Which Thriller Novelist Are You Most Closely Connected To?

Question

This week's Example Profile of the Week is Canadian Governor General and author John Buchan, born on this day in 1875. Featured alongside him are these other thriller novelists:

• Alexandre Dumas
• Dashiell Hammett 
• Joan Lindsay
• Ngaio Marsh
• Raymond Chandler
• Robert Louis Stevenson
• Tony Hillerman
• Wilkie Collins

Who are you most closely connected to? If you're one of the 20,214,000 of us who are connected to each other on our big tree you can check with the Connection Finder.

You can also check for shared ancestors with the Relationship Finder. Are you a cousin to any of them?

Let us know below!

Comments

Not related to any of them .. and the closest connection is 20 steps to Wilkie Collins.

The rest are mid-20s to 29.

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Dashiel Hammett is my 11th cousin (both descended from Henry Howland Sr.) and closest connection, at 19 degrees. I am 20 degrees from Robert Stevenson and Raymond Chandler. Thanks for doing this!

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I noticed that two Connection paths included the same family, so I checked - although not through my family line, Raymond Chandler and Robert Lewis Stevenson are 23 degrees apart.

Too cool!

Answer 1

I am

23 degrees from Dashiell Hammett

24 degrees from Robert Stevenson

26 degrees from John Buchan

27 degrees from Raymond Chandler

28 degrees from Tony Hillerman

30 degrees from Wilkie Collins

31 degrees from Joan Lindsay

32 degrees from Alexandre Dumas

33 degrees from Ngaio Marsh

Comments

Why use the word "degrees" - surely there is a more appropriate word like steps, points, relatives, lines, rungs, tiers, gaps, roots, branches or even twigs!

Actually though, now I seek out an appropriate word, it is harder than I thought but "degrees" just doesn't sit comfortably as a description for me anyway but I would go for "lines" or "steps".

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Six degrees of separation.

Answer 2

With the new functionality of the connection finder, where you can check your connections to anyone, your work with the Profile of the Week has become huge!! Thank you to Abby and all who make such an effort with this.

My closest connection of those novelists is John Buchan, 20 degrees.

I just love to be able to check connections to other members  even if we are usually far far off .

Answer 3

I want to know who among our members are exactly 39 steps from John Buchan!!

(Not me, I am 22 steps from Buchan.)

Comments

Great idea!

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John Buchan is well-connected, it seems.

Gaile Connolly, who has frequently commented on how hard it was for her to find connections to the tree, is 34 steps from Buchan.

And Aleš Trtnik, who I think also was hard to connect, is only 31 steps away.

Answer 4

I am connected to myself so I have zero degrees! PS I wrote the autobiographical thriller "Beyond Enkription". The book, the first in a series of spy novels awaiting publication, was published by The Burlington Files Limited and is available in any format at Amazon worldwide and in hard back at most posh bookshops. Certain Amazon customers may be able to get the eBook for free. I hope you enjoy it ... I did ... so far so good!

Answer 5

19 degrees from Dashiell Hammett, 19 from John Buchan, 20 from Robert Louis Stevenson, 20 from Wilkie Collins, 22 from Tony Hillerman, 23 from Raymond Chandler, 24 from Alexandre Dumas, 24 from I Speed, 26 from Joan Lindsay, 29 from Ngaio March

But only blood relationships are: 10th cousins once removed from Dashiell Hammett, 17th cousins once removed from I Speed, and 22d cousins with Robert Louis