Eleanor Taylor Bland facts for kids

Eleanor Taylor Bland (born December 31, 1944 – died June 2, 2010) was an African-American author. She was well-known for writing exciting crime fiction novels. She created the popular police detective character, Marti MacAlister. Marti worked in a fictional town called Lincoln Prairie, Illinois. This town was inspired by Waukegan, Illinois.

About Eleanor Taylor Bland

Eleanor Taylor Bland was born in Boston, Massachusetts. When she was just fourteen, she married Anthony Bland. He was a member of the United States Navy. In the early 1970s, they moved to North Chicago, Illinois. They lived near the Naval Station Great Lakes. Eleanor and Anthony were married for 31 years before they separated.

Eleanor went to the University of Southern Illinois. She earned a bachelor's degree in 1981. After college, she worked as an accountant. She did this job from 1981 to 1999. Eleanor had two children and many grandchildren. Later in her life, she lived in Waukegan, Illinois.

In the 1970s, Eleanor was diagnosed with a health condition called Gardner's syndrome. Doctors told her she might only live for two more years. But Eleanor was very strong. She lived for forty more years! She passed away from Gardner's Syndrome on June 2, 2010, in Waukegan, Illinois.

After she died, a group of mystery writers honored her. This group is called Sisters in Crime. They created an award in her name. It is called the "Eleanor Taylor Bland Crime Fiction Writers of Color Award." This award helps new writers of color in crime fiction.

Her Books and Characters

Eleanor Taylor Bland's first novel was Dead Time. It came out in 1992. This book introduced her main detective, Marti MacAlister. Marti is an African-American police detective. She moves from the big city of Chicago to the smaller town of Lincoln Prairie, Illinois. Interestingly, her second book, Slow Burn, was actually the first one she wrote. But no publisher wanted to print it at first.

Many more novels about Marti MacAlister followed. Marti works with a male partner named Vik Jessenovik. Vik is Polish-American. Their different personalities make them a great team. Marti is described as street-smart and intuitive. She grew up in the city. Vik is very careful and thinks like someone from a small town.

Eleanor Bland's novels also focus on important topics. She wrote about family life and community issues. She also explored social problems in her stories.

Eleanor believed that African American women writers added something special to mystery stories. She once said that they showed "the development of the extended family." This means their books often feature strong, lasting families. Spouses and partners usually don't die early in the books. Children are important, loved, and have complex personalities. Even pets are part of the family.

List of Books

• Dead Time (1992)
• Slow Burn (1993)
• Gone Quiet (1994)
• Done Wrong (1995) ISBN: 9780312957940,
• Keep Still (1996)
• See No Evil New York : St. Martin's Press, 1998. ISBN: 9780312169107,
• Tell No Tales (1999) ISBN: 9780312971137,
• Scream in Silence (2000)
• Whispers in the Dark (2001)
• Windy City Dying (2002)
• Fatal Remains (2003)
• A Cold and Silent Dying (2004)
• A Dark and Deadly Deception (2005)
• Suddenly a Stranger (2007)

As Editor

• Shades of Black: Crime and Mystery Stories by African American Authors (2004)

See also

• Police procedural
• Crime fiction
• Mystery (fiction)
• Detective
• List of female detective/mystery writers
• List of female detective characters