Doris Miles Disney (December 22, 1907 – March 9, 1976) was an American mystery writer. She wrote 47 novels, many of which were best sellers; several were made into feature films or TV movies. In 14 of her writing years Disney published two novels, and the Times noted that "Since 1945, one or more of her books has been published each year." Her last novel was published posthumously.

About her novels

Disney's first book (A Compound for Death) coincided with her daughter's 1943 birth, and most of Mrs. Disney's main characters were based on acquaintances of herself or her daughter. Disney had worked in the publicity field and in the insurance business, and three recurring sleuths in her novels were Otherwise, according to her publisher, each novel was "interesting in a somewhat different manner from anything she's tried before." Disney's Family Skeleton was made into the movie Stella, and Do Not Fold, Spindle, or Mutilate was the basis of an American TV film. Family Skeleton/Stella's hero Jeff di Marco included the reuse of Disney's "most famous" sleuth for Straw Man in 1951.

Reviews

Her first novel was reviewed by The New York Times; subsequent novels and the films made from them were regularly reviewed.

Biography

She was born Doris Miles in Glastonbury, Connecticut, and married George J. Disney in 1936. She died in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Their daughter Elizabeth Disney Laing, a writer and theatrical actress, was born 1943. The Disneys' relatives included two of Mrs. Disney's sisters, Elizabeth H. Miles and Mrs. George B. Tolve, and the Disneys had nieces and nephews, some of whom told their aunt of their disliking that she killed off too many women in her stories.

Novels