RUN KILLER RUN, by William Campbell Gault

William Campbell Gault (1910–1995) was an American crime writer born in Milwaukee who began publishing pulp-fiction stories in the 1930s and became known for his hard-boiled mysteries, sports fiction, and young-adult novels, sometimes writing under pseudonyms including Roney Scott and Will Duke. He won the 1953 Edgar Award for Best First Novel for Don't Cry for Me (1952) and created two notable Los Angeles private investigators: Brock “the Rock” Callahan, a former professional football player with a strong moral code, and the more hard-edged Joe Puma. During his heyday in the 1950s and early 1960s, Gault earned considerable respect among fellow writers and critics; The New York Times praised Callahan as one of the major American fictional detectives to emerge since Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe. He temporarily left detective fiction in the 1960s to concentrate on the more lucrative juvenile market, returning to the Callahan series in the 1980s. RUN KILLER RUN, the book reviewed here, did not really float my boat, but I'll give Gault another chance. Recommendations are welcome. —Steven Rigolosi October 12, 2026