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Warren Murphy

Warren Murphy (September 13, 1933 – September 4, 2015) was an American author and screenwriter renowned for co-creating the action-adventure novel series The Destroyer with Richard Sapir, which featured the assassin character Remo Williams and inspired the 1985 film Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins. Born in , he began his career as a reporter and editor for the Jersey Journal after serving in the U.S. Air Force. Murphy's writing career spanned over four decades, during which he authored or co-authored more than 200 books across multiple genres, including political thrillers, mysteries, and pulp fiction series such as and . He transitioned into in the , penning the script for the 1975 Clint Eastwood film and co-writing the story for (1989) with Shane Black. His television contributions included adapting the series into a short-lived ABC show starring George Segal in 1988. Throughout his professional life, Murphy held various roles beyond writing, such as to Jersey City Mayor Thomas J. Whelan and later as an at Moravian College while conducting writing workshops at universities. He received prestigious accolades, including two from the —for Best Paperback Original for Grandmaster (1985) and Pigs Get Fat (1986)—a Special Edgar Award for the Trace series, and two Shamus Awards. Murphy died of resulting from lung disease at his home in , survived by his five children and six grandchildren.

Biography

Early life

Warren Burton Murphy was born on September 13, 1933, in . Following high school, Murphy served in the during the Korean War era in the early 1950s. After his discharge, he entered , working as a reporter and editor for local newspapers including The Hudson Dispatch in Union City and Jersey City, as well as The Jersey Journal. In the , Murphy transitioned into , serving as to Jersey City Mayor Thomas J. Whelan and as an aide to state legislators. He also worked as a and for various politicians in the state. His involvement ended abruptly when several associates, including Whelan, faced legal troubles—Whelan was convicted of in 1971—prompting Murphy to leave , which he later described as guided by a "divine message." During his time in Jersey City politics, Murphy met Richard Sapir, a fellow covering city hall as a reporter, in 1963; their friendship and shared professional background sparked Murphy's interest in writing.

Personal life

Warren Murphy was married twice, first to Dawn Walters from 1955 to 1973, and later to Cochran from 1984 to 1986; both marriages ended in divorce. Cochran, a fellow author, later collaborated with Murphy on several writing projects. He had five children: daughters , , and Ardath, and sons and Devin. Murphy's hobbies included , , , and investing. In his later years, he resided in . Professionally, outside of his writing career, Murphy served on the board of the and was a member of the Private Eye Writers of America, the International Association of Crime Writers, the American Crime Writers League, the Screenwriters Guild, and the Adams Roundtable. He also worked as an at Moravian in , where he taught writing, and conducted workshops and lectures at various other institutions.

Death

Warren Murphy died on September 4, , at his home in , at the age of 81. The cause was resulting from , following a long battle with the condition, as confirmed by his son Devin Murphy. Devin Murphy announced his father's passing, and the family received tributes from offspring, ex-wives, and fans; a public obituary appeared in shortly thereafter. His final , Bloodline—a historical work set in 1920s circles—was released by Forge Books in November 2015, two months after his death.

Literary career

The Destroyer series

The Destroyer series was co-created by Warren Murphy and Richard Sapir in 1971, with the inaugural novel, Created, The Destroyer, marking the launch of this enduring action-thriller franchise. Initially developed amid Murphy's background in and , the series drew on their collaborative efforts to blend high-stakes with irreverent humor, though it encountered early hurdles in securing a publisher before finding success with Pinnacle Books. At its core, the premise revolves around Remo Williams, a framed rescued from execution and recruited into the ultra-secret U.S. , where he undergoes rigorous training in the ancient martial art of Sinanju under the tutelage of Chiun, the last Master of Sinanju. This setup propels a satirical narrative that parodies tropes, incorporating pulp adventure elements, sharp-witted banter, and critiques of governmental inefficiency. Following Sapir's death in 1987, Murphy assumed the role of primary author, ensuring the series' continuity while collaborating with additional writers to expand its universe, resulting in over 150 novels published by 2025. By 2025, the series had exceeded 150 novels, with recent publications by Bold Venture Press bringing the total to around 155 as of late 2024. The franchise has achieved substantial commercial success, with worldwide sales surpassing 50 million copies, cementing its status as one of the longest-running action series in literary history. Key milestones include the 2002 founding of Ballybunion Books by Murphy, later rebranded as Destroyer Books, which facilitated the production of spin-off titles such as the Legacy series exploring the offspring of Remo Williams. The series distinguishes itself through its notable themes, including a of James Bond-style novels, biting anti-bureaucracy that lampoons political and social institutions, and the evolving character arcs of and Chiun, whose mentor-protégé relationship matures into a profound father-son dynamic amid escalating threats. These elements underscore the blend of high-octane action and comedic insight that has sustained reader engagement across decades.

