Lynds, Dennis 1924–2005

(William Arden, Nick Carter, Michael Collins, John Crowe, Carl Dekker, Maxwell Grant, Mark Sadler)

OBITUARY NOTICE—See index for CA sketch: Born January 15, 1924, in St. Louis, MO; died of septic shock due to bowel necrosis and multiple organ failure, August 19, 2005, in San Francisco, CA. Author. Lynds was an award-winning mystery novelist who was particularly well known for his "Dan Fortune" series written under the pen name Michael Collins. After distinguished service in the U.S. Army infantry during World War II (where he earned such medals as the Purple Heart and Bronze Star), he studied chemistry at Hofstra University. He completed his bachelor's degree there in 1949, and went on to finish a second degree in journalism from Syracuse University in 1951. Lynds combined these two disciplines by working as an editor for a variety of science magazines during the 1950s and 1960s, including Chemical Week, Chemical Engineering Progress, and Chemical Equipment. His first novel, Combat Soldier (1962), was based on his war experiences; during the 1960s, he also wrote for such television series as The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and Alfred Hitchcock Presents. By the mid-1960s Lynds was producing a steady stream of mystery and detective novels under various pseudonyms. His work was often compared to that of his friend Kenneth Miller, who wrote as Ross Macdonald, and he was credited with lending his heroes a realistic, emotional hue. Over the years, he won a number of awards for his fiction, including an Edgar Allan Poe Award in 1968 and a Special Award from the Mystery Writers of America the next year. In 1988 he also received a lifetime achievement award from the Private Eye Writers of America, and in 2003 he was presented with the Marlowe Award from the Southern California chapter of the Mystery Writers of America for his body of work. Lynds wrote over eighty novels and hundreds of short stories and was still writing at the time of his death. Lynds was also a mentor to his fellow writers, offering encouragement to aspiring novelists at the Santa Barbara Writers Conference and working with the Authors Guild on issues regarding copyright protection.

OBITUARIES AND OTHER SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Chicago Tribune, August 26, 2005, section 3, p. 9.

Los Angeles Times, August 25, 2005, p. B10.

New York Times, August 24, 2005, p. C16.

Washington Post, August 25, 2005, p. B6.