Lesser's novella "All Heroes Are Hated!" was the cover story for the November 1950 issue of Amazing Stories.Lesser's short novel "Secret of the Black Planet" was the cover story for the June 1952 issue of Amazing Stories.Lesser's novella "Voyage to Eternity" was cover-featured for the July 1953 issue of Imagination.Lesser's novella "Jungle in the Sky" was the cover story in the second issue of If in May 1953.As "C. H. Thames", Lesser wrote the "Johnny Mayhem" stories, which were published in magazine Amazing during the 1950s but were not collected until 2013.As "Stephen Marlowe", Lesser wrote several mystery novels.
Lesser attended the College of William & Mary, earning his degree in philosophy, marrying Leigh Lang soon after graduating. He was drafted into the U.S. Army during the Korean War. He and his wife divorced in 1962.[1]
He was awarded the French Prix Gutenberg du Livre in 1988 for The Memoirs of Christopher Columbus, and in 1997 he was awarded the Life Achievement Award by the Private Eye Writers of America. He also served on the board of directors of the Mystery Writers of America.
In the later part of his life he lived with his second wife Ann in Williamsburg, Virginia.[2]
