Stephen Marlowe

thumb|Milton Lesser c.1953 '''Stephen Marlowe''' (born '''Milton Lesser''', {{Birth date|1928|8|7}} in Brooklyn, New York, died {{Death date and age|2008|2|22|1928|8|7}}, in Williamsburg, Virginia) was an American author of science fiction, mystery novels, and fictional autobiographies of Goya, Christopher Columbus, Miguel de Cervantes, and Edgar Allan Poe. He is best known for his detective character Chester Drum, whom he created for the 1955 novel ''The Second Longest Night''. Lesser also wrote using the pseudonyms '''Adam Chase''', '''Andrew Frazer''', '''C.H. Thames''', '''Jason Ridgway''', '''Stephen Wilder''', and '''Ellery Queen'''.

==Biography== [[File:Amazing stories 195011.jpg|thumb|right|Lesser's novella "All Heroes Are Hated!" was the cover story for the November 1950 issue of ''Amazing Stories''.]] [[File:Amazing stories 195206.jpg|thumb|right|Lesser's short novel "Secret of the Black Planet" was the cover story for the June 1952 issue of ''Amazing Stories''.]] [[File:Imagination 195307.jpg|thumb|Lesser's novella "Voyage to Eternity" was cover-featured for the July 1953 issue of ''Imagination''.]] [[File:If 195205.jpg|thumb|right|Lesser's novella "Jungle in the Sky" was the cover story in the second issue of ''If'' in May 1953.]] thumb|right|As "C. H. Thames", Lesser wrote the "Johnny Mayhem" stories, which were published in magazine ''Amazing'' during the 1950s but were not collected until 2013. thumb|right|As "Stephen Marlowe", Lesser wrote several mystery novels.

Lesser attended the College of William & Mary, earning his degree in philosophy, marrying Leigh Lang soon after graduating. He was drafted into the U.S. Army during the Korean War. He and his wife divorced in 1962.<ref>"Introducing the Author: Milton Lesser", ''Imagination'', July 1953, p.2</ref>

He was awarded the French Prix Gutenberg du Livre in 1988 for ''The Memoirs of Christopher Columbus'', and in 1997 he was awarded the Life Achievement Award by the Private Eye Writers of America. He also served on the board of directors of the Mystery Writers of America.

In the later part of his life he lived with his second wife Ann in Williamsburg, Virginia.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/stephen-marlowe-crime-and-thriller-writer-790902.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220525/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/stephen-marlowe-crime-and-thriller-writer-790902.html |archive-date=2022-05-25 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Stephen Marlowe: Crime and thriller writer|website=Independent.co.uk |date=4 March 2008}}</ref>

==Selected bibliography==

As '''Milton S. Lesser''': {{div col|colwidth=20em}} * ''Somewhere I'll Find You'' (1947) * ''[https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/65067 It's Raining Frogs!]'' (1950) * ''[https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/51286 Pen Pal]'' (1951) * ''[https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/51296 The Sense of Wonder]'' (1951) * ''[https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/65324 The Old Way]'' (1956) * ''Earthbound'' (1952) * ''[https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/65767 Ride the Crepe Ring]'' (1952) * ''[https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/58688 Jungle in the Sky]'' (1952) * ''[https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/30386 The One and the Many]'' (1952) * ''[https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/30329 Black Eyes and the Daily Grind]'' (1952) * ''[https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/32351 Voyage To Eternity]'' (1953) * ''[https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/32641 Earthsmith]'' (1953) * ''[https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/68600 Picnic]'' (1953) * ''[https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/64965 World Without Glamor]'' (1953) * ''[https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/72504 Finders Keepers]'' (1953) * ''The Star Seekers'' (1953) * ''[https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/58725 Quickie]'' (1954) * ''[https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/66330 Tyrants of Time]'' (1954) * ''[https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/66324 Pariah]'' (1954) * ''[https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/58790 A Cold Night for Crying]'' (1954) * ''[https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/66538 Revolt of the Outworlds]'' (1954) * ''[https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/32134 The Dictator]'' (1955) * ''[https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/66648 Newshound]'' (1955) * ''[https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/66526 No-Risk Planet]'' (1955) * ''[https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/66714 The Cosmic Snare]'' (1956) * ''[https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/32133 The Graveyard of Space]'' (1956) * ''[https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/68393 My Sweetheart's the Man in the Moon]'' (1956) * ''[https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/50449 Recruit for Andromeda]'' (1959) * ''[https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/72537 Divvy up]'' (1960) * ''Stadium Beyond the Stars'' (1960) * ''Spacemen Go Home'' (1961) * ''Secret of the Black Planet'' (1965) {{div col end}}

