SGAG Logo

BILL KNOX

1928 - 1999

Writing as: Bill Knox, Robert MacLeod, Noah Webster


According to Wikipedia: "William Knox (1928 – March 1999) was a Scottish author, journalist and broadcaster, best known for his crime novels and for presenting the long-running STV series Crimedesk.

Born in Glasgow, Knox became the youngest journalist for a Glasgow newspaper at age 16. He went on to report on crime, on motoring, and to become a news editor.

He began writing crime novels in the 1950s. Knox often wrote under pseudonyms, frequently for the American market. These included Michael Kirk, Robert MacLeod and Noah Webster. He published over 50 crime novels, including several series, notably the "Thane and Moss" books.

In the 1970s, he was approached by Scottish Television to present a series asking for public assistance in solving crimes in the central Scotland area. Knox presented the fifteen-minute slot for over ten years, always signing off with the promise that any calls to the police "can be in confidence". At this time he also made a series of short programmes called Tales of Crime, also for STV, in which he recounted famous Scottish criminal cases.

His crime novels from the 1960s onwards, and in the 1970s his Crimedesk television series, publicised the Glasgow slang term "neds", referring to petty criminals or small-time hoodlums. A 1982 analysis of crime fiction discussing Knox's 1977 novel Pilot Error noted his description of Strathclyde Police as being unconcerned about "neds" getting hurt in a fight as long as no one else was affected."



Series Books
Bill Knox
 
Cam Gordon The Suspect Soldier (1965)
  The Money Man (1967)
  The Man Who Died Twice (1967)
  Black Light (1986)
 
Other Deadline for a Dream aka In at the Kill [Thane and Moss] (1957)
  The Cockatoo Crime (1958)
  Death Department [Thane and Moss] (1959)
  Leave It to the Hangman [Thane and Moss] (1960)
  Die for Big Betsy (1961)
  Death calls the shots (1961)
  Little Drops of Blood [Thane and Moss] (1962)
  Sanctuary Isle aka The Gray Sentinels [Thane and Moss] (1962)
  The Man in the Bottle [Thane and Moss] (1963)
  The Scavengers [Webb Carrick] (1964)
  The Taste of Proof [Thane and Moss] (1965)
  Devilweed [Webb Carrick] (1966)
  The Deep Fall aka The Ghost Car [Thane and Moss] (1966)
  Justice On the Rocks [Thane and Moss] (1967)
  Blacklight [Webb Carrick] (1967)
  Court of murder: Famous trials at Glasgow High Court (1968)
  The Klondyker aka A Figurehead [Webb Carrick] (1968)
  The Tallyman [Thane and Moss] (1969)
  Blueback [Webb Carrick] (1969)
  Seafire [Webb Carrick] (1970)
  Children of the Mist aka Who Shot the Bull? [Thane and Moss] (1970)
  To Kill a Witch [Thane and Moss] (1971)
  Stormtide [Webb Carrick] (1972)
  Draw Batons aka Penalty Shootout [Thane and Moss] (1973)
  Children of the Water (1974)
  Whitewater [Webb Carrick] (1974)
  Rally to Kill [Thane and Moss] (1975)
  Hellspout [Webb Carrick] (1976)
  Pilot Error [Thane and Moss] (1977)
  Witchrock [Webb Carrick] (1977)
  Live Bait [Thane and Moss] (1978)
  Bombship [Webb Carrick] (1980)
  Storyland Wall Frieze (1981)
  A Killing in Antiques [Thane and Moss] (1981)
  Bloodtide [Webb Carrick] (1982)
  The Hanging Tree [Thane and Moss] (1983)
  Wavecrest [Webb Carrick] (1985)
  The Crossfire Killings [Thane and Moss] (1986)
  Dead Man's Mooring [Webb Carrick] (1987)
  The Interface Man [Thane and Moss] (1989)
  The Drowning Nets [Webb Carrick] (1991)
  The Counterfeit Killers [Thane and Moss] (1996)
  Blood Proof [Thane and Moss] (1997)
  Country Club Wives (1997)
  A Cut in Diamonds (1997)
  Drum of Power (1998)
  Death Bytes (1998)
  The Lazarus Widow [Thane and Moss] (1999)
  The View from Daniel Pike (1974) (with Edwar (Boyd)
 
Robert MacLeod
 
Talos Cord Cave Of Bats (1964)
  The Iron Sanctuary (1966)
  Isle Of Dragons (1967)
  Place Of Mists (1969)
  Path Of Ghosts (1971)
  Nest Of Vultures (1973)
 
Other All Other Perils [Andrew Liard] (1974)
  Dragonship [Andrew Liard] (1976)
  Salvage Job [Andrew Liard] (1978)
  Witchline [Andrew Liard] (1980)
  Cargo Risk [Andrew Liard] (1980)
 
Noah Webster
 
Jonathan Gaunt A Property In Cyprus (1970)
  A Killing In Malta (1972)
  A Burial In Portugal (1973)
  A Witchdance In Bavaria (1975)
  A Pay-Off In Switzerland (1977)
  An Incident In Iceland (1979)
  A Problem In Prague (1981)
  A Legacy From Tenerife (1984)
  The Money Mountain (1987)
  The Spanish Maze Game (1990)