Nick Carter

Nick Carter is a long-standing pseudonym used by multiple authors across decades of publishing. The name originated with a fictional detective character who first appeared in the 1886 serial "The Old Detective's Pupil; or, The Mysterious Crime of Madison Square" in the "New York Weekly". The character gained prominence through the Killmaster series, a collection of over 260 spy adventure novels published between 1964 and the late 1990s under the Nick Carter byline by Ace, Award, and Jove.

The Nick Carter character was originally developed by Ormond G. Smith, son of a Street & Smith publishing house founder, and brought to life by writer John R. Coryell. The Killmaster novels featured Carter as a special agent in fast-paced espionage stories, blending action with intrigue. Over the years, numerous writers contributed to the series under the shared pseudonym, maintaining continuity while adapting to evolving thriller conventions.

Though the original Nick Carter stories date back to the late 19th century, the character's enduring legacy lies in the mid-to-late 20th century spy fiction boom. The Killmaster series became a staple of pulp adventure fiction, with its final installments appearing in the 1990s. The pseudonym remains synonymous with the long-running, multi-author approach to serialized storytelling.