Collin Wilcox
Collin Wilcox (September 21, 1924 – July 12, 1996) was an American mystery writer who published 30 books in 30 years.
Born in Detroit, Michigan, his first book was The Black Door (1967) featuring a sleuth possessing extrasensory perception. His major series of novels was about Lieutenant Frank Hastings of the San Francisco Police Department. Titles in the Hastings series included Hire a Hangman, Dead Aim, Hiding Place, Long Way Down and Stalking Horse. Two of his last books, Full Circle and Find Her a Grave, featured a new hero-sleuth, Alan Bernhardt, an eccentric theater director. Wilcox also published under the pseudonym “Carter Wick”.
Wilcox’s most famous series-detective was the television character Sam McCloud, a New Mexico deputy solving New York crime. The “urban cowboy” was played by Dennis Weaver in the 1970-1977 TV series McCloud. Wilcox wrote three novelizations based on scripts from the series: McCloud (1973), The New Mexican Connection (1974), and The Park Avenue Executioner (1975).
Wilcox died in San Francisco from cancer at the age of 72. Wilcox was survived by two sons, Christopher of Berkeley, Calif., and Jeff of Lafayette, Calif., and five grandchildren. His five grandchildren are Scotty, Conor, Hayley, Jessica, and Emma.