Robert L. Fish

Robert Lloyd Fish (August 21, 1912 – February 23, 1981) was an American writer of crime fiction.

Robert L. Fish
Born(1912-08-21)August 21, 1912
Cleveland, Ohio, United States
DiedFebruary 23, 1981(1981-02-23) (aged 68)
Trumbull, Connecticut, United States
Pen nameRobert L. Pike,
Lawrence Roberts
OccupationNovelist
NationalityAmerican
Period1948–1981
GenreCrime fiction,
detective fiction

Biography

Early life

Fish was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and studied engineering at Case School of Applied Science, where he graduated in 1933. Thereafter, he had a successful career in engineering management and consultancy,[1] working in several countries that he later used as settings for his stories.

Writing career

In 1960, while working in Rio de Janeiro, where he had lived for the previous decade, Fish submitted his first short story to Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine. He subsequently wrote over 30 novels and numerous short stories.

His first novel, The Fugitive, gained him the Mystery Writers of America's Edgar Allan Poe Award for best first novel in 1962, and his short story "Moonlight Gardener" was awarded the Edgar for best short story in 1972. His 1963 novel Mute Witness, written under the pseudonym Robert L. Pike, was filmed in 1968 as Bullitt, starring Steve McQueen. The same happens his 1967 novel Always Kill A Stranger was filmed in 1972 as Missão Matar, starring Tarcisio Meira, Yvonne Buchingham.

He also wrote the novel Pursuit (adapted into a two-part TV miniseries Twist of Fate), and the Holmes pastiche The Memoirs of Schlock Holmes.

In 1963, Fish completed Jack London's unfinished novel The Assassination Bureau, Ltd based on the unfinished manuscript with additional notes by London and an ending outline done by London's wife Charmian shortly before her death in 1955.

Death

Fish died in February 1981 at his home in Trumbull, Connecticut.

Awards

Two other short stories, "Double Entry" (EQMM, January 1969) and "Hijack" (Playboy, August 1972), were nominated for Edgars in the "best short story" category, but did not win the award.[2]

Legacy

The Robert L. Fish Memorial Award, sponsored by the author's estate, has been awarded annually since 1984 by the Mystery Writers of America for the best first short story by an American author.

Selected bibliography
  • The Fugitive (Captain Jose Da Silva Mystery #1 [3]), (1962)
  • Mute Witness, (1963) written under the pseudonym Robert L. Pike, was filmed in 1968 as Bullitt
  • Isle of the Snakes (Captain Jose Da Silva Mystery #2 [4]), (1963)
  • The Shrunken Head (Captain Jose Da Silva Mystery #3 [5]), (1963)
  • The Diamond Bubble (Captain Jose Da Silva Mystery #5 [6]), (1966)
  • Always Kill A Stranger (Captain Jose Da Silva Mystery #6 [7]), (1967),[8] was filmed in 1972 as Missão Matar[9]
  • The Murder League (1968)
  • The Bridge That Went Nowhere (Captain Jose Da Silva Mystery #7 [10]), (1968)
  • The Xavier Affair (Captain Jose Da Silva Mystery #8),[11] (1970)
  • The Green Hell Treasure (Captain Jose Da Silva Mystery #9 [12]), (1971)
  • Trouble in Paradise (Captain Jose Da Silva Mystery #10 [13]), (1975)
  • Pursuit (1978)
  • Brazilian Sleigh Ride (Captain Jose Da Silva Mystery #4 [14]), (1988)

References
  1. Vizzier, Anne R, "Robert L. Fish", in Rollyson, Carl, ed. (2008). Critical Survey of Myster and Detective Fiction. Salem Press. ISBN 978-1-58765-397-1.
  2. "Best Short Story Mystery Edgar Award Winners and Nominees". Archived from the original on 19 February 2011. Retrieved 3 March 2011.
  3. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5863324-the-fugitive?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=yOIlxO5C1d&rank=7
  4. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2156436.Isle_of_the_Snakes?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=yOIlxO5C1d&rank=20
  5. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39942591-the-shrunken-head?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=dpP0Z6tBPF&rank=3
  6. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17905155-the-diamond-bubble
  7. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39942591-the-shrunken-head?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=URpOCkX56r&rank=3
  8. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7479705-always-kill-a-stranger?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=yOIlxO5C1d&rank=16
  9. https://popfantasma.com.br/missao-matar-tarcisio-meira/
  10. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7479647-the-bridge-that-went-nowhere
  11. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26069431-the-xavier-affair?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=dpP0Z6tBPF&rank=6
  12. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7046528-the-green-hell-treasure
  13. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2786067-trouble-in-paradise
  14. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1876941.Brazilian_Sleigh_Ride
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