William Leonard Marshall
Encyclopedia
William Marshall (born 1944, Australia
) is an Australia
n author
, best known for his Hong Kong
-based "Yellowthread Street" mystery novels, some of which were used as the basis for a British TV series
.
In the Yellowthread Street series, the detectives of the Yellowthread Street police station in fictitious Hong Bay, Hong Kong -- DCI Harry Feiffer, a European born and raised in Hong Kong; Senior Inspector Christopher O'Yee, half-Chinese, half-Caucasian American, and all neurotic; and the ever-bickering team of Inspectors Auden and Spencer -- attempt to find the rational basis for inexplicable and seemingly bizarre crimes. The Yellowthread novels show the influence of Ed McBain in their overlapping plotlines, snappy dialogue, world-weary detectives and often-difficult civilians.
Marshall's novels manage to juggle violence, suspense, and slapstick humor in his twist on the police procedural
form. He has also written two mystery series based in Manila
and late-19th-century New York City
, the latter featuring City Detective Virgil Tillman -- New York City's "first thinking detective" -- and his partner, patrolman Ned Muldoon of the Strong Arm Squad.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
) is an Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, best known for his Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
-based "Yellowthread Street" mystery novels, some of which were used as the basis for a British TV series
Yellowthread Street
Yellowthread Street was a 1990 ITV police drama about detectives of the Royal Hong Kong Police based on the novels by William Leonard Marshall....
.
In the Yellowthread Street series, the detectives of the Yellowthread Street police station in fictitious Hong Bay, Hong Kong -- DCI Harry Feiffer, a European born and raised in Hong Kong; Senior Inspector Christopher O'Yee, half-Chinese, half-Caucasian American, and all neurotic; and the ever-bickering team of Inspectors Auden and Spencer -- attempt to find the rational basis for inexplicable and seemingly bizarre crimes. The Yellowthread novels show the influence of Ed McBain in their overlapping plotlines, snappy dialogue, world-weary detectives and often-difficult civilians.
Marshall's novels manage to juggle violence, suspense, and slapstick humor in his twist on the police procedural
Police procedural
The police procedural is a subgenre of detective fiction which attempts to convincingly depict the activities of a police force as they investigate crimes. While traditional detective novels usually concentrate on a single crime, police procedurals frequently depict investigations into several...
form. He has also written two mystery series based in Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
and late-19th-century New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, the latter featuring City Detective Virgil Tillman -- New York City's "first thinking detective" -- and his partner, patrolman Ned Muldoon of the Strong Arm Squad.
Yellowthread Street
- Yellowthread Street (1975)
- The Hatchet Man (1976)
- Gelignite (1976)
- Thin Air (1977)
- Skulduggery (1979)
- Sci Fi (1981)
- Perfect End (1981)
- War Machine (1982)
- The Far Away Man (1984), London, Secker and Warburg, ISBN 0436273233
- Roadshow (1985)
- Head First (1986)
- Frogmouth (1987)
- Out of Nowhere (1988)
- Inches (1994)
- Nightmare Syndrome (1997)
- To the End (1998)
Other works
- The Fire Circle Melbourne, Macmillan (1969)
- The Age of Death New York, Viking Press ISBN 0670109614 (1971)
- Whisper: a Manilla Bay mystery New York, Viking Press ISBN 067081959X (1988)
- Faces In The Crowd New York, Mysterious Press edition ISBN 0446401625 (1991)
External links
- Bibliography at the National Library of AustraliaNational Library of AustraliaThe National Library of Australia is the largest reference library of Australia, responsible under the terms of the National Library Act for "maintaining and developing a national collection of library material, including a comprehensive collection of library material relating to Australia and the...