Cohen, Stanley 1928-

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Cohen, Stanley 1928-

PERSONAL:

Born March 3, 1928, in Shelbyville, TN; son of Jacob (a merchant) and Estelle Cohen; married Marilyn Goodman (an educator and counselor), June 18, 1950; children: Edward Allen, Jo Ellen, Stephen Michael. Education: Vanderbilt University, B.E., 1948; M.S., 1950. Religion: Jewish.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Orange, CT. Agent—Grace Morgan, 131 Riverside Dr., New York, NY 10024.

CAREER:

Engineer and writer. May Hosiery Mills, Nashville, TN, process development, 1950-52; Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, nuclear research engineer, 1952-57; Olin Corp., supervisor of product development in Packaging Division, New Haven, CT, 1958-64, market development manager, Stamford, CT, 1964-73, technical service manager, New Haven, 1973-86; has worked as a consultant.

MEMBER:

International Association of Crime Writers, Society of Plastics Engineers, Scientific Research Society, Mystery Writers of America (member of board of directors, 1972-76, 1990—), Authors Guild, Authors League of America, Writers Guild of America (West), Mensa.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Olin Research Award for patented plastics development, 1969; fourth place in an international competition "to write the world's best crime short story" (Stockholm, Sweden), 1981; Veuve-Cliquot/Times award (London, England), 1983, for short story.

WRITINGS:

Taking Gary Feldman, Putnam (New York, NY), 1970 (published in England as The Abduction, Constable [London, England], 1971).

The Diane Game, Stein & Day (New York, NY), 1973.

Tell Us, Jerry Silver, Bobbs-Merrill (Indianapolis, IN), 1973.

330 Park, Putnam (New York, NY), 1976.

Angel Face, St. Martin's (New York, NY), 1982.

A Night in the Manchester Store and Other Stories, Five Star (Waterville, ME), 2002.

Also author of four screenplays, two under contract. Contributor to books, including Every Crime in the Book, edited by R.L. Fish, Putnam, 1975; Best Detective Stories of the Year—1975, edited by Allen Hubin, Dutton, 1975; When Last Seen, Harper, 1977; Women's Wiles, Harcourt, 1979; Crime Wave, Collins, 1981; A Special Kind of Crime, Doubleday, 1982; A Choice of Evils, Davis Publishing, 1983; Top Crime, Kirjayhtyma (Helsinki), 1983; Meesders der Misdaad, Loeb (Amsterdam), 1983; La Crema del Crimen, Emece (Buenos Aires), 1983; Murder in New England, Castle, 1989; Plots and Pans (cookbook), Wynwood Press, 1989; Creative Writing in America, National Council Teachers of English, 1989; A Body Is Found, Wynwood Press, 1990. Contributor of short stories to Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, Mystery Monthly, Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine; also contributor of articles to Nuclear Science and Engineering, Modern Packaging, and to the trade journal, Carpet Retailing.

SIDELIGHTS:

Stanley Cohen, an engineer who turned mystery writer, once told CA: "I began writing as a hobby some [twenty] years ago and have maintained my engineering and writing careers simultaneously. I love the writing. I love to be read by my friends and feel rewarded when they tell me they found in my characters exactly what I'd hoped they would find. I think my technical training has helped my writing in that I strive for clarity, correctness, and ease of being read. My last two books were heavily researched for authenticity of detail. These books were about New York cops and I got New York cops to work with me as consultants. As a result, the background detail is on target. We compromise our prospects when we miss this target."

"After five novels and a bunch of short stories (I'm proud of the anthology recognition), I've devoted myself … to drafting a play based on my last book and to a children's book. Writing both of these proved to be delicious, exhilarating experiences, but where I go next will depend on the reception they receive. Playwriting is an intriguing business. While I was commissioned to draft my play, I still wonder if it will reach a stage, and if so, what stage. I believe that playwriting leaves the writer much more open to critical examination than prose-writing, perhaps even an order of magnitude higher in vulnerability. But the opportunity of trying the play was an irresistible challenge. After all, the play's the thing."

Cohen more recently told CA: "During the last several years, a second draft of my play was well-received at a reading in New York, but has not yet been actually staged. Theater is a tough business to crack for a newcomer. Also during this recent period, I've become interested in screenwriting and have written four screenplays, two under contract, but to date none have been produced. Another tough business."

In his 2002 collection of short stories, A Night in the Manchester Store and Other Stories, the author displays his unconventional approach to mysteries by basing each story on a unique idea instead of focusing on a whodunit or a caper. For example, in one story, a man finds a rug that has been thrown out and takes it home to his wife only to find that there is a body inside of it. Preceding his stories with thumbnail introductions, the author also includes a tale that is an update of Edgar Allan Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado," titled "The Ransom of Retta Chiefman." "At his best … Cohen has something of Scheherezade's gift of keeping you reading because you just can't stop," noted a Kirkus Reviews contributor.