Hello again, Ed Hoch

Back in the early 90s when I was a reporter, I interviewed a Rochester Catholic mystery writer named Ed Hoch.

Ed's specialty was mystery short stories - he published hundreds of them. He was skillful enough to be able to make a living from his writing, and had won numerous awards. (His magic must have rubbed off on me. My article - "Prolific Rochester writer remains a man of mystery" - received an honorable mention for Best Feature Story from the New York Press Association in 1993.)

But though he wrote tales of murder and crime, he was a quiet, gentle, friendly man in real life, living in a modest home with his wife of many years. (Ah, but his collection of books!)

He died last year. I read of his death at that time with sadness.

I was reminded of Ed yesterday when I bought the March/April issue of Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine. Ed has the distinction of having had a story published in every single issue of that magazine since 1973 - 36 years! Since his death, they had been printing some of the stories he completed before his death, and reprinting some of his classics.

This issue, they are ending the streak with a reprint of a 1981 story, "The Vorpal Blade" - though they promise they will occasionally republish some of his stories in the future. I read it with pleasure, and remembered his smile and the twinkle in his eye.