American novelist who recorded the shifting patterns of middle-and upper-class American society in the mid-20th century. (
Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature) He also wrote the popular Mr. Moto detective novels, which became a film series starring Peter Lorre.
more
Marquand is known as a serious author, and his 1937 Pulitzer Prize-winning book
The Late George Apply is a serious book, intended by him to prick the Puritan sensibilities of his New England cousins. However, aside from that book, his most avidly collected books are the detective titles featuring Mr. Moto, the resourceful Japanese sleuth/secret agent, who was memorably portrayed by Peter Lorre in eight films. Among the books were
No Hero (1935, a
Haycraft-Queen Cornerstone),
Think Fast, Mr. Moto (1937),
Mr. Moto Is So Sorry (1938),
Last Laugh, Mr. Moto (1942), and
Stopover:Tokyo (1957). All but the last one are very scarce in nice condition.
more