John Lutz, who was a deft hand at all kinds of fiction that fits under the umbrella of “mystery,” died recently at the age of 81. He was a past president of both Mystery Writers of America and Private Eye Writers of America, and won the prestigious awards from both organization (the Edgar and the Shamus). I remember him as a quiet, but distinguished presence at several Bouchercons. I was a fan of his Fred Carver private eye series of ten novels, all of which I greatly enjoyed. Fred is an ex-cop disabled by a hold-up man’s bullet, who has turned to private investigating. The series is set in Florida and is a fine example of the best in male private eye fiction of the 1980s and 1990s.

The world of mystery fiction has lost one of its best practitioners of the craft. Our condolences to his wife and family.