Other novels and series

Beyond his work on The Destroyer series, Warren Murphy produced a diverse array of novels and series spanning mystery, thriller, adventure, and fantasy genres, often infused with humor and . His independent output included over two dozen books, many published through major houses like Pinnacle and Fawcett in the before shifting to smaller presses and digital in later years. One of Murphy's earliest non-Destroyer ventures was the Digger series, a quartet of humorous adventure novels published in 1982 by , featuring insurance investigator "Digger" Burroughs, a who stumbles into perilous escapades. The series, described as a blend of hard-edged work and witty , laid the groundwork for Murphy's later . The books include Smoked Out, Fool's Flight, Dead Letter, and Lucifer's Weekend. This was followed by the Trace series, a seven-book extension of the Digger concept published from 1983 to 1987, where the protagonist—renamed Devlin "Trace" Tracy due to a publisher change—continues as a Las Vegas-based private eye solving cases with sharp wit and unconventional methods. Hailed as "the funniest detective series of all time" by Mystery and Detective Monthly, the series earned seven national awards and inspired a short-lived television spinoff, Murphy's Law. The titles are Trace, And 47 Miles of Rope, When Elephants Forget, Pigs Get Fat, Once a Mutt, The Sure Thing, and Getting Even. In the mid-1980s, Murphy ventured into fantasy-tinged action with the Grandmaster series, co-authored with Molly Cochran, beginning with the 1985 novel Grandmaster, a spy thriller intertwining Eastern mysticism, assassination, and Cold War intrigue between American agent Justin Gilead and Soviet operative Alexander Zharkov. The book, published by Pinnacle, won the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Paperback Original from the Mystery Writers of America. A sequel, High Priest (1989, New American Library), continued the mystical espionage narrative. Murphy's collaborations with Cochran extended to the King Arthur series, a modern fantasy retelling that reimagines the legend in contemporary settings. The trilogy includes The Forever King (1992, ), where a young boy named Blessing discovers his destiny amid Grail quests and dark magic; The Broken Sword (1997, ), following 's return to with and a motorcycle-gang ; and The Third Magic (2003, ), depicting 's battle against and personal trials. These works blend Arthurian myth with thriller elements, showcasing Murphy's satirical edge in . Additional joint projects include World Without End (1996, ), a continuation of Arthurian themes. Among his standalone novels, The Ceiling of Hell (1985, Fawcett Crest) stands out as a tense involving former agent Steve Hooks investigating neo-Nazi threats tied to the murder of an anti-Nazi . Published amid Murphy's prolific output, it exemplifies his skill in political suspense without recurring characters. In his later career, Murphy explored through digital platforms, producing the series—a sequence co-authored with Gerald Welch, starting with Forgotten Son (2012) and continuing with additional books after Murphy's death, including Mother Mine (2015) and Laughing Matter (2017)—focusing on high-stakes conspiracies and family legacies. These e-books, available via and , reflect his shift toward independent distribution while maintaining his signature blend of action and humor. Overall, Murphy's non-Destroyer works highlight his versatility, contributing to his reputation as a prolific satirist of genres like and .

