Hanshew, Mary E
Entry updated 12 September 2022. Tagged: Author.
(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
- The Frozen Flame (London: Simpkin, Marshall and Co, 1920) with T W Hanshew [first appeared April-July 1920 Short Stories as "The Riddle of the Frozen Flame": Riddle/Hamilton Cleek: hb/]
- The Riddle of the Frozen Flame (Garden City, New York: Doubleday, Page and Company, 1920) with T W Hanshew [vt of the above: Riddle/Hamilton Cleek: hb/Walter de Maris]
links
previous versions of this entry