Charles Willeford

A former professional boxer, actor, horse trainer and radio announcer, Charles Willeford (1919-1988) is best known for his Miami-based crime novels featuring hardboiled detective Hoke Moseley, including Miami Blues and Sideswipe. His career as a writer began in the late 1940s, but it was his 1972 novel Cockfighter (later adapted for the screen by Monte Hellman) that announced his name to a wider audience. His other books include The Burnt Orange Heresy, Pick-up, and Something About a Street.