Novelist, short-story writer, teacher -- and private detective. He
wrote two novels that would be turned into theatrical films, "The
Detective" (1966), which became
The Detective (1968); and "Nothing Lasts Forever"
(1979), which became
Die Hard (1988). His 1986 novel "Rainbow Drive" was later
produced as a made-for-TV movie. He taught literature and lectured on
creative writing at schools and colleges in New Jersey and California,
and wrote pieces for newspapers and magazines. Earlier, as a young
college graduate, he had worked at a detective agency owned by his
father.