Joseph Hansen

Joseph Hansen was a prominent American author, born on July 19, 1923, in Aberdeen, South Dakota. He is primarily known for his mystery novels, particularly the Dave Brandstetter series, which features a street-smart, complex, and openly gay insurance investigator. Hansen's family moved to a citrus farm in California in 1936, where he spent a significant portion of his formative years.

Before turning to full-length novels, Hansen began his writing career by publishing poetry in The New Yorker during the early 1950s. In the following decade, he became an editor for gay magazines such as ONE and Tangents. At this time, he used pen names like James Calton and Rose Brock to publish five books and a short story collection. It wasn't until 1970 that Hansen decided to publish under his real name, releasing his novel Fadeout, which marked the debut of the beloved character Dave Brandstetter.

Over the course of twelve novels, Hansen developed the series by allowing Dave Brandstetter to grow and change, ultimately reflecting a more melancholic and retirement-ready character in the final novel, A Country of Old Men, published in 1990. Hansen's contributions to the mystery genre were recognized in 1992 when he received the Life Achievement Award from the Private Eye Writers of America. Although he wrote and published around 40 books in various genres, Hansen remains best known for his groundbreaking crime novels featuring Dave Brandstetter. He passed away in 2004, leaving behind a lasting legacy in American literature.