Hank Messick was an American author and investigative journalist, best known for his work on organized crime. He was born in Happy Valley, North Carolina in 1922 and went on to study at the University of Iowa, where he earned a master’s degree. After graduating, he became a professor at Colorado A & M College, teaching journalism before transitioning to work as a reporter for the Waynesville Mountaineer.
Messick's career as a journalist was marked by his investigations into organized crime and police corruption. Between 1957 and 1963, he worked for the Louisville Courier-Journal, where he covered the illegal gambling rampant in Newport, Kentucky. Following this, he investigated police corruption for the Miami Herald between 1963 and 1966. One notable incident in his career was his dismissal from the Boston Traveler, after investigating a former associate of Charles “King” Solomon, Joseph Linsey, who was a major shareholder in the newspaper.
In 1967, Messick became a full-time author, drawing on his extensive experience as a journalist to write about organized crime. His novels were set in various locations, including Hollywood, New York City, Cleveland, Chicago, the Bahamas, Florida, and Kentucky. Over the course of his career, Messick wrote 19 books, with his first book, "The Silent Syndicate," being released in 1967.
Despite the success of his writing, Messick faced numerous challenges and threats throughout his career. His investigative reporting often incurred the wrath of powerful enemies, who threatened and offered bribes to stop him from writing. In one particularly egregious incident, Messick was indicted on a false charge and assaulted by a dirty cop in an effort to silence him. Later in life, Messick suffered from the autoimmune disease Sjogren's syndrome, which eventually caused him to lose his sight. However, he continued to write and dictated his last book, "Razzle Dazzle," from memory, which was released in 1995.