Hunter, Evan 1926–2005

views updated

Hunter, Evan 1926–2005

(Curt Cannon, Hunt Collins, Ezra Hannon, Salvatore Lombino, Richard Marsten, Ed McBain)

PERSONAL: Born Salvatore Lombino, October 15, 1926, in New York, NY; name legally changed, 1952; died of cancer of the larynx, July 6, 2005, in Weston, CT; son of Charles and Marie (Coppola) Lombino; married Anita Melnick, October 17, 1949 (divorced); married Mary Vann Finley, June, 1973 (divorced); married Dragica Dimitrijevic, September 9, 1997; children: (first marriage) Ted, Mark, Richard; (second marriage) Amanda Eve Finley (stepdaughter). Education: Attended Cooper Union, 1943–44; Hunter College (now Hunter College of the City University of New York), B.A., 1950. Politics: Democrat.

CAREER: Writer. Taught at a vocational high school in New York, NY, 1950; held various jobs, including answering the telephone at night for the American Automobile Association and selling lobsters for a wholesale lobster firm, both New York, NY; worked for Scott Meredith Literary Agency, New York, NY. Military service: U.S. Navy, 1944–46.

AWARDS, HONORS: Mystery Writers of America Award, 1957, for short story "The Last Spin"; Grand Master Award, Mystery Writers of America, 1986, for lifetime achievement; Diamond Dagger Award, British Crime Writers Association, 1998, for lifetime achievement; Ian McLellan Hunter Award, Writers Guild of America, East, 2001; shortlisted for Edgar Award, 2002, for Money, Money, Money; Frankfurt Original e-Book Award, 2002, for best fiction.

WRITINGS:

The Evil Sleep, Falcon (Kingwood, TX), 1952.

The Big Fix, Falcon (Kingwood, TX), 1952, published under pseudonym Richard Marsten as So Nude, So Dead, Fawcett (New York, NY), 1956.

Find the Feathered Serpent, Winston (Philadelphia, PA), 1952.

Don't Crowd Me, Popular Library (New York, NY), 1953, published as The Paradise Party, New English Library (London, England), 1968.

(Under pseudonym Hunt Collins) Cut Me In, Abelard (New York, NY), 1954, published as The Proposition, Pyramid, 1955.

The Blackboard Jungle, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1954, reprinted, 1999.

(Under pseudonym Hunt Collins) Tomorrow's World, Bouregy (New York, NY), 1956, published as Tomorrow and ToMorrow (New York, NY), Pyramid, 1956, published under pseudonym Ed McBain, Sphere (London, England), 1979.

Second Ending, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1956, published as Quartet in H, Pocket Books (New York, NY), 1957.

The Jungle Kids (short stories), Pocket Books (New York, NY), 1956.

(With Craig Rice, under pseudonym Ed McBain) April Robin Murders (crime novel), Random House (New York, NY), 1958.

Strangers When We Meet (also see below), Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1958.

A Matter of Conviction, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1959, published as The Young Savages, Pocket Books (New York, NY), 1966.

The Remarkable Harry (juvenile), pictures by Ted, Mark, and Richard Hunter, introduction by Anita Hunter, Abelard (New York, NY), 1960.

The Last Spin and Other Stories, Constable (New York, NY), 1960.

The Wonderful Button (juvenile), illustrated by Quentin Blake, Abelard-Schuman (New York, NY), 1961.

Mothers and Daughters, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1961.

Happy New Year, Herbie, and Other Stories, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1963.

Buddwing, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1964.

(Under pseudonym Ed McBain) The Sentries (crime novel), Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1965.

The Paper Dragon, Delacorte (New York, NY), 1966.

A Horse's Head, Delacorte (New York, NY), 1967.

(Editor under pseudonym Ed McBain) Crime Squad, New English Library (London, England), 1968.

(Editor under pseudonym Ed McBain) Homicide Department, New English Library (London, England), 1968.

Last Summer, Doubleday (New York, NY), 1968.

(Editor under pseudonym Ed McBain) Downpour, New English Library (London, England), 1969.

(Editor under pseudonym Ed McBain) Ticket to Death, New English Library (London, England), 1969.

Sons, Doubleday (Garden City, NY), 1969.

Nobody Knew They Were There, Doubleday (Garden City, NY), 1971.

The Beheading and Other Stories, Constable (London, England), 1971.

Every Little Crook and Nanny, Doubleday (Garden City, NY), 1972.

The Easter Man (a Play) and Six Stories (also see below), Doubleday (Garden City, NY), 1972.

