Ralph Wellner Salaway (November 13, 1913 – October 25, 1991) was a
California novelist who authored five books of
hardboiled crime fiction in the 1950s and 1960 under the pseudonym Al Fray. Salaway's
pseudonym is derived from the
Pig Latin translation of his first name (and thus is a "pen" name in two senses.)
While his 1955 book, ''
And Kill Once More'', is a
whodunit in the classic style, Salaway's 1957 and 1958 novels have more to do with the common man's involvement in crime and the moral dilemmas that arise as he confronts his own behavior and that of others. In this way, Salaway's fiction may reflect the same
zeitgeist that produced many of the most cerebral television scripts of the late 1950s and early 1960s such as those of
Rod Serling
Rodman Edward Serling (December 25, 1924 – June 28, 1975) was an American screenwriter, playwright, television producer, and narrator/on-screen host, best known for his live television dramas of the 1950s and his anthology television series ' ...
(''
The Twilight Zone'', etc.) and
Gene Roddenberry
Eugene Wesley Roddenberry Sr. (August 19, 1921 – October 24, 1991) was an American television screenwriter, producer, and creator of ''Star Trek: The Original Series'', its sequel spin-off series ''Star Trek: The Animated Series,'' and ''Sta ...
(''
Have Gun, Will Travel'', etc.).
Salaway's final novel as Al Fray, 1960's ''
The Dame's the Game,'' involves a lawman of sorts—a Las Vegas casino house detective—who leaves legitimacy behind in the name of vengeance. Notes on the cover of that book refer to it as "A Barney Conroy Suspense Novel," suggesting that others existed or were planned; however, no others were published.
Works of Ralph Salaway as Al Fray
* ''
And Kill Once More'' (1955)
* ''
The Dice Spelled Murder'' (1957)
* ''
Come Back for More
''Come Back for More,'' by American novelist Al Fray, was published in 1958
as a Dell (paperback) First Edition.
Plot introduction
In River City, bank teller "Swede" Anderson puts the finger on a syndicate murderer and learns the cost of c ...
'' (1958)
* ''
Built for Trouble'' (1958)
* ''
The Dame's the Game'' (1960)
Translations
* ''Attention : freins puissants'' (1959) French translation of ''Come Back for Me''
* ''Aux Pieds de la Sirène'' (1960) French translation of ''Built for Trouble''
* ''Un pari à Las Vegas'' (1961), French translation of ''The Dame's the Game''
* ''Dados Cargados'' (1960) Spanish translation of ''The Dame's the Game''
References
20th-century American novelists
American crime fiction writers
American male novelists
1913 births
1991 deaths
20th-century American male writers
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