C. W. Grafton

Cornelius Warren ("Chip") Grafton (June 16, 1909 – January 31, 1982)[1] was an American crime novelist.

He was educated at Presbyterian College in Clinton, South Carolina, studying law and journalism, and became a municipal bond attorney in Louisville, Kentucky.

The Rat Began to Gnaw the Rope won the 1943 Mary Roberts Rinehart Award.

In World War II, Grafton served with distinction as a military deception officer in the India-Burma theater.

Sue Grafton (1940–2017) was also a writer and is famous for her "Alphabet Series" of crime novels.