Pipe of Peace

James McKimmey was born September 5, 1923, in Holdrege, Nebraska. He studied architecture at the University of Nebraska until World War II sidetracked him into the 102nd Infantry Division for three years. After that, he decided to focus on writing, eventually graduating from San Francisco University. McKimmey broke into the slicks in the mid-50s and then sold his first novel, The Perfect Victim, to Dell Books in 1957. Though known as a crime fiction writer, McKimmey also wrote science fiction, juvenile, western and adventure stories. He and his first wife, Marty, moved to South Lake Tahoe in the 1960s, where he continued to live and write for the next 50 years, passing away in Carson City on January 19, 2011.