Maxwell Jeffrey Catto (29 July 1907 – 12 March 1992) was born Mark Finkell in Manchester, England and was an English playwright and novelist.
Catto wrote adventure novels and dramas for more than four decades and also wrote under the pseudonym Simon Kent. Ten of his works were adapted for film, the most notable of which was the novel The Killing Frost, which became Carol Reed's 1956 film Trapeze. Although he was a holder of a degree in electrical engineering from Manchester University, Catto began writing novels and plays in the late 1930s. After a stint in the Royal Air Force during World War II, Catto returned to writing fiction. Exotic settings and fast-paced action were the trademarks of his novels, defying categorization into any one genre, instead blending elements of many popular literary styles. Much of his work has been translated into other languages.
River Junk – Arthur Barker, 1937The Hairy Man – M. Secker, 1939Ginger Charley – M. Secker, 1939The Flanagan Boy – Harrap, 1949The Killing Frost – Heinemann, 1950 (made into the film Trapeze in 1956 and consequently re-published as Trapeze by Landsborough in 1959)The Sickle – Heinemann, 1952The Mummers – Heinemann, 1953A Prize of Gold – Heinemann, 1953 (made into the film A Prize of Gold in1955)Gold In The Sky – Heinemann, 1956, Morrow, 1958The Devil at Four O'Clock – Heinemann, 1958, Morrow, 1959 (made into the film The Devil at Four O'Clock in 1961)The Melody Of Sex – Heinemann, 1959, Morrow, 1960Mister Moses – Morrow, 1961 (made into the film Mister Moses in 1965)D-Day In Paradise – Heinemann, 1963, Morrow, 1964The Tiger In The Bed – Morrow, 1963I Have Friends In Heaven – Heinemann, 1965, Little, Brown, 1966Love From Venus – Heinemann, 1965Bird On The Wing – Heinemann, 1966The Banana Men – Simon & Schuster, 1967Murphy's War – Simon & Schuster, 1969 (made into the film Murphy's War in 1971)King Oil – Simon & Schuster, 1970The Fattest Bank In New Orleans – Heinemann, 1971Sam Casanova – Heinemann, 1973, Signet, 1977Mister Midas – M. Joseph, 1976The Empty Tiger – St. Martin's, 1977Fleur-de-Lys Court – Heinemann, 1950For The Love Of Doc – Heinemann, 1951 (published in the US as The Doctor On Bean Street – Crowell, 1952)A Hill in Korea – Hutchinson, 1953 (made into the film A Hill in Korea in 1956)Fire Down Below – Hutchinson, 1954 (made into the film Fire Down Below in 1957)Ferry to Hong Kong – Hutchinson, 1957 (made into the film Ferry to Hong Kong in 1959)The Lions At The Kill – Hutchinson, 1959 (made into the film Seven Thieves in 1960)Charlie Gallagher My Love! – Hutchinson, 1960, Macmillan, 1961