Seven, Constable (London, England), 1972.

Come Winter, Doubleday (Garden City, NY), 1973.

Streets of Gold, Harper (New York, NY), 1974.

(Under pseudonym Ed McBain) Where There's Smoke (crime novel), Random House (New York, NY), 1975.

(Under pseudonym Ezra Hannon) Doors (crime novel), Stein & Day (Briarcliff Manor, NY), 1975.

The Chisholms: A Novel of the Journey West (also see below), Harper (New York, NY), 1976, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2004.

(Under pseudonym Ed McBain) Guns (crime novel), Random House (New York, NY), 1976.

Me and Mr. Stenner (juvenile), Lippincott (Philadelphia, PA), 1977.

Walk Proud (also see below), Bantam (New York, NY), 1979.

Love, Dad, Crown (New York, NY), 1981.

(Under pseudonym Ed McBain) The McBain Brief (short stories), Hamish Hamilton (London, England), 1982, Arbor House (New York, NY), 1983.

Far from the Sea, Atheneum (New York, NY), 1983.

Lizzie, Arbor House (New York, NY), 1984.

(Under pseudonym Ed McBain) Another Part of the City, Mysterious Press (New York, NY), 1987.

(Under pseudonym Ed McBain) Downtown, Morrow (New York, NY), 1989.

(Under pseudonym Ed McBain) Gangs, Avon (New York, NY), 1989.

Criminal Conversation, Warner Books (New York, NY), 1994.

Privileged Conversation, Warner Books (New York, NY), 1996.

Me and Hitch, Faber (Boston, MA), 1997.

(Under pseudonym Ed McBain) Running from Legs and Other Stories, Five Star (Unity, ME), 2000.

(Under pseudonym Ed McBain) Driving Lessons, Carroll & Graf (New York, NY), 2000.

Barking at Butterflies, and Other Stories, Five Star (Unity, ME), 2000.

(As Evan Hunter and Ed McBain) Candyland: A Novel in Two Parts, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2001.

The Moment She Was Gone: A Novel, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2002.

UNDER PSEUDONYM ED MCBAIN; "87TH PRECINCT" SERIES

Cop Hater (also see below), Permabooks (New York, NY), 1956.

The Mugger (also see below), Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1956.

The Pusher (also see below), Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1956.

The Con Man (also see below), Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1957.

Killer's Choice, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1957.

Killer's Payoff, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1958.

Lady Killer, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1958.

Killer's Wedge, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1958.

'Til Death, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1959.

King's Ransom, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1959.

Give the Boys a Great Big Hand, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1960.

The Heckler, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1960.

See Them Die, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1960.

Lady, Lady, I Did It!, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1961.

Like Love, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1962.

The Empty Hours (three novellas), Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1962.

Ten plus One, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1963.

Ax, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1964.

He Who Hesitates, Delacorte (New York, NY), 1965.

Doll, Delacorte (New York, NY), 1965.

Eighty Million Eyes, Delacorte (New York, NY), 1966.

The 87th Precinct (includes Cop Hater, The Mugger, The Pusher, and The Con Man), Boardman, 1966.

Fuzz (also see below), Doubleday (Garden City, NY), 1968.

Shotgun, Doubleday (Garden City, NY), 1969.

Jigsaw, Doubleday (Garden City, NY), 1970.

Hail, Hail, the Gang's All Here, Doubleday (Garden City, NY), 1971.

Sadie When She Died, Doubleday (Garden City, NY), 1972.

Let's Hear It for the Deaf Man, Doubleday (Garden City, NY), 1972.

87th Precinct: An Ed McBain Omnibus, Hamish Hamilton (London, England), 1973.

Hail to the Chief, Random House (New York, NY), 1973.

Bread, Random House (New York, NY), 1974.

The Second 87th Precinct Omnibus, Hamish Hamilton (London, England), 1975.

Blood Relatives, Random House (New York, NY), 1975.

So Long as You Both Shall Live, Random House (New York, NY), 1976.

Long Time No See, Random House (New York, NY), 1977.

Calypso, Viking (New York, NY), 1979.

Ghosts, Viking (New York, NY), 1980.

Heat, Viking (New York, NY), 1981.

Ice, Arbor House (New York, NY), 1983.

Lightning, Arbor House (New York, NY) (New York, NY), 1984.

Eight Black Horses, Avon (New York, NY), 1985.

Poison, Morrow (New York, NY), 1987.

Tricks, Morrow (New York, NY), 1987.

