HOCH, Edward D(entinger)

(1930-)

   US writer best known for his crime novels and stories. With the short story "Co-Incidence" (1956), as by Irwin Booth, he began publishing detection-oriented sf, later using as well the pseudonyms Stephen Dentinger, Pat McMahon and R.L. Stevens. The numerous stories featuringdetective Simon Ark, who claims to be 2000 years old - some collected in The Judges of Hades and Other Simon Ark Stories (coll 1971), City of Brassand Other Simon Ark Stories (coll 1971) and The Quests of Simon Ark (1984) - are marginal sf or fantasy. EDH's sf series featuring Earl Jazine of theComputer Cops mixes sf and detection in action tales of 21st-century crises involving computer crimes. The series includes "Computer Cops" (1969), The Transvection Machine (1971), The Fellowship of the HAND (1973)and The Frankenstein Factory (1975). Within his range, EDH is a briskly competent storyteller.

   JC