ROGER HOBBS

Roger Hobbs discovered his passion for writing when he was very young. He completed his first novel (a dreadful science fiction book) at just 13 years old.

 

His first play, "(Not Another) Divine Comedy" was produced for the stage by the Pittsburgh New Works Festival when he was only 19 years old. He had his first publication in The New York Times at 20. He signed his first movie deal at 21, graduated Reed College at 22, and signed a book deal with Alfred A. Knopf at 23. By 24 he was an international bestseller, and by 25 he had been nominated for nearly every major award in crime fiction.

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He wrote Ghostman, his debut novel, during his senior year of college and sent off the manuscript on the day he graduated. Ghostman has since been published in more than twenty-nine countries around the world and climbed numerous bestseller lists. In 2013 Roger became the youngest person ever to win a CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger. In 2014 he won the Strand Critics award and was nominated for the prestigious Edgar, Barry, and Anthony awards. In 2015, he became the youngest person ever to win the Maltese Falcon award. Booklist called Ghostman "a triumph on every level."  His sequel, Vanishing Games, is available in hardcover, trade paperback, e-book, audio book, and large print. 



At Reed, Roger majored in English. He studied film noir, literary theory and ancient languages. He wrote his thesis on the early mystery stories of Edgar Allan Poe, in an attempt to create a theoretical model for examining suspense. He loves to travel, gamble, and make snarky comments about bad movies. All of his friends refer to him by his last name, "Hobbs."



On November 14, 2016, Roger died of an accidental drug overdose in Portland, Oregon. He was 28 years old. He leaves his parents, Renee and Randy Hobbs who live in Newport, Rhode Island; his sister, Rachel LeCure and her husband, Josh, who live in Philadelphia; his uncle Raymond Hobbs who lives in Detroit; Roger's cousins Erica, Raymond and Beth Hobbs, who live in Detroit; and his uncle Steven Shilcusky and his wife Veronica Barrett, who live in Boston with their three children, Roger's cousins, Nicholas, Alexander and Gabrielle Shilcusky. His loving partner, Lara Evensen, lives on the island of Oahu, Hawaii.