This image is the cover for the book Tricks of the Trade, The Kek Huuygens Mysteries

Tricks of the Trade, The Kek Huuygens Mysteries

Kek Huuygens is hired to smuggle a suitcase that could change the destiny of Buenos Aires

André Martins remembers Kek Huuygens as he once was: wily, rugged, and desperate. But when he comes to pay his old friend a surprise visit, he finds Huuygens living in one of the most luxurious apartments in Paris. What’s more, Huuygens has a bottle of wine open on the table, for he was expecting his visitor before Martins ever had the idea to come. Kek Huuygens is a smuggler—the best in the world—and smugglers cannot afford to be surprised.

A mutual friend has made a most unusual score: stealing a suitcase full of the original Spanish deeds to Buenos Aires. In the right hands, they are worth a fortune, but first they must be returned to Spain—and only Huuygens can get them there. He will do it as he does everything: with wit, style, and a firm grip on the element of surprise.

Robert L. Fish

Robert L. Fish, the youngest of three children, was born on August 21, 1912, in Cleveland, Ohio. He attended the local schools in Cleveland and went to Case University (now Case Western Reserve), from which he graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering. He married Mamie Kates, also from Cleveland, and together they have two daughters. Fish worked as a civil engineer, traveling and moving throughout the United States. In 1953 he was asked to set up a plastics factory in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He and his family moved to Brazil, where they remained for nine years. He played golf and bridge in the little spare time he had. One rainy weekend in the late 1950s, when the weather prohibited him from playing golf, he sat down and wrote a short story that he submitted to Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine. When the story was accepted, Fish continued to write short stories. In 1962 he returned to the United States; he took one year to write full time and then returned to engineering and writing. His first novel, The Fugitive, won an Edgar Award for Best First Mystery. When his health prevented him from pursuing both careers, Fish retired from engineering and spent his time writing. His published works include more than forty books and countless short stories. Mute Witness was made into a movie starring Steve McQueen.

Fish died February 23, 1981, at his home in Connecticut. Each year at the annual Mystery Writers of America dinner, a memorial award is presented in his name for the best first short story. This is a fitting tribute, as Fish was always eager to assist young writers with their craft.

Open Road Integrated Media