Robert L. Fish

Robert L. Fish (born August 21, 1912 in Cleveland , Ohio , † February 23, 1981 in Trumbull , Connecticut ) was an American writer . He is best known internationally as an author of crime novels . Some of his novels and short stories appeared under the pseudonym Robert L. Pike .

Life

Robert Lloyd Fish studied mechanical engineering and worked as a civil engineer . In 1953 he moved to Brazil with his wife and two daughters for assembly work . He stayed in South America for nine years, at which time he began writing short stories, which were published by Ellery Queen crime magazine.

After returning to the United States in 1962, he decided to concentrate fully on his writing activities. His first novel, The Fugitive , was awarded the prestigious Edgar Allan Poe Award in 1963 as the best first novel . For his short story Moonlight Gardener , the Mystery Writers of America (MWA) honored him again in 1972 with the Edgar Award in the category of best short story .

His novel Mute Witness , published under the pseudonym Robert L. Pike, was filmed under the title Bullitt with Steve McQueen as the leading actor . The four-part television series Twisted Fate emerged from the 1978 Pursuit . During his career, Fish published more than 40 novels and many short stories. Most of his works have been translated into German. Many of his stories take place in Brazil. In 1977 he wrote a biography about Pelé . His Sherlock Holmes parodies, written in Yiddish , met with a mixed response from the readership.

Fish, who was Jewish, was concerned in several of his books with the fate of after World War II submerged Nazis . In Pursuit, for example, he describes the rise of a former SS man, whom a bizarre whim of fate brought to Israel of all places , to a high-ranking general.

After his death in February 1981, an annual award for the best detective short story by an American author was named after him, the Robert L. Fish Memorial Award .

Works

Books published as Robert L. Fish

• The Fugitive , 1962
• Isle of Snakes , 1963 (German. The island of snakes. Criminal novel , Munich 1964; 2nd edition, Munich 1981, ISBN 3-442-05426-5 ))
• The Shrunken Head , 1963 (German. A head for the Minister. Kriminalroman , Munich 1965; 3rd edition Munich 1986, ISBN 3-442-05007-3 ))
• Brazilian Sleigh Ride , 1965 (German stopover in Recife. Detective novel , Munich and Wollerau 1968)
• The Diamond Bubble , 1965 (Eng. The spider on the hand. Detective novel , Munich 1965)
• Trials of O'Brien , 1965 ( Eng . Come my friend and hang for me , Bern, Munich and Vienna 1971: 2nd edition under the title A friend hangs for the other , Bern, Munich and Vienna 1989, ISBN 3-502- 51204-3 )
• The Incredible Schlock Homes , 1966
• Always Kill a Stranger , 1967 (Ger. Danger threatens in Rio. Detective novel , Munich and Wollerau 1967)
• The Hochmann Miniatures , 1967
• The Bridge That Went Nowhere , 1968 (German: The Naked on the Copacabana. Detective novel , Munich and Wollerau 1968)
• The Murder League , 1968 (German Die Mörder-Liga. Kriminalroman , Munich 1970; most recently under ISBN 3-453-10508-7 )
• The Xavier Affair , 1969 (Eng. The Xavier Affair. Criminal Thriller , Munich 1970)
• Whirligig , 1970
• The Green Hell Treasure , 1971 (German: The island of the green hell , Bern and Munich 1974; 2nd edition 1990 under ISBN 3-502-51277-9 )
• Rub-a-Dub-Dub , 1971 (German: All my little killers. Detective novel , Munich 1972)
• The Tricks of the Trade , 1972
• A Handy Death , 1973
• The Wager , 1974 (German: The $ 10 bet. Detective novel , Munich and Wollerau 1977 (?), ISBN 3-442-26064-7 )
• The Memoirs of Schlock Homes , 1974 (German Schlock Homes & Dr. Watney. The funniest detective stories in the world , Stuttgart 1981, ISBN 3-7767-0265-6 )
• Trouble in Paradise , 1975
• Kek Huuygens Smuggler , 1976
• Pelé, My Life and the Beautiful Game , 1977 (German: My Life and the Beautiful Game , Frankfurt am Main, Vienna and 1977, ISBN 3-550-07673-8 )
• Pursuit , 1978
• A Gross Carriage of Justice , 1979
• The Gold of Troy , 1980
• Rough Diamond , 1981

In addition, completed in 1963 Fish and Jack London's novel The Assassination Bureau ltd. (Dt. The murder office ).

Books published as Robert L. Pike

• Mute Witness , 1963 (German Police Station 52, New York. Detective novel , Bern, Munich and Vienna 1965)
• The Quarry , 1964 (Eng. The Revenge of the Other. Detective novel , Bern, Munich and Vienna 1966)
• Police Blotter , 1965 (German shots that hit the mark. Detective novel , Bern, Munich and Vienna 1967)
• Reardon , 1970 (German: An unknown dead man. Detective novel , Munich 1971)
• The Gremlin's Grandpa , 1972 (German police protection for the gang boss. Detective novel , Munich 1974, ISBN 3-453-10174-X )
• Bank Job , 1974 (German The Dark Man of Honor. Detective novel , Munich 1976, ISBN 3-453-10262-2 )
• Deadline 2 AM , 1976 (German delivery at 2 a.m., detective novel , Reinbek near Hamburg 1978, ISBN 3-499-42444-4 )

Web links

• Robert L. Fish in the Internet Movie Database (English)
• Literature by and about Robert L. Fish in the catalog of the German National Library