Patrick Quentin, Q. Patrick and Jonathan Stagge were pen names under which Hugh Callingham Wheeler (19 March 1912 – 26 July 1987), Richard Wilson Webb (August 1901 – December 1966), Martha Mott Kelley (30 April 1906 – 2005) and Mary Louise White Aswell (3 June 1902 – 24 December 1984) wrote detective fiction. In some foreign countries their books have been published under the variant Quentin Patrick. Most of the stories were written by Webb and Wheeler in collaboration, or by Wheeler alone. Their most famous creation is the amateur sleuth Peter Duluth. In 1963, the story collection ''The Ordeal of Mrs. Snow'' was given a Special Edgar Award by the

Mystery Writers of America Mystery Writers of America (MWA) is an organization of mystery and crime writers, based in New York City. The organization was founded in 1945 by Clayton Rawson, Anthony Boucher, Lawrence Treat, and Brett Halliday. It presents the Edgar Awa ...

. In 1949, the book ''Puzzle for Pilgrims'' won the

Grand Prix de Littérature Policière The Grand Prix de Littérature Policière (or the Police Literature Grand Prize) is a French literary prize founded in 1948 by author and literary critic Maurice-Bernard Endrèbe. It is the most prestigious award for crime and detective fiction in ...

International Prize, the most prestigious award for crime and detective fiction in France.Guide des Prix littéraires
online ed. ''Le Rayon du Polar''. Synopsis of French prizes rewarding French and international crime literature, with lists of laureates for each Prize. Grand Prix de littérature policière: pp. 18–36.

History

In 1931, Martha Mott Kelley and Richard Wilson Webb collaborated on the detective novel ''Cottage Sinister''. Kelley was known as Patsy (

Patsy Kelly Patsy Kelly (born Sarah Veronica Rose Kelly; January 12, 1910 – September 24, 1981) was an American actress. She is known for her role as the brash, wisecracking sidekick to Thelma Todd in a series of short comedy films produced by Hal R ...

was a well-known character actress of that era) and Webb—an Englishman (born 1901 in

Burnham-on-Sea Burnham-on-Sea is a seaside town in Somerset, England, at the mouth of the River Parrett, upon Bridgwater Bay. Burnham was a small fishing village until the late 18th century when it began to grow because of its popularity as a seaside resort. ...

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

) who worked for a pharmaceutical company in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

—was known as Rick, so they created the pseudonym Q. Patrick by combining their nicknames—adding the Q "because it was unusual". Webb and Kelley's literary partnership soon ended, with Kelley's marriage to Stephen Shipley Wilson. Webb continued to write under the Q. Patrick name, while looking for a new writing partner. Although he wrote two novels with the journalist and '' Harper's Bazaar'' editor Mary Louise Aswell, he would find his permanent collaborator in Hugh Wheeler, a Londoner who had moved to the US in 1934. Wheeler's and Webb's first collaboration was published in 1936. That same year, they introduced two new pseudonyms: ''Murder Gone to Earth'', the first novel featuring Dr. Westlake, was credited to Jonathan Stagge, a name they would continue to use for the rest of the Westlake series. ''A Puzzle for Fools'' introduced Peter Duluth and was signed Patrick Quentin. This would become their primary and most famous pen name, even though they also continued to use Q. Patrick until the end of their collaboration (particularly for Inspector Trant stories). In the late 1940s, Webb's contributions gradually decreased due to health problems. From the 1950s and on, Wheeler continued writing as Patrick Quentin on his own, and also had one book published under his own name. In the 1960s and '70s, Wheeler achieved success as a playwright and librettist, and his output as Quentin Patrick slowed and then ceased altogether after 1965. However, Wheeler did write the book for the 1979 musical ''

Sweeney Todd Sweeney Todd is a fictional character who first appeared as the villain of the penny dreadful serial '' The String of Pearls'' (1846–47). The original tale became a feature of 19th-century melodrama and London legend. A barber from Fleet Stre ...

'' about a fictional London mass murderer, showing he had not altogether abandoned the genre.

Writing

The early Q. Patrick detective stories generally follow the

Golden Age The term Golden Age comes from Greek mythology, particularly the '' Works and Days'' of Hesiod, and is part of the description of temporal decline of the state of peoples through five Ages, Gold being the first and the one during which the G ...

whodunit A ''whodunit'' or ''whodunnit'' (a colloquial elision of "Who asdone it?") is a complex plot-driven variety of detective fiction in which the puzzle regarding who committed the crime is the main focus. The reader or viewer is provided with the c ...

