Maxwell Jeffrey Catto (29 July 1907 – 12 March 1992) was born Mark Finkell in Manchester, England and was an English playwright and novelist.
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.