Robert Lloyd Fish (August 21, 1912 – February 23, 1981) was an American writer of crime fiction.
Life and career
Early life
Fish was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and studied engineering at Case School of Applied Science, where he graduated in 1933. Afterwards he had a successful career in engineering management and consultancy,[1] working in several countries that he later used as settings for his stories. He served for three years with the Ohio National Guard37th Infantry Division.
Writing career
In 1953 Fish travelled to Rio de Janeiro, as an engineering consultant to a Brazilian vinyl plastics factory.[2] In 1960, Fish submitted his first short story to Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine. He subsequently wrote over 30 novels and numerous short stories.
Fish also wrote the novel Pursuit, which was adapted into a two-part TV miniseries Twist of Fate, and the Sherlock HolmesparodyThe Memoirs of Schlock Homes.
1969: Edgar Allan Poe Award for the film Bullitt as an author of Mute Witness on which the film was based[3]
1972: Edgar Allan Poe Award for best short story: "Moonlight Gardener", Argosy, December 1971[3]
Two other short stories, "Double Entry" (Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, January 1969) and "Hijack" (Playboy, August 1972), were nominated for Edgars in the "best short story" category, but did not win.[4]
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 to the best first short story by an American author.
Selected works
The Fugitive (Captain Jose Da Silva Mystery #1) (1962)
Mute Witness, (1963) written under the pseudonym Robert L. Pike; filmed in 1968 as Bullitt; later republished under that title
Isle of the Snakes (Captain Jose Da Silva Mystery #2) (1963)
The Shrunken Head (Captain Jose Da Silva Mystery #3) (1963)
Brazilian Sleigh Ride (Captain Jose Da Silva Mystery #4) (1988)
The Diamond Bubble (Captain Jose Da Silva Mystery #5) (1966)
Always Kill A Stranger (Captain Jose Da Silva Mystery #6) (1967); filmed in 1972 in Brazil as Missão: Matar!, directed by Alberto Pieralisi[it][5]
The Murder League (1968)
The Bridge That Went Nowhere (Captain Jose Da Silva Mystery #7) (1968)
The Xavier Affair (Captain Jose Da Silva Mystery #8) (1970)
The Green Hell Treasure (Captain Jose Da Silva Mystery #9) (1971)
Trouble in Paradise (Captain Jose Da Silva Mystery #10) (1975)
Pursuit (1978); made into a British TV miniseries Twist of Fate in 1989.
My life and the beautiful game, with Pelé (Edson Arantes do Nascimento), an autobiography (1978)[6]
Schlock Homes: The Complete Bagel Street Saga (1990)
References
↑Vizzier, Anne R, "Robert L. Fish", in Rollyson, Carl, ed. (2008). Critical Survey of Mystery and Detective Fiction. Salem Press. ISBN978-1-58765-397-1.
↑p. 564 Growchowski, Mary Ann Robert L. Fish in Twentieth Century Crime & Mystery Writers The MacMillian Press 1980
