Barbara "Elizabeth" Linington (March 11, 1921 – April 5, 1988) was an American

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 ...

and mystery writer. She was one of the first women to write in the style of a

police procedural The police show, or police crime drama, is a subgenre of procedural drama and detective fiction that emphasizes the investigative procedure of a police officer or department as the protagonist(s), as contrasted with other genres that focus on eit ...

Biography

She was born on March 11, 1921 in

Aurora An aurora (plural: auroras or aurorae), also commonly known as the polar lights, is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display dynamic patterns of bri ...

, Kane County,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rock ...

; and died on April 5, 1988 in

Arroyo Grande Arroyo often refers to: * Arroyo (creek), an intermittently dry creek Arroyo may also refer to: People * Arroyo (surname) Places United States ;California * Arroyo Burro Beach, a public beach park in Santa Barbara County, California * Arroyo ...

San Luis Obispo County San Luis Obispo County (), officially the County of San Luis Obispo, is a county on the Central Coast of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 282,424. The county seat is San Luis Obispo. Junípero Serra founded the Mis ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. During much of her career she was represented by literary agent

Barthold Fles Barthold "Bart" Fles (February 7, 1902 – December 19, 1989) was a Dutch-American literary agent, author, translator, editor and publisher. Among his many clients were Elias Canetti, Raymond Loewy, Heinrich Mann, Joseph Roth, Felix Salten, Igna ...

.Shannon, D (Linington, E): "More by Shannon". Doubleday, 1982 Besides crime, Linington also took interest in

archaeology Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landsc ...

, the

occult The occult, in the broadest sense, is a category of esoteric supernatural beliefs and practices which generally fall outside the scope of religion and science, encompassing phenomena involving otherworldly agency, such as magic and mysticism a ...

gemstones A gemstone (also called a fine gem, jewel, precious stone, or semiprecious stone) is a piece of mineral crystal which, in cut and polished form, is used to make jewelry or other adornments. However, certain rocks (such as lapis lazuli, opal, a ...

, antique weapons and

languages Language is a structured system of communication. The structure of a language is its grammar and the free components are its vocabulary. Languages are the primary means by which humans communicate, and may be conveyed through a variety of met ...

. Linington was a conservative political activist who was an active member of the

John Birch Society The John Birch Society (JBS) is an American right-wing political advocacy group. Founded in 1958, it is anti-communist, supports social conservatism, and is associated with ultraconservative, radical right, far-right, or libertarian ideas. T ...

Pseudonyms

Linington wrote under several monikers, including 'Anne Blaisdell', 'Lesley Egan', 'Egan O'Neill' and 'Dell Shannon'.

Bibliography

Books she authored include:

Elizabeth Linington

* ''The Proud Man'' (1955) * ''The Long Watch'' (1956) * ''Greenmask!'' (1964) * ''No Evil Angel'' (1964) * ''Date with Death'' (1966) * ''Something Wrong'' (1967) * ''Policeman's Lot'' (1968) * ''Practice to Deceive'' (1971) * ''Crime by Chance'' (1973) * ''Perchance of Death'' (1977) * ''No Villain Need Be'' (1979) * ''Consequence of Crime'' (1980) * ''Skeletons in the Closet'' (1982) * ''Felony Report'' (1984) * ''Strange Felony'' (1986) * ''Alter Ego'' (1988)

Anne Blaisdell

* ''Nightmare'' (1961). Filmed by

Hammer Films A hammer is a tool, most often a hand tool, consisting of a weighted "head" fixed to a long handle that is swung to deliver an impact to a small area of an object. This can be, for example, to drive nails into wood, to shape metal (as wi ...

as ''

Fanatic FANatic is an American TV show created by Ed Connolly and produced by Executive Producers Deborah Norton and Ed Connolly of Norton Connolly Productions, that was shown on the MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an Am ...