" conventions, with elaborate puzzle mysteries reminiscent of Agatha Christie or

John Dickson Carr John Dickson Carr (November 30, 1906 – February 27, 1977) was an American author of detective stories, who also published using the pseudonyms Carter Dickson, Carr Dickson, and Roger Fairbairn. He lived in England for a number of years, and is ...

. From the time when Wheeler joined the writing, the stories become more psychologically acute, with increasingly realistic, fleshed-out characters. In the 1940s, the stories start to move away from the traditional detective pattern: ''Puzzle for Fiends'' is a Hitchcockian thriller, ''Puzzle for Pilgrims'' a film noir in written form, and ''Run to Death'' a pulpy spy novel. The majority of the Webb–Wheeler collaborations feature one of their recurring characters: Peter Duluth, a Broadway director, WWII veteran and recovering alcoholic who, with his wife Iris, always seems to stumble across murders; Inspector Timothy Trant of the New York City Police, a Princeton University-educated dandy whose remorseless investigations often seem to be aimed at some innocent person before he reveals his real target; and the country doctor, Dr. Hugh Cavendish Westlake with his daughter Dawn. When Webb bowed out on the writing, these characters disappeared or receded into the background. The late Patrick Quentin novels are increasingly dark and brooding. Deceit and betrayal, particularly adultery, already a frequent theme, becomes even more central. Although at the end of the story the murder is solved, the impact of the crime, and the corruption uncovered in the investigation, remain. A study of all the Q.Patrick/Patrick Quentin/Jonathan Stagge novels has appeared in French, ''Patrick Quentin: Du roman-probleme au Thriller Psychologique'' by Roland Lacourbe, Vincent Bourgeois, Phillippe Fooz and Michel Soupart (France: Semper Aenigma, 2016).

Legacy

At one time a relatively popular mystery writer (

Francis Iles Anthony Berkeley Cox (5 July 1893 – 9 March 1971) was an English crime writer. He wrote under several pen-names, including Francis Iles, Anthony Berkeley and A. Monmouth Platts. Early life and education Anthony Berkeley Cox was born 5 July ...

called Quentin "number one among American crime writers"), Quentin has largely fallen into obscurity in the US, his works out of print. He probably is better known in Scandinavia, where he used to be among the most famous detective writers, although his reputation is fading there as well. A few of Quentin's stories have been filmed (see below), most notably the Peter Duluth mystery '' Black Widow'', which was filmed under that title by

Twentieth Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...

in 1954 as a color Cinemascope feature.

Van Heflin Emmett Evan "Van" Heflin Jr. (December 13, 1908 – July 23, 1971) was an American theatre, radio and film actor. He played mostly character parts over the course of his film career, but during the 1940s had a string of roles as a leading man. H ...

portrayed the Peter Duluth character, who for some reason was renamed Peter Denver.

Works variously by Richard Wilson Webb, Hugh Wheeler, Martha Mott Kelley and Mary Louise Aswell

As 'Q. Patrick'

Novels by Webb and Kelley

* ''Cottage Sinister'' – 1931. Abridged version: Triple Detective, Winter 1948 * ''Murder at the Women's City Club'' – 1932 (also ''Death in the Dovecote'')

Novels by Webb

* ''Murder at the 'Varsity'' – 1933 (also ''Murder at Cambridge'')

Novels by Webb and Aswell

* ''S.S. Murder'' – 1933 * ''The Grindle Nightmare'' – 1935 (also ''Darker Grows the Valley''). Abridged version: Detective Novel Magazine, May 1947

Novels by Webb and Wheeler

* ''Death Goes to School'' – 1936 * ''Death for Dear Clara'' – 1937, with Inspector Trant * ''The File on Fenton and Farr'' – 1938 * ''The File on Claudia Cragge'' – 1938, with Inspector Trant * ''Death and the Maiden'' – 1939, with Inspector Trant * ''Return to the Scene'' – 1941 (also ''Death in Bermuda''), serialised in the U.K.: Woman, 26 July 1941, 2 August 1941, 9 August 1941, 16 August 1941, 23 August 1941, 30 August 1941, 6 September 1941 and 13 September 1941 * ''Danger Next Door'' – 1952 * ''The Girl on the Gallows'' – 1954

