Brett Halliday (July 31, 1904 – February 4, 1977), primary pen name of Davis Dresser, was an American mystery writer, best known for the long-lived series of Michael Shayne novels he wrote, and later commissioned others to write. Dresser wrote non-series mysteries, westerns and romances under the names Asa Baker, Matthew Blood, Kathryn Culver, Don Davis, Hal Debrett, Anthony Scott, Peter Field, and Anderson Wayne.
Was a founding member of the Mystery Writers of America.
2
Gave up writing the Mike Shayne detective novels in 1958. The last novel in the series written by Halliday is 'Murder and the Wanton Bride.' The rest of the novels, published well into the 1980s, were written by a series of ghost writers.
3
Prolific American writer who published from 1939 to 1976 more than 60 mystery novels that featured the private detective Michael Shayne. A founding member of the Mystery Writers of America, he was given an Edgar Award for his criticism in 1953. He also used the pseudonyms Asa Baker, Mathew Blood, Kathryn Culver, Don Davis, Hal Debrett, Anthony Scott, Anderson Wayne. "Brett Halliday" is also a pseudonym of Bill Pronzini. With his wife, mystery/detective author Helen McCloy, he co-founded the Torquil Publishing Company, which from 1953 to 1964 published the adventures of Michael Shayne, and the Halliday & McCloy Literary Agency. He wrote as Hal Debrett when collaborating with his second wife, Kathleen Rollins, on "Before I Wake" (1949) and "A Lonely Way to Die" (1950), these collaborations leading to their marriage. His third wife was writer Mary Savage, who outlived him.
4
He lost an eye to barbed wire as a boy, requiring him to wear an eye patch for the rest of his life.
Writer
Title
Year
Status
Character
Just Off Broadway
1942
character
The Man Who Wouldn't Die
1942
character created by
Blue, White and Perfect
1942
character
Dressed to Kill
1941
character created by
Sleepers West
1941
character created by
Michael Shayne: Private Detective
1940
novel "The Private Practice of Michael Shayne"
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
2005
novel "Bodies Are Where You Find Them" - in part
Ironside
1968
TV Series written by - 2 episodes
Michael Shayne
TV Series characters - 24 episodes, 1960 - 1961 novel - 5 episodes, 1960 - 1961 character - 5 episodes, 1960 based on characters created by - 3 episodes, 1960 from a novel by - 2 episodes, 1960 story - 1 episode, 1960 teleplay - 1 episode, 1960
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
1959
TV Series story - 1 episode
Decision
1958
TV Series characters - 1 episode
Shadow of Fear
1955
as Hal Debrett
Three Cases of Murder
1955
story "You Killed Elizabeth"
Too Many Winners
1947
original characters / story
Three on a Ticket
1947
based on characters by / novel "The Corpse Came Calling"
$1 Million
