The Murder League

By Robert L. Fish

Three writers turn vigilante and take life and death into their own hands.

They were the murder league, a group dedicated to committing any murder for anyone. For the small sum of one thousand pounds, the group would perform the killing for whatever the reason – love, hate, money, fun. All the client had to do was drop a line in their post box and the deal was done. The murder league, three former mystery writers, performs their dispatches with a cool demeanor and the utmost dignity, with only their goal of ten heads on their minds. Soon the spice has returned to their lives, but that is until everything begins to go wrong.

Join this lovable group of vigilantes as they spiral into a world where committing murder is never as easy as writing about it.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Head of Zeus
• Release date: Jun 5, 2015
• ISBN: 9781784973667

Robert L. Fish

Robert L. Fish, the youngest of three children, was born on August 21, 1912, in Cleveland, Ohio. He attended the local schools in Cleveland and went to Case University (now Case Western Reserve), from which he graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering. He married Mamie Kates, also from Cleveland, and together they have two daughters. Fish worked as a civil engineer, traveling and moving throughout the United States. In 1953 he was asked to set up a plastics factory in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He and his family moved to Brazil, where they remained for nine years. He played golf and bridge in the little spare time he had. One rainy weekend in the late 1950s, when the weather prohibited him from playing golf, he sat down and wrote a short story that he submitted to Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine. When the story was accepted, Fish continued to write short stories. In 1962 he returned to the United States; he took one year to write full time and then returned to engineering and writing. His first novel, The Fugitive, won an Edgar Award for Best First Mystery. When his health prevented him from pursuing both careers, Fish retired from engineering and spent his time writing. His published works include more than forty books and countless short stories. Mute Witness was made into a movie starring Steve McQueen. Fish died February 23, 1981, at his home in Connecticut. Each year at the annual Mystery Writers of America dinner, a memorial award is presented in his name for the best first short story. This is a fitting tribute, as Fish was always eager to assist young writers with their craft.