Richard Martin Stern (March 17, 1915 in Fresno, California – October 31, 2001 in

Santa Fe, New Mexico Santa Fe ( ; , Spanish for 'Holy Faith'; tew, Oghá P'o'oge, Tewa for 'white shell water place'; tiw, Hulp'ó'ona, label=Tiwa language, Northern Tiwa; nv, Yootó, Navajo for 'bead + water place') is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. ...

) was an American novelist. Stern began his writing career in the 1950s with mystery tales of private investigators, winning a 1959

Edgar Award The Edgar Allan Poe Awards, popularly called the Edgars, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America, based in New York City. Named after American writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), a pioneer in the genre, the awards honor the bes ...

for Best First Novel, for ''The Bright Road to Fear''. He was most notable for his 1973 novel '' The Tower'', in which a fire engulfs a new metal-and-glass frame skyrise. Stern was inspired to write the novel by the construction of the World Trade Center in New York City. Warner Brothers bought the rights to the novel shortly after its publication for roughly $400,000, and Stern's book, in combination with the novel ''

The Glass Inferno ''The Glass Inferno'' is a 1974 novel by American writer Thomas N. Scortia and Frank M. Robinson Frank Malcolm Robinson (August 9, 1926 – June 30, 2014) was an American science fiction and techno-thriller writer. He was a speechwriter ...

'' by

Thomas N. Scortia Thomas Nicholas Scortia (August 29, 1926 – April 29, 1986) was an American science fiction author. He collaborated on several works with fellow author Frank M. Robinson. He sometimes used the pseudonyms "Scott Nichols", "Gerald MacDow" ...

and

Frank M. Robinson Frank Malcolm Robinson (August 9, 1926 – June 30, 2014) was an American science fiction and techno-thriller writer. He was a speechwriter for gay politician Harvey Milk and Milk's designated successor in the event of his death but decline ...

, was the basis for the movie '' The Towering Inferno'', directed by Irwin Allen and John Guillermin and featuring an all-star cast. With an fourteen million dollar budget, the film went on to earn over a hundred million at the American box office. Stern was known mainly for his mysteries and disaster-related suspense. He died on October 31, 2001 after prolonged illness. He was 86.

Bibliography

;Johnny Ortiz Mysteries: # ''Murder in the Walls'' (1971) # ''You Don't Need an Enemy'' (1972) # ''Death in the Snow'' (1973) # ''Tangled Murders'' (1989) # ''Missing Man'' (1990) # ''Interloper'' (1990) ;Standalone novels: * ''The Bright Road to Fear'' (1958) * ''Suspense: Four Short Novels'' (1959) * ''The Search for Tabitha Carr'' (1960) * ''These Unlikely Deeds'' (1961) * ''High Hazard'' (1962) * ''Cry Havoc'' (1963) * ''Right Hand Opposite'' (1964) * ''I Hide, We Seek'' (1965) * ''The Kessler Legacy'' (1967) * ''Merry Go Round'' (1969) * ''Brood of Eagles'' (1969) * ''Manuscript for Murder'' (1970) * ''Stanfield Harvest'' (1972) * '' The Tower'' (1973) (one of two books used to create the film '' The Towering Inferno'') * ''Power'' (1974) * ''Snowbound Six'' (1977) * ''Flood'' (1979) * ''The Big Bridge'' (1982) * ''Wildfire'' (1985) * ''Tsunami'' (1988)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stern, Richard Martin 1915 births 2001 deaths 20th-century American novelists American male novelists American mystery writers Edgar Award winners Writers from Santa Fe, New Mexico 20th-century American male writers