CHARLES L. LEONARD

This is a pseudonym for Mary Violet Heberden, a female author who wrote hard-boiled male detective stories. In addition to the 11 books in the Paul Kilgerrin detective/spy series, she had two other series about private investigators, Desmond Shannon about which she wrote 17 adventures, and Rick Vanner for which she penned 3 stories. Besides being a writer, she also acted on stage briefly.