McBain's Ladies: The Women of the 87th Precinct, Mysterious Press, 1988.

Lullaby (also see below), Morrow (New York, NY), 1989.

McBain's Ladies, Too, Mysterious Press (New York, NY), 1989.

Vespers (also see below), Morrow (New York, NY), 1990.

Widows (also see below), Morrow (New York, NY), 1991.

Kiss, Morrow (New York, NY), 1992.

Mischief, Morrow (New York, NY), 1993.

Romance, Warner (New York, NY), 1995.

Nocturne, Warner (New York, NY), 1997.

The Big, Bad City, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1998.

The Last Dance, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2000.

Lullaby; Vespers; Widows: Three Classic Novels of the 87th Precinct, Pocket Books (New York, NY), 2001.

Money, Money, Money, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2001.

Fat Ollie's Book, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2002.

The Frumious Bandersnatch, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2004.

Hark!, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2004.

Fiddlers, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2005.

UNDER PSEUDONYM ED MCBAIN; "MATTHEW HOPE" SERIES; CRIME NOVELS

Goldilocks, Arbor House (New York, NY), 1978.

Rumpelstiltskin, Viking (New York, NY), 1981.

Beauty and the Beast, Hamish Hamilton (London, England), 1982, Holt (New York, NY), 1983.

Jack and the Beanstalk, Holt (New York, NY), 1984.

Snow White and Rose Red, Holt (New York, NY), 1986.

Cinderella, Holt (New York, NY), 1986.

Puss in Boots, Holt (New York, NY), 1987.

The House that Jack Built, Holt (New York, NY), 1988.

Three Blind Mice, Mysterious Press (New York, NY), 1991.

Mary, Mary, Warner (New York, NY), 1993.

All through the House, Warner (New York, NY), 1994.

There Was a Little Girl, Warner (New York, NY), 1994.

Gladly, the Cross-eyed Bear, Warner (New York, NY), 1996.

The Last Best Hope, Warner (New York, NY), 1998.

UNDER PSEUDONYM RICHARD MARSTEN

Rocket to Luna (juvenile), Winston (Philadelphia, PA), 1953.

Danger: Dinosaurs (juvenile), Winston (Philadelphia, PA), 1953.

Runaway Black (crime novel), Fawcett (New York, NY), 1954.

Murder in the Navy (crime novel), Fawcett (New York, NY), 1955, published under pseudonym Ed McBain as Death of a Nurse, Pocket Books (New York, NY), 1968.

The Spiked Heel (crime novel), Holt (New York, NY), 1956.

Vanishing Ladies (crime novel), Pocket Books (New York, NY), 1957.

Even the Wicked (crime novel), Permabooks (New York, NY), 1957, published under pseudonym Ed McBain, Severn House (London, England), 1979.

Big Man (crime novel), Pocket Books (New York, NY), 1959, published under pseudonym Ed McBain, Penguin (Harmondsworth, England), 1978.

Also contributor to Dames, Danger, and Death, edited by Leo Marguiles, Pyramid, 1960.

UNDER PSEUDONYM CURT CANNON

I'm Cannon—For Hire (crime novel), Fawcett (New York, NY), 1958.

I Like 'Em Tough (short stories), Fawcett (New York, NY), 1958.

Also used Cannon pseudonym as author of Good Deal, Deadlier than the Mail, Dead Men Don't Dream, Death of Me, Die Hard, and Now Die in It.

PLAYS; UNDER NAME EVAN HUNTER

The Easter Man, produced in Birmingham, England, at Birmingham Repertory Theatre, 1964, produced on Broadway as A Race of Hairy Men! at Henry Miller's Theater, April, 1965.

The Conjuror, produced in Ann Arbor, MI, at Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre, November 5, 1969.

Stalemate, produced in New York, NY, 1975.

The Night They Raided Minsky's, produced on Broadway, 2000.

SCREENPLAYS AND TELEVISION SCRIPTS; UNDER NAME EVAN HUNTER

Strangers When We Meet (based on author's novel of same title), Columbia, 1960.

The Birds (based on short story by Daphne du Maurier), Universal, 1963.

Fuzz (based on author's novel of same title), United Artists, 1972.

Walk Proud (based on author's novel of same title), Universal, 1979.

The Chisholms (television series), broadcast on Columbia Broadcasting Service, 1979–1980.

OTHER

(Editor and author of introduction) The Best American Mystery Stories 1999, Houghton (Boston, MA), 1999.

Let's Talk: A Story of Cancer and Love (memoir), Orion (London, England), 2005.

