Marshall Browne was a well-regarded Australian author, best known for his crime fiction novels. Born in Melbourne, Australia, Browne had a varied career before turning to writing. He served as an international banker for 37 years with the National Australia Bank (NAB), and even had a forebear who was a founder of Australia's first bank. Despite his successful banking career, Browne's passion for writing never waned.
Browne's writing journey began in earnest in the early 1980s when he published three books in Britain. At the time, writing was still a hobby for him, something he did on occasional Sundays. He later turned his attention to historical novels set in Melbourne in the late 19th century, with "The Gilded Cage" and "The Burnt City" being notable examples. However, it was with "The Wooden Leg of Inspector Anders," published in 1999, that Browne gained significant recognition. The novel, which features a one-legged policeman investigating a murder, won the Ned Kelly award for a first crime novel and was shortlisted in the 2002 Los Angeles Times book awards.
Browne's writing was characterized by his interest in damaged heroes. After "The Wooden Leg of Inspector Anders," he wrote three novels about Franz Schmidt, an auditor with only one eye, and Hideo Aoki, the hero of his 2006 novel, "Rendezvous at Kamakura Inn," a disgraced Japanese policeman. Browne's works were well-received by critics and readers alike, with his books often praised for their great characterization, exploration of historical time and place, and engaging storytelling.
In addition to his Inspector Anders and Franz Schmidt series, Browne also wrote "The Melbourne Trilogy" and published a novella, "The Sabre and the Shawl," with Australian Scholarly Press. Tragically, Browne passed away just ten days after the bookshop signing for "The Sabre and the Shawl." He was delighted by the turnout and the positive response to his work, but was also exhausted, joking that the people looking at him were seeing the ghost of Marshall Browne. Despite his passing, Browne's contributions to Australian crime fiction will live on.