Slot-Machine Kelly: The Complete Private Eye Cases of the One-Armed Bandit (Lost Classics Series)

A MASTER OF THE PRIVATE-EYE TALE

Dennis Lynds (1924-2005), who was best known for his work under the pseudonym "Michael Collins," was probably the most important and influential writer of private-eye stories to emerge in the past forty years. His series about one-armed detective, Dan Fortune, which began with the Edgar-winning Act of Fear (1967), is filled with the sense of pace, setting, and characterization of a master stylist, and the social consciousness of a committed human being. As Robert J. Randisi says in his introduction, "His work not only entertains, it informs and provokes."

Slot-Machine Kelly contains Dennis Lynds’ earliest P.I. tales, published between 1962 and 1966, and never previously in bookform.

Dennis Lynds added prefaces to each story, explaining their significance in his development as a writer. He checked the final proofs a week before his untimely death, so this collection has become a memorial to the extraordinary writer who was Dennis Lynds and Michael Collins.

Slot-Machine Kelly is the 18th in Crippen & Landru’s series of Lost Classics. The cover design is by Tom Roberts.

Dennis Lynds wrote some 40 books and 200 short stories. His Dan Fortune novels, written under the pseudonym Michael Collins, are considered one of America's most classic and beloved series of detective mysteries.  He won numerous awards including the Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award and the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Private Eye Writers of America. His work was chosen for Best American Short Stories and Best Mystery and Suspense Stories. A teenage rifleman in World War II, he came home with a Bronze Star and two Purple Hearts.He went on to earn degrees in chemistry and journalism and was a New York magazine editor for many years.  Born in 1924, he died in 2005.Obituaries celebrating him appeared around the globe. His career had lasted more than fifty years. "To spin tales as intriguing and thought provoking as Lynds's for decades is a remarkable enough achievement.Even more remarkable is the sustained quality." - Los Angeles Times