
Robin Moore, d.February 21. Wrote The French Connection and The Green Berets. He was 82.
Dennis Richard Murphy, d.June 19. Wrote mystery short stories for Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, and Storyteller, with several of his stories were nominated for the Crime Writers of Canada Arthur Ellis awards. He was 64.
Rick Nelson, d.December 20. His first and last novel, Bound by Blood, a police procedural, was published this year by St. Martin's Press. He was 57.
Meg O'Brien, d.December 6. Authored the five Jessica (Jesse) James mystery novels.
Audrey Peterson, d.February 12. After writng Victorian Master of Mystery: From Wilkie Collins to Conan Doyle, she penned the series featuring music professor Andrew Quentin and his former student Jane Winfield. She was 87.
Dorothy Porter, d.December 9. Won the Poetry Book of the Year for The Monkey's Mask (Hyland, 1994), a crime thriller in verse about a lesbian detective. Her latest verse novel was nominated for the 2008 Ned Kelly Award. She was 54.
Julian Rathbone, d.February 28. Wrote the three-book series featuring Turkish policeman Colonel Nur Bey, as well as another series featuring Police Commissioner Jan Argand, and a third series featuring Renate Fechter, head of a German squad of the Eco-Cops. His most recent series featured British private eye Chris Shovelin. He was 73.
Alain Robbe-Grillet, d.February 18. His novels are considered "anti-literary" crime fiction without conventional storytelling.He was 85.
Jerry A. Rodriguez, d.June 22. A playwright whose first mystery was published in 2007, with ex-NYPD detective Nicholas Esperanza. He was 46.
Benjamin M. Schutz, d.January 17. An expert in forensic psychology who also wrote five novels featuring Washington DC private eye Leo Haggerty (one of which won a Shamus award), as well as a stand-alone, The Mongol Reply, and a story collection. He was 58.
Margaret Truman Daniel, d.January 29, 2008. Daughter of President Harry Truman who wrote mostly mystery novels like Murder at the White House. She was 83.
W. T. Tyler (the pen name of Samuel J. Hamrick), d.February 29. A former counterintelligence officer at the State Department who wrote seven non-series spy novels. He was 78.
Peter Vansittart, d.October 4. He was a prolific historical novelist but also wrote a crime novel set in the fourth century BC in ancient Greece and Sicily. He was 88.
Janwillem van de Wetering, d.July 4. He wrote a the Grijpstra and de Gier novels as well as the Inspector Saito short stories under the Seiko Legru pseudonym for Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine (later put together into a collection). He was 77.
Phyllis A. Whitney, d.February 8, 2008. Authored over 70 books of adult suspense, young adult fiction, children's mystery and non-fiction about writing. She won two Edgars in the juvenile category. She was 104.
Wade Wright (pseudonym of John Wright) d.November. Wrote a number of private eye novels featuring three separate protagonists, Bart Condor, Paul Cameron, and Calhoun. None of his novels were published in the US until Ramble House issued a brand new Cameron novel, Echo of Fear, in 2007. He was 75.
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