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Hanshew, Mary E

(1852-1927) US-born author – later in the UK – of some detective thrillers including The Frozen Flame (April-July Short Stories as "The Riddle of the Frozen Flame"; 1920; vt The Riddle of the Frozen Flame 1920) with her husband T W Hanshew, in the Riddle/Hamilton Cleek sequence of thrillers, almost entirely without fantastic content (but see her husband's for further details of the Hamilton Cleek character and his minor Superpower); here the apparently supernatural "frozen flame" manifestations by night are explained as marsh gas villainously augmented with artificial gas-bladders. Her use of her husband's name on further volumes of the sequence may have been motivated by its selling power. No pre-1920 magazine publication of this title has been traced; Hanshew may have worked up earlier material or continued the series solo, though also crediting her husband. There is some confusion, however, about the identity of these authors or this author. Her name has been given as Hazel Phillips Hanshew (1889-1966), who was in fact her daughter, and who may have written some novels as by T W and Mary E Hanshew; Hazel Phillips Hanshew is also credited with at least one book as by Anna Kingsley. [JC/MA/DRL]

Mary Eliza Hanshew

born Madrid Benn, Tennessee: 29 February 1852

died Hove, West Sussex: 22 December 1927

works (highly selected)

series

Riddle/Hamilton Cleek

links

Entry from The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction edited by John Clute, David Langford, Peter Nicholls and Graham Sleight.
Accessed 07:34 am on 29 March 2024.
<https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/hanshew_mary_e>