HAMMOND, Gerald (Arthur Douglas) 1926-
(Arthur Douglas, Dalby Holden)

PERSONAL: Born March 7, 1926, in Bournemouth, Hampshire, England; son of Frederick Arthur Lucas (a physician) and Maria Birnie (a nursing sister; maiden name, Thomson) Hammond; married Gilda Isobel Watt (a nurse), August 20, 1952; children: Peter, David, Steven. Education: Aberdeen School of Architecture, Diploma in Architecture, 1952. Politics: Conservative.

ADDRESSES: Home—Ceilidh, St. Eunan's Rd., Aboyne, Aberdeenshire AB34 5HH, Scotland. Agent— Michael Thomas, A. M. Heath and Co. Ltd., 79 St. Martin's Lane, London WC2N 4AA, England. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: Navy, Army, and Air Force Institutes, Claygate, Surrey, England, assistant architect, 1952-53; Aberdeen County Council, Aberdeen, Scotland, assistant architect, 1953-60; University of Dundee, Dundee, Argus, Scotland, assistant to resident architect, 1960-69; Livingston Development Corp., Livingston, Scotland, deputy chief architect and planning officer for Livingston New Town, 1969-83; full-time writer, 1983—. Military service: British Army, 1944-45.

MEMBER: Crime Writers Association, Society of Authors, Royal Institute of British Architects, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (fellow; past chair of Scottish branch), Muzzle Loaders Association, Shooting Club (founder; president).

WRITINGS:

crime novels

Fred in Situ, Hodder & Stoughton (London, England), 1965.

The Loose Screw, Hodder & Stoughton (London, England), 1966.

Mud in His Eye, Hodder & Stoughton (London, England), 1967.

(Under pseudonym Dalby Holden) Doldrum, R. Hale (London, England), 1987.

Cash and Carry, Macmillan (London, England), 1992.

Bloodlines, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1998.

Follow That Gun, Thorndike Press (Thorndike, ME), 1998.

Twice Bitten, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1999.

A Running Jump, Severn House (London, England), 1998.

Flamescape, Severn House (London, England), 1998.

Grail for Sale, Severn House (London, England), 2002.

The Snatch, Severn House (London, England), 2003.

"KEITH CALDER" SERIES

Dead Game, Macmillan (London, England), 1979.

The Reward Game, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1980.

The Revenge Game, Macmillan (London, England), 1981.

Fair Game, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1982.

The Game, Macmillan (London, England), 1982.

Cousin Once Removed, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1984.

Sauce for the Pigeon, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1984.

Pursuit of Arms, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1985.

Silver City Scandal, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1986.

The Executor, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1986.

The Worried Widow, Macmillan (London, England), 1987, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1988.

Adverse Report, Macmillan (London, England), 1987.

Stray Shot, Macmillan (London, England), 1988.

A Brace of Skeet, Macmillan (London, England), 1989.

Let Us Prey, Macmillan (London, England), 1990.

Home to Roost, Macmillan (London, England), 1990.

In Camera, Macmillan (London, England), 1991.

Snatch Crop, Macmillan (London, England), 1991.

Thin Air, Macmillan (London, England), 1993.

Hook or Crook, Macmillan (London, England), 1994.

Carriage of Justice, Macmillan (London, England), 1995.

Sink or Swim, Macmillan (London, England), 1996.

A Shocking Affair, Macmillan (London, England), 1999.

Illegal Tender, Macmillan (London, England), 2000.

"CAPTAIN JOHN CUNNINGHAM" SERIES

Dog in the Dark, Macmillan (London, England), 1989.

Doghouse, Macmillan (London, England), 1989.

Whose Dog Are You?, Macmillan (London, England), 1990.

Give a Dog a Name, Macmillan (London, England), 1992.

The Curse of the Cockers, Macmillan (London, England), 1993.

Sting in the Tail, Macmillan (London, England), 1994.

Mad Dogs and Scotsmen, Macmillan (London, England), 1995.

Bloodlines, Macmillan (London, England), 1996.

Dead Weight, Macmillan (London, England), 2000.

novels; under pseudonym arthur douglas

The Goods, Macmillan (London, England), 1985.

Last Rights, Macmillan (London, England), 1986, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1987.

A Very Wrong Number, Macmillan (London, England), 1987.

A Worm Turns, Macmillan (London, England), 1988, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1989.

other

Fine Tune (novel), Severn House (London, England), 1998.

Into the Blue (novel), Severn House (London, England), 2000.

Down the Garden Path (novel), Severn House (London, England), 2003.

The Hitch (novel), Severn House (London, England), 2004.

Author of "The Abominable Dog," a monthly column in Sporting Gun. Contributor to magazines.

ADAPTATIONS: The novel Give a Dog a Name was adapted as an audio book, narrated by Donald Douglas, released by Isis Publishing in 2000.

SIDELIGHTS: Gerald Hammond has used his profound knowledge of firearms and hunting dogs to create two unique mystery series, one featuring a Scottish gunsmith, Keith Calder, and the other focusing on John Cunningham, a retired soldier turned dog breeder.

Hammond originally set out to write humor, but found that publishers had little interest in humorous novels. Still, his first three books—Fred in Situ, The Loose Screw, and Mud in His Eye—had a somewhat humorous bent. Their protagonist is Beau Pepys, an architect and amateur race driver who becomes involved in mysteries. St. James Guide to Crime and Mystery Writers contributor Judith Rhodes described them as "light-hearted" and "fairly implausible" but "nevertheless pleasant." Hammond related to St. James Guide to Crime and Mystery Writers that after writing those books, he began trying to come up with a new set of characters and a background he would not have to research much: "I was (and am) deeply involved with gundogs and shooting, generally, and was irritated by the stereotypes of the shooting fraternity which seemed to be universal. I set out to depict the shooting scene (particularly in Scotland) as I knew it, most of [it] centered around the character of Keith Calder, a gunsmith of unreliable habits and an enquiring mind" and "a randy but loveable rogue."

