Michael Zinn Lewin (born 1942 in Springfield,

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

) is an American writer of mystery fiction perhaps best known for his series about Albert Samson, a distinctly low-keyed, non-hardboiled

private detective A private investigator (often abbreviated to PI and informally called a private eye), a private detective, or inquiry agent is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigatory law services. Private investigators of ...

who plies his trade in

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Mari ...

. Lewin himself grew up in Indianapolis, but after graduating from

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

and living for a few years in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, has lived in England for the last 40 years. Much of his fiction continues to be set in Indianapolis, including a secondary series about Leroy Powder, a policeman who frequently appears in the Samson novels, generally in a semi-confrontational manner. Another series, however, is set in Bath, England, where Lewin now lives. This features the Lunghis who run their detective agency as a family business. So far there are three novels and nine short stories about them. Lewin has also written a number of stand-alone novels. Some have been set in Indianapolis and others elsewhere. His latest novel, Confessions of a Discontented Deity, is even set partly in Heaven. A satire, it breaks from Lewin's history of genre fiction. Lewin is the son of

Leonard C. Lewin Leonard C. Lewin (2 October 1916 – 28 January 1999) was an American writer, best known as the author of the bestseller '' The Report from Iron Mountain'' (1967). He also wrote ''Triage'' (1972), a novel about a covert group dedicated to killi ...

, author of the 1967 bestselling satire '' The Report from Iron Mountain: On the Possibility and Desirability of Peace''. Leonard C. Lewin often wrote as L.L.Case.

Albert Samson

The Samson stories are told in the breezy first-person narrative form typical of private-eye novels. They are witty and somewhat off-beat, both for their plotting and their somewhat unusual setting, as well as for the sharply drawn relationships that Samson has with his mother, who owns a diner, and with his long-time but nameless girlfriend, whom he refers to only as "my woman". He eschews whiskey and chasing women in the manner characteristic of his fictional confrères, does not own a gun, makes modest, non-gourmet meals for himself from cans, and shoots hoops in the park as a recreation. Although the stories start off in modest, understated fashion about seemingly trivial domestic matters, they eventually escalate to scenes of startling violence. Of major importance in the stories is the locale itself, the city of Indianapolis and its surrounding countryside, and Samson is certainly one of the most important of the

regional In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...

detectives in mystery fiction, as well as being one of the first to appear in what is now a widespread genre. As well as the novels there are currently five short stories featuring Albert Samson.

Indianapolis novels

Books that take place in Indiana

Albert Samson novels

*''Ask the Right Question'', Putnam, New York, 1971 *''The Way We Die Now'', Putnam, New York, 1973 *''The Enemies Within'', Knopf, New York, 1974 *''The Silent Salesman'', Knopf, New York, 1978 *''Missing Woman'', Knopf, New York, 1981 *''Out of Season'', Morrow, New York, 1984; British title: ''Out of Time'', Oldcastle Books, 1984 *''Called by a Panther'', Mysterious Press, New York, 1991 *''Eye Opener'', Five Star, 2004

Leroy Powder novels

*''Night Cover'', Knopf, New York, 1976 *''Hard Line'', Morrow, New York, 1982 – 1988

Maltese Falcon Award The Maltese Falcon Society is an organization for admirers of Dashiell Hammett, his 1930 novel '' The Maltese Falcon,'' and hardboiled mystery books and writers in general. Founded in San Francisco in 1981, the organization is no longer active in th ...

, Japan *''Late Payments'', Morrow, New York, 1986

Non-series

*''

The Next Man ''The Next Man'' (also known as ''The Arab Conspiracy'' or ''Double Hit'') is a 1976 American political action thriller film starring Sean Connery, Adolfo Celi, Cornelia Sharpe, and Charles Cioffi. Critical reaction at its opening was not positiv ...

'', Warner, 1976 (Novelization of the screenplay by

Morton Fine Morton Fine (December 24, 1916 – March 7, 1991) was an American screenwriter. A native of Baltimore, Maryland, Fine worked in an advertising agency, a bookstore, and an aircraft factory before joining the Army Air Force in 1942. A graduate of ...

Alan Trustman Alan Trustman (born December 16, 1930) is an American lawyer, screenwriter, pari-mutuel operator and currency trader. He is best known for writing the 1968 film, '' The Thomas Crown Affair'', ''Bullitt'', and ''They Call Me Mister Tibbs!'', in his ...

, David M. Wolf and

Richard Sarafian Richard Caspar Sarafian (April 28, 1930 – September 18, 2013) was an Armenian-American film director and actor. He compiled a versatile career that spanned over five decades as a director, actor, and writer. Sarafian is best known as the direct ...

) *''Outside In'', Knopf, New York, 1980 *''And Baby Will Fall'', Morrow, New York, 1988 *''Underdog'', Mysterious Press, New York, 1993 *''Oh Joe'', Five Star, 2008

Short story collection

*''The Reluctant Detective'' (

Crippen & Landru Crippen & Landru Publishers is a small publisher of mystery fiction collections, based in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1994 by husband and wife Sandi and Douglas G. Greene in Norfolk, Virginia, United States, and is named af ...

, 2001

Other novels

Lunghi Family novels

*''Family Business'', Foul Play, 1995 *''Family Planning'',

St. Martin's Press St. Martin's Press is a book publisher headquartered in Manhattan, New York City, in the Equitable Building. St. Martin's Press is considered one of the largest English-language publishers, bringing to the public some 700 titles a year under si ...

, New York, 1999 *''Family Way'', Five Star, 2011

Stand alone novels

*''Cutting Loose'', Holt, New York, 1999 *''Confessions of a Discontented Deity'' 2013

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lewin, Michael Z. 1942 births Living people 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists American male novelists American mystery writers Harvard University alumni Maltese Falcon Award winners Novelists from Massachusetts 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American male writers