The Wrong Stuff

Richard Ben Sapir (1936–1987) was born in Brooklyn, New York, and he graduated from Columbia University. He worked as a journalist for the Associated Press before becoming a fiction writer. He was the coauthor, with Warren Murphy, of the Destroyer series of men’s action-adventure novels, which later became the basis for a movie titled Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins. Sapir’s first hardcover book was Bressio, followed by his favorite, The Far Arena. His novel The Body was adapted into a film starring Antonio Banderas and Derek Jacobi. Sapir’s fourth novel was Spies. The author died shortly after submitting the manuscript for his final and highly acclaimed work, Quest, which his editors found to be so well written that no changes were made before publication. It was named an alternate selection for the Book of the Month Club. That same year, the New York Times called Sapir “a brilliant professional.”

WARREN MURPHY was born in Jersey City, where he worked as a reporter and an editor. After the Korean war he drifted into politics, but soon turned to writing instead. His first novel, Created the Destroyer, was published in 1971. Now, with over 150 books and 50 million copies sold, the Destroyer is one of the bestselling series of all time. Recipient of a dozen national awards, Murphy has been called "a mentor and teacher to a whole generation of crime and thriller writers" by Encyclopedia Mysteriosa. Also a screenwriter, Murphy has written The Eiger Sanction (with Clint Eastwood), as well as Lethal Weapon 2. Murphy has served on the board of the Mystery Writers of America, and has also been a member of the Private Eye Writers of America, the International Association of Crime Writers, the American Crime Writers League, and the Screenwriters Guild. Warren Murphy passed away in September 2015.