Brett Halliday
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Brett Halliday (July 31, 1904 - February 4, 1977), primary pen name of Davis Dresser, was an American mystery writer, best known for the long-lived series of Mike Shayne novels he wrote, and later commissioned others to write.
He was born in Chicago, Illinois but mostly grew up in West Texas. He lost an eye to barbed wire as a boy, which required him to wear an eye patch for the rest of his life. At the age of 14 he ran away from home and enlisted in the U.S. 5th Cavalry Regiment at Fort Bliss, Texas, followed by a year of border patrol duty on the Rio Grande. After his service was up, he returned to Texas to finish high school. He graduated from Tri-State College in Civil Engineering. He worked for a time as an engineer and as a surveyor, and then started as writer in 1927.
From 1946 to 1961, Halliday was married to mystery writer Helen McCloy. They were also partners in a literary agency that bore their names, as well as in Torquil Publishing Company, which published his books from 1953 to 1965. Prior to this, he had been married to Kathleen Rollins, and their betrothal had provided him with two stepdaughters.
Halliday also wrote non-series mysteries and westerns under the names Asa Baker, Mathew Blood, Kathryn Culver, Don Davis, Hal Debrett, Anthony Scott, and Anderson Wayne.
He was a founding member of the Mystery Writers of America, and in 1953 was given an Edgar Award for his criticism.
He lived in Santa Barbara, California, until his death at the age of 72.
See also
- Bill Pronzini, who also wrote under the pseudonym Brett Halliday