Malice in Wonderland

Rufus King (1893–1966) was an American author of Whodunit crime novels. He created four series of detective stories: the first one with Reginald De Puyster, a sophisticated detective similar to Philo Vance; the second one with his more famous character, Lieutenant Valcour; Colin Starr, who appeared in four stories in the Strand Magazine during 1940/41; and Detective Bill Duggan, who appeared in three stories in 1956/57. The Bill Duggan stories include King's most famous short work, “Malice in Wonderland” (which also loaned its title to his 1958 hardcover short story collection).<P>

Modern critics are rediscovering Rufus King's work. Mike Grost, on Golden Age Detective, features a long writeup of King, stating: “King had a vivid writing style, with colorful characters, events, and images. He was clearly a born writer.”