Christopher Hale was the pseudonym of Frances Moyer Ross Stevens (1895-1948), an American writer. Her series character was Lieutenant Bill French. This Michigan sleuth was featured in thirteen novels including Deadly Ditto (1948). He was a slender, youngish man with pale, brown, smooth hair and a fine ruddy skin which gave him a boyish appearance.
Bibliography
Smoke Screen (1935)
Ghost River (1937)
Stormy Night (1937)
Murder on Display (1939)
Witch Wood (1940)
Dead of Winter (1941)
Exit Screaming (1942)
Murder in Tow (1943)
Hangman's Tie (1943)
Midsummer Nightmare (1945)
Rumor Hath It (1945)
Deadly Ditto (1948)
He's Late This Morning (1949)
- Trouble Upstairs (short story, 1940)
Comments (2)
Jim Benton said
at 12:10 pm on May 17, 2013
Another bibliographic problem -- and another writer I wish I'd known about before. The problem is obvious, French is supposed to have appeared in 13 novels, but only eleven are listed. Checking the sellers turn up two other books by this Christopher Hale, both Crime Clubs from 1937, GHOST RIVER, and STORMY NIGHT. But are these with French? he is a Michigan state trooper, and GHOST RIVER is listed as having a Sierra background. I did not find any other books listed by him, but I may have missed one. Anyway, if RUMOR HATH IT is anywhere near typical, this is another author I am ecstatic to discover -- and, earlier than I had expected -- another one to start buying. Which means I may have a little more info shortly.
As for the physical description, French's air of authority and his whole manner is very im portant to his persona, but there is little youthful in this. What is much more important is that, while he is a 'career cop,' his father owns substantial tracks of forest in the Upper Peninsula and French is very, very rich. Rich enough that his police car is a Rolls Coupe with an insignia on it. (And the wealth and status are more important when you realize these were written mostly before or during WWII, in the specific social milieu of Midwestern society.)
More soon, I'm sure, since I already have MIDSUMMER NIGHTMARE to explore.
Jim Benton said
at 4:02 pm on May 21, 2013
As I expected, GHOST RIVER does not feature French but another state policeman from another state, Capt. John Forsythe. (I have yet to begin the book, still on Bensons, so can't say if the state is mentioned or left open, but it is in the Sierra Country.) I also have HANGMAN'S TIE which does feature French, and seems about as off the wall as RUMOR HATH IT, but more on that later. It is the 9th book, according to the brag sheet, but the sequence listed doesn't match up at all -- not unusual if the sheet is wrong. After the first few examples of Hale, I expect it won't be long before I can list them from info in my collection, this is a 'lost writer' as surprising as is Dana Chambers.
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