Milton K Ozaki

Milton K. Ozaki (June 14, 1913 – November 7, 1989) was a Japanese American writer of pulp fiction mysteries. He also wrote under the name Robert O. Saber.

Life Story

Ozaki was born in Racine, Wisconsin to a Japanese father (Jingaro Ozaki, who later changed his name to Frank) and an American mother, Augusta Rathbun. He lost a leg as a young child. In addition to his work as a writer and journalist, he operated a beauty parlor (the Monsieur Meltoine beauty salon, in the Gold Coast section of Chicago). Ozaki and his wife Dolores B. Ozaki lived at 6314 Fifth Avenue in Kenosha, Wisconsin. In the 1970s, he operated phony mail-order colleges, including the Colorado State Christian College and Hamilton State University, and he was also involved in a company marketing a device fraudulently claimed to increase gas mileage. He died in Reno, Nevada.

Writing Career

Ozaki was the author of approximately two dozen popular mid-20th century detective novels under both his given name and the pseudonym Robert O. Saber, and was one of the first American mystery writers of Japanese descent. His novels are set in the fictional, mid-sized southeastern-Wisconsin city of Stillwell, Wisconsin, which is actually a barely disguised Kenosha.

He started at the bottom of the publisher ladder at the time with Phantom and Handi-Books, moved to Graphic, then to Ace, and finally to Gold Medal.

Novels

Title	Year	Published as	Notes
The Cuckoo Clock	1946	Milton K. Ozaki	Ziff-Davis, hc, Handi-Books #100, pb 1950, as Too Many Women. Featuring Professor Androcles Caldwell and Bendy Brinks, amateur sleuths, along with Lt. Phelan of the cops. -	A Fiend in Need	1947	Milton K. Ozaki	Ziff-Davis, hc, Handi-Books #116, pb, 1950. Featuring Professor Androcles Caldwell and Bendy Brinks, amateur sleuths, along with Lt. Phelan of the cops.
The Ram of Aries	1947
The Black Dark Murders	1949	Also published under the title "Out Of The Dark" (1954)
The Affair of the Frigid Blonde	1950	Also published under the title "The Deadly Blonde" (1953)
The Deadly Lover	1951
The Scented Flesh	1951
The Dummy Murder Case	1951	Featuring Professor Androcles Caldwell and Bendy Brinks, amateur sleuths, along with Lt. Phelan of the cops.
The Dove	1951	Also published under the title "Chicago Woman" (1953)
No Way Out	1952	Also published under the title "Borrowed Time" (1955)
Murder Doll	1952
The Deadly Pickup	1953
Murder Honeymoon	1953
City of Sin	1952
Dressed to Kill	1954
Too Young to Die	1954
Shake Hands With The Devil	1954
Maid For Murder	1955
A Dame Called Murder	1955
Marked For Murder	1955
Model for Murder	1955
Sucker Bait	1955
Never Say Die	1956
A Time For Murder	1956
Case of the Deadly Kiss	1957
The Case of the Cop's Wife	1958
Wake Up and Scream	1959
Inquest	1960
Too Cute To Kill	Unknown

Games

Milton K. Ozaki also designed a dice game, Murder Dice, which was similar to Yahtzee and was based on the events in a murder trial.