Ray Humphreys

Ray Humphreys (1893–1973) began his career in journalism after graduating from the University of Notre Dame’s first journalism class. He worked as a police reporter and held positions with the Denver Times and Denver Post, including service in the Army intelligence corps during World War I.

Humphreys later became chief investigator for the Denver District Attorney’s Office. His professional experience informed Hunch (1934), his only known mystery novel, which draws on the atmosphere of crime investigation and murder cases.

He also wrote numerous Western short stories for Western Story Magazine in the 1920s and 1930s. Many featured the comic, capable Deputy Sheriff Shorty McKay of Monte Vista, Colorado, whose adventures combined frontier danger with humor and practical ingenuity.