Stephen Marlowe (born Milton Lesser, in Brooklyn, New York, died , in

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) was an

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science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

mystery Mystery, The Mystery, Mysteries or The Mysteries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters *Mystery, a cat character in ''Emily the Strange'' Films * ''Mystery'' (2012 film), a 2012 Chinese drama film * ''Mystery'' ( ...

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...

s, and fictional autobiographies of

Goya Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes (; ; 30 March 174616 April 1828) was a Spanish romantic painter and printmaker. He is considered the most important Spanish artist of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. His paintings, drawings, and ...

Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus * lij, Cristoffa C(or)ombo * es, link=no, Cristóbal Colón * pt, Cristóvão Colombo * ca, Cristòfor (or ) * la, Christophorus Columbus. (; born between 25 August and 31 October 1451, died 20 May 1506) was a ...

Miguel de Cervantes Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (; 29 September 1547 (assumed) – 22 April 1616 Old Style and New Style dates, NS) was an Early Modern Spanish writer widely regarded as the greatest writer in the Spanish language and one of the world's pre-emin ...

, and

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is wide ...

. He is best known for his detective character Chester Drum, whom he created for the 1955 novel ''The Second Longest Night''. Lesser also wrote using the pseudonyms Adam Chase, Andrew Frazer, C.H. Thames, Jason Ridgway, Stephen Wilder and

Ellery Queen Ellery Queen is a pseudonym created in 1929 by American crime fiction writers Frederic Dannay and Manfred Bennington Lee and the name of their main fictional character, a mystery writer in New York City who helps his police inspector father solve ...

Biography

Lesser attended the

College of William & Mary The College of William & Mary (officially The College of William and Mary in Virginia, abbreviated as William & Mary, W&M) is a public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia. Founded in 1693 by letters patent issued by King William III ...

, earning his degree in philosophy, marrying Leigh Lang soon after graduating. He was drafted into the

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during the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

. He and his wife divorced during 1962. He was awarded the French Prix Gutenberg du Livre during 1988 for ''The Memoirs of Christopher Columbus'', and during 1997 he was awarded the "Life Achievement Award" by the

Private Eye Writers of America Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

. He also served on the board of directors of the

Mystery Writers of America Mystery Writers of America (MWA) is an organization of mystery and crime writers, based in New York City. The organization was founded in 1945 by Clayton Rawson, Anthony Boucher, Lawrence Treat, and Brett Halliday. It presents the Edgar Award ...

. During the later part of his life he lived with his second wife Ann in

Selected bibliography

As Milton S. Lesser: * ''Somewhere I'll Find You'' (1947) * ''Earthbound'' (1952) * ''The Star Seekers'' (1953) * ''Recruit for Andromeda'' (1959) * '' Stadium Beyond the Stars'' (1960) * ''Spacemen Go Home'' (1961) * ''Secret of the Black Planet'' (1965) As Stephen Marlowe: * ''Catch the Brass Ring'' (1954) * ''Model for Murder'' (1955) * ''Turn Left for Murder'' (1955) * ''Dead on Arrival'' (1956) * ''Blonde Bait'' (1959) * ''Passport to Peril'' (1959) * ''The Shining'' (1961) * ''Colossus: A novel about Goya and a world gone mad'' (1965) * ''The Search for Bruno Heidler'' (1966) * ''Come Over, Red Rover'' (1968) * ''The Summit'' (1970) * ''The Man with No Shadow'' (1974) * ''The Cawthorn Journals'' (or ''Too Many Chiefs'') (1975) * ''Translation'' (1976) * ''The Valkyrie Encounter'' (1978) * ''Deborah's Legacy'' (1983) * ''The Memoirs of Christopher Columbus'' (1987) * ''The Death and Life of Miguel De Cervantes'' (1991) * ''The Lighthouse at the End of the World'' (1995) Chester Drum novels (as Stephen Marlowe): * ''The Second Longest Night'' (1955) * ''Mecca for Murder'' (1956) * ''Killers Are My Meat'' (1957) * ''Murder Is My Dish'' (1957) * ''Trouble Is My Name'' (1957) * ''Terror Is My Trade'' (1958) * ''Violence Is My Business'' (1958) * ''Double in Trouble'' (with

Richard S. Prather Richard Scott Prather (September 9, 1921 – February 14, 2007) was an American mystery novelist, best known for creating the "Shell Scott" series. He also wrote under the pseudonyms David Knight and Douglas Ring. Biography Prather was born i ...

, co-starring Prather's series character Shell Scott) (1959) * ''Homicide Is My Game'' (1959) * ''Danger Is My Line'' (1960) * ''Death Is My Comrade'' (1960) * ''Peril Is My Pay'' (1960) * ''Manhunt Is My Mission'' (1961) * ''Jeopardy Is My Job'' (1962) * ''Francesca'' (1963) * ''Drum Beat - Berlin'' (1964) * ''Drum Beat - Dominique'' (1965) * ''Drum Beat - Madrid'' (1966) * ''Drum Beat - Erica'' (1967) * ''Drum Beat - Marianne'' (1968) As Adam Chase (writing with Paul W. Fairman): * ''The Golden Ape'' (1959) As Andrew Frazer: * ''Find Eileen Hardin - Alive!'' (1959) * ''The Fall of Marty Moon'' (1960) As Jason Ridgway: * ''West Side Jungle'' (1958) * ''Adam's Fall'' (1960) * ''People in Glass Houses'' (1961) * ''Hardly a Man Is Now Alive'' (1962) * ''The Treasure of the Cosa Nostra'' (1966) As

* ''Dead Man's Tale'' (1961) As C. H. Thames: * ''Violence Is Golden'' (1956) * ''Blood of My Brother'' (1963)

References

External links

* Th
Mystery*File
blog:

Bill Pronzini Bill Pronzini (born April 13, 1943) is an American writer of detective fiction. He is also an active anthologist, having compiled more than 100 collections, most of which focus on mystery, western, and science fiction short stories. Pronzini is ...

on Stephen Marlowe, 1928-2008. * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Marlowe, Stephen 1928 births 2008 deaths 20th-century American novelists American male novelists American mystery writers American science fiction writers College of William & Mary alumni Novelists from Virginia People from Williamsburg, Virginia Shamus Award winners American male short story writers 20th-century American short story writers 20th-century American male writers