Short fiction by Webb and Wheeler

(FIRST KNOWN PUBLICATION ONLY) *''Darker Grows the Valley''. Mystery, May 1935 *''Killed by Time''. Street & Smith's Detective Story Magazine, October 1935 *''The Dogs Do Bark''. Street & Smith's Detective Story Magazine, November 1935 *''The Frightened Landlady''. Street & Smith's Detective Story Magazine, December 1935 *''Call the Heart Home''. Sketch, 18 December 1935 *''The Scarlet Circle''. Street & Smith's Detective Story Magazine, January 1936 *''The Hated Woman''. Street & Smith's Detective Story Magazine, February 1936 *''Murder or Mercy''. Street & Smith's Detective Story Magazine, June 1936 *''The Jack of Diamonds''.

The American Magazine ''The American Magazine'' was a periodical publication founded in June 1906, a continuation of failed publications purchased a few years earlier from publishing mogul Miriam Leslie. It succeeded ''Frank Leslie's Popular Monthly'' (1876–1904), ' ...

, November 1936 *''Death Goes to School''. PUBLICATION UNKNOWN, 1936 *''Danger Next Door''. Street & Smith's Detective Story Magazine, May 1937 *''The Lady Had Nine Lives''.

, August 1937 *''Exit Before Midnight''.

, October 1937. Serialised weekly in the U.K.: Woman Magazine, 4 to 25 January 1941 *''Death and the Maiden''.

American Weekly ''The American Weekly'' was a Sunday magazine, Sunday newspaper supplement published by the Hearst Corporation from November 1, 1896, until 1966. History During the 1890s, publications were inserted into Joseph Pulitzer's ''New York World'' and ...

, 22 and 29 January 1939 *''Death for Dear Clara''. Five-in-One Detective Magazine, June/July 1939 *''Another Man’s Poison''.

, January 1940 *''Death Rides the Ski-Tow''.

, April 1941. Serialised weekly in the U.K. as

Death Rides the Ski Trail Death is the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain an organism. For organisms with a brain, death can also be defined as the irreversible cessation of functioning of the whole brain, including brainstem, and brain ...

, Woman Magazine, 6 to 20 March 1943 * Ordeal. Woman Magazine, 18 October 1941 *''Murder with Flowers''.

, December 1941 *''Portrait of a Murderer''. Harper's Magazine, April 1942 *''Humphrey''. This Week, 24 May 1942. Reprinted as “Cat’s Cradle”. Woman Magazine, 26 September 1942 *''Lest We Forget''. Woman Magazine, 27 June 1942 *''The Woman Who Waited''. The Shadow, January 1945

Short fiction by Wheeler

*''White Carnations''. Collier's, 10 February 1945. Collected in ''The Cases of Lieutenant Timothy Trant'' (Trant) *''The Plaster Cat''. Mystery Book Magazine, July 1946. Collected in ''The Cases of Lieutenant Timothy Trant'' (Trant) *''Murder at Cambridge''. Thrilling Mystery Novel Magazine, January 1947 *''The Corpse in the Closet''. This Week, 16 February 1947. Reprinted:

Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine ''Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine'' is a bi-monthly American digest size fiction magazine specializing in crime fiction, particularly detective fiction, and mystery fiction. Launched in fall 1941 by Mercury Press, ''EQMM'' is named after the fict ...

, January 1948. Collected in ''The Cases of Lieutenant Timothy Trant'' (Trant) *''This Way Out''. Mystery Book Magazine, March 1947 *''Death on Saturday Night''.

Ellery Queens's Mystery Magazine Ellery may refer to: * Ellery (duo), an American pop group * Ellery (given name) * Ellery (surname) * Ellery, New York, a US town * Ellery, Illinois, a US town See also * Ellery Lake, a lake in Ontario, Canada * Mount Ellery, Australia * Moun ...

. Collected in ''The Cases of Lieutenant Timothy Trant'' (Trant) *''Love Comes to Miss Lucy''.

, April 1947 *''Footlights and Murder''. This Week, 11 May 1947 * Little Boy Lost

, October 1947 *''Murder in One Scene''. This Week, 2 May 1948 *''Mother, May I Go Out to Swim?''.

, July 1948 *''Farewell Performance''.

