Richard Lockridge (edit name/settings)

Richard Lockridge was an American writer of detective fiction. Together with his wife Frances (http://www.shelfari.com/authors/a323222/Frances-Lockridge/), he created one of the most famous American mystery series, Mr. and Mrs. North. Born and educated in Missouri, Lockridge returned to Missouri after serving in the United States Navy and worked as a reporter on the Kansas City Kansan and the Kansas City Star.He married fellow reporter Frances Louise Davis in 1922 and joined the old New York Sun soon after. His first book, Darling of Misfortune: Edwin Booth: 1833-1893 was published in 1932.

In 1937, his wife initially conceived a plot for a detective novel but had problems with her characters. He combined her plot and and his characters created earlier for a series of comic sketches in The New Yorker and this resulted in the publication of The Norths Meet Murder, in 1940. The series continued in 25 other books. They also collaborated in several other detective series such as Lt. Heimrich, Nathan Shapiro and Paul Lane.

In 1960, they were co-presidents of the Mystery Writers of America and received a special Edgar Award in 1962. After her death, Richard Lockridge continued to write Lt. Heimrich, Nathan Shapiro, and Paul Lane novels; as well as other non-series mystery novels, but no other Mr. and Mrs. North novels. The Lockridges by-lined their Mr. and Mrs. North books as "Frances and Richard Lockridge"; the Lt. Heimrich books were by-lined as "Richard and Frances Lockridge." They also co-wrote three short non-fiction books about cats.

Apart from this, Lockridge wrote an espionage novel with George Hoben Estabrooks; two non-mystery novels and co-authored Michael J. McKeogh's memoir of World War II. He also wrote a memoir of his courtship of his second wife, Hildegarde Dolson. He died in 1982.