As '''Stephen Marlowe''': {{div col|colwidth=20em}} * ''[https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/70549 Fugue]'' (1951) * ''[https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/58659 Resurrection Seven]'' (1952) * ''[https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/66351 Slaves to the Metal Horde]'' (1954) * ''Catch the Brass Ring'' (1954) * ''[https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/66646 Es Percipi]'' (1955) * ''Model for Murder'' (1955) * ''Turn Left for Murder'' (1955) * ''[https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/32150 Prison of a Billion Years]'' (1956) * ''[https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/27019 My Shipmate—Columbus]'' (1956) * ''Dead on Arrival'' (1956) * ''[https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/73704 Excitement for sale]'' (1957) * ''Blonde Bait'' (1959) * ''Passport to Peril'' (1959) * ''The Shining'' (1961) * ''Colossus: A novel about Goya and a world gone mad'' (1965) * ''The Search for Bruno Heidler'' (1966) * ''Come Over, Red Rover'' (1968) * ''The Summit'' (1970) * ''The Man with No Shadow'' (1974) * ''The Cawthorn Journals'' (or ''Too Many Chiefs'') (1975) * ''Translation'' (1976) * ''The Valkyrie Encounter'' (1978) * ''Deborah's Legacy'' (1983) * ''The Memoirs of Christopher Columbus'' (1987) * ''The Death and Life of Miguel De Cervantes'' (1991) * ''The Lighthouse at the End of the World'' (1995) {{div col end}}

Chester Drum novels (as '''Stephen Marlowe'''): {{div col|colwidth=20em}} * ''The Second Longest Night'' (1955) * ''Mecca for Murder'' (1956) * ''Killers Are My Meat'' (1957) * ''Murder Is My Dish'' (1957) * ''Trouble Is My Name'' (1957) * ''Terror Is My Trade'' (1958) * ''Violence Is My Business'' (1958) * ''Double in Trouble'' (with Richard S. Prather, co-starring Prather's series character Shell Scott) (1959) * ''Homicide Is My Game'' (1959) * ''Danger Is My Line'' (1960) * ''Death Is My Comrade'' (1960) * ''Peril Is My Pay'' (1960) * ''Manhunt Is My Mission'' (1961) * ''Jeopardy Is My Job'' (1962) * ''Francesca'' (1963) * ''Drum Beat - Berlin'' (1964) * ''Drum Beat - Dominique'' (1965) * ''Drum Beat - Madrid'' (1966) * ''Drum Beat - Erica'' (1967) * ''Drum Beat - Marianne'' (1968) {{div col end}}

As '''Adam Chase''': * ''[https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/26968 Summer Snow Storm]'' (1956) * ''[https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/32890 Home is Where You Left It]'' (1957) * ''[https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/32953 Quest of the Golden Ape]'' (1959)

As '''Andrew Frazer''': * ''Find Eileen Hardin - Alive!'' (1959) * ''The Fall of Marty Moon'' (1960)

As '''Jason Ridgway''': {{div col|colwidth=25em}} * ''West Side Jungle'' (1958) * ''Adam's Fall'' (1960) * ''People in Glass Houses'' (1961) * ''Hardly a Man Is Now Alive'' (1962) * ''The Treasure of the Cosa Nostra'' (1966) {{div col end}}

As '''Ellery Queen''' * ''Dead Man's Tale'' (1961)

As '''C. H. Thames''': {{div col|colwidth=20em}} * ''[https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/26966 A Place in the Sun]'' (1956) * ''Violence Is Golden'' (1956) * ''[https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/66731 Planet of Doom]'' (1956) * ''[https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/66825 Forever We Die!]'' (1956) * ''[https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/65730 World of the Hunter]'' (1956) * ''[https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/65668 Revolt of the Brains]'' (1956) * ''[https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/32827 Think Yourself to Death]'' (1957) * ''[https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/32820 World Beyond Pluto]'' (1958) * ''Blood of My Brother'' (1963) {{div col end}}

As '''Darius John Granger''': {{div col|colwidth=20em}} * ''[https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/25684 A World Called Crimson]'' (1956) * ''[https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/73496 An eye for the ladies]'' (1956) * ''[https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/66759 We Run From the Hunted!]'' (1956) * ''[https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/66723 Stop, You're Killing Me!]'' (1956) * ''[https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/65676 The Thing in the Truck]'' (1956) * ''[https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/65725 Centauri Vengeance]'' (1956) * ''[https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/32711 Disaster Revisited]'' (1957) {{div col end}}

As '''Stephen Wilder''': * ''[https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/73594 The passionate pitchman]'' (1956)

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== * The [https://mysteryfile.com/blog/?p=542 Mystery*File] blog: Bill Pronzini on Stephen Marlowe, 1928–2008. * {{ISFDB name|id=Milton_Lesser|name=Milton Lesser}} * {{Gutenberg author | id=32369| name=Stephen Marlowe}} * {{Internet Archive author |sname=Stephen Marlowe}} * {{Librivox author |id=1074 |title=Stephen Marlowe (and other aliases)}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Marlowe, Stephen}} Category:1928 births Category:2008 deaths Category:20th-century American male writers Category:20th-century American novelists Category:20th-century American short story writers Category:American male novelists Category:American male short story writers Category:American mystery writers Category:American science fiction writers Category:College of William & Mary alumni Category:Military personnel from New York City Category:Military personnel from New York (state) Category:Novelists from Virginia Category:People from Williamsburg, Virginia Category:Shamus Award winners Category:United States Army personnel of the Korean War