Collin Wilcox (writer)

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Collin Wilcox in San Francisco in 1991
Collin Wilcox in San Francisco in 1991

Collin Wilcox (September 21, 1924July 12, 1996) was an American mystery writer who published 30 books in 30 years.

Born in Detroit, Michigan, he first book was The Black Door (1967) featuring a sleuth possessing extrasensory perception. His major series of novels was about Lieutenant Frank Hastings of the San Francisco Police Department. Titles in the Hastings series included Hire a Hangman, Dead Aim, Hiding Place, Long Way Down and Stalking Horse. Two of his last books, Full Circle and Find Her a Grave, featured a new hero-sleuth, Alan Bernhardt, an eccentric theater director. Wilcox also published under the pseudonym "Carter Wick".

However, Wilcox's most famous series-detective was created in Hollywood: Sam McCloud, the New Mexico deputy solving New York crime. The "urban cowboy" was brought to life on the small screen by Dennis Weaver in the 1970-1977 TV series McCloud. Wilcox wrote three novelizations based on scripts from the series: McCloud (1973), The New Mexican Connection (1974), and The Park Avenue Executioner (1975).

He died in San Francisco from cancer at the age of 72. Wilcox was survived by two sons, Christopher of Berkeley, Calif., and Jeff of Lafayette, Calif., and five grandchildren.