(Editor) Transgressions (anthology), Forge (New York, NY), 2005.

Also author of Appointment at Eleven for Alfred Hitchcock Presents, 1955–61. Contributor to Best Detective Stories of the Year, 1955, edited by David Coxe Cook, Dutton (New York, NY), 1955. The Mugar Memorial Library of Boston University holds Hunter's manuscripts.

Also author of the books Sucker, 1958, writing as Hunt Collins; Happy Easter, Herbie, 1963; and Origins (stories), 2005; Alice in Jeopardy, 2005; The Gutter and the Grave, 2005; and Learning to Kill (collection), 2006.

Stories have appeared in numerous anthologies, including The Boris Karloff Horror Anthology, 1965; Tales of Unknown Horror, 1976; The Giant Book of Horror Stories, 1981; Knights of Madness: Further Comic Tales of Fantasy, 1988; and Vintage Science Fiction, 1999.

Hunter's books have been translated into foreign languages, including Hebrew.

ADAPTATIONS: The television series 87th Precinct, NBC, 1961–62, was based on the McBain books and was created by Hunter; Dell also published a comic book series called the 87th Precinct, 1961–62; a made-for-television movie, Ed McBain's 87th Precinct: Ice, was broadcast February 18, 1996, on NBC-TV. Several of Hunter's novels have been made into movies, including The Blackboard Jungle, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1955; Cop Hater, United Artists, 1958; The Mugger, United Artists, 1958; The Pusher, United Artists, 1960; The Young Savages (based on A Matter of Conviction), United Artists, 1961; Tengoku to jigoku (title means "High and Low"; based on King's Ransom), Toho International, 1963; Mr. Buddwing (based on Buddwing), Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1967; Last Summer, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1969; Sans Mobile apparent (title means "Without Apparent Motive"; based on Ten Plus One), President Films, 1971; Le Cri du cormoran le soir au-dessus des jonques (title means "The Cry of the Cormorant at Night over the Junks"; based on A Horse's Head), Gaumont International, 1971; and Every Little Crook and Nanny, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1972. Several of the author's novels have been adapted as audiobooks, including Downtown, William Morrow (New York, NY), 1991; Criminal Conversation, Nova/Brilliance, 1994; and Money, Money, Money, Simon & Schuster, 2001.

SIDELIGHTS: With numerous novels, short stories, plays, and film scripts to his credit, Evan Hunter has been ranked as one of the twentieth-century's most versatile, prolific, and bestselling writers. Known to millions throughout the world under his pseudonym Ed McBain, the originator of the "87th Precinct" detective series, Hunter is also the author of such thought-provoking bestsellers as The Blackboard Jungle, Strangers When We Meet, Mothers and Daughters, and Last Summer. He was also the screenwriter behind the Alfred Hitchcock classic The Birds. Selwyn Raab noted in the New York Times Book Review that between the names "Hunter" and "McBain" alone, the author published more than ninety-four novels, "with 100 million copies in print in almost as many languages as are spoken at the United Nations." Also in the New York Times Book Review, Dwight Garner called Hunter "one of popular fiction's true one-man bands."

It was as Ed McBain that Hunter established his lasting reputation. The "87th Precinct" series is unique in that it spans almost a half century, having begun in 1956 with Cop Hater. New York Times Book Review contributor Marilyn Stasio stated that McBain "invented the American police procedural as we know it … and established certain stylistic ground rules, including multiple story lines, split-focus action, rotating ensemble players, street-savvy dialogue and soul-of-the-city settings." Having inaugurated the modern police procedural, McBain was the acknowledged grand master of the form. The lifetime achievement award he received in 1986 from the Mystery Writers of America testifies to his appeal, as does the Diamond Dagger Award for lifetime achievement that he was awarded in 1998 from the British Crime Writers Association—the only American ever to receive that honor. Stasio explained: "The real achievement is how McBain has managed to sustain the continuity of the ['87th Precinct'] series … without compromising his formula or sacrificing its freshness. Indeed, the most recent novels … are among the best." In a Publishers Weekly review of The Big, Bad City, a critic wrote that McBain's "cops and crooks remain as fresh as rain" and went on to note that "McBain is so good, he ought to be arrested."

Born Salvatore Lombino in New York City, Hunter understood the value of pseudonyms in his writing. He adopted "Evan Hunter" as his legal name because a publisher thought "Lombino" might undercut his sales. The name "McBain" occurred to him as he was finishing the manuscript of Cop Hater. McBain's voice reflects the cynical New York attitude. Evan Hunter, on the other hand, was a more erudite author with literary sensibilities. He preferred to keep the two identities strictly separate because his works under each name are intended for different audiences.

