Warren David Kiefer

Warren Kiefer (1929–1995)

Early life

In 1929, Kiefer was born in New Jersey. He received his college education at both the University of New Mexico and the University of Maryland. He got married and in 1958 started a career as a novelist. His first novel was Pax (1958), a hardboiled novel. It was co-written with Harry J. Middleton, and published under the pseudonym "Middleton Kiefer".

Film career

In the late 1950s, Kiefer had a son named Alden Kiefer and a daughter Kathleen. For unclear reasons, Kiefer soon left his family behind and moved to Italy. It is unclear whether he exaggerated when reporting his life story, or whether his account of his own career was accurate.

Novelist

Kiefer was also a novelist, and wrote eight thriller novels. His best known novel was The Lingala Code (1972), which won the 1973 Edgar Award. The novel was set in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, at the period following the assassination of Patrice Lumumba (1961). By his own account, Kiefer had visited the Congo, and his experiences there served as a background for the novel.

His third novel was The Pontius Pilate Papers (1976), a fast-paced adventure novel. It had theological undertones. His fourth novel was named The Kidnappers (1977), and its setting was Argentina. Outlaw was published in 1991.

Death

In the early 1970s, Kiefer moved to Argentina. He lived the rest of his life in Buenos Aires until dying of a heart attack in 1995.