Screenwriting and adaptations

Warren Murphy contributed to screenwriting for several notable films, beginning with his co-authorship of the screenplay for (1975), a directed by and starring and adapted from Trevanian's novel. Alongside and Rod Whitaker (the pseudonym of novelist ), Murphy helped craft the script, which follows an art professor and assassin navigating espionage during a mountain-climbing expedition in the . The film received mixed reviews but highlighted Murphy's ability to adapt intricate plots for cinematic tension. In 1989, Murphy provided the story for , the sequel to the hit action film, collaborating on the narrative foundation with while handled the . His contributions included rewrites that shaped the film's high-stakes action sequences involving detectives Riggs and Murtaugh confronting a South African , contributing to the movie's commercial success with over $227 million in worldwide earnings. This project marked Murphy's involvement in one of the era's most popular buddy-cop franchises. Murphy's most direct connection to adaptations came through The Destroyer series he co-created with Richard Sapir, whose commercial popularity in the 1970s and 1980s attracted Hollywood interest leading to the 1985 film Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins. Although Christopher Wood wrote the screenplay, Murphy and Sapir received story credit for the adaptation, which starred as the titular assassin trained in the martial art of Sinanju. Murphy was actively involved in the film's development, consulting on character fidelity and plot elements drawn from the novels, though the project faced challenges in capturing the series' satirical tone. Beyond produced works, Murphy contributed to various unproduced screenplays and television projects, including the spec script Created: The Destroyer (also known as Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins in early drafts), co-written with Sapir as a direct of their series. He also helped develop the 1988 television pilot Remo Williams: The Prophecy, an action-adventure episode based on The Destroyer that aired unsold, featuring elements of and supernatural prophecy. These efforts, along with other unproduced TV pilots and scripts, underscored Murphy's broader influence in adapting pulp-style adventure to visual media.

Awards and legacy

Literary awards

Warren Murphy's literary achievements were recognized with several notable awards from prominent organizations in the mystery and thriller genres. In 1985, he co-authored with Molly Cochran, which won the Allan Poe Award for Best Paperback Original from the . In 1986, his novel Pigs Get Fat earned another Award for Best Paperback Original, and he received a Special Award for the series. That same year [1985 for Shamus? Wait, section has 1985 for Ceiling], his novel Ceiling of Hell earned the for Best P.I. Novel from the Writers of America. In 1999, Murphy received another Shamus Award, this time for Best P.I. Short Story, for his work "Another Day, Another Dollar," published in the anthology Murder on the Run. The Trace series also garnered multiple nominations from the Writers of America during the 1980s, including for Trace in 1984 and Trace: Too Old a Cat in 1987, highlighting the series' critical acclaim in the private eye genre. Overall, Murphy accumulated 12 national awards across and categories throughout his career, reflecting his sustained impact on the field.

Cultural impact and legacy

Warren Murphy's co-creation of The Destroyer series profoundly shaped genre fiction, particularly through its innovative fusion of pulp action with sharp social satire, which revitalized the spy thriller and martial arts novel genres by infusing them with humor and critique of American culture and bureaucracy. This approach not only distinguished the series from conventional adventure tales but also influenced subsequent writers in blending high-octane plots with commentary, establishing a template for satirical action literature. The franchise's commercial success underscores its cultural footprint, with over 50 million copies sold worldwide across more than 150 volumes, cementing The Destroyer as one of the longest-running series in . In 2002, Murphy founded Ballybunion Books to oversee spin-offs and maintain control over the brand's expansions, including companion publications like The Assassin's Handbook, thereby safeguarding the series' narrative integrity and commercial viability. Murphy's broader legacy extends to , where he conducted writing workshops and online classes, guiding aspiring authors on plotting, character development, and completing manuscripts with a no-nonsense, drawn from his own prolific career. Posthumously, since his death in , the estate has sustained the series' momentum with continuations such as the New Destroyer line and main installments. The 2024 anthology Remo Williams, The Destroyer: The Adventures Continue, released by Bold Venture Press under estate license, exemplifies this ongoing vitality, featuring new stories by co-authors including Molly Cochran and Mark Ellis that explore fresh threats while honoring the original satirical spirit.

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