Milton K. Ozaki (June 14, 1913 – November 7, 1989) was an American writer.

Life

Ozaki was born in

Racine, Wisconsin Racine ( ) is a city in Racine County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. It is located on the shore of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Root River (Wisconsin), Root River, south of Milwaukee and north of Chicago. It is the List ...

to a Japanese father (Jingaro Ozaki, who later changed his name to Frank) and an American mother, Augusta Rathbun. He lost a leg as a young child. In addition to his work as a writer and journalist, he operated a beauty parlor (the Monsieur Meltoine beauty salon, in the Gold Coast section of

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

). Ozaki and his wife Dolores B. Ozaki lived at 6314 Fifth Avenue in

Kenosha, Wisconsin Kenosha () is a city in Kenosha County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Wisconsin, fourth-most populous city in Wisconsin, with a population of 99,986 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. S ...

. In the 1970s, he operated phony mail-order colleges, including the Colorado State Christian College and Hamilton State University, and he was also involved in a company marketing a device fraudulently claimed to increase gas mileage. He died in

Reno, Nevada Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada–California border. It is the county seat and most populous city of Washoe County, Nevada, Washoe County. Sitting in the High Eastern Sierra foothills, ...

.Milton K. Ozaki
. ''Chicago Tribune'', November 15, 1989.

Writing

Ozaki was the author of approximately two dozen popular mid-20th century detective novels under both his given name and the pseudonym Robert O. Saber, and was one of the first American mystery writers of Japanese descent. His novels are set in the fictional, mid-sized southeastern-Wisconsin city of Stillwell, Wisconsin, which is actually a barely disguised Kenosha.

Novels

*''The Cuckoo Clock'' (1946) – Also published under the title "Too Many Women" (1947) *''A Fiend in Need'' (1947) *''The Ram of Aries'' (1947) *''The Black Dark Murders'' (1949) – Also published under the title "Out Of The Dark" (1954) *''The Affair of the Frigid Blonde'' (1950) – Also published under the title "The Deadly Blonde" (1953) *''The Deadly Lover'' (1951) *''The Scented Flesh'' (1951) *''The Dummy Murder Case'' (1951) *''The Dove'' (1951) – Also published under the title "Chicago Woman" (1953) *''No Way Out'' (1952) – Also published under the title "Borrowed Time" (1955) *''Murder Doll'' (1952) *''The Deadly Pickup'' (1953) *''Murder Honeymoon'' (1953) *''City of Sin'' (1952) *''Dressed to Kill'' (1954) *''Too Young to Die'' (1954) *''Shake Hands With The Devil'' (1954) *''Maid For Murder'' (1955) *''A Dame Called Murder'' (1955) *''Marked For Murder'' (1955) *''Model for Murder'' (1955) *''Sucker Bait'' (1955) *''Never Say Die'' (1956) *''A Time For Murder'' (1956) *''Case of the Deadly Kiss'' (1957) *''The Case of the Cop's Wife'' (1958) *''Wake Up and Scream'' (1959) *''Inquest'' (1960) *''Too Cute To Kill'' (Publish date unknown)

Games

Milton K. Ozaki also designed a dice game, Murder Dice, which was similar to Yahtzee and was based on the events in a murder trial.

Notes

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ozaki, Milton K. 1913 births 1989 deaths Writers from Racine, Wisconsin People from Kenosha, Wisconsin American mystery writers American writers of Japanese descent American novelists of Asian descent 20th-century American novelists American male novelists 20th-century American male writers Novelists from Wisconsin