Jeffers, H. Paul 1934–

(Harry Paul Jeffers)

PERSONAL: Born 1934, in Phoenixville, PA. Education: Attended Temple University; University of Iowa, M.A.

ADDRESSES: Home—New York, NY. Office—c/o Author Mail, Zebra Books, 475 Park Ave., S., New York, NY 10016.

CAREER: Writer. Instructor in journalism at Boston University, Boston, MA; producer and news writer for American Broadcasting Company (ABC); Fulbright professor in Thailand; writer, 1967–. Military service: U.S. Army, linguist.

WRITINGS:

NONFICTION

(With Everett McKinley Dirksen) Gallant Men: Stories of American Adventure, McGraw (New York, NY), 1967.

(With Margaret Chase Smith) Gallant Women, McGraw (New York, NY), 1968.

The CIA: A Close Look at the Central Intelligence Agency, Lion Press (New York, NY), 1970.

How the U.S. Senate Works: The ABM Debate, McGraw (New York, NY), 1970.

(With Dick Levitan) See Parris and Die: Brutality in the U.S. Marines, Hawthorn (New York, NY), 1971.

(With Dick Levitan) Sex in the Executive Suite, Playboy Press (Chicago, IL), 1972.

Wanted by the FBI, Hawthorn (New York, NY), 1972.

(Editor) The Adventure of the Stalwart Companions: Heretofore Unpublished Letters and Papers Concerning a Singular Collaboration between Theodore Roosevelt and Sherlock Holmes, Harper (New York, NY), 1978.

Murder along the Way: A Prosecutor's Personal Account of Fighting Violent Crime in the Suburbs, Pharos (New York, NY), 1989.

Who Killed Precious?: How FBI Special Agents Combine High Technology and Psychology to Identify Violent Criminals, Pharos (New York, NY), 1991.

(With Sheila MacRae) Hollywood Mother of the Year: Sheila MacRae's Own Story, Carol Publishing (New York, NY), 1992.

Bloody Business: An Anecdotal History of Scotland Yard, Pharos (New York, NY), 1992.

(With Howard H. Schack) A Spy in Canaan: My Secret Life as a Jewish American Businessman Spying for Israel in Arab Lands, Carol Publishing (New York, NY), 1993.

Commissioner Roosevelt: The Story of Theodore Roosevelt and the New York City Police, 1895–1897, Wiley (New York, NY), 1994.

Gentleman Gerald: The Crimes and Times of Gerald Chapman, America's First Public Enemy No. 1, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1995.

Colonel Roosevelt: Theodore Roosevelt Goes to War, 1897–1898, Wiley (New York, NY), 1996.

(With Kevin Gordon) The Good Cigar: A Celebration of the Art of Cigar Smoking, with illustrations by Gordon, Lyons & Burford (New York, NY), 1996.

High Spirits, with illustrations by Kevin Gordon, Lyons & Burford (New York, NY), 1997.

The Bully Pulpit: A Teddy Roosevelt Book of Quotations, Taylor (Dallas, TX), 1998.

The Perfect Pipe, Burford Books (Short Hills, NJ), 1998.

(Coauthor) "21": Every Day Was New Year's Eve: Memoirs of a Saloon Keeper, Taylor (Dallas, TX), 1999.

Santa Claus, Lerner Publications (Minneapolis, MN), 2000.

Legends of Santa Claus, Lerner Publications (Minneapolis, MN), 2000.

Sal Mineo: His Life, Murder, and Mystery, Carroll & Graf (New York, NY), 2000.

An Honest President: The Life and Presidencies of Grover Cleveland, W. Morrow (New York, NY), 2000.

With an Axe, Pinnacle Books (New York, NY), 2000.

Diamond Jim Brady: Prince of the Gilded Age, Wiley (New York, NY), 2001.

The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Great Depression, Alpha Books (Indianapolis, IN), 2002.

The Napoleon of New York: Mayor Fiorello La Guardia, Wiley (New York, NY), 2002.

Roosevelt the Explorer: T.R.'s Amazing Adventures as a Naturalist, Conservationist, and Explorer, Taylor (Lanham, MD), 2002.

Theodore Roosevelt, Jr.: The Life of a War Hero, Presidio (Novato, CA), 2002, also published as In the Rough Rider's Shadow: The Story of a War Hero, Theodore Roosevelt, Ballantine Books (New York, NY), 2003.

The 100 Greatest Heroes, Citadel Press (New York, NY), 2003.

Ace of Aces: The Life of Captain Eddie Rickenbacker, Ballantine Books (New York, NY), 2003.

Disaster by the Bay: the Great San Francisco Earthquake and Fire of 1906, Lyons Press (Guilford, CT), 2003.

History's Greatest Conspiracies: One Hundred Plots, Real and Suspected, That Shocked, Fascinated, and Sometimes Changed the World, Lyons Press (Guilford, CT), 2004.

Freemasons: A History and Exploration of the World's Oldest Secret Society, Citadel Press (New York, NY), 2005.

I Told You So: Right and Wrong Predictions in American History and the People Who Made Them, Taylor (Lanham, MD), 2006.