, September 1948 *''The Wrong Envelope''. Mystery Book Magazine, 1948 *''Murder in the Alps''. This Week, 20 February 1949 * Death and the Maiden Detective Novel Magazine, Spring 1949. Reprinted: This Week, 26 May 1949 *''Who Killed the Mermaid?''. This Week, 26 May 1949. Collected in ''The Cases of Lieutenant Timothy Trant'' (Trant) *''Thou Lord See'st Me''.

, July 1949 *''The Case of the Plaster Cat''. This Week, 3 September 1949 *''Town Blonde, Country Blonde''. This Week, 16 October 1949 *''Woman of Ice''. This Week, 30 October 1949. Collected in ''The Cases of Lieutenant Timothy Trant'' (Trant) *''This Looks Like Murder''. This Week, 30 April 1950. Collected in ''The Cases of Lieutenant Timothy Trant'' (Trant) *''A Boy’s Will''.

, June 1950 *''Death on the Riviera''. This Week, 30 July 1950 *''Death and Canasta''. This Week, 15 October 1950 *''Night''. This Week, 26 November 1950 (''Death on Saturday Night'') *''This Will Kill You''.

, November 1950 *''Girl Overboard (book)''. Four-&-Twenty Bloodhounds (1950). Collected in ''The Cases of Lieutenant Timothy Trant'' (Trant) *''All the Way to the Moon''.

, September 1951 *''Death before Breakfast''. This Week, 11 March 1951. Collected in ''The Cases of Lieutenant Timothy Trant'' (Trant) *''Glamorous Opening''. This Week, 3 June 1951 *''Death at the Fair''. (London)

Evening Standard The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format. In October 2009, after be ...

, 9 November 1951. Collected in ''The Cases of Lieutenant Timothy Trant'' (Trant) *''The Pigeon Woman''.

, July 1952 *''Revolvers and Roses''. This Week, 7 December 1952 *''The 'Laughing Man' Murders''. The American Magazine, March 1953 *''Death on a First Night''. Mackill's Mystery Magazine, May 1953. *''On the Day of the Rose Show''.

. Collected in ''The Cases of Lieutenant Timothy Trant'' (Trant) *''Going...Going...Gone!''. This Week, 10 May 1953. Collected in ''The Cases of Lieutenant Timothy Trant'' (Trant) *''The Predestined''. Britannia & Eve, 1 August 1953 *''The Red Balloon''.

Weird Tales ''Weird Tales'' is an American fantasy and horror fiction pulp magazine founded by J. C. Henneberger and J. M. Lansinger in late 1922. The first issue, dated March 1923, appeared on newsstands February 18. The first editor, Edwin Baird, pri ...

, November 1953 *''Two Deadly Females''. This Week, 3 April 1955 *''Lioness versus Panther''.

. Collected in ''The Cases of Lieutenant Timothy Trant'' (Trant) *''The Fat Cat''. Suspense, March 1959. Reprinted as ''The Fat Cat Which Sat on the Mat'' (Great Animal Stories No. 3). Aberdeen Evening Express, 18 and 19 October 1961

As 'Dick Callingham'

Short fiction by Webb and Wheeler

* ‘'Striking Silence'’. Street & Smith's Detective Story Magazine, February 1936 * ‘'Terror Keepers'’. Street & Smith's Detective Story Magazine, March 1936 * ‘'Frightened Killer'’. Street & Smith's Detective Story Magazine, May 1937

As 'Patrick Quentin'

Novels by Webb and Wheeler

* ''A Puzzle for Fools'' – 1936
with Peter Duluth. * ''Puzzle for Players'' – 1938
with Peter Duluth. * ''Puzzle for Puppets'' – 1944
with Peter Duluth. Serialised weekly as “Ring around the Roses” as by Q Patrick. Woman magazine, 18 April to 9 May 1942. Filmed as ''Homicide for Three'' (1948

* ''Puzzle for Wantons'' – 1945 (also ''Slay the Loose Ladies'')
with Peter Duluth. Originally serialised as "Puzzle for Frauds". Woman Magazine (UK), 20 January to 10 March 1945 * ''Puzzle for Fiends'' – 1946 (also ''Love Is a Deadly Weapon'')
with Peter Duluth. Filmed in the UK as ''The Strange Awakening'' (1958), US title ''Female Friends'

