Richard D. Rosen

Richard D. Rosen (born 1949 in Chicago) - prominent American mystery novelist and television writer/producer who authored five mystery novels featuring Harvey Blissberg, a retired Major League Baseball player turned private investigator and based in Boston. Blissberg is a rare example of a Jewish professional athlete in fiction, specifically a former center fielder for the Providence Jewels. While the plots focus on sports-related crimes (baseball and basketball), Blissberg’s Jewishness provides a cultural lens through which he observes the world. This identity is a central feature of the character, distinguishing him from the typical hard-boiled “gentile” private eye. Rosen later explored Jewish themes more directly in his nonfiction, such as his book on Holocaust survivors, Such Good Girls. He also wrote a biography of Jewish football legend Sid Luckman, exploring his career and his father’s ties to organized crime. [Details in companion Bibliography – “U.S. Jewish Criminals, Detectives, Spies, et al – History, Biography, Analysis, Film”] [Google/AI]

Rosen, Richard D. [Harvey Blissberg #1], (Strike Three You’re Dead) [hc, Walker & Co., 1984] 978-0802755872 [pb, Walker & Co., 2001] 978-0802776082

Rosen, Richard D. [Harvey Blissberg #2], (Fadeaway) [hc, HarperCollins, 1986] 978-0060155995 [mass mkt pb, HarperCollins, 1986] 978-0060155995

Rosen, Richard D. [Harvey Blissberg #3], (Saturday Night Dead) [hc, Viking, 1988] 978-0670819775 [pb, Berkley, 1989] 978-0451401342

Rosen, Richard D. [Harvey Blissberg #4], (World of Hurt) [hc, Walker & Co., 1994] 9780802732514

Rosen, Richard D. [Harvey Blissberg #5], (Dead Ball) [hc, Walker & Co., 2001] 978-0802733665