Donald Downes
Donald Downes (1903 - 1983) was an American writer of detective novels. Educated at Yale, he joined the Naval Intelligence Office and then the Office of Strategic Services during WWII. He published his war memoirs, The Scarlett Letter in 1953 before proceeding to pen a series of crime and war novels.
His book the Easter Dinner was adapted into a motion picture The Pigeon That Took Rome, a delightful comedy starring Elsa Martinelli and Charlton Heston.