Gerald Moody Ford (1945 – December 1, 2021) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

crime In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a State (polity), state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definit ...

and thriller

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others aspire to ...

, writing as G. M. Ford.

Biography

Ford's father died when he was young and as such he was brought up solely by his mother, who worked as a

secretary A secretary, administrative professional, administrative assistant, executive assistant, administrative officer, administrative support specialist, clerk, military assistant, management assistant, office secretary, or personal assistant is a w ...

. Ford attended Nathaniel Hawthorne College in

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

(closed 1988) and ended up with a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

in 18th-century literature from

Adelphi University Adelphi University is a private university in Garden City, New York. Adelphi also has centers in Manhattan, Hudson Valley, and Suffolk County. There is also a virtual, online campus for remote students. It is the oldest institution of higher ed ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. Ford worked as a teacher of

creative writing Creative writing is any writing that goes outside the bounds of normal professional, journalistic, academic, or technical forms of literature, typically identified by an emphasis on narrative craft, character development, and the use of literary ...

before becoming an author.

Career

Ford's first book, ''Who in Hell Is Wanda Fuca?'' was

published Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, newsp ...

in 1995. As well as being Ford's

début novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to pu ...

, this book was the first in a series of 12 books based on the character Leo Waterman, a detective living and working in

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...

. In 2001, Ford introduced the character Frank Corso in the novel ''Fury''. This novel showed a different approach in Ford's

writing style In literature, writing style is the manner of expressing thought in language characteristic of an individual, period, school, or nation. As Bryan Ray notes, however, style is a broader concern, one that can describe "readers' relationships with, t ...

. Ford wrote five more Corso novels before publishing his first standalone novel, ''Nameless Night'' (''Identity'' in the UK), in 2008. He has since published two other standalones, ''Nature of the Beast'' and ''Threshold''.

Bibliography

Leo Waterman series

*''Who in Hell Is Wanda Fuca?'' (1995) *''Cast in Stone'' (1996) *''The Bum's Rush'' (1997) *''Slow Burn'' (1998) *''The Last Ditch'' (1999) *''The Deader the Better'' (2000) *''Thicker Than Water'' (2012) *''Chump Change'' (2014) *''Salvation Lake'' (2016) *''Family Values'' (2017) *''Soul Survivor'' (2018) *''Heavy on the Dead'' (2019)

Frank Corso series

*''Fury'' (2001) *''Black River'' (2002) *''A Blind Eye'' (2003) *''Red Tide'' (2004) *''No Man's Land'' (2005) *''Blown Away'' (2006)

Standalone novels

* ''Nameless Night'' (''Identity'' in UK) (2008) * ''Nature of the Beast'' (2013) * ''Threshold'' (2015)

Awards

Ford's début novel, ''Who in Hell Is Wanda Fuca?'', was nominated for the

1996 Anthony Award Bouchercon is an annual convention of creators and devotees of mystery and detective fiction. It is named in honour of writer, reviewer, and editor Anthony Boucher; also the inspiration for the Anthony Awards, which have been issued at the con ...

, the

Shamus Award The Shamus Award is awarded by the Private Eye Writers of America (PWA) for the best detective fiction ( P. I. = Private investigator) genre novels and short stories A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one si ...

for Best First Novel, and the

Dilys Award The Dilys Award was presented every year from 1992 to 2014 by the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association. It was given to the mystery title of the year which the member booksellers have most enjoyed selling. The Independent Mystery Booksellers ...

for Best Novel. ''The Deader the Better'' was nominated for the Best Novel Shamus Award in 2001. The second novel in the Frank Corso series, ''Black River'', was recognised by ''

The Seattle Times ''The Seattle Times'' is a daily newspaper serving Seattle, Washington, United States. It was founded in 1891 and has been owned by the Blethen family since 1896. ''The Seattle Times'' has the largest circulation of any newspaper in Washington (s ...

'' as one of the "Best Mysteries of 2002." The following year, Ford received the Pacific Northwest Writers Association's Achievement Award for both his literary success and, according to ''The Seattle Times'', his "willingness to help others." The same year, he won the Spotted Owl Award for the best mystery novel by a Pacific Northwest writer for ''Black River''. ''A Blind Eye'' was a nominee in 2004.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ford, G. M. 1945 births Living people American thriller writers American male novelists Adelphi University alumni 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American male writers