Kay Cleaver Strahan
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Kay Cleaver Strahan (January 4, 1888 – August 14, 1941) was an American writer of short stories and mystery novels. She created the character of the "crime analyst" Lynn McDonald.
Kay Cleaver Strahan | |
|---|---|
Kay Cleaver Strahan, 1936 | |
| Born | January 4, 1888 |
| Died | August 14, 1941 (aged 53) |
| Occupation | Author |
| Genre | Mysteries and detective stories |
| Notable works | The Desert Moon Mystery; Footprints |
| Notable awards | The Crime Club’s Scotland Yard Prize |
| Spouse | William Nicholas Strahan |
Biography
Strahan was born in La Grande, Oregon,[1] on January 4, 1888, the daughter of Dr. Alonzo Cleaver and Laura Bryson.[2]
She moved to Portland, Oregon, in 1895.[2]
Strahan married William Nicholas Strahan.[2]
In 1918 she began writing, contributing short stories to Collier's, The American, Good Housekeeping, Ladies Home Journal, The Delineator, Munsey's, and others.[2]
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She was also a mystery murder novelist, among her books: Peggy Mary (1915), Something That Begins with "T" (1918), The Desert Moon Mystery (1927), Footprints (1929), Death Traps (1930), Three Kinds of Love (1931),[3] October House (1932), The Meriwether Mystery (1932), The Hobgoblin Murder (1934), The Desert Lake Mystery (1936).[2] She created the character of the "seasoned crime analyst" Lynn McDonald.[4][5] Her book Footprints won the Scotland Yard Prize for the best Mystery and Detective Story of the Year; the contest was held by The Crime Club and the winner received the prize of $2500 ($46,875 in 2025 dollars). The three Crime Club judges who chose Footprints were Will Cuppy, William Rose Benet and Grant Overton.[6][5] She used Oregon settings for much of her writing and generally provided a surprise ending.[7][8] Alice Hamilton wrote in her private letters that she was reading Strahan.[9]
She lived at 1084 Wilson St., Portland, Oregon.[2]
She died on August 14, 1941.[10]