'' (US title: ''Die! Die! My Darling!''). Screenplay by

Richard Matheson Richard Burton Matheson (February 20, 1926 – June 23, 2013) was an American author and screenwriter, primarily in the fantasy, horror, and science fiction genres. He is best known as the author of '' I Am Legend'', a 1954 science fictio ...

Lesley Egan

* A Case for appeal (1961) * The Borrowed Alibi (1962) * Against the Evidence (1962) * Run to Evil (1963) * My Name Is Death (1964) * Detective's Due (1965) * Some Avenger, Rise! (1966) * The Nameless Ones (1967) * A Serious Investigation (1968) * The Wine of Violence (1969) * In the Death of a Man (1970) * Malicious Mischief (1971) * Paper Chase (1972) * Scenes of Crime (1976) * The Blind Search (1977) * A Dream Apart (1978) * Look Back on Death (1978) * The Hunters and the Hunted (1979) * Motive in Shadow (1980) * A Choice of Crimes (1980) * The Miser (1981) * Random Death (1982) * Little Boy Lost (1983) * Crime for Christmas (1983) * Chain of Violence (1985) * The Wine of Life (1985)

Egan O'Neill

* ''The Anglophile'' (1957)

Dell Shannon

* Case Pending (1960) * The Ace of Spades (1961) * Extra Kill (1962) * Knave of Hearts (1962) * Death of a Busybody (1963) * Double Bluff (1963) * Mark of Murder (1964) * Root of All Evil (1964) * The Death-Bringers (1965) * Death by Inches (1965) * Coffin Corner (1966) * With a Vengeance (1966) * Chance to Kill (1967) * Rain with Violence (1967) * Kill with Kindness (1968) * Schooled to Kill (1969) * Crime on their Hands (1969) * Unexpected Death (1970) * Whim to Kill (1971) * The Ringer (1971) * Murder with Love (1972) * With Intent to Kill (1972) * No Holiday for Crime (1973) * Spring of Violence (1973) * Crime File (1974) * Deuces Wild (1975) * Streets of Death (1976) * Appearances of Death (1977) * Cold Trail (1978) * Felony at Random (1979) * Felony File (1980) * Murder Most Strange (1981) * The Motive on Record (1982) * Exploit of Death (1983) * Destiny of Death (1984) * Chaos of Crime (1985) * Blood Count (1986) * Murder by the Tale (short stories) (1987) * The Dispossessed (1988) * The Manson Curse (1990) * Sorrow in the Grave (1992)

Awards

She was awarded runner-up scrolls for best first mystery novel from 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 ...

for her 1960 novel, ''Case Pending'', which introduced her most popular series character,

LAPD The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), officially known as the City of Los Angeles Police Department, is the municipal police department of Los Angeles, California. With 9,974 police officers and 3,000 civilian staff, it is the third-large ...

Homicide Homicide occurs when a person kills another person. A homicide requires only a volitional act or omission that causes the death of another, and thus a homicide may result from accidental, reckless, or negligent acts even if there is no inten ...

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

Luis Mendoza.Frankie Y. Bailey, "Linington, Elizabeth", in Rosemary Herbert, ''Whodunit?: A Who's who in Crime & Mystery Writing''. Oxford,

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print book ...

, (p.119) Her 1961 book, ''Nightmare'', and her 1962 novel, ''Knave of Hearts'', another entry in the Mendoza series, were both nominated for the

Edgar Award The Edgar Allan Poe Awards, popularly called the Edgars, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America, based in New York City. Named after American writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), a pioneer in the genre, the awards honor the bes ...

in the Best Novel category. Regarded as the "Queen of the Procedurals," she was one of the first women to write

s — a male-dominated genre of police-story writing.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Linington, Elizabeth 1921 births 1988 deaths 20th-century American novelists American mystery writers American women novelists Pseudonymous women writers People from Aurora, Illinois Writers from California Novelists from Illinois Women mystery writers 20th-century American women writers John Birch Society members 20th-century pseudonymous writers Conservatism in the United States