Authors and Creators
Ed Lacy
(pseud. of Leonard S. Zinberg; 1911-1968)

Author Ed Lacy (actually Leonard S. Zinberg) is best known for creating the first truly-credible black private eye, Toussaint Moore, for which he won the 1957 Edgar for Best Novel.

Lacy, in fact, was white, although he was married to a black woman.Along the way, he managed to write several other fine novels, mostly one-shots, featuring hardboiled heroes (usually detectives of some sort) such as Hal Darling, Barney Harris, Marty Bond, John O'Hara, Matt Ranzino, Lee Hayes and William Wallace.

NOVELS

• The Best That Ever Did It (1955, AKA Visa To Death; Barney Harris)
• The Men from the Boys (1956; Marty Bond)
• Room To Swing (1957, Toussaint Moore)
• Bugged For Murder (1961; William Wallace)
• Moment Of Untruth (1964, Toussaint Moore)
• Harlem Underground (1965, Lee Hayes)
• Sin In Their Blood (1966; AKA Death In Passing; Matt Ranzino)
• In Black and Whitey (1967, Lee Hayes)
• The Big Bust (1969; John O'Hara )