kids encyclopedia robot

Stuart M. Kaminsky facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
Stuart M. Kaminsky
Born (1934-09-29)September 29, 1934
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Died October 9, 2009(2009-10-09) (aged 75)
St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Occupation Mystery writer, novelist
Nationality American
Education University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (BS, MA)
Northwestern University (PhD)
Spouse Enid Perll

Stuart M. Kaminsky (born September 29, 1934 – died October 9, 2009) was an American writer. He was famous for writing mystery novels. He also taught about films at a university.

Kaminsky created four popular series of mystery books. One series featured Toby Peters, a detective in 1940s Hollywood. Another series was about Inspector Porfiry Petrovich Rostnikov, a police officer in Moscow. A third series followed Abe Lieberman, a police officer in Chicago. His fourth series was about Lew Fonesca, a process server in Florida.

Stuart Kaminsky won the 1989 Edgar Award for Best Novel for his Inspector Rostnikov book, A Cold Red Sunrise. He was nominated for the Edgar Award six other times. In 2006, he received the Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America. This award honors writers for their great achievements in the mystery genre. Kaminsky wrote over sixty novels and many non-fiction books. He also wrote short stories, graphic novels, and scripts for movies and TV shows.

About Stuart Kaminsky's Life and Career

Stuart Kaminsky grew up in Chicago. He studied at the University of Illinois and Northwestern University. He earned degrees in journalism, English, and speech.

He taught film studies at Northwestern University for 16 years. Later, he taught at Florida State University for six years.

Kaminsky's first novel was Bullet for a Star, published in 1977. This book started his Toby Peters mystery series. He named the main character, Toby Peters, by combining the names of his two sons, Toby and Peter. He wrote more than sixty novels during his career. Stuart Kaminsky also served as the president of the Mystery Writers of America.

Many other writers were inspired by Kaminsky's work. For example, Sara Paretsky, another mystery writer from Chicago, dedicated her first detective novel to him.

Stuart Kaminsky's Later Years and Death

In March 2009, Stuart Kaminsky and his wife, Enid Perll, moved to St. Louis, Missouri. He needed a liver transplant because of a health condition called hepatitis. He had gotten this condition while working as an army medic in France in the 1950s.

Sadly, two days after arriving in St. Louis, Kaminsky had a stroke. This made him unable to receive the transplant. He passed away on October 9, 2009.

Stuart Kaminsky's Books

Mystery Novels

  • Toby Peters Series
  1. Bullet for a Star (1977)
  2. Murder on the Yellow Brick Road (1977)
  3. You Bet Your Life (1978)
  4. The Howard Hughes Affair (1979)
  5. Never Cross a Vampire (1980)
  6. High Midnight (1981)
  7. Catch a Falling Clown (1981)
  8. He Done Her Wrong (1983)
  9. The Fala Factor (1984)
  10. Down for the Count (1985)
  11. The Man Who Shot Lewis Vance (1986)
  12. Smart Moves (1986)
  13. Think Fast, Mr. Peters (1987)
  14. Buried Caesars (1989)
  15. Poor Butterfly (1990)
  16. The Melting Clock (1991)
  17. The Devil Met a Lady (1993)
  18. Tomorrow Is Another Day (1995)
  19. Dancing in the Dark (1996)
  20. A Fatal Glass of Beer (1997)
  21. A Few Minutes Past Midnight (2001)
  22. To Catch a Spy (2002)
  23. Mildred Pierced (2003)
  24. Now You See It (2004)
  • Inspector Rostnikov Series
  1. Rostnikov's Corpse (1981) (also called Death of a Dissident)
  2. Black Knight in Red Square (1983)
  3. Red Chameleon (1985)
  4. A Fine Red Rain (1987)
  5. A Cold Red Sunrise (1988)
  6. The Man Who Walked Like a Bear (1990)
  7. Rostnikov's Vacation (1991)
  8. Death of a Russian Priest (1992)
  9. Hard Currency (1995)
  10. Blood and Rubles (1996)
  11. Tarnished Icons (1997)
  12. The Dog Who Bit a Policeman (1998)
  13. Fall of a Cosmonaut (2000)
  14. Murder on the Trans-Siberian Express (2001)
  15. People Who Walk in Darkness (2008)
  16. A Whisper to the Living (2010)
  • Lew Fonesca Series
  1. Vengeance (1999)
  2. Retribution (2001)
  3. Midnight Pass (2003)
  4. Denial (2005)
  5. Always Say Goodbye (2006)
  6. Bright Futures (2009)
  • Abe Lieberman Series
  1. Lieberman's Folly (1990)
  2. Lieberman's Choice (1993)
  3. Lieberman's Day (1994)
  4. Lieberman's Thief (1995)
  5. Lieberman's Law (1996)
  6. The Big Silence (2000)
  7. Not Quite Kosher (2002)
  8. The Last Dark Place (2004)
  9. Terror Town (2006)
  10. The Dead Don't Lie (2007)
  • CSI: NY (Based on the TV show)
  1. Dead of Winter (2005)
  2. Blood on the Sun (2006)
  3. Deluge (2007)
  • Rockford Files Novels (Based on the TV show)
  1. The Green Bottle (1996)
  2. Devil on My Doorstep (1998)
  • Other Novels
    • When the Dark Man Calls (1983)
    • Exercise in Terror (1985)

Short Story Collections

  • Hidden and Other Stories (1999)
  • The Man Who Beat the System and Other Stories (Audio) (2000)

Graphic Novels and Other Fiction

  • Kolchak: The Night Stalker
    • Fever Pitch (graphic novel) (2003)
    • Kolchak the Night Stalker, Volume 1 (graphic novel) (2004)
    • Kolchak: The Night Stalker Chronicles (story collection, includes "The Night Talker" by Kaminsky) (2005)

Books Edited by Kaminsky

  • Opening Shots (1991)
  • Mystery in the Sunshine State (1999)
  • Show Business Is Murder (2004)
  • On a Raven's Wing: New Tales in Honor of Edgar Allan Poe (2009)

Non-Fiction Books

  • Clint Eastwood (1974)
  • American Film Genres: Approaches to a Critical Theory of Popular Film (1974)
  • Don Siegel, Director (1974)
  • John Huston: Maker of Magic (1978)
  • Coop: The Life and Legend of Gary Cooper (1979)
  • Basic Filmmaking (with Dana H Hodgdon) (1981)
  • Writing for Television (with Mark Walker) (1988)
  • American Television Genres (1991)
  • Behind the Mystery: Top Mystery Writers Interviewed (2005)

Movies and TV Shows (Filmography)

  • Once Upon a Time in America (1984)
  • Enemy Territory (1987)
  • Fréquence meurtre (1988)
  • Woman in the Wind (1990)
  • Hidden Fears (1993)
  • A Nero Wolfe Mystery — "Immune to Murder" (2002)

Plays Written by Kaminsky

  • The Final Toast (2008)
  • Books (2009)
kids search engine
All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles (including the article images and facts) can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise. Cite this article:
Stuart M. Kaminsky Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.