Numerous critics found the Calder series to be unique in the mystery genre because of its heavily detailed lore about dogs and hunting. Rhodes explained: "Keith Calder burst upon the scene in Dead Game, bombarding the reader, and any character in the book who will pay him any attention, with intricate details of firearms and firearm history. Calder, in his capacity as gunsmith, shooting instructor, and poacher, is in his younger days none too choosey about which side of the law he operates on. As the series progresses . . . he marries, sets up a gunshop, and as the years pass becomes a relatively respectable figure, upon whom his former adversary Chief Inspector Munro comes unwillingly to rely." Reviewing one title in the series, Pursuit of Arms, a Booklist contributor approved of its "interesting gun lore, subtle characterization, smashing action, and . . . taut suspense." As the series unfolded, Calder frequently relinquished his role as narrator to other characters. Three of the later novels are written in the voice of Simon Parbitter, a London-born writer who moves next to Calder; others are narrated by Calder's daughter Deborah, his partner Wallace James, or by Ian Fellowes, a detective who eventually marries Deborah.

Hammond's special knowledge of the hunting world figures prominently in another mystery series, this one featuring John Cunningham, a soldier who was invalided out of the army after contracting a debilitating tropical disease. He takes up a career as a professional breeder and trainer of Springer spaniels, working with kennelmaid Beth Cattrell and hard-drinking veterinarian Isobel Kitts. This trio finds itself repeatedly drawn into mysteries, and as Rhodes pointed out, "The joint expertise of the three partners (Cunningham's in guns, Isobel's in dog-breeding and Beth's in sheer commonsense) helps in solving murders and associated canine and ballistic puzzles." Rhodes noted that the Cunningham books are more formulaic than the Calder efforts, but concedes that each one "provides an interesting and entertaining read."

Hammond's nonseries crime novels include his lighthearted Grail for Sale, which brings together Scottish historian Jeremy Carpenter and Hazel Tripp, an American who has lost her job in an antiques store. Upon comparing notes, the two discover that both of their predicaments arise from the same source, wealthy blackguard Gordon McKennerty, and they concoct an antiques scam through which they plan to exact revenge. A Publishers Weekly contributor felt that "Hammond fans should enjoy his new tack and new readers might easily become fans. . . . Everyone should be grateful that the author has yet to retire."

The Snatch finds twenty-something Alice Dunwoodie storming out of the house after a dispute with her father and meeting her friend, Sarah McLeod, at a local bar. As the two young women walk home, they are kidnapped by Foxy Brett and Tod Bracken, who intend to hold them for ransom. But the women convince them that there is no money to be made, and that, instead, they should all work together and divide the spoils of a supermarket robbery. They succeed but with consequences that provide an entirely new challenge. Library Journal's Rex Klett wrote that Hammond's "lively plot and light prose" are "energized by frequent humor."

Hammond once commented to CA: "I try very hard to be technically accurate, and this may be why my novels bring me correspondence from all over the world. Americans, in particular, send me supporting material which I wish I had while writing that particular book. A fictional incident in one of my novels recently suggested to a detective in San Francisco the solution to a real crime, and convictions followed.

"I never set out to become a propagandist for the shooting man but this, again, happened without my conscious volition. In Britain, perhaps more than the States, an attitude is growing that shooting must ipso facto be cruel and that wildlife would achieve a delightful balance, patterned on Walt Disney, if left severely alone. My series of novels has proved ideal (and, I hope, useful) in putting across, one piece at a time, the facts that the balance of nature (in Britain) is entirely man-made or man-influenced, that it owes a major debt to shooting interests and that the withdrawal of hunting pressures would spell disaster to wildlife as we know it here."

More recently, Hammond added: "My primary motivation for writing is escape from boredom into a rich fantasy world. My writing process is to look for a starting idea and start writing. Characters will usually develop themselves. I use a word processor and enjoy the final development more than the plotting.

"I used to write against backgrounds of my enthusiasms. A change was partly triggered by a desire to try my hand at non-crime fiction. This introduced a change in style. I leave it to others to interpret."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

books

St. James Guide to Crime and Mystery Writers, St. James Press (Detroit, MI), 1996.

periodicals

Armchair Detective, winter, 1987, p. 17.

Booklist, December 15, 1985, review of Pursuit ofArms, p. 608; August, 1989, p. 1948; April 15, 1991, p. 1626; October 15, 1991, p. 413; February 15, 1992, p. 1091.

British Book News, September, 1985.

Kirkus Reviews, March 15, 1985, p. 252; August 15, 1989, p. 1201; March 15, 1991, p. 362; March 15, 1992, p. 355; April 1, 2002, review of Grail for Sale, p. 457; May 1, 2003, review of The Snatch, p. 645.

Library Journal, April 15, 2000, Barbara E. Kemp, review of Into the Blue, p. 122; June 1, 2003, Rex Klett, review of The Snatch, p. 171.

Listener, July 5, 1979; August 20, 1981.

Observer, April 22, 1979; June 15, 1980; July 13, 1980; May 10, 1981.

Publishers Weekly, April 23, 2001, review of IllegalTender, p. 52; April 22, 2002, review of Grail for Sale, p. 53.

Times Literary Supplement, April 17, 1981.