Adler, Warren 1927–

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Adler, Warren 1927–

PERSONAL: Born December 16, 1927, in New York, NY; son of Sol and Fritzie Adler; married Sonia Kline (a magazine editor), May 6, 1951; children: David Allen, Jonathan Robert, Michael Adam. Education: New York University, B.A., 1947; also attended the New School.

ADDRESSES: Home—New York, NY. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Sourcebooks, 1935 Brookdale Rd., Ste. 139, Napierville, IL 60563. E-mail—wadler@warren adler.com.

CAREER: Has worked for New York Daily News; former editor of Queens Post, Forest Hills, NY; Warren Adler, Ltd. (advertising and public relations agency), Washington, DC, president, 1957–73; WHAG-TV, Hagerstown, MD, founder and former owner; cofounder of Washington Dossier (magazine); founder of Jackson Hole Writer's conference; founder of Stonehouse Press. Chair of board of trustees, Jackson Hole Public Library. Military service: U.S. Army, Washington correspondent for Armed Forces Press Service, 1951–53.

MEMBER: PEN, Authors Guild, Authors League of America, Directors Guild of America (associate national executive director), Century Association, Lotus Club.

WRITINGS:

Options, Whitman Publishing (Ardmore, PA), 1974, published as Undertow, Stonehouse Press (New York, NY), 2001.

Banquet before Dawn, Putnam (New York, NY), 1976, reprinted, Stonehouse Press (New York, NY), 2001.

The Henderson Equation, Putnam (New York, NY), 1976, reprinted, Stonehouse Press (New York, NY), 2001.

Trans-Siberian Express, Putnam (New York, NY), 1977, reprinted, Stonehouse Press (New York, NY), 2001.

The Sunset Gang, Viking (New York, NY), 1978, reprinted, Stonehouse Press (New York, NY), 2001.

The Casanova Embrace, Putnam (New York, NY), 1978, reprinted, Stonehouse Press (New York, NY), 2001.

Blood Ties, Putnam (New York, NY), 1979, reprinted, Stonehouse Press (New York, NY), 2001.

Natural Enemies, Pocket Books (New York, NY), 1980, reprinted, Stonehouse Press (New York, NY), 2001.

The War of the Roses, Warner Books (New York, NY), 1981, reprinted, Stonehouse Press (New York, NY), 2001.

American Quartet, Arbor House (New York, NY), 1982, reprinted, Stonehouse Press (New York, NY), 2001.

American Sextet, Arbor House (New York, NY), 1983, reprinted, Stonehouse Press (New York, NY), 2001.

Random Hearts, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1984, reprinted, Ballantine (New York, NY), 2000.

Twilight Child, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1985, reprinted, Stonehouse Press (New York, NY), 2001.

We Are Holding the President Hostage, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1986, reprinted, Stonehouse Press (New York, NY), 2001.

Madeline's Miracles, Lynx Books (New York, NY), 1989.

Immaculate Deception, Fine (New York, NY), 1991.

Private Lies, Morrow (New York, NY), 1991.

Senator Love, Fine (New York, NY), 1991.

The Housewife Blues, Crown (New York, NY), 1992.

The Witch of Watergate, Fine (New York, NY), 1992.

The Ties that Bind, Fine (New York, NY), 1994.

Never Too Late for Love, Homestead (Moose, WY), 1995.

Jackson Hole, Uneasy Eden, Homestead (Moose, WY), 1997.

Mourning Glory, Kensington Books (New York, NY), 2001.

Cult: A Novel of Brainwashing and Death, Three Ponds Press, 2002.

The Children of the Roses, Sourcebooks (Naperville, IL), 2004.

Death of a Washington Madame, Stonehouse Press (New York, NY), 2005.

Also author, with L. Russell Brown, of a musical play adaptation of one of his stories from The Sunset Gang. Also contributor of stories to anthologies, including American Vanguard, Cambridge (New York, NY), 1950; Which Grain Will Grow, Cambridge (New York, NY), 1950; and New Voices in American Writing, Doubleday (Garden City, NY), 1951. Former author of syndicated newspaper column "Pepper on the Side."

