John Creasey
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John Creasey (September 17, 1908 – June 9, 1973) was born in Southfields, Surrey, England and died in New Hall, Bodenham, Salisbury Wiltshire, England. He was the seventh of nine children in a working class home. He became an English author of crime thrillers, published in excess of 600 books under 20+ different pseudonyms. He invented many famous characters who would appear in a whole series of novels. Probably the most famous of these is Gideon of Scotland Yard, the basis for the television program Gideon's Way but others include Department Z, Dr. Palfrey, The Toff, Inspector Roger West, and The Baron (which was also made into a television series). In 1962, Creasey won an Edgar Award for Best Novel, from the Mystery Writers of America, for Gideon's Fire, written under the pen name J. J. Marric. And in 1969 he was given the MWA's highest honor, the Grand Master Award.
After publishing a book in 1930 and a crime thriller in 1932 he was able to turn to full time writing by 1935. He had one son from his first marriage. He later married Jean and had 2 more sons. He also married a further 2 times.
As well as being an author John Creasey was a committed Liberal party member though he later became an independent.[1] He said that he had been organising Liberal street-corner meetings from the age of 12. At the time of the 1945 general election Creasey was Chairman of the local Liberal Association in Bournemouth where his publicity and written skills were instrumental in helping the Liberals to an untypical second place. He was adopted as prospective parliamentary candidate for Bournemouth West in 1946 and appeared on the plaform at the 1947 Liberal Assembly which was held in Bournemouth. He fought Bournemouth West in the 1950 general election, coming third. He became increasingly unhappy with the party through the 1950s though and disagreed so much with the party's policy over the Suez crisis he resigned his membership. However after the Orpington by-election success of 1962 and impressed with Jo Grimond's leadership of the party he seemed to be moving back towards Liberal activity. By January 1966 however, he had founded the All Party Alliance a pressure group which sought to bring the best people from all parties together in government. Creasey fought by-elections as an independent in support of this idea in 1967 at Nuneaton, Brierley Hill and Manchester Gorton. He also fought Oldham West in June 1968. He did well for an independent under the first-past-the-post system having limited resources and often little time to campaign. In Oldham West he beat his old party's candidate into fourth place. He could not seem to shake off all affection for the Liberal party however, congratulating Birmingham Ladywood by-election victor Wallace Lawler in July 1969 and attending the 1969 party assembly albeit to promote All Party Alliance aims.
In 2007, his family transferred all of Creasey's copyrights and other legal rights to Owatonna Media.
[edit] Bibliography
(The below list is just the titles that were published by John Long a UK publisher in the name John Creasey - NOT a full list).
- Seven Times Seven
- Dangerous Journey
- I am the Withered Man [2]
- The Perilous Country (Doctor Palfrey Thriller)
- Traitor's Doom (Doctor Palfrey Thriller)
- Dangerous Quest (Doctor Palfrey Thriller)
- The Legion of the Lost (Doctor Palfrey Thriller)
- The House of the Bears (Doctor Palfrey Thriller)
- The Hounds of Vengeance (Doctor Palfrey Thriller)
- Dark Harvest (Doctor Palfrey Thriller)
- The Wings of Peace (Doctor Palfrey Thriller)
- The League of Light (Doctor Palfrey Thriller)
- The Children of Despair (Doctor Palfrey Thriller)
- Shadow of Doom (Doctor Palfrey Thriller)
- Death in the Rising Sun (Doctor Palfrey Thriller)
- Sons of Satan (Doctor Palfrey Thriller)
- The Man who Shook the World(Doctor Palfrey Thriller)
- Death Stands By (Department Z Adventure)
- Prepare for Action (Department Z Adventure)
- The Death Miser (Department Z Adventure)
- The League of Dark Men (Department Z Adventure)
- First Came a Murder (Department Z Adventure)
- Dark Peril (Department Z Adventure)
- Murder Must Wait (Department Z Adventure)
- The Peril Ahead (Department Z Adventure)
- Go away Death (Department Z Adventure)
- The Day of Disaster (Department Z Adventure)
- Carriers of Death (Department Z Adventure)
- Days of Danger (Department Z Adventure)
- Island of Peril (Department Z Adventure)
- The Mark of the Crescent(Department Z Adventure)
- The Terror Trap (Department Z Adventure)
- Thunder In Europe (Department Z Adventure)
- Dead or Alive (Department Z Adventure)
- No Darker Crime (Department Z Adventure)
- Panic! (Department Z Adventure)
- Death by Night(Department Z Adventure)
- Death Round the Corner (Department Z Adventure)
- Redhead (Department Z Adventure)
- Menace (Department Z Adventure)
- Sabotage (Department Z Adventure)
