Frederick C. Davis
1902-1977
Pseudonyms: Murdo Coombs, Stephen Ransome and Curtis Steele
 

Frederick Clyde Davis was born in Saint Joseph, Missouri. He was educated at Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire. At the age of 22 he became a full-time writer. In the UK most of his novels were published under the pseudonym 'Stephen Ransome'. He is the creator of:
1. 'Cyrus Hatch', a professor of criminology.
2. 'Schyler Cole and Luke Speare', private detectives.
3. 'Steve Thatcher' (Moon Man), by day a Detective Sergeant and by night a burglar.
4. 'Lee Barcello', a Detective Lieutenant of the St. Petersburg Florida prosecutor's office (under the pseudonym 'Stephen Ransome').
 

Titles and year of publication:  

 'Cyrus Hatch' Novels
 1) Coffins for Three (UK Title: One Murder Too Many [1938])  1938
 2) He Wouldn't Stay Dead  1939
 3) Poor, Poor Yorick (UK Title: Murder Doesn't Always Out [1939])  1939
 4) The Graveyard Never Closes  1940
 5) Let the Skeletons Rattle  1944
 6) Detour to Oblivion  1947
 7) Thursday's Blade  1947
 8) Gone Tomorrow  1948
 'Schyler Cole and Luke Speare' Novels
 1) The Deadly Miss Ashley  1950
 2) Lilies in Her Garden Grew  1951
 3) Tread Lightly, Angel  1952
 4) Drag the Dark  1953
 5) Another Morgue Heard From (UK Title: Deadly Bedfellows [1955])  1954
 6) Night Drop  1955
 'Steve Thatcher' Novels
 1) The Moon Man (novelets)  1974
 2) The Night Nemesis (short stories)  1984
 Other Novels
 1) Deep Lay the Dead  1942
 2) High Heel Homicide  1961
 As 'Murdo Coombs'
 1) A Moment of Need  1947
 As 'Stephen Ransome'
 'Lee Barcello' Novels
 1) The Night, the Woman  1963
 2) One-Man Jury  1964
 3) Alias His Wife  1965
 4) The Sin File  1965
 5) The Hidden Hour  1966
 6) Trap #6  1971
 Other Novels
 1) Death Checks In (UK Title: Whose Corpse? [1939])  1939
 2) A Shroud for Shylock  1939
 3) Hearses Don't Hurry  1941
 4) False Bounty (Also published as: I, the Executioner [1953])  1948
 5) Hear No Evil  1953
 6) The Shroud Off Her Back  1953
 7) The Frazer Acquittal  1955
 8) The Men in Her Death  1956
 9) So Deadly My Love  1957
10) I’ll Die For You  1959
11) The Unspeakable  1960
12) Warning Bell  1960
13) Some Must Watch  1961
14) Without a Trace  1962
15) Meet in Darkness  1964
 As 'Curtis Steele'
 1) The Army of the Dead  1966
 2) Blood Reign of the Dictator  1966
 3) Hosts of the Flaming Death  1966
 4) Invasion of the Yellow Warlords  1966
 5) The Invisible Empire  1966
 6) Legions of the Death Master  1966
 7) March of the Flame Marauders  1966
 8) Master of Broken Men  1966

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