ADAPTATIONS: The Sunset Gang was adapted for American Playhouse, Public Broadcasting Service; Random Hearts was made into a film starring Harrison Ford and Kristin Scott Thomas; The War of the Roses was adapted as a film in 1989 for Twentieth-Century Fox, starring Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas.

SIDELIGHTS: Warren Adler is the author of numerous novels that have been translated into more than twenty-five different languages. Two of his works have been made into Hollywood films: The War of the Roses and Random Hearts. A native of Brooklyn, New York, Adler wrote his first novel when he was sixteen, but he never showed it to anyone. He had better success in writing classes at New York University, and during the Korean War served as a correspondent for the Armed Forces Press Service. That led to a long career in journalism and public relations, beginning with a job with the New York Daily News and ending as the successful owner of a Washington, DC-based advertising and public relations agency.

Adler, who also owned media outlets, began devoting more of his time to writing after the publication of his first novel, Options, in 1974. The War of the Roses was his ninth novel, and his twelfth, Random Hearts, was also made into a Sydney Pollack-directed film. In The War of the Roses Adler portrays a highly dysfunctional marriage in which Jonathan and Barbara Rose battle over their beautiful house. The fight escalates to physical violence that ends in both their deaths when they are crushed by a falling chandelier. Adler approached the story with an air of black comedy, and he attempts the same with the 2004 sequel, The Children of the Roses. The Roses' children, Josh and Evie, are grown up and struggling with their past. Both their marriages are in trouble, but the real problems escalate with their children's increasingly violent behavior. Carol Haggas, writing in Booklist, felt that in the sequel, "Adler's gift is to turn these outwardly bleak scenarios into outrageously appealing black comedy." Other critics offered different opinions, with Library Journal reviewer Nancy Pearl calling the story "poorly conceived" and the plot "hackneyed." A Kirkus Reviews writer remarked that although the tale is "compelling through the middle pages … Adler's prose is as threadbare as ever."

Random Hearts and Private Lies are also about failed marriages. In the first case, the adulterous liaison of two lovers, both happily married, reaches its climax during a tryst in the Florida Keys. Flying under false identities, their bodies are not immediately recovered when the plane crashes, and it is under these circumstances that their bereaved spouses learn of the affair. Adler's 1991 novel, Private Lies, centers around a safari trip undertaken by two married couples. One husband and the wife of the other couple conspire to bring their respective spouses together, so that they may enjoy their passion without remorse.

Ten years later, Adler depicted the less savory side of Palm Beach, Florida, in Mourning Glory. This story focuses on Grace Sorrentino, a cosmetologist at a posh department store in the wealthy coastal enclave. The single mother of a rebellious teenage daughter, Grace loses her job and is forced to heed her kindly ex-boss's advice: find a wealthy older man. Grace peruses the obituaries and meets recently widowed Sam by arriving at his home and posing as an affluent charity worker. She tells him that his late wife donated her wardrobe to her organization, and though Grace must maintain and expand upon this web of lies, she finds that winning Sam is a relatively easy matter. Plot tensions surface in the form of Sam's children and Grace's own troublesome teenager. A contributor to Publishers Weekly liked the novel, calling its author "a skilled fictioneer; his plot turns are inventive, and his true-to-life dialogue helps identify each character—all of whom engage readers' emotions in one way or another." Booklist critic Carol Haggas commented: "Adler paints a credible portrait of a grieving widower and a ruthless caricature of a predatory woman."

With Cult: A Novel of Brainwashing and Death Adler tackles two topics: cults and terrorism. When Barney's wife, Charlotte, comes under the influence of a cult called the Glories, she leaves him. Unwisely enlisting the help of his ex-lover, Naomi, Barney tries to rescue his wife. When Naomi is found dead, he makes another rash decision, using his own son as bait to catch the Glories' leader. A Publishers Weekly writer felt it was odd that the author equates such religious cults in his novel with Islamic terrorists, further complaining that the climax is "rushed and clumsily crafted." Roland Person, reviewing the book for the Library Journal, found the book disappointing, with poorly drawn characters and plot, resulting in a "thinly disguised polemic on the dangers of cults."

