Bill Crider
Bill Crider was an American author known for his contributions to the mystery genre, particularly in the context of his Texas roots. Born in Mexia, Texas, Crider pursued higher education, earning both his bachelor's and doctorate degrees from the University of Texas in Austin, where his dissertation focused on hard-boiled detective novels. He later taught English at Howard Payne University and served as chair of the division of English and fine arts at Alvin, Texas, before transitioning to full-time writing in 2002. Crider created several well-known mystery series, including the Dan Rhodes series, which began with the award-winning novel *Too Late to Die*, and featured a sheriff solving small-town crimes.
Additionally, he wrote about a private detective named Truman Smith and explored themes of murder intertwined with politics in works like *The Texas Capitol Murders*. Crider’s versatility extended beyond mysteries, as he authored Westerns and children's books, winning accolades such as the Golden Duck Award for juvenile science fiction. He also published short stories, some in collaboration with his wife, and wrote under the pseudonym Jack MacLane in the horror genre. Crider's literary contributions continued until his death in 2018, with his final novel *That Old Scoundrel Death* being published posthumously in 2019.
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Bill Crider
- Born: July 28, 1941
- Birthplace: Mexia, Texas
- Died: February 12, 2018
- Place of death: Alvin, Texas
Biography
Bill Crider was born and grew up in Mexia, Texas. After earning his master’s at the University of North Texas in Denton, he taught English at Howard Payne University for twelve years. He became chair of the division of English and fine arts at Alvin, Texas, until 2002, when he retired from academia to become a full-time writer. He received both his bachelor’s degree and his doctorate at the University of Texas in Austin, using hard-boiled detective novels as the subject of his dissertation. He put his background in education to good use, writing novels featuring college English teachers as amateur sleuths. His Carl Burns teaches at a small denominational college, and Sally Good is chair of a community college English department.
A longer series character is Dan Rhodes, sheriff of a small Texas county where small crimes make big news. The first book in the Dan Rhodes series, Too Late to Die, won an Anthony Award as the best first novel in the mystery category in 1986. With more than a dozen Dan Rhodes stories published, this was Crider’s most extensive series. Another series features a private detective named Truman Smith, who works out of Galveston Island near Houston. In that series, When Old Men Die (1994) received a Shamus Award nomination from the Private Eye Writers of America.
Crider also wrote mysteries such as The Texas Capitol Murders (1992), which mixes murder and politics, and Blood Marks (1991), a serial-killer mystery. He was the coauthor with NBC Today Show weatherman Willard Scott of Murder Under Blue Skies (1998), with Scott coming up with the characters and setting and Crider doing the writing. They also collaborated on Murder in the Mist (1999). Both novels feature a protagonist named Stanley Waters.
In addition to mysteries, Crider wrote several Westerns, such as Outrage at Blanco and its sequel, Texas Vigilante. His Western plots generally contain mystery elements. Crider also published children’s books, such as Mike Gonzo and the UFO Terror, which won a Golden Duck Award as best juvenile science fiction book in 1997; A Vampire Named Fred (1990); and Muttketeer! (1997).
He wrote more than fifty short stories for magazines and anthologies, two of them in collaboration with his wife, Judy Stutts Crider: “At the Hop,” nominated for the Anthony Award for Best Mystery Short Story of 1999, and “Chocolate Moose,” nominated for the Anthony Award as Best Short Story of 2001. Some of his short stories are collected in The Nighttime is the Right Time (2000). Crider wrote nearly half a dozen horror novels, all under the pseudonym of Jack MacLane.
Not surprisingly, Crider was a long-time mystery fan and even published his own fanzine, Macavity. He and his wife were married from 1965 to her death in 2014 and had two children, Angela Crider Neary and Allen Crider. Neary has published several children's mystery novels.
Crider died on February 12, 2018, at his home in Alvin, Texas, of prostate cancer. In a blog post made shortly before his death, he stated that his only regret was that he had not had time to read several books he had intended to read. His final novel, That Old Scoundrel Death, was published posthumously in 2019.
Bibliography
"Bill Crider | 1941–2018 | Obituary." Scott Funeral Home, prod2.meaningfulfunerals.net/?action=obituaries.obit‗view&o‗id=4628856&fh‗id=12535. Accessed 26 Nov. 2018.
Bridges, Ken. "Texas History Minute: Bill Crider’s Texas Roots." Herald Democrat, 8 Mar. 2018, www.heralddemocrat.com/entertainment/20180308/bill-crider8217s-texas-roots. Accessed 26 Nov. 2018.
Carmichael, Jacqueline. "Bill Crider." Mystery Scene, mysteryscenemag.com/blog-article/5938-bill-crider. Accessed 26 Nov. 2018.
Crider, Bill. Interview. By Jeff Rutherford. Reading and Writing Podcast, readingandwritingpodcast.com/bill-crider-interview/. Accessed 26 Nov. 2018.
Crider, Bill. "Storyteller's 7: Bill Crider, 'No One on the Seawall but Me and the Rat. . . .'" Interview by Tom Rizzo. Tom Rizzo, Storyteller, 30 July 2013, tomrizzo.com/storytellers-7-bill-crider-no-one-on-seawall-but-me-and-rat/. Accessed 26 Nov. 2018.