Frank Kane was born on July 19, 1912 in Brooklyn, New York. He quit law school to get a job because he was starting a family. He worked variously as an editor, in public relations for the liquor industry, and as a columnist publicizing movie stars visiting the city. He moved on to writing scripts for several radio crime shows, including The Shadow for six years. In 1947, he wrote his first crime novel featuring his signature private eye Johnny Liddell. Some 40 Johnny Liddell novels and many Liddell short stories for the pulps followed. Johnny Liddell has been described as an enjoyably generic 1950s hardboiled detective who did not age with time but rather changed with the tastes of his readers. Kane also wrote for television and worked on the series Special Agent 7, The Investigators, and Mike Hammer. He died unexpectedly on November 29, 1968 at the age of 56 in Manhasset, New York.