HUTTON, Malcolm 1921-

(Malcolm Forsythe)

PERSONAL: Born November 23, 1921, in London, England; son of Bert (a customs officer) and Gladys (Daniels) Hutton; married Patricia Milbourn, September 26, 1943 (divorced, 1956); married Diana Atkins (an artist), May 14, 1957; children: Beverley Hutton Randolph, Anne Hutton Baker, Graham, Stephen, Susan Hutton Mackintosh, Kim. Education: University of London, B.Commerce, 1943.

ADDRESSES: Home and office—55 Broomsleigh St., London NW6 1QQ, England.

CAREER: Worked for British Government, 1946–81, including Department of Civil Defence, London, England, assistant director of London region, 1960–63, Joint Computer Organisation of the Home Office and the Metropolitan Police, London, head of unit, 1970–81. Freeman of the City of London. Military service: Royal Air Force, 1941–46; became flight lieutenant.

MEMBER: British Computer Society, Society of Authors.

WRITINGS:

NOVELS

Jenny Nobody, R. Hale (London, England), 1979.

Address Unknown, St. Martin's (New York, NY), 1981.

Mark Peterson's Daughter, R. Hale (London, England), 1982.

Georgina and Georgette, St. Martin's (New York, NY), 1984.

Tara, R. Hale (London, England), 1984.

The Chinese Girl, R. Hale (London, England), 1985.

Child of Malice, R. Hale (London, England), 1987.

MYSTERY NOVELS; UNDER PSEUDONYM MALCOLM FORSYTHE

Without a Trace, Crime Club (London, England), 1991.

A Cousin Removed, Crime Club (London, England), 1992.

The Book Lady, Crime Club (London, England), 1993.

A Fatal Reunion, HarperCollins (London, England), 1995.

Death of a Secretary, HarperCollins (London, England), 1996.

Only Living Witness, Severn House (Sutton, England), 2000.

Last Known Address, Severn House (Sutton, England), 2001.

OTHER

Contributor of stories to magazines and newspapers. Address Unknown has been translated into German and Danish.

SIDELIGHTS: British author Malcolm Hutton has gained attention in the United States for his mystery novels penned under the pseudonym Malcolm Forsythe. Featured in these police procedurals are Detective Chief Inspector George Millson and Detective Sergeant Norris Scobie. Reviewers have praised these books for their accurate portrayal of police work and their fast pace. Last Known Address, for example, is the seedy tale about wealthy cousins Richard and Drusilla Layton, who are not only sexual partners but also pair up with any other willing partners they can find. Their designs include hiring and seducing an orphaned girl, as well as Yvonne Weston, the wife of Harry Weston, whose computer company they wish to purchase. Millson and Scobie enter the scene during an investigation of the disappearance of Katrina Kovacs, who was once the Laytons' au pair. The detectives suspect foul play, and when Harry Weston is stabbed to death it looks like a double homicide. Library Journal critic Rex E. Klett declared Last Known Address to be a "topnotch procedural," while a Kirkus Reviews writer called it a "feast for readers with a taste for epic theatrics, innuendo, and bodies buried in the garage." Although Mary Frances Wilkens in Booklist, considered Hutton somewhat of a "lightweight," John Rowen suggested in a Booklist review of Only Living Witness that "when readers have exhausted the big names, give them Forsythe."

Hutton once told CA: "I write about the unlikely things that happen to ordinary people and how, therefore, they can happen to any of us. Although I try to entertain people, I hope my novels make them think a little too."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, May 1, 2000, John Rowen, review of Only Living Witness, p. 1616; October 15, 2001, Mary Frances Wilkens, review of Last Known Address, p. 385.

Kirkus Reviews, September 15, 2001, review of Last Known Address, p. 1326.

Library Journal, December, 2001, Rex E. Klett, review of Last Known Address, p. 178.

New York Times Book Review, February 7, 1982, Newgate Callendar, review of Address Unknown, p. 20.

Publishers Weekly, October 22, 2001, review of Last Known Address, p. 51.