Patric Quentin was not a single author, but a pseudonym used by several writers who collaborated on detective fiction. The primary contributors to the works published under this name were Hugh Callingham Wheeler, Richard Wilson Webb, and Martha Mott Kelley. Wheeler, who was born on March 19, 1912, and lived until July 26, 1987, was the most prolific of the three. He also wrote under the pen names Q. Patrick and Jonathan Stagge, and his works have been translated into many languages, including Greek, where he is known as Πάτρικ Κουέντιν.
Wheeler, Webb, and Kelley's collaborations were most successful when they wrote as Patrick Quentin, and their most famous creation is the amateur sleuth Peter Duluth. The authors' work was highly regarded in the mystery fiction community, and in 1963, they were given a Special Edgar Award by the Mystery Writers of America for their story collection The Ordeal of Mrs. Snow.
While Wheeler, Webb, and Kelley were successful authors, they were also well-educated individuals. Wheeler, for example, attended the American School of Paris and achieved high marks on the English placement exam. He later graduated from the University of California, Davis, in 2007 with a degree in Political Science and Psychology. Wheeler's education and love for writing undoubtedly contributed to his success as an author and his ability to create compelling detective fiction under the pseudonym Patrick Quentin.