Dennis Lynds Books In Order

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Publication Order of Charlie Chan Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Short Stories/Novellas

Publication Order of Short Story Collections

Publication Order of Alfred Hitchcock and The Three Investigators Books

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Publication Order of Michael Collins Short Story Collections

Publication Order of Michael Collins Short Stories/Novellas

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Publication Order of Shadow: The Master of Darkness Books

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Dennis Lynds is an award-winning author that has been commended for changing the mystery form and introducing to readers a number of highly iconic private detectives. The tall lanky man won hearts and minds not only because of his writing style but his generous nature.

+Biography

Dennis Lynds was born in 1924 in St. Louis, Missouri. Dennis’ parents were actors and they were always on tour, which might explain why he was an only child. The student of chemistry created and worked with roughly eight pseudonyms during his literary career

His most successful pen names were Michael Collins and Mark Sadler. In fact, books written under those two names were added to the list of Best Mysteries in the years they came out.

Interestingly enough, even with the popularity the Collins and Sadler Pseudonyms elicited, a lot of prolific reviewers and critics didn’t know that those two people were the same person, or the fact that they were mere pseudonyms of Dennis Lynds.

Dennis Lynds is more than just another mystery author. By the 1960s, his detective novels were essentially creating the blueprint for all private detective-themed novels to come.

Dennis’ most popular detective went by the names of Dan Fortune, and Dennis wrote him for so long that readers were availed the opportunity to see the detective undergo so many different transformations.

Dennis’ critics often verbally assaulted him for his tendency to change even while he was succeeding. They didn’t think he played within any given sandbox long enough to push the limits, and that he often ran away a little too soon.

However, Dennis’ fans appreciated his ability to always keep his novels fresh, never allowing his material to grow stale but always experimenting with new concepts. That might have had something to do with the years Dennis spent as a solider in World War II.

The author was a rifleman; however, the rigors of the conflict did little to extinguish Dennis’ love for literature. The author’s knapsack, filled with poetry books, was never far from him, even when he was fighting across France.

Enthusiasts of WWII might be aware of the two purple stars and single bronze star Dennis Lynds earned for his efforts in the war, particularly his brave decision to dive into an icy river and lead his comrades to safety when they were surrounded by Nazis.

While some soldiers were unable to escape WWII even after returning home, Dennis wasted no time in acquiring his degree in Chemistry and following that certification up with a Masters degree in Journalism. The author put his degrees to good use and eventually secured a job as a magazine editor in New York.

By 1965, Dennis had moved to California to begin writing full-time.

Dennis Lynds was married thrice and acquired four children as a result. Two of them were step-children, though he doted on them with equal fervor.

The author died in 2005. He was eighty one years of age, and he was still married to Gayle Lynds, his third wife. Gayle is also an award-winning novelist. She writes espionage.

She is frequently heard complimenting Dennis Lynds for taking care of her when she was young.

+Charlie Chan Returns

Victor Cosmo is an influential philanthropist who chooses to take a unique approach to his problems. The tape-recorded death threat would have sent most other people running for the hills.

Victor instead decided to reach out to everyone that might have reason to see him dead, not to give them a piece of his mind but to deliver a special dinner invitation. Amongst the invited guests is the amazing Charlie Chan.

This book is a novelization of a screenplay that was never produced and it falls in line with the series of Charlie Chan novels that came before. The story starts with Charlie Chan in New York visiting his son.

A Newspaper column made mention of Charlie’s arrival in the town, and that prompted Victor Cosmo to reach out to him. Someone wants Cosmo dead. They sent the philanthropist a recorded message cobbled together from different radio broadcasts.

The four individuals that Victor summons to dinner have good reason to want him dead. Victor believes his journal and all the secrets he has written in it should keep him safe. But even if he is wrong, Victor decides to trust in Charlie Chan’s abilities.

This is book is categorized as a murder mystery, so it should come as no surprise that Victor is murdered. And naturally, it falls on Charlie Chan to find the killer. Along the way, additional murders take place.

Fans of the Charlie Chan books are unlikely to enjoy this installment, primarily because it doesn’t sound like the typical Charlie Chan novel. In fact, the injection of Charlie is unnecessary.

This story could have worked just as well without Charlie’s presence; Charlie is a bit of a distraction here because he is so out of place.

+Act of Fear

Dan Fortune was once a successful crook, known all over Chelsea for his antics. But that was before he fell during a job and broke his arm so severely that it had to be amputated.

Now one-armed, Dan reacts to the unfortunate turn of events by becoming a private eye in a run-down part of Manhattan. Having spent most of his days helping married couples shatter their relationships irreparably, Dan’s luck changes when a police officer is mugged in broad daylight.

When the only witness disappears, Dan is hired to solve the case.

This book saw the introduction of Dan Fortune to the literary field. The one-armed fellow is hired to find a man named Olsen who witnessed the mugging of a beat cop in broad daylight.

However, Olsen’s family isn’t very cooperative. There are also several murders that only complicate the case. Because Dan was once a crook, he knows how the criminals think. He is also always skimming. His persistent nature allows him to make headway in the case where everyone else is failing.

No amount of threatening will stop Dan from finding his man, not even when the threats of violence are followed by severe beatings.

One Response to “Dennis Lynds”

1. Trevor Trillion: 5 years ago

   Dennis Lynds is credited as the “ghost writer”, Brett Halliday, in an MSMM (Michael Shayne Mystery Magazine) short story called, “The Friendly Corpse”, in Sept 1962. This short story was later expanded as, “Too Friendly, Too Dead”, the 45th Brett Halliday / Michael Shayne Murder Mystery.
   Do you or your readers know of any other LYNDS novels using the pseudonym of Brett Halliday? There are ten titles I can’t pin down, not even with the Allen Hubin list up to 1995.

   Reply