Monday, January 10, 2011

Doyenne of American Mysteries, Ruth Cavin, Dead at 92

Ruth Cavin, arguably one of the most influential people in the field of American mysteries, died Sunday morning at White Plains Hospital in New York. She was 92. Cavin had been an editor in the Thomas Dunne division of St. Martin’s Press for many years and was instrumental in starting the influential Minotaur imprint. Over the years, her authors included Charles Todd, Steve Hamilton, Julia Spencer-Fleming and many others.

One of the most beautiful sentiments about Cavin as a person comes from digital publishing specialist Mike Shatzkin’s amazing tribute. “Ruth would teach you without it feeling like teaching,” Shatzkin writes. “Every conversation was with an equal; every relationship was collegial. Her respect for other people was universal and deep and entirely genuine.”

You can read Shatzkin’s tribute here. The Rap Sheet adds its voice here.

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1 Comments:

Blogger Barbara said...

As a young writer I was terrified of editors for big publishing companies, and anyone else with clout. Then I attended a writers' conference in NYC and met Ruth Cavin. She was perfectly down to earth, honest (which helped me immensely), and serious about encouraging young writers. I won't forget her.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011 at 8:02:00 AM PST  

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