Hunter began writing during a stint in the Navy during World War II. By the early 1950s he was selling stories to the pulp magazines under an array of pseudonyms. His big break as an author came with the publication of The Blackboard Jungle in 1954, a work that he based on his own experiences as a teacher in New York City schools. The Blackboard Jungle caused the then-twenty-eight-year-old author to be labeled an "overnight" success. It tells the story of an idealistic young man who confronts the often violent realities of trying to teach a group of sullen, illiterate, delinquent teenagers in a big-city vocational high school. Written in what was then politely termed the "vernacular," Hunter's book is a dramatic indictment of both the inadequacies of teacher training colleges and of the New York City school system. New York Herald Tribune Book Review contributor Barbara Klaw pointed to Hunter's "superb ear for conversation," "competence as a storyteller," and "tolerant and tough-minded sympathy for his subject" as some of the book's best features. Nathan Rothman, writing in the Saturday Review, found the book to be free of the "distortions and dishonesty" of many newspaper articles on the same topic.

Hunter once told CA: "When I was beginning to write, I wrote a great many detective stories for the pulp magazines. I wrote not only police stories, but private eye and man-on-the-run and woman-in-jeopardy, the whole gamut. After The Blackboard Jungle was published, Pocket Books did the reprint of it. I had an old mystery novel kicking around that I had not yet sold, and there was a pseudonym on it, but not Ed McBain. We sent it to Pocket Books as a possibility for a paperback original. The editor there at the time, a man named Herbert Alexander, was a very bright guy. He recognized the style and called my agent and said, 'Is this our friend Hunter?' My agent said, 'Yes, it is,' and Alexander said, 'Well, I'd like to talk to him.'"

"We had lunch one day," Hunter continued, "and the gist of the conversation was that the mainstay of Pocket Books was Erle Stanley Gardner; he had sold millions of books and they would just republish each title every three or four years with new jackets. They kept selling as if they were new books all the time. But he was getting old and they were looking for a mystery writer who could replace him, so they asked me if I had any ideas about a mystery series. I said I would think about it. I got back to them and I said that it seemed to me—after all the mysteries I'd written—that the only valid people to deal with crime were cops, and I would like to make the lead character, rather than a single person, a squad of cops instead—so it would be a conglomerate lead character. They said, 'OK, we'll give you a contract for three books and if it works we'll renew it.' I started writing the series."

"The nice thing about the '87th Precinct' is that I can deal with any subject matter so long as it's criminally related. With the Ed McBain novels, I only want to say that cops have a tough, underpaid job, and they deal with murder every day of the week, and that's the way it is, folks. With the Hunters, the theme varies and I'll usually ponder the next book for a long, long time—until it demands to be written."

The "87th Precinct" novels are set in a fictitious city named Isola that bears a striking resemblance to New York. This fictional world has evolved over the decades much as a real police precinct might have evolved—except that some of its detectives have not aged as much as they would have in real life. Rookie policemen earn promotions, detectives change their attitudes with the times, and the tools of the trade have become more sophisticated as the crimes have become more gruesome. One difference that a Publishers Weekly critic noted in later installments of the series is "the writing wisdom gained over more than forty years" as McBain has pursued his craft. Booklist reviewer Wes Lukowsky likewise commended the "87th Precinct" novels as "an amazing series that has always set the standard for intelligent police procedurals."

Most of Hunter's novels under his own name exhibit definite thematic concerns, occasionally inspired by biographical or autobiographical material, but often just ideas that came to the author. He wrote a great deal about young people, especially the relationship between the young and the old (usually parents). "I don't know why I've been attracted to writing about young people," he once remarked to a Publishers Weekly interviewer. "I guess from Blackboard Jungle, it's been a situation that's always appealed to me, the idea of adults in conflict with the young. I think part of my fascination is with America as an adolescent nation and with our so-called adult responses that are sometimes adolescent."

Often these same novels contain elements of current topical interest as well—the state of the American educational system in The Blackboard Jungle, the emptiness of post-World War II middle-class life in Mothers and Daughters, the Vietnam War in Sons, and the anti-Establishment "hippie" movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s in Love, Dad. As Hunter himself once explained to a Publishers Weekly interviewer: "The whole reason I write anything is so that someone somewhere will say, 'Oh, yeah. I feel that way too. I'm not alone.'"

