Richard Deming (1915-1983) was an author of pulp fiction and an early pioneer of the paperback original mystery novel. Born in Des Moines, Iowa, he began publishing suspense fiction after serving in World War II, earning attention for creating Manville Moon, a one-legged detective who appeared in six Black Mask stories and four novels, including The Gallows in My Garden (1952) and Tweak the Devil's Nose (1953).