Philip MacDonald was an English author of thrillers. MacDonald was the grandson of the writer George MacDonald and son of the author Ronald MacDonald and the actress Constance Robertson. During World War I he served with the British cavalry in Mesopotamia, later trained horses for the army, and was a show jumper. He also raised Great Danes. After marrying the writer F. Ruth Howard, he moved to Hollywood in 1931. He was one of the most popular mystery writers of the 1930s, and between 1931 and 1963 wrote many screenplays along with a few radio and television scripts. His detective novels,... particularly those featuring his series detective Anthony Gethryn, are primarily "whodunnits" with the occasional locked room mystery. His novel X v. Rex , aka The Mystery of The Dead Police, is an early example of what has become known as a serial killer novel , in which an insane murderer is killing police officers one after the other. "Perhaps his best-known novel is The List of Adrian Messenger.
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| Birthdate: | November 5, 1900 |
| Birthplace: | London |
| Date of death: | December 10, 1980 |
| Also known as: | Anthony Lawless, Warren Stuart, W. J. Stuart |