Evan Hunter

Born Salvatore Albert Lombino in New York City in 1926, he later legally changed his name to Evan Hunter and also became widely known by the pen name Ed McBain. He wrote in several genres, but his Ed McBain books made him especially famous for shaping the modern police procedural.

Hunter also worked as a screenwriter, showing the same gift for sharp dialogue and vivid storytelling that made his novels so popular. Across novels, screenplays, and short fiction, he built a reputation for fast-moving, character-driven stories that reached a wide audience.

He died in 2005, leaving behind a huge body of work and a lasting influence on crime fiction. Readers often remember him for the way he combined literary skill with page-turning entertainment, whether he was publishing as Evan Hunter or Ed McBain.