Warren Murphy facts for kids

Warren Burton Murphy (born September 13, 1933 – died September 4, 2015) was an American writer. He is most famous for helping to create The Destroyer book series. This popular series even inspired a movie called Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins.

Warren Murphy's Early Life

Warren Murphy was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, on September 13, 1933. Before becoming a full-time author, he worked in journalism and even in politics. In 1971, he started the exciting Destroyer series with his co-creator, Richard Sapir.

Besides writing novels, Warren Murphy also helped write screenplays for movies like Lethal Weapon 2 and The Eiger Sanction. His amazing work earned him many national awards, including the famous Edgar and Shamus awards. He also shared his knowledge by giving talks at many colleges and universities.

Warren Murphy's Books and Stories

Warren Murphy was a very busy writer! He helped write the screenplay for the movie The Eiger Sanction in 1975. He also worked with Shane Black to create the original story for Lethal Weapon 2.

Popular Book Series

Murphy wrote several other popular book series on his own, including the Trace and Digger series. He also teamed up with Molly Cochran to write two books in a planned series about a character called "The Grandmaster." These books were The Grandmaster (1984) and High Priest (1989).

Warren Murphy and Molly Cochran also shared writing credits for The Forever King and several other novels they wrote under the name Dev Stryker. Some of the books he wrote by himself include Jericho Day, The Red Moon, The Ceiling of Hell, The Sure Thing, and Honor Among Thieves. Over his career, Warren Murphy sold more than 60 million books!

Starting His Own Publishing Company

In 2002, Warren Murphy started his own publishing company called Ballybunion. He used this company to create new books that were spin-offs from The Destroyer series. Ballybunion reprinted books like The Assassin's Handbook and published new ones such as Assassin's Handbook 2. They also released The Movie That Never Was, which was a screenplay he and Richard Sapir wrote for a Destroyer movie that was never made. Other books included The Way of the Assassin and New Blood, a collection of short stories written by fans.

Warren Murphy also worked with Gerald Welch to create a Destroyer spin-off series called Legacy. This series is about Remo's children, Winston "Stone" Smith and Freya Williams. After Murphy passed away, Gerald Welch continued writing new books in the Legacy series by himself.

Professional Groups and Final Work

Warren Murphy was an important member of several writing groups, including the board of the Mystery Writers of America. He was also part of the Private Eye Writers of America, the International Association of Crime Writers, the American Crime Writers League, and the Screenwriters Guild.

In April 2007, Warren Murphy returned to help write The Destroyer series again, which was then published by Tor Books. His very last novel, called Bloodline, was released by Tor in 2015.

Awards and Special Recognition

Warren Murphy received many awards and nominations for his writing.

• His novel Ceiling of Hell won the 1985 Shamus Award for "Best Original Private Eye Paperback."
• His short story "Another Day, Another Dollar" won the "Best Short Story" Shamus award in 1999.
• His novel Grandmaster won the 1985 Edgar Award for "Best Paperback Original Mystery Novel."

Several of his Trace novels were also nominated for awards:

• Trace: Too Old a Cat was nominated for "Best Paperback Original" at the 1987 Anthony Awards and the Shamus Awards in the same year.
• Smoked Out was nominated in this category in 1983.
• Trace was nominated in 1984 (and also for an Edgar Award in 1983).
• Trace and 47 Miles of Rope was nominated in 1985.
• Trace: Pigs Get Fat was nominated in 1986 (and also for an Edgar Award in 1986).

Warren Murphy's Personal Life

Warren Murphy was a veteran of the Korean War. When he wasn't writing, he enjoyed hobbies like golf, mathematics, opera, and investing. He had five children from previous marriages: Deirdre, Megan, Brian, Ardath, and Devin.

Warren Murphy's Passing

Warren Murphy passed away on September 4, 2015, in Virginia Beach, Virginia. He was 81 years old. He died from heart failure caused by lung disease.