Ambuscade

October 16, 1916 – April 27, 1989

Frank O'Rourke was an American writer known for western and mystery novels and sports fiction. O'Rourke ultimately wrote more than 60 novels and numerous magazine articles. Born in Denver, Colorado, he attended Kemper Military School. A very talented amateur baseball player, he considered trying out for a professional team, but was called up for service in World War II. By the end of the war he had decided to become a writer; his first novel was E Company (1945), based in part on his wartime experiences. O'Rourke dedicated the book to Max Brand, whom he knew before the war. In the book O'Rourke named a fictional war correspondent Max Hastings after him. Several of O'Rourke's novels we…