Julia Clara Catherine Maria Dolores Robins Norton Birk Olsen Hitchens[2] (December 25, 1907 – August 1, 1973)[3] better known as Dolores Hitchens, was an American mystery novelist who wrote prolifically from 1938 until her death in 1973. She also wrote as D. B. Olsen, a version of her first married name,[4] and under the pseudonymsDolan Birkley and Noel Burke.[4]
Dolores Hitchens
Born
Julia Clara Catherine Maria Dolores Robins (1907-12-25)December 25, 1907 San Antonio, Texas, U.S.[1]
Hitchens collaborated on five railroad mysteries—"police procedurals about a squad of railroad cops"—with her second husband, Bert Hitchens, a railroad detective.[4] She also branched out into other genres including Western fiction. Many of her mystery novels centered on a character named Rachel Murdock.
Hitchens wrote Fool's Gold, the 1958 novel adapted by Jean-Luc Godard for his film Bande à part (1964). Her novel The Watcher was adapted for an episode of the TV series Thriller which aired November 1, 1960.
Hitchens was born in Texas on December 25, 1907. She was the daughter of W.H. Robbins and Myrtle Statham, who married in Caldwell County, Texas in 1901.[5] In 1910, Dolores (as Julia C. Robbins) and her apparently widowed mother were living with Dolores's paternal grandfather in San Antonio.[6]
Sometime over the next decade, Dolores's mother married a second time, to an unknown Norton, but she was divorced by the time mother and daughter showed up in the 1920 census for Kern County, California.[7]
Myrtle married a third time in 1922, to Oscar (a.k.a. Arthur) Carl Birk.[8] The Birk family was living in Long Beach by 1930 and Dolores apparently assumed her stepfather's surname.[9]
Hitchens married, in about 1934, Beverley S. Olsen, a radio operator on a merchant vessel, and their 1940 household included the widowed Myrtle Birk.[10]
It is not known whether Dolores divorced Olsen or was widowed, but she apparently married Hubert A. Hitchens by the early 1940s, as they had a child together in 1942.[11] Dolores died in Orange County, California on August 1, 1973,[3] and Hubert died in Riverside County in 1979.[12]
Shroud for the Bride (Doubleday, 1945); aka Bring the Bride a Shroud
Gallows for the Groom (Doubleday, 1947)
Devious Design (Doubleday, 1948)
Something About Midnight (Doubleday, 1950)
Love Me in Death (Doubleday, 1951)
Enrollment Cancelled (Doubleday, 1952); aka Dead Babes in the Wood
Lt. Stephen Mayhew mysteries
The Clue in the Clay (New York: Phoenix Press, 1938) – her first book published under any name; also NY: Bartholomew House, 1946, A Bart House Mystery no. 35, ASIN B000HU0N64
^"California, Death Index, 1940-1997," database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 12 April 2015); Dolores M. Hitchens, 25 December 1907 in Texas – 1 August 1973 in Orange County.
^"Women Crime Writers: Forty books, four pen names, and one enigmatic author | Library of America". loa.org.
^ abNevada State Journal (Reno, Nev.), 8 August 1973, p. 31, col. 3, digital images, Ancestry.com
^ abc"Ziff-Davis Fingerprint Mysteries", or "A Complete Set of Fingerprints". Bill Pronzini, Victor Berch & Steve Lewis. March 8 (2006?). MYSTERY*FILE: The Crime Fiction Research Journal (mysteryfile.com). Copyright 2003–2006. With March 11 footnote to section D. B. Olsen.[1] Retrieved 2014-04-08.
^"Texas, Marriages, 1837-1973," database, FamilySearch (http://www.familysearch.org: accessed 4 April 2014); Caldwell County, 15 November 1901, W.H. Robbins and Myrtle Statham.
^1910 U.S. census, Bexar County, Texas, population schedule, San Antonio, enumeration district (ED) 0017, sheet 11B, p. 264B, dwelling 206, family 228, Myrtle Robbins, age 27, and Julia C. Robbins, age 2, in the household of J.G. Statham; digital images, Ancestry.com, citing NARA microfilm publication T624, roll 1531.
