Donald Hamilton was a renowned Swedish-American author, famous for his spy fiction, crime fiction, and Western novels. He is best known for his Matt Helm series, which consists of 27 books and follows the adventures of an undercover counter-agent/assassin working for a secret American government agency. Hamilton's writing career began in 1946, and he published his first novel, "Date With Darkness," in 1947. Over the next four decades, he published a total of 38 novels, mostly in the form of paperback originals.
Many of Hamilton's novels were set in the Southwest, where he spent most of his life in Santa Fe, New Mexico. His writing style is characterized by fast-moving tales with a brisk, matter-of-fact tone and an occasional undertone of deadpan humor. This tone is exemplified in the Matt Helm series, in which Helm narrates his adventures with professional detachment, describing gunfights, knife fights, torture, and sexual conquests in a clinical and objective manner. Hamilton's skill as an outdoorsman and hunter is also reflected in his non-fiction articles for outdoor magazines and his book-length collection of them.
Hamilton's novels were primarily paperback originals, and he wrote in various genres, including suspense, spy, and Westerns. Several classic Western movies, such as "The Big Country" and "The Violent Men," were adapted from two of his Western novels. Hamilton's writing career spanned over four decades, during which he published numerous novels, short stories, and non-fiction books, mostly in the form of paperbacks. He lived on his own yacht for several years and later relocated to Sweden, where he resided until his death in 2006.
In summary, Donald Hamilton was a prolific and versatile Swedish-American author, best known for his Matt Helm series and his Western novels. His writing style is characterized by fast-paced tales, a brisk tone, and an occasional undertone of deadpan humor. He spent most of his life in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and published numerous novels, short stories, and non-fiction books over his long and successful career. Hamilton's love for the outdoors was also reflected in his non-fiction articles and book-length collections for outdoor magazines.