Adler is also the author of a successful series of detective novels featuring Washington, DC, sleuth Fiona FitzGerald. In Immaculate Deception a prominent conservative congresswoman known for her pro-life stance is found dead. FitzGerald, assigned to the case, learns that the woman took cyanide and was several weeks pregnant at the time she died—though long estranged from her husband. Tied into the plot is FitzGerald's own conflicted personal life and worries about becoming a parent. Both plots, wrote Sybil Steinberg in Publishers Weekly, "make good reading, capturing the political scene and the passionate duplicity of those who would wield power." In another FitzGerald book, The Ties that Bind, the detective and her new partner investigate the death of a young woman whose father is a prominent politician. Certain aspects of the murder scene lead them to believe that some kinky escapades took place, but one troubling clue leads FitzGerald to believe that one of her own former lovers, who is now a Supreme Court justice, may be their prime suspect. Booklist critic Emily Melton described The Ties that Bind as "a study in contrasts" for its digressions into politically correct dialogue before returning to titillating action scenes, and termed it "an odd book that certainly won't appeal to every reader, but in its own way, it's quite compelling."

In 2001, after realizing that twenty of his books were out of print, Adler embarked on a new venture: he created an electronic publishing firm that offered reprints of his past titles, such as The Casanova Embrace and The Housewife Blues, for sale via an e-book or print-on-demand format. He is thought to be the first writer in history to have a complete digital library of his books available electronically. Adler was fortunate to be able to do so, for many of the book contracts were signed in the days before publishing houses demanded electronic rights as well. Adler's oeuvre is available on his own Web site, and through deals with online booksellers like Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble. He claimed that he was never happy with the promotional push given his books by other publishers, and he did not flinch at investing several thousands of dollars of his own funds to launch his e-venture. "This is my revenge," he told Publishers Weekly writer Megan Costello. "Branding one's authorial name is the whole motive of this game. It's an investment in myself."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, September 1, 1992, Donna Seaman, review of The Housewife Blues, p. 30; May 1, 1994, Emily Melton, review of The Ties that Bind, p. 1585; July, 2001, Carol Haggas, review of Mourning Glory, p. 1976; February 15, 2004, Carol Haggas, review of The Children of the Roses, p. 1034.

Kirkus Reviews, February 1, 2004, review of The Children of the Roses, p. 95.

Library Journal, April 1, 1984, review of Random Hearts, p. 732; September 15, 1985, Barbara Parker, review of Twilight Child, p. 89; October 15, 1986, Maria A. Perez-Stable, review of We Are Holding the President Hostage, p. 111; March 1, 1991, Lydia Burruel Johnson, review of Private Lies, p. 115; June 15, 2002, Roland Person, review of Cult: A Novel of Brainwashing and Death, p. 92; March 1, 2004, Nancy Pearl, review of The Children of the Roses, p. 106.

New York Times Book Review, May 6, 1984, Miriam Berkley, review of Random Hearts, p. 26.

Publishers Weekly, March 9, 1984, review of Random Hearts, p. 98; December 14, 1984, review of Random Hearts, p. 52; August 2, 1985, review of Twilight Child, p. 61; August 29, 1986, Sybil Steinberg, review of We Are Holding the President Hostage, p. 386; January 4, 1991, Sybil Steinberg, review of Immaculate Deception, p. 60; February 8, 1991, Sybil Steinberg, review of Private Lies, p. 48; July 5, 1991, review of Senator Love, p. 56; June 29, 1992, review of The Witch of Watergate, p. 54; March 28, 1994, review of The Ties that Bind, p. 86; January 8, 1996, review of Never Too Late for Love, p. 64; June 4, 2001, Megan Costello, "WarrenAdler.com, Digital D.I.Y.," p. 31; July 30, 2001, review of Mourning Glory, p. 64; April 29, 2002, review of Cult, p. 38.