^1920 U.S. census, Kern County, California, population schedule, McKittrick, enumeration district (ED) 108, sheet 4A, p. 91 (stamped), dwelling 95, family 96, Julia Norton, 12, in household of Myrtle Norton, 36, divorced; digital images, Ancestry.com, citing NARA microfilm publication T625, roll 100.
^"California, County Marriages, 1850-1952," digital images, FamilySearch; 5 August 1922, Orange County. Oscar Carl Birk, age 36, born Kansas, single, Oil Worker; father, William Birk, born [illegible]; mother, Mary House or Hanse, born Mo. Myrtle Robbins Norton, age 36, born in Texas, divorced; maiden name, Myrtle Statham; father, John Statham, born in Florida; mother, Annie Starr, born in Miss.
^1930 U.S. census, Los Angeles County, California, population schedule, Long Beach, enumeration district (ED) 1131, sheet 9A, p. 29 (stamped), dwelling 218, family 280, J. Delores Birk, 22, in the household of Arthur and Myrtle Birk; digital images, Ancestry.com, citing NARA microfilm publication T626, roll 130.
^1940 U.S. census, Los Angeles County, population schedule, Long Beach, enumeration district (ED) 59-137, sheet 11B, p. 1014B, visited no. 316, Myrtle Birk, Mother-in-law, in the household of Beverley S. and Dolores B. Olsen; digital images, Ancestry.com, citing NARA microfilm publication T627, roll 370. In this census, Dolores was identified as a writer who worked from home.
^"California Birth Index, 1905-1995," database, Ancestry.com; father's name Hitchens, mother's name Birk. No further information is provided here as it is not known whether this child is still living.
^"California, Death Index, 1940-1997," database, Ancestry.com; Hubert Allen Hitchens, born on 21 June 1897 in Virginia and died on 3 April 1979 in Riverside County.
External linksEdit
Hitchens bibliographical data at Fantastic Fiction
Noel Burke at Library of Congress, with 0 library catalog records (cites 1944 publication)
August 29, 2023
dolores, hitchens, julia, clara, catherine, maria, dolores, robins, norton, birk, olsen, hitchens, december, 1907, august, 1973, better, known, american, mystery, novelist, wrote, prolifically, from, 1938, until, death, 1973, also, wrote, olsen, version, first. Julia Clara Catherine Maria Dolores Robins Norton Birk Olsen Hitchens 2 December 25 1907 August 1 1973 3 better known as Dolores Hitchens was an American mystery novelist who wrote prolifically from 1938 until her death in 1973 She also wrote as D B Olsen a version of her first married name 4 and under the pseudonyms Dolan Birkley and Noel Burke 4 Dolores HitchensBornJulia Clara Catherine Maria Dolores Robins 1907 12 25 December 25 1907San Antonio Texas U S 1 DiedAugust 1 1973 1973 08 01 aged 65 Orange County California U S Pen nameD B OlsenDolan BirkleyNoel BurkeOccupationWriterEducationUCLAYears active1938 1973Notable worksFool s Gold 1958 The Watcher 1959 SpouseBeverley S Olsen m 1934 1940 wbr Hubert A HitchensChildren2Hitchens collaborated on five railroad mysteries police procedurals about a squad of railroad cops with her second husband Bert Hitchens a railroad detective 4 She also branched out into other genres including Western fiction Many of her mystery novels centered on a character named Rachel Murdock Hitchens wrote Fool s Gold the 1958 novel adapted by Jean Luc Godard for his film Bande a part 1964 Her novel The Watcher was adapted for an episode of the TV series Thriller which aired November 1 1960 Contents 1 Biography 2 Publications 2 1 As Dolores Hitchens 2 2 As D B Olsen 2 3 As Dolan Birkley 2 4 As Noel Burke 3 Notes 4 References 5 External linksBiography EditHitchens was born in Texas on December 25 1907 She was the daughter of W H Robbins and Myrtle Statham who married in Caldwell County