Marvin Albert

Marvin H. Albert (January 22, 1924 – March 25, 1996)^[1] was an American writer of mystery, crime and adventure novels including ones featuring Pete (Pierre-Ange [French: Stone Angel]) Sawyer, a French-American private investigator living and working in France.

During World War II Albert served in the United States Merchant Marine as a radio operator. After working as the director of a Philadelphia children's theater troupe he moved to New York in 1950 and began writing and editing for Quick^[2] and Look magazines.

He began writing full-time over the success of his 1956 Western novel The Law and Jake Wade. He sometimes wrote under pseudonyms such as Albert Conroy, Ian McAlister, Nick Quarry and Anthony Rome.^[3] Settings for his novels include France (where he lived for some time), Miami and the Old West. A 1975 international suspense thriller, The Gargoyle Conspiracy, written under his own name, was an Edgar nominee in the category of Best Mystery Novel.

• The Law and Jake Wade (1956), filmed under the same title (1958)
• Apache Rising (1957), filmed as Duel at Diablo (1966)
• The Bounty Killer (1958), filmed as (Italian-Spanish movie) El Precio de un Hombre (1966), aka The Ugly Ones in the US.
• Renegade Posse (1958), filmed as Bullet for a Badman (1964)
• The Reformed Gun (1959)
• Rider from Wind River (1959)
• Posse at High Pass (1964)

A series featuring the common character Clayburn. They were later reprinted in 1989-90 under Marvin Albert's own name.

• Clayburn (1961).
• Last Train to Bannock (1963)
• Three Rode North (1964)
• The Man in Black (1965), filmed as Rough Night in Jericho (1967; Albert also wrote the screenplay)

• The Road's End (1952)
• The Chiselers (1953)
• Nice Guys Finish Dead (1957) (filmed as À Corps À Cris (1989)
• Murder in Room 13 (1958) (filmed as Adieu Marin! (1993)
• The Mob Says Murder (1958)
• Devil in Dungarees (1960)

• The Hoods Come Calling (1958)
• The Girl with No Place to Hide (1959)
• Trail of a Tramp (1960)
• Till It Hurts (1960)
• No Chance in Hell (1960)
• Some Die Hard (1961)

A series featuring the private detective Tony Rome.

• Miami Mayhem (As Anthony Rome - 1960), filmed as Tony Rome (1967)
• The Lady in Cement, (As Anthony Rome, but published in England - 1961) filmed as Lady in Cement (1968)
• My Kind of Game (As Anthony Rome - 1962)

A 1967 television pilot under the name Nick Quarry was based on Tony Rome^[4]

• The Don Is Dead (1972) (filmed in 1972)
• The Vendetta (1972)

Series character: Johnny Morini, Soldato: Man Against the Mafia.

• Soldato! (1972)
• Death Grip! (1972)
• Strangle Hold! (1973)
• Murder Mission! (1973)
• Blood Run! (1973)

A series featuring the common character Pete Sawyer.

• The Dark Goddess (1978)
• Stone Angel (1986)
• Back in the Real World (1986)
• Get Off at Babylon (1987)
• Long Teeth (1987)
• The Last Smile (1988)
• The Midnight Sister (1989)
• Bimbo Heaven (1990)
• The Zig-Zag Man (1991)
• The Riviera Contract (1992)

• Skylark Mission (1973)
• Driscoll's Diamonds (1973)
• Strike Force 7 (1974)
• Valley of the Assassins (1975)

• Lie Down with Lions (1959)
• The Looters (as Albert Conroy - 1961), filmed as Estouffade à la Caraïbe (1966)
• The Gargoyle Conspiracy (1975)

• The Long White Road a biography of the Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton
• Broadsides and Boarders a history of great sea captains
• The Divorce (1965) about Henry VIII

• Mr. Lucky (1959), an original novel based on the TV series as by Al Conroy
• Storefront Lawyers (1970), novelization of the pilot teleplay as by A.L. Conroy [sic]

• Duel at Diablo (1965)
• Rough Night in Jericho (1967)
• Lady in Cement (1968)
• A Twist of Sand (1968)
• The Don Is Dead (1973)

As J. D. Christilian - "Scarlet Women" (1996).

As Marvin H. Albert - "Operation Lila" (1983), "The Medusa Complex", "Dancer's Progress and Schrodingers Cat"(1993 - possibly two stories in one volume) and "Hidden Lives" (1981).

He was survived by his artist wife Xenia Klar, one son, and one grandchild.

In the movie Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, the character Rick Dalton is seen reading and discussing a western-themed paperback novel that features a character named Tom Breezy. The novelization of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood includes an ad for the fictitious Tom Breezy book, which is identified as Ride a Wild Bronc by Marvin H. Albert.

• https://web.archive.org/web/20060507232314/http://www.stopyourekillingme.com/Marvin-Albert.html
• http://www.mysteryfile.com/GM_Albert/goldmedal_albert.html