Rufus Frederick King (January 3, 1893, New York City – February 13, 1966, Hollywood, Florida)[1] was an American author of whodunitcrime novels. He created four series of detective stories: the first one with Reginald De Puyster, a sophisticated detective similar to Philo Vance; the second one with his more famous character, Lieutenant Valcour; the third with Colin Starr, who appeared in four stories in the Strand Magazine during 1940–41; and the fourth with Chief Bill Dugan, who appeared in three stories in The Saint Mystery Magazine and Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine 1956–57.
In 2014, Wildside Press purchased Rufus King's copyrights[2] and began reissuing his work, starting with a collection of Chief Bill Dugan mystery short stories.