Texas in 1901 5 In 1910 Dolores as Julia C Robbins and her apparently widowed mother were living with Dolores s paternal grandfather in San Antonio 6 Sometime over the next decade Dolores s mother married a second time to an unknown Norton but she was divorced by the time mother and daughter showed up in the 1920 census for Kern County California 7 Myrtle married a third time in 1922 to Oscar a k a Arthur Carl Birk 8 The Birk family was living in Long Beach by 1930 and Dolores apparently assumed her stepfather s surname 9 Hitchens married in about 1934 Beverley S Olsen a radio operator on a merchant vessel and their 1940 household included the widowed Myrtle Birk 10 It is not known whether Dolores divorced Olsen or was widowed but she apparently married Hubert A Hitchens by the early 1940s as they had a child together in 1942 11 Dolores died in Orange County California on August 1 1973 3 and Hubert died in Riverside County in 1979 12 Publications EditAs Dolores Hitchens Edit Jim Sader mysteriesSleep with Strangers Doubleday a The Crime Club 1955 U K edition London Macdonald 1956 Sleep with Slander Doubleday CC 1960 UK London T V Boardman amp Co 1961 American Bloodhound Mystery no 345Simon amp Schuster issued trade paperback editions in 1989 Sleep with Strangers ISBN 0 671 65286 9 Sleep with Slander ISBN 0 671 65285 0 By Dolores and Bert HitchensF O B Murder Doubleday a CC 1955 UK 1957 American Bloodhound no 154 One Way Ticket Doubleday CC 1956 UK 1958 American Bloodhound no 193 End of Line Doubleday CC 1957 UK 1958 American Bloodhound no 216 The Man Who Followed Women Doubleday CC 1959 UK 1960 American Bloodhound no 332 The Grudge Doubleday 1963 UK 1964 American Bloodhound no 466Standalone booksStairway to an Empty Room Doubleday a CC 1951 Nets to Catch the Wind Doubleday CC 1952 also Widows Won t Wait NY Dell Publishing 1954 Terror Lurks in Darkness Doubleday CC 1953 Beat Back the Tide Doubleday CC 1954 UK Macdonald 1955 abridged as The Fatal Flirt NY Joseph W Ferman Bestseller mystery no 184 Fool s Gold Doubleday CC 1958 UK 1958 American Bloodhound no 234 The Watcher Doubleday 1959 UK 1959 American Bloodhound no 279 Footsteps in the Night Doubleday CC 1961 UK 1961 American Bloodhound no 366 The Abductor Simon amp Schuster 1962 UK 1962 American Bloodhound no 385 The Bank with the Bamboo Door Simon amp Schuster 1965 UK 1965 American Bloodhound no 504 The Man Who Cried All the Way Home Simon amp Schuster 1966 UK London Robert Hale 1967 Postscript to Nightmare G P Putnam s Sons 1967 ISBN 0 399 10647 2 UK title Cabin of Fear Michael Joseph 1968 A Collection of Strangers Putnam 1969 ISBN 2 7201 0046 3 UK title Collection of Strangers Macdonald 1970 The Baxter Letters Putnam 1971 ISBN 0 399 10073 3 UK Hale 1973 In a House Unknown Doubleday CC 1973 ISBN 0 385 03265 X UK Hale 1974PlaysA Cookie for Henry one act play for six women NY Samuel French 1941 as Dolores Birk HitchensAs D B Olsen Edit Rachel Murdock mysteriesCat Saw Murder Doubleday 1939 Alarm of Black Cat Doubleday 1942 Catspaw for Murder Doubleday 1943 aka Cat s Claw The Cat Wears a Noose Doubleday 1944 Cats Don t Smile Doubleday 1945 Cats Don t Need Coffins Doubleday 1946 Cats Have Tall Shadows Ziff Davis Publishing Company 1948 The Cat Wears a Mask Doubleday 1949 Death Wears Cat s Eyes Doubleday 1950 Cat and Capricorn Doubleday 1951 The Cat Walk Doubleday 1953 Death Walks on Cat Feet Doubleday 1956 Prof A Pennyfeather mysteriesShroud for the Bride Doubleday 1945 aka Bring the Bride a Shroud Gallows for the Groom Doubleday 1947 Devious Design Doubleday 1948 Something About Midnight Doubleday 1950 Love Me in Death Doubleday 1951 Enrollment Cancelled Doubleday 1952 aka Dead Babes in the WoodLt Stephen Mayhew