John Wainwright

John William Wainwright (born February 25, 1921 in Leeds ; † September 1995 ) was a British author who wrote short stories , radio plays , magazine articles and columns in addition to crime and spy novels . He also published under the pseudonym Jack Ripley .

Life

John Wainwright was born in Leeds in 1921. He left school at the age of 15 to work in construction. During the Second World War he served in the Royal Air Force as a rear gunner in Lancaster bombers . 1947-1966 he worked as a police officer in the West Riding of Yorkshire . During this time he continued his studies at the University of London in his spare time and, after seven years of study, obtained a law degree in 1956.

In 1965 he wrote his first detective novel The Black Countess ( Death in a Sleeping City ), which was published in German that same year. In 1967 Wainwright left the police force, settled in Flamborough, England with his wife Avis and worked as a freelance writer.

In total, Wainwright wrote 83 novels (four of them under a pseudonym), seven radio plays, some short stories and countless articles for magazines. The novel brainwashing (engl. Brainwash ) provided the template for the films The Interrogation (1981) and Under Suspicion - Murderous game (2000).

Despite his constant, if moderate, success, Wainwright lived a very secluded life and gave very few interviews. He died in 1995 a few months after his last novel was published.

Works (selection)

• The Black Countess (1965, Death in a sleeping city )
• Die Juwelenbande (1966, The crystallized carbon pig )
• The worms must wait (1967, The worms must wait )
• Talent for Murder (1967, Talent for murder )
• Revenge in Two Minutes (1967, Ten steps to the gallows )
• Agents among themselves (1968, Web of silence )
• The black sky (1968, The darkening glass )
• Organized Murder (1969, The take-over men )
• A Far-reaching Plan (1969, The big tickle )
• In a night of horror (1970, Freeze thy blood less coldly )
• Any means is allowed (1970, Prynter's devil )
• Eight Guns and No Murderer (1971, Dig the grave and let him lie )
• The law of the underworld (1971, The pig got up and slowly walked away )
• The Corpse at the Door (1971, Davis doesn't live here any more ) (Jack Ripley)
• Requiem for a Loser (1972, Requiem for a loser )
• The Reckoning (1972, My word you should have seen us )
• At night you die faster (1972, Night is a time to die )
• Murder in the Best of Society (1973, high-class kill )
• Premeditation Is Part of Murder (1973, Touch of malice )
• Devil's Revenge (1973, The devil you don't )
• The very special night (1974, Kill the girls and make them cry )
• Meeting point Marseille (1974, Cause for a killing )
• The Death of the Old Hand (1975, Death of a big man )
• Landscape with violence (1975, Landscape with violence )
• The Reception Committee (1975, square dance )
• The Knife by the Throat (1976, The Bastard )
• The price of freedom (1976, Aquittal )
• Brainwash (1977, Brainwash )
• Six Correct and One Dead (1977, Pool of tears )
• Joey (1977, The day of the Peppercorn kill )
• Voucher for Murder (1978, Thief of Time )
• Heads or Tails (1980, Man of Law )
• Murderers Know No Remorse (1983, Heroes No More )
• Feminine Factor (1983, The distaff factor )
• The False Confession (1984, The ride )
• One Step Too Much (1984, cul-de-sac )
• In a Single Night (1985, All Through the Night )
• Sleep Well Mr. Grantley (1986, The tenth interview )

Web links

• John Wainwright (1921–1995) - Interview from Il Giallo Mondadori n ° 1871 of December 9, 1984 (Italian)
• Good reads: John Wainwright - short biography, work index and some book reviews