After serving in World War I, Rufus King (1893-1966) lived as a beachcomber along the Buenos Aires waterfront for several years before returning to the United States to begin a writing career. His first series character was Reginald De Puyster, the heir to a gigantic fortune, making him the wealthiest detective in the world. Created in the 1920s, his exploits were popular in magazines. King then wrote this first novel, Murder by the Clock (1929), introducing Lieutenant Valcour of the New York City Police Department, his most famous character. The intelligent and intuitive detective was much-loved by readers of the eleven-book series, though a little less so by critics. Valcour's two years as a private detective gave way to a job with the NYPD, quickly advancing to a position as a lieutenant in the homicide division, where most of his adventures were recounted by King, before he was promoted to inspector.

King's Valcour short stories were lauded and one collection, Malice in Wonderland (1958), was selected for Queen's Quorum as one of the 125 greatest mystery collections of all time. Murder By the Clock also received the honor of being named to the Haycraft-Queen Definitive Library of Detective-Crime-Mystery Fiction as one of the milestones of the genre.