mysteriesThe Clue in the Clay New York Phoenix Press 1938 her first book published under any name also NY Bartholomew House 1946 A Bart House Mystery no 35 ASIN B000HU0N64 Death Cuts a Silhouette Doubleday 1939 The Ticking Heart Doubleday 1940 As Dolan Birkley Edit Blue Geranium Bartholomew House 1944 The Unloved Doubleday 1965 As Noel Burke Edit Shivering Bough E P Dutton 1942 Notes Edit a b c Published for The Crime Club by Doubleday References Edit California Death Index 1940 1997 database Ancestry com http www ancestry com accessed 12 April 2015 Dolores M Hitchens 25 December 1907 in Texas 1 August 1973 in Orange County Women Crime Writers Forty books four pen names and one enigmatic author Library of America loa org a b Nevada State Journal Reno Nev 8 August 1973 p 31 col 3 digital images Ancestry com a b c Ziff Davis Fingerprint Mysteries or A Complete Set of Fingerprints Bill Pronzini Victor Berch amp Steve Lewis March 8 2006 MYSTERY FILE The Crime Fiction Research Journal mysteryfile com Copyright 2003 2006 With March 11 footnote to section D B Olsen 1 Retrieved 2014 04 08 Texas Marriages 1837 1973 database FamilySearch http www familysearch org accessed 4 April 2014 Caldwell County 15 November 1901 W H Robbins and Myrtle Statham 1910 U S census Bexar County Texas population schedule San Antonio enumeration district ED 0017 sheet 11B p 264B dwelling 206 family 228 Myrtle Robbins age 27 and Julia C Robbins age 2 in the household of J G Statham digital images Ancestry com citing NARA microfilm publication T624 roll 1531 1920 U S census Kern County California population schedule McKittrick enumeration district ED 108 sheet 4A p 91 stamped dwelling 95 family 96 Julia Norton 12 in household of Myrtle Norton 36 divorced digital images Ancestry com citing NARA microfilm publication T625 roll 100 California County Marriages 1850 1952 digital images FamilySearch 5 August 1922 Orange County Oscar Carl Birk age 36 born Kansas single Oil Worker father William Birk born illegible mother Mary House or Hanse born Mo Myrtle Robbins Norton age 36 born in Texas divorced maiden name Myrtle Statham father John Statham born in Florida mother Annie Starr born in Miss 1930 U S census Los Angeles County California population schedule Long Beach enumeration district ED 1131 sheet 9A p 29 stamped dwelling 218 family 280 J Delores Birk 22 in the household of Arthur and Myrtle Birk digital images Ancestry com citing NARA microfilm publication T626 roll 130 1940 U S census Los Angeles County population schedule Long Beach enumeration district ED 59 137 sheet 11B p 1014B visited no 316 Myrtle Birk Mother in law in the household of Beverley S and Dolores B Olsen digital images Ancestry com citing NARA microfilm publication T627 roll 370 In this census Dolores was identified as a writer who worked from home California Birth Index 1905 1995 database Ancestry com father s name Hitchens mother s name Birk No further information is provided here as it is not known whether this child is still living California Death Index 1940 1997 database Ancestry com Hubert Allen Hitchens born on 21 June 1897 in Virginia and died on 3 April 1979 in Riverside County External links EditHitchens bibliographical data at Fantastic Fiction D B Olsen at Fantastic Fiction Dolores Hitchens at Library of Congress with 40 library catalog records D B Olsen at Library of Congress with 12 library catalog records 1938 1962 Dolan Birkley at Library of Congress with 1 library catalog records 1965 Noel Burke at Library of Congress with 0 library catalog records cites 1944 publication Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Dolores Hitchens amp oldid 1166614472, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