ADULT FICTION

Rubout at the Onyx, Ticknor & Fields (New Haven, CT), 1981.

Murder Most Irregular, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1983.

Murder on Mike: A Harry MacNeil Mystery, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1984.

A Portrait in Murder and Gay Colours, Knights Press (Stamford, CT), 1985.

The Rag Doll Murder, Ballantine (New York, NY), 1987.

Gods and Lovers, Knights Press (Stamford, CT), 1989.

Secret Orders, Zebra (New York, NY), 1989.

Morgan, Zebra (New York, NY), 1989.

Blood on the Nueces, Zebra (New York, NY), 1989.

Texas Bounty, Zebra (New York, NY), 1989.

A Grand Night for Murder, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1995.

Reader's Guide to Murder: A Sergeant John Bogdanovic Mystery, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1996.

What Mommy Said: An Arlene Flynn Mystery, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1997.

Corpus Corpus: A Sergeant Jon Bogdanovic Mystery, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1998.

The Forgotten Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: Based on the Original Radio Plays by Anthony Boucher and Dennis Green, Carroll & Graf (New York, NY), 2005.

RECORDINGS

Gallant Men, narrated by Everett M. Dirksen, Capitol Records, 1966.

(With Everett M. Dirksen) Man Is Not Alone, Capitol Records, 1967.

Also author of the sound recording Confrontation at Harvard, narrated by Charles Osgood, Buddah Records.

SIDELIGHTS: H. Paul Jeffers is a writer with numerous nonfiction, mystery, and Western titles to his credit. His interest in government-sponsored law enforcement activities (the CIA and FBI, Scotland Yard) has also enriched his mystery and suspense novels with their assortment of amateur sleuths. Jeffers has also written a three-part Western series featuring the recurring character Hugh Morgan, a series characterized in Twentieth-Century Western Writers as "a rambling adventure story with some romance thrown in for good measure." According to a contributor to Twentieth-Century Western Writers: "What Jeffers is good at is giving the reader an assortment of rich characters who breathe life into his books. From the whole spectrum of human beings who appear in the stories … Jeffers can, and does, create believable characters."

In his mysteries, Jeffers makes extensive use of his knowledge of classic detective fiction. In A Grand Night for Murder, for example, the crime is set at an awards dinner held by the Mystery Writers of America. An offensive true-crime author walks away with the top prize, leading many of his peers to loudly state their ill feelings for him. When he is found dead the next day, a young detective named Arlene Flynn works with New York City's chief of detectives to hunt for the killer. As they unravel the case, they rely on the wisdom of the greatest fictional detective of all—Sherlock Holmes—to help them out. "The literary references are incessant and delightful," noted a Publishers Weekly writer, who also commented that Jeffers "plays fair … allowing a really alert reader to spot the clues leading to the killer." The reviewer went on write, "A thoroughly professional job." In What Mommy Said: An Arlene Flynn Mystery, Flynn is again the featured detective whose love of mystery serves as "a means for the author to show off his knowledge of Inspector Morse and Sherlock Holmes stories" as noted by another Publishers Weekly contributor.

Jeffers is the author of three books about former United States president Theodore Roosevelt: Commissioner Roosevelt: The Story of Theodore Roosevelt and the New York City Police, 1895–1897, Colonel Roosevelt: Theodore Roosevelt Goes to War, 1897–1898, and The Bully Pulpit: A Teddy Roosevelt Book of Quotations. The first tells of Roosevelt's campaign to reform the New York City police department, which during the late 1800s was one of the most corrupt in the country. Within two years of taking office as police commissioner, he effected sweeping reforms and increased the ranks of the force by about 1700 officers. Booklist reviewer Margaret Flanagan credited Jeffers with writing "a lively, entertaining, and well-researched portrait of a zealous reformer during the historic crusade that successfully launched his career in government." Colonel Roosevelt picked up where Commissioner Roosevelt left off, detailing Roosevelt's service in the Spanish-American war and his bid for the presidency. A Publishers Weekly contributor called it "a handsome narrative of a crucial period in the career of one of our country's most colorful politicians."

In "21": Every Day Was New Year's Eve: Memoirs of a Saloon Keeper, Jeffers teams up with H. Peter Kriendler to write Kriendler's recollections of the famous New York club that Kriendler's brother founded during Prohibition. Joe Collins, writing in Booklist, called the book "a fun and personal look at a bit of Americana." Jeffers presents a biography of one of the first actors to acknowledge his homosexuality in the book Sal Mineo: His Life, Murder, and Mystery. Mike Tribby, writing in Booklist, noted that Mineo's story is "told with feeling by an author who cared about him."

Jeffers tells a quintessential American success story in Diamond Jim Brady: Prince of the Gilded Age. An immensely prosperous salesman of railroad equipment, Brady was known for his colorful personality and ostentatious ways, both in terms of his expense accounts and his personal life. A Publishers Weekly contributor noted that "the story … is filled with such gusto and vigor that even hardcore business readers will be swept away." Dale Farris, writing in the Library Journal, commented that the author "fully develops this superb historical biography."

