Watchful at Night.

Sgt. Julius Fast

Watchful at Night.

New York and Toronto:

A Murray Hill Mystery by Farrar & Rinehart, Inc.

1945

While likely written at nearly the same time as the previous novel by William L. Stuart, Watchful at Night wasn’t recognized by the Mystery Writers of America with the first Edgar Award for Best First Mystery Novel until 1946, with the war in the past. Fast, the younger brother of novelist Howard Fast, wrote the book while serving as a staff sergeant in the Army, which is the setting for the story. Fast had a long writing career—mainly in nonfiction—and published his last book in 2003.

From the Collection of Jeffrey Johnson