Hunter's prolific output as a writer continued right up to the time of his death in 2005. Overall, he published more than fifty books alone in his "87th Precinct" series, as well as dozens of other books under his own name and other pen names. Among his final "87th Precinct" novels are The Frumious Bandersnatch, Hark!, and Fiddlers. The Frumious Bandersnatch focuses on the kidnapping of a pop star and was called "top-dollar McBain" by Gregory Kirschling in a review for Entertainment Weekly. A Publishers Weekly contributor commented: "Amazingly,… [the author] remains as fresh and sharp-edged as ever." In Hark!, the author brings back the mastermind criminal called "The Deaf Man" from an earlier book in the series. This time the cops seem unable to catch him even though he keeps giving them clues in the form of hand-written messages that sometimes quote Shakespeare. A Publishers Weekly contributor noted that the novel has "pitch-perfect dialogue, subplots that thrust various precinct cops into the spotlight, a pace that encourages the reader to forget about dinner or a good night's rest." Fiddlers is the fifty-fifth and final installment in the series. Writing on BookReporter.com, Tom Callahan noted that the novel "will delight longtime … fans while serving as a worthy introduction for those who have never read one."

Despite the prolific output of "87th Precinct" books, Hunter continued to write numerous other books throughout his career. In his 1991 work Downtown, he created a new cast of characters as he tells the story of Michael Barnes, a Florida orange farmer whose life suddenly turns bad after a scam depriving him of his money and his identity eventually leads to his being wanted for murder. A Publishers Weekly contributor commented that the author "shows a lighter side here as he keeps up his usual level of fast, eventful action with a large, colorful cast."

Mary, Mary, is part of the author's "Matthew Hope" series. It tells the story of lawyer Hope, who defends a gardener suspected of murder when three bodies are found buried in her yard. In a review of Mary, Mary in Time, William A. Henry III noted that the author "skillfully blends abnormal psychology and tongue-in-cheek contrivance." In another book in the series, There Was a Little Girl, Hope is shot and in a coma, so it is up to his friends on the force to figure out what happened. "This is the kind of book we hope for from a grandmaster," wrote a Publishers Weekly contributor. In a review in Time, John Skow noted: "As always in his novels, sharp, clear sentences trot briskly one after another, tailing up into effective paragraphs and chapters as if there were nothing to it. As always, the funny stuff is funny and the scary parts scary." In Gladly, the Cross-eyed Bear, Hope is finally out of his coma and representing a toy designer, who is suing her former boss for stealing her idea for a toy. When the head of the company is found shot, Hope's client is arrested for murder. Writing in People, J.D. Reed commented that the book is "one of his best."

In Criminal Conversation Hunter tells the story of Sarah Welles, a married schoolteacher falling under the spell of a younger businessman who is really a Mafia member. Sarah's husband happens to be head of the police rackets squad and discovers his wife's infidelity when Sarah and her lover are caught on tape by the eavesdropping police. A Publishers Weekly contributor commented that the author "shows a master's hand at popular fiction, as he employs engaging characters in a riveting plot that leads to an operatic, cathartic climax." Emily Melton, writing in Booklist, concluded: "This suspense-filled, cleverly plotted novel is a marathon of nail-biting tension."

In addition to his crime-based novels, Hunter continued to write mainstream fiction such as The Moment She Was Gone, a story about a woman who becomes schizophrenic. Michele Leber, writing in the Library Journal, called the novel "a typically well-crafted work by the author." One of Hunter's last books was Let's Talk: A Story of Cancer and Love. The memoir focuses on the author's life after he is diagnosed with laryngeal cancer as he battles to beat the disease and regain his ability to talk. "Any doctor who needs an update on life at the other end of the scalpel should read Let's Talk," wrote Anne Harding in the British medical journal the Lancet. Harding also called the book "inspiring" and noted that Hunter "tells his tale with humour."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

BOOKS

Contemporary Literary Criticism, Gale (Detroit, MI), Volume 11, 1979, Volume 31, 1985.

Hunter, Evan, Let's Talk: A Story of Cancer and Love, Orion (London, England), 2005.

Newquist, Roy, Conversations, Rand McNally (New York, NY), 1967.

PERIODICALS

Book, January, 2001, Robert Allen Papinchak, review of Candyland, p. 81.