Roosevelt the Explorer: T.R.'s Amazing Adventures as a Naturalist, Conservationist, and Explorer continues the author's examination of the life of the twenty-sixth U.S. president as he recounts Roosevelt's expeditions that combined scientific efforts with the president's love of hunting and adventure. William D. Pederson, writing in the Library Journal, commented that "Jeffers's telling will appeal to the general reader." The author takes a look at another U.S. leader from the past in An Honest President: The Life and Presidencies of Grover Cleveland. Noting that the book is most suitable for general not scholarly readership, Historian contributor Charles W. Calhoun commented that the author "is much more at home portraying Cleveland's personality and private life than he is in delineating and evaluating his public life and policies."

In Ace of Aces: The Life of Captain Eddie Rickenbacker, Jeffers presents a new biography of the World War I ace American pilot, recounting his rise from a poor family in Ohio to becoming an American war hero to later exploits as a castaway during World War II. Writing in the Library Journal, John R. Vallely commented that the book is a "nicely crafted biography." Booklist contributor Gilbert Taylor called the biography "[a] solid performance."

Jeffers recounts the impressive military career of Theodore Roosevelt's son in the book Theodore Roosevelt, Jr.: The Life of a War Hero. The former president's namesake served with distinction in both world wars and commanded the 4th Infantry Division during D-Day operations. "Ted's life story and service to this country warrant telling, and Jeffers tells it well," wrote Ted Behncke Sr. in Military Review. The author takes on a legendary political character in The Napoleon of New York: Mayor Fiorello La Guardia. Writing in the Histo-rian, Melvin G. Holli commented that author explores La Guardia's childhood and the impact it had on him later and noted, "The strength of Jeffers's book lies in its full coverage of La Guardia's life from his days in Arizona as an 'Army Brat,' through his work as a Spanish-American War reporter and his family's repatriation to Italy, to his mayoralty years and demise in 1947." Public Interest contributor Fred Siegel noted that the book "paints a picture of La Guardia's colorful personality." Siegel went on to write, "The mayor emerges here as a quipster and source of urban folklore but also as a highly competent statesman."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

BOOKS

Twentieth-Century Western Writers, 2nd edition, St. James (Detroit, MI), 1991, pp. 355-356.

PERIODICALS

Booklist, September 15, 1994, Margaret Flanagan, review of Commissioner Roosevelt: The Story of Theodore Roosevelt and the New York City Police, 1895–1897, p. 88; December 1, 1995, Mike Tribby, review of Gentleman Gerald: The Crimes and Times of Gerald Chapman, America's First Public Enemy No. 1., p. 591; October 1, 1996, Brian McCombie, review of The Good Cigar: A Celebration of the Art of Cigar Smoking, p. 309; May 15, 1999, Joe Collins, review of "21": Every Day Was New Year's Eve: Memoirs of a Saloon Keeper, p. 1657; November 15, 2000, Mike Tribby, review of Sal Mineo: His Life, Murder, and Mystery, p. 599; October 1, 2003, Gilbert Taylor, review of Ace of Aces: The Life of Captain Eddie Rickenbacker, p. 280.

Historian, winter, 2002, Charles W. Calhoun, review of An Honest President: The Life and Presidencies of Grover Cleveland, p. 418; spring, 2004, Melvin G. Holli, review of The Napoleon of New York: Mayor Fiorello La Guardia, p. 147.

Infantry, winter, 2003, Cole C. Kingseed, review of Theodore Roosevelt, Jr.: The Life of a War Hero, p. 51.

Kirkus Reviews, September 15, 2005, review of The Forgotten Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: Based on the Original Radio Plays by Anthony Boucher and Dennis Green, p. 1003.

Lambda Book Report, December, 2000, review of Sal Mineo, p. 31.

Library Journal, September 1, 2001, Dale Farris, review of Diamond Jim Brady: Prince of the Gilded Age, p. 192; March 1, 2003, William D. Pederson, review of Roosevelt the Explorer: T.R.'s Amazing Adventures as a Naturalist, Conservationist, and Explorer, p. 103; November 1, 2003, John R. Vallely, review of Ace of Aces, p. 89.

Military Review, March-April, 2005, Ted Behncke, Sr., review of Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., p. 79.

Public Interest, winter, 2004, Fred Siegel, review of The Napoleon of New York, p. 119.

Publishers Weekly, May 31, 1993, review of A Spy in Canaan: My Life as a Jewish-American Businessman Spying for Israel in Arab Lands, p. 35; July 25, 1994, review of Commissioner Roosevelt, p. 41; May 8, 1995, review of A Grand Night for Murder, p. 290; October 9, 1995, review of Gentleman Gerald, p. 69; March 4, 1996, review of Colonel Roosevelt: Theodore Roosevelt Goes to War, 1897–1898, p. 51; September 16, 1996, review of The Good Cigar, p. 65; October 6, 1997, review of What Mommy Said: An Arlene Flynn Mystery, p. 78; August 20, 2001, review of Diamond Jim Brady, p. 72; November 25, 2002, review of Roosevelt the Explorer, p. 52.