Serialised weekly in the U.K., Answers Magazine, 24 August 1946 to 8 February 1947 * ''Puzzle for Pilgrims'' – 1947 (also ''The Fate of the Immodest Blonde'')
with Peter Duluth. * ''Run to Death'' – 1948
with Peter Duluth. * ''The Follower'' – 1950 * ''Black Widow'' – 1952 (also ''Fatal Woman'')
with Peter Duluth and Inspector Trant. Filmed as ''Black Widow'' (1954

Novels by Wheeler

* ''My Son, the Murderer'' – 1954 (also ''The Wife of Ronald Sheldon'')
with Peter Duluth (briefly) and Inspector Trant. * ''The Man with Two Wives'' – 1955. Serialised, Woman's Own Weekly from 16 June 1955, 23 June 1955, 30 June 1955, 7 July 1955, 14 July 1855, 21 July 1955, 28 July 1955 and 4 August 1955
with Inspector Trant. Filmed as ''Tsuma Futari'' (1967)　by Shindo Kanetobr>
* ''The Man in the Net'' – 1956
Filmed as ''The Man in the Net'' (1959

* ''Suspicious Circumstances'' – 1957 * ''Shadow of Guilt'' – 1959
with Inspector Trant. Filmed as ' (1960

* ''The Green-Eyed Monster'' – 1960 * ''The Ordeal of Mrs. Snow'' – 1961
A short story collection; the title story was filmed for TV as an episode of ''The Alfred Hitchcock Hour'', "The Ordeal of Mrs. Snow" (1964

* ''Family Skeletons'' – 1965
with Inspector Trant. Filmed for West German TV as ''Familienschande'' (1988

Short story collections by Webb and Wheeler

* ''The Puzzles of Peter Duluth'' –

Crippen & Landru Crippen & Landru Publishers is a small publisher of mystery fiction collections, based in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1994 by husband and wife Sandi and Douglas G. Greene in Norfolk, Virginia, United States, and is named af ...

Publishers, 2016. Short stories. * ''The Cases of Lieutenant Trant'' –

Publishers, 2020. Short stories. * ''Hunt in the Dark and Other Fatal Pursuits'' –

Publishers, 2021. Short stories.

Short fiction by Webb and Wheeler

* ''Honor the Valiant''. This Week, 20 October 1940 * ''She Wrote Finis''. Maclean’s Magazine, December 1940 – January 1941 (Trant) * ''

Witness for the Prosecution In law, a witness is someone who has knowledge about a matter, whether they have sensed it or are testifying on another witnesses' behalf. In law a witness is someone who, either voluntarily or under compulsion, provides testimonial evidence, e ...

'', ''Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine'', July 1946*

Short non-fiction by Wheeler

* ''Unlucky Lady''. American Weekly, 10 May 1953

As 'Jonathan Stagge'

Novels by Webb and Wheeler

* ''Murder Gone to Earth'' – 1936 (also ''The Dogs Do Bark'') – with Dr Hugh Westlake * ''Murder or Mercy?'' – 1937 (also ''Murder by Prescription'') – with Dr Hugh Westlake * ''The Stars Spell Death'' – 1939 (also ''Murder in the Stars'') – with Dr Hugh Westlake * ''Turn of the Table'' – 1940 (also ''Funeral for Five''). Serialised in US newspapers as ''The Table Talks'' – with Dr Hugh Westlake * ''The Yellow Taxi'' – 1942 (also ''Call a Hearse''). Serialised in US newspapers as ''Riddle in Red'' – with Dr Hugh Westlake * ''The Scarlet Circle'' – 1943 (also ''Light from a Lantern'') – with Dr Hugh Westlake * ''Death, My Darling Daughters'' – 1945 (also ''Death and the Dear Girls'') * ''Death's Old Sweet Song'' – 1946 * ''The Three Fears'' – 1949

Novels by Hugh Wheeler

* ''The Crippled Muse'' – 1951

Novels by Mary Louise Aswell

* ''Far to Go'' – 1957

References

Christian Henriksson's Mystery Author Bibliography Site
Bibliography, including short stories, and giving Swedish titles when present.

Biography and discussion of works. In Norwegian.
Gialloweb Bibliography
Complete bibliography, with all the Italian editions. {{DEFAULTSORT:Quentin, Patrick American mystery writers 20th-century American novelists Edgar Award winners Series of books Collective pseudonyms People from Burnham-on-Sea American male novelists 20th-century American male writers