Elinore Denniston (September 20, 1900 – May 24, 1978) was an American writer of more than 40 mystery novels under the

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's o ...

Rae Foley She wrote other mysteries as Helen K. Maxwell and Dennis Allan. She also wrote books for children. In a brief comment in ''Twentieth Century Crime and Mystery Writers'', author Herbert Harris describes her as "one of the most prolific and successful of America's 'romantic suspense' novelists...".

Biography

Elinore Denniston was born on September 20, 1900, in

North Dakota North Dakota ( ) is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota people, Dakota and Sioux peoples. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minneso ...

. She began writing under the pseudonym Dennis Allen in 1936. She worked as an assistant to the playwright

Theresa Helburn Theresa Helburn (January 12, 1887 – August 18, 1959)"Theresa Helburn"
Internet Broadway ...

. She also worked as an assistant to

Eleanor Roosevelt Anna Eleanor Roosevelt ( ; October 11, 1884November 7, 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She was the longest-serving First Lady of the United States, first lady of the United States, during her husband Franklin D ...

. She died on May 24, 1978, in

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...

Bibliography

Mystery novels

As Dennis Allan

* ''House of Treason'' (1936) * ''Brandon Is Missing'' (1940) * ''The Case of the Headless Corpse'' (1940) * ''Born to Be Murdered'' (1952) * ''Dead to Rights'' (1953)

As Rae Foley

* ''No Tears for the Dead'' (1948) * ''Girl from Nowhere'' (1949) * ''Bones of Contention'' (1950) * ''The Hundredth Door'' (1950) * ''An Ape in Velvet'' (1951) * ''Wake the Sleeping Wolf'' (1952) * ''Don't Kill, My Love'' (1952) * ''The Man in the Shadow'' (1953) * ''Death and Mr. Potter'' (1955) * ''Dark Intent'' (1955) * ''The Last Gamble'' (1956) * ''Run for Your Life'' (1957) * ''Where Is Mary Bostwick?'' (1958) * ''It's Murder, Mr. Potter'' (1961) * ''Repent at Leisure: a Mr. Potter Mystery'' (1962) * ''Back Door to Death, a Mr. Potter Mystery'' (1963). Republished as ''Nightmare Honeymoon'' (1976). * ''Scared to Death'' (1963) * ''Fatal Lady: A Mr. Potter Mystery'' (1964) * ''Suffer a Witch'' (1965) * ''Call It Accident'' (1965) * ''Wild Night'' (1966) * ''The Shelton Conspiracy'' (1967) * ''Fear of a Stranger'' (1967) * ''Nightmare House'' (1968) * ''No Hiding Place'' (1969) * ''Girl on a High Wire'' (1969) * ''A Calculated Risk'' (1970) * ''This Woman Wanted'' (1971) * ''Ominous Star'' (1971) * ''Sleep Without Morning'' (1972) * ''The First Mrs. Winston'' (1972) * ''Malice Domestic'' (1972) * ''Trust a Woman?'' (1973) * ''One O'clock at the Gotham'' (1974) * ''Dangerous to Me'' (1974) * ''The Dark Hill'' (1974) * ''The Brownstone House'' (1974) * ''Put Out the Light'' (1976) * ''Where Helen Lies'' (1976) * ''Murder by Bequest'' (1976) * ''The Slippery Step: A Novel of Suspense'' (1977) * ''The Barclay Place'' (1978) * ''The Girl Who Had Everything'' (1978)

As Elinore Denniston

* ''Madness in the Spring'' (1954)

As Helen K. Maxwell

* ''The Girl in a Mask'' (1970) * ''Leave It to Amanda'' (1972) * ''The Livingston Heirs'' (1973)

Other

As Elinore Denniston

*Translation of ''Gouverneur Morris, Witness of Two Revolutions'' by Daniel Walther (1934) * ''America's Silent Investigators; The Story of the Postal Inspectors Who Protect the United States Mail'' (1964)

As Elinore Denniston with Catherine Barjansky

* ''Portraits with Backgrounds'' (1948)

As Rae Foley

* ''Famous American Spies'' (1962) * ''Famous Makers of America'' (1963)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Denniston, Elinor 1900 births 1978 deaths 20th-century American women writers Writers from North Dakota American mystery novelists