Booklist, December 15, 1993, review of Mischief, p. 772; April 1, 1994, Emily Melton, review of Criminal Conversation, p. 1404; October 1, 1994, Wes Lukowsky, review of There Was a Little Girl, p. 243; April 1, 1995, review of Romance, p. 1355; February 1, 1996, George Needham, review of Privileged Conversation, p. 919; July, 1996, Wes Lukowsky, review of Gladly, the Cross-eyed Bear, p. 1780; April 15, 1997, David Pitt, review of Nocturne, p. 1410; January 1, 1998, Wes Lukowsky, review of The Last Best Hope, p. 743; November 15, 1998, Wes Lukowsky, review of The Big, Bad City, p. 548; September 1, 1999, George Needham, review of The Best American Mystery Stories, 1999, p. 70; September 15, 1999, Wes Lukowsky, review of The Last Dance, p. 197; May 1, 2000, Wes Lukowsky, review of Barking at Butterflies and Other Stories, p. 1618; July, 2000, Wes Lukowsky, review of Driving Lessons, p. 2014; August, 2000, Lukowsky, review of Running from Legs and Other Stories, p. 2120; November 15, 2000, Wes Lukowsky, review of Candyland, p. 587; December 1, 2000, Nancy Spillman, review of The Last Dance, p. 743; May 1, 2001, Bill Ott and Brad Hooper, review of The Last Best Hope, p. 1603; July, 2001, Wes Lukowsky, review of Money, Money, Money, p. 1952; September 1, 2001, Ted Hipple, review of The Last Dance, p. 126; May 15, 2002, Wes Lukowsky, review of The Moment She Was Gone, p. 1556; November 15, 2002, Wes Lukowsky, review of Fat Ollie's Book, p. 549; October 15, 2000, Wes Lukowsky, review of The Frumious Bandersnatch, p. 357; July, 2004, Wes Lukowsky, review of Hark!, p. 1799.

Bookseller, February 4, 2005, review of Let's Talk, p. 34.

Charlotte Observer, February 28, 2001, Jack Harville, review of Candyland.

Entertainment Weekly, May 6, 1994, Mark Harris, review of Criminal Conversation, p. 60; April 28, 1995, Tom De Haven, review of Romance, p. 57; January 9, 2004, Gregory Kirschling, review of The Frumious Bandersnatch, p. 84; August 6, 2004, review of Hark!, p. 85; May 13, 2005, Adam B. Vary, review of Transgressions, p. 92.

Investor's Business Daily, December 27, 2000, Curt Schleier, "Novelist Evan Hunter: His Positive Attitude Helped Him Stay Concentrated on His Goal," p. A4.

Journal of American & Comparative Cultures, spring-summer, 2002, Erin E. MacDonald, "Genre and Masculinity in Ed McBain's 87th Precinct Novels," p. 47.

Kirkus Reviews, May 15, 2002, review of The Moment She Was Gone, p. 686; October 1, 2002, review of Fat Ollie's Book, p. 1431; October 15, 2003, review of The Frumious Bandersnatch, p. 1254; July 1, 2004, review of Hark!, p. 607.

Lancet, July 30, 2005, Anne Harding, review of Let's Talk, p. 362.

Library Journal, January, 1997, Michael Adams, review of Privileged Conversation, p. 172; May 15, 1998, Joanna M. Burkhardt, review of the The Last Best Hope, p. 133; September 1, 1998, Cliff Glaviano, review of Driving Lessons, p. 234; October 1, 1999, Craig L. Shufelt, review of The Best American Mystery Stories, 1999, p. 139; November 1, 1999, Jo Ann Vicarel, review of The Last Dance, p. 128; December, 2000, Michele Leber, review of Candyland, p. 188; August, 2001, Patrick J. Wall, review of Money, Money, Money, p. 170; July, 2002, Michele Leber, review of The Moment She Was Gone, p. 118; November 1, 2002, Jo Ann Vicarel, review of Fat Ollie's Book, p. 133; December, 2003, review of The Frumious Bandersnatch, p. 168; May 1, 2005, Ken Bolton, review of Transgressions, p. 69.

Nation, December 4, 1954, Stanley Cooperman, review of The Blackboard Jungle.

New Yorker, January 10, 2000, Pete Hamill, "The Poet of Pulp," p. 62.

New York Herald Tribune Book Review, October 17, 1954, Barbara Klaw, review of The Blackboard Jungle.

New York Times Book Review, September 28, 1969, review of Sons, p. 54; September 19, 1976, review of The Chisholms, p. 42; May 6, 1979, Julian Symons, review of Calypso, p. 12; May 10, 1981, Ivan Gold, review of Love, Dad, p. 14; October 2, 1994, Richard Gid Powers, review of There Was a Little Girl, p. 27; April 16, 1995, Marilyn Stasio, review of Romance, p. 29; April 14, 1996, Dwight Garner, review of Privileged Conversation, p. 21; January 10, 1999, Marilyn Stasio, review of The Big, Bad City, p. 54; January 30, 2000, Marilyn Stasio, "Cop Story," p. 13, and Selwyn Raab, "Writing under an Assumed Name," p. 13.

