Lionel White (1905-1985) was an American journalist and crime reporter, several of whose dark, noirish stories were made into films. Also known as L.W. Blanco, White had been a crime reporter and began writing suspense novels in the 1950s. His more than 35 books were all translated into several languages. He was best known as what a New York Times review called "the master of the big caper."White's novels included Clean Break (adapted for the 1956 film The Killing), The Money Trap (made into a 1965 movie by Burt Kennedy), The Snatchers (made into a 1969 film as The Night of the Following Day starring Marlon Brando). Seven years after White's death, director Quentin Tarantino credited him, among others, as an inspiration in his 1992 film Reservoir Dogs.
