Mystery FAQ: Authors

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MYSTERY FAQ: Authors

Tiles

Who is Lydia Adamson, really?
What are some popular authors' pseudonyms?
How do you pronounce Ngaio Marsh's first name?
I heard a rumor about Anne Perry ....

Q. Who is Lydia Adamson? The cover notes on her books just say "Lydia Adamson is the pseudonym of a noted New York mystery author."
A. According to the Library of Congress, Lydia Adamson is really Franklin B. (Frank) King (1936- ) -- not to be confused with Frank King (1892-1958), who also wrote mysteries.

Q. I really like the books of _______. Does he/she also write under a pseudonym?
A. Herewith a quick guide to pseudonyms of some of the more popular authors who have published mysteries under more than one name. Real names are in boldface, if known, (in parentheses if no mysteries written under that name).

Anthony Berkeley = Frances Iles, A.B. Cox
Lawrence Block = Chip Harrison, Paul Kavanagh
Gwendolyn Butler = Jenny Melville
John Dickson Carr = Carter Dickson, Carr Dickson, Roger Fairbairn
Agatha Christie = Mary Westmacott [non-mysteries]
Robert L. Fish = Robert L. Pike, A.C. Lamprey
Frances Fyfield = Frances Hegarty
Erle Stanley Gardner = A.A. Fair, Carlton Kendrake, Charles J. Kenney
Parnell Hall = J.P. Hailey
Jack Higgins = Harry Patterson, Martin Fallon, James Graham, Hugh Marlowe
Ed McBain = Evan Hunter, Hunt Collins, Curt Cannon, Ezra Hannon, Richard Marsten (né Salvatore A. Lombino)
Reginald Hill = Patrick Ruell, Dick Morland, Charles Underhill
Emma Lathen = R. B. Dominic (Mary Jane Latsis and Martha Henissart)
Elizabeth Linington = Dell Shannon, Lesley Egan, Anne Blaisdell [in UK]
Peter Lovesey = Peter Lear
Robert Ludlum = Jonathon Ryder, Michael Shepherd
Charlotte MacLeod = Alisa Craig
Lee Martin = Anne Wingate (Martha G. Webb)
Taylor McCafferty = Tierney McClellan
Elizabeth Peters = Barbara Michaels (Barbara Mertz)
Bill Pronzini = Jack Foxx, Alex Saxon
Ellery Queen = Barnaby Ross (Frederic Dannay and Manfred Lee) [also written by other authors]
Ruth Rendell = Barbara Vine [non-mysteries]
Sandra Scoppettone = Jack Early
Susannah Stacy = Elizabeth Eyre
Aaron Marc Stein = George Bagby
Sheri S. Tepper = A.J. Orde = B.J. Oliphant
Donald Westlake = Curt Clark, Tucker Cole, Timothy J. Culver, Richard Stark
Cornell Woolrich = George Hopley, William Irish

The all-time pseudonym king is John Creasey, who wrote over 500 mysteries under at least 28 names. The main ones (with character series) are:

John Creasey -- Ralph Rollison (The Toff), Dr. Palfrey & Supt. West.
Gordon Ashe -- Det. Patrick Dawlish
Kyle Hunt -- Dr. Emmanuel Cellini, Psychiatrist
J.J. Marric -- Cmdr. George Gideon
Anthony Morton -- John Mannering, Antiques Dealer

Q. How do you pronounce Ngaio Marsh's first name?
A. Hmmm. You have four choices:

The jacket copy of her books says it's pronounced "Nigh-oh."
A New Zealand reader swears it's "Nay-oh."
I am told that Diana Rigg on Mystery! said "Nah-guy-oh."
Another New Zealander explains: You start with the "Ng" which has the same sound as the "ng" in going, then a long "i" as in glide and finish with a long "o" as in go.

Since the name is a Maori word (for a type of flowering tree), we vote for #4.

Q. I heard a rumor about Anne Perry....
A. We are being somewhat vague about this question because we feel Ms Perry has dealt with this incident in her life and moved on courageously. We'd prefer that the story simply die away.

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