People, February 24, 1992, Lorenzo Carcaterra, review of Kiss, p. 30; March 30, 1992, Ken Gross, "By Any Name but His Own," p. 79; July 25, 1994, Lorenzo Carcaterra, review of Criminal Conversation, p. 27; April 3, 1995, Peter Castro, "Toxic Shock: Evan Hunter Is Stunned to See His Book Linked to a Lethal Nerve-Gas Attack in Japan," p. 97; September 23, 1996, J.D. Reed, review of Gladly, the Cross-eyed Bear, p. 29; May 12, 1997, Samantha Miller, review of Nocturne, p. 32; February 12, 2001, William Plummer, review of Candyland, p. 41; February 2, 2004, Samantha Miller, review of The Frumious Bandersnatch, p. 41.

Philadelphia Inquirer, July 22, 2002, Martha Woodall, review of The Moment She Was Gone.

PR Newswire, November 30, 1999, "Ed McBain's Latest 87th Precinct Novel Released in Rocket Edition Prior to Print Publication," p. 1176.

Publishers Weekly, April 3, 1981, Robert Dahlin, "Evan Hunter," interview with author, p. 6; July 5, 1991, review of Downtown, p. 57; November 22, 1991, review of Kiss, p. 38; June 1, 1992, review of Kiss, p. 26; March 22, 1993, review of Mary, Mary, p. 74; June 28, 1993, review of Mischief, p. 60; March 21, 1994, review of Criminal Conversation, p. 53; August 29, 1994, review of There Was a Little Girl, p. 61l; March 13, 1995, review of Romance, p. 63; December 18, 1995, review of Privileged Conversation, p. 39; July 8, 1996, review of Gladly, the Cross-eyed Bear, p. 77; March 24, 1997, review of Nocturne, p. 62; February 23, 1998, review of The Last Best Hope, p. 54; December 7, 1998, review of The Big Bad City, p. 54; August 30, 1999, review of The Best American Mystery Stories, 1999, p. 55; October 18, 1999, review of The Last Dance, p. 74; November 1, 1999, reviews of The Big Bad City and The Last Dance, p. 48; December 6, 1999, review of The Best American Mystery Stories, 1999, p. 34; July 17, 2000, review of Driving Lessons, p. 177; January 1, 2001, review of Candyland, p. 68, and Jeff Zaleski, "PW Talks with Evan Hunter," p. 68; August 27, 2001, review of Money, Money, Money, p. 58; July 22, 2002, review of The Moment She Was Gone, p. 160: December 23, 2002, review of Fat Ollie's Book, p. 49; November 3, 2003, review of The Frumious Bandersnatch, p. 57; July 19, 2004, review of Hark!, p. 148.

Sarasota Herald Tribune, May 3, 1998, Bob Morrison, review of The Last Best Hope, p. F5.

Saturday Review, October 9, 1954, Nathan Rothman, review of The Blackboard Jungle.

South Florida Sun Sentinal, January 15, 2001, Oline H. Cogdill, review of Candyland.

Time, April 26, 1993, William A. Henry III, review of Mary, Mary, p. 65; October 17, 1994, John Skow, review of There Was a Little Girl, p. 84.

Writer, March, 2002, Ronald Kovach, "Urban Legend: After 90-Plus Novels, Evan Hunter—aka Ed McBain—Is Still Going Strong," p. 24.

ONLINE

BookReporter.com, http://www.bookreporter.com/ (November 30, 2005), Joe Hartlaub, reviews of The Moment She Was Gone, Lullaby, Vespers, Widow, Fat Ollie's Book, The Frumious Bandersnatch, and Hark!; Stuart Shiffman, review of Alice in Jeopardy; Tom Callahan, review of Fiddlers; "Ed McBain (Evan Hunter)," interview with author.

Ed McBain Home Page, http://www.edmcbain.com (December 1, 2005).

Evan Hunter Home Page, http://www.evanhunter.com (December 1, 2005).

Fantasy Fiction, http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/ (October 11, 2003), author biography.

Writers Guild of America, http://www.wga.org/ (October 11, 2003), "Winners Announced for 53rd Annual Writers Guild Awards."