ONE OF THE MOST honored mystery writers of the twentieth century, H(enry) R(eymond) F(itzwalter) Keating (1926–2011) created the popular Bombay detective, Inspector Ganesh Ghote, in The Perfect Murder (1964), which won a Gold Dagger from the British Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) and was nominated for an Edgar Allan Poe Award by the Mystery Writers of America; the modest policeman appeared in twenty-five subsequent novels. Keating has produced more than fifty mystery novels, several non-mysteries, short story collections, and a half-dozen reference books, including Sherlock Holmes: The Man and His World (1979), Crime and Mystery: The 100 Best Books (1987), and a biography of Agatha Christie titled Agatha Christie: First Lady of Crime (1977).
Born in East Sussex, England, Keating wrote his first story at the age of eight. After graduating from Trinity College, Dublin, he served in the army and moved to London to work as a journalist on the Daily Telegraph and later was the mystery reviewer for The Times for fifteen years. He married the actress Sheila Mitchell in 1953. He served as chairman of the CWA (1970–71), chairman of the Society of Authors (1983–1984), president of the prestigious Detection Club (1985–2000), and was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. In 1996 the CWA awarded him its highest honor, the Cartier Diamond Dagger for outstanding services to crime literature.
“Mr. Saul” was originally published in The Thirteenth Ghost Book, edited by James Hale (London, Barrie & Jenkins, 1977).