Sunday, August 29, 2010

Farewell, Richard Conroy.

Yet another loss in the mystery community: Richard Timothy Conroy died on August 6 from heart disease at the age of 82, according to today's Washington Post obituary. Richard was known for his sly memoirs about his postings in the State Department, Our Man in Belize (1997) and Our Man in Vienna (2000); his three mysteries, The India Exhibition (1992), Mr. Smithson's Bones (1993), and Old Ways in the New World (1994); and the distinctive jewelry he designed for his wife, Washington Post reporter and diehard mystery fan Sarah Booth Conroy. The Conroys were unfailingly interesting, and their DC home, which I once had the privilege of visiting, was a showplace of antiques and Richard's artworks. Be sure to dip into Our Man in Vienna for Richard's fascinating encounter with Virginia Hill, infamous girlfriend of gangster Bugsy Siegel.

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