Murder in the Mist: A Stanley Waters Mystery

Willard Herman Scott, Jr. was born on March 7, 1934 in Alexandria, Va. He was a graduate of American University with a bachelor's degree in philosophy and religion. He and a classmate, Ed Walker worked on a comic radio show, The Joy Boys, from 1955-1972. From 1956-1958, he took time out to serve in the Navy. He was also an actor whose television roles included Bozo the Clown (1959-1972) and the original Ronald McDonald, in the early 1960s. He was the weatherman for NBC's "Today" show (1980-2015) for more than thirty years. He had no background in meteorology or any allied science. The job did not require it. In the 1990's, he and his NBC colleagues shared three Daytime Emmys for coverage of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Willard Scott was a spokesperson for multiple charitable causes. He was also a pitchman for Howard Johnson Motor Lodges, True Value Hardware, the American Dairy Association and many more companies. He was the author of Willard Scott's the Joy of Living (1982), Willard Scott's Down Home Stories (1984), Willard Scott's All-American Cookbook (1986), America is My Neighborhood (1987), The Older the Fiddle, the Better the Tune (2003), and If I Knew it Was Going to Be This Much Fun, I Would Have Become a Grandparent First (2004). He also wrote two mystery novels with Bill Crider, Murder Under Blue Skies (1998) and Murder in the Mist (1999). Willard Scott, best known as the weather forecaster for NBC's "Today" show, died on September 4, 2021, at his farm in Delaplane, Va. He was 87.

Bill Crider was born in Mexia, Texas on July 28, 1941. He received a M.A. from the University of North Texas and a Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin. He taught English at Howard Payne University for twelve years and then became the chair of the division of English and fine arts at Alvin Community College. He retired in August 2002 to become a full-time writer. He wrote several mystery series including the Truman Smith series, the Sheriff Dan Rhodes series, the Carl Burns series, the Sally Good series, and the Stanley Waters series, which he co-authored with Willard Scott. He also contributed to three books in the Stone: M.I.A. Hunter series under the pseudonym Jack Buchanan. His standalone novels included The Texas Capitol Murders and Blood Marks. He also wrote five children's books. Too Late to Die won an Anthony Award for best first mystery novel in 1986. He died from cancer on February 12, 2018 at the age of 76.