Dave Pedneau

Dave Pedneau (28 September 1947—12 December 1990) was an American writer, and author of detective and horror novels. He used the pseudonyms of Marc Eliot and Lee Hawks during his career to publish his works. He is recognized for his bestselling crime novels D.O.A. and N.F.D.

Early life and education

Dave Pedneau was born David Elliot Pedneau on September 28, 1947, in Princeton, West Virginia. He attended Concord University, Mercer County, West Virginia, and obtained a Bachelor's degree in political science and economics.

Career

Pedneau began his career as a journalist in the state of West Virginia for the Bluefield Daily Telegraph and its weekend sibling the Princeton Times. He also served as a magistrate in Mercer County from 1977 to 1981.

He moved on to writing in 1985 with the novel Presumption of Innocence. He made a name for himself thanks to the series devoted to Whit Pynchon, an investigator from the District Attorney's office who finds himself confronted in his investigations with the young criminal reporter Anna Tyree. The Whit Pynchon series includes six novels: A.P.B (1987), D.O.A (1988), B.O.L.O (1989), A.K.A (1990), B.&E. (1991), N.F.D (1992). Two volumes of this series have been translated in France in the Polar USA collection of publisher Gérard de Villiers.

Death

Pedneau died prematurely of a heart attack at the age of forty-three on December 12, 1990, in his hometown Princeton, West Virginia.

Works

Novels

Whit Pynchon and Anna Tyree series

• A.P.B. (All Points Bulletin) (1987) - Published in French under the title Mort à l'arrivee , translation by Frank Reichert , Paris, Éditions Gérard de Villiers, coll.  "Polar USA" No. 26, 1989.
• D.O.A. (Dead On Arrival) (1988) - Published in French under the title *Vengeances,* translation by Florence Mantran, Paris, Éditions Gérard de Villiers, coll. "Polar USA" No. 34  , 1990 .
• B.O.L.O. (Be On the Look Out) (1989)
• A.K.A. (Also Know As) (1990)
• B. & E. (Breaking & Entering) (1991)
• N.F.D. (No Fair Deal) (1992)

Other Novels

• Presumption of Innocence (1985)
• Dead Witness (1987)
• Night, Winter and Death (1990)
• How Dear the Dawn (under the pen name of Marc Eliot, 1990)