Donald Fiske Tracy, was born on August 20, 1905 in New Britain, Connecticut. He worked as a reporter for local newspapers from 1926-1928, then as editor of Radio News in New York from 1928-1934. In 1934, his first novel, Round Trip, was published. His second book, Criss-Cross (published the next year) was filmed in 1948 with Burt Lancaster. During World War II, Tracy was a member of the military police, a background he later used to create the Sergeant Speer Giff detective series. In the late 40s, he also turned to writing historical novels under his own name and a variety of aliases. Using the pseudonym "Roger Fuller," he wrote movie and TV novelizations, including series like The Defenders and Burke's Law, as well as nine Peyton Place books. Tracy died in Clearwater, Florida after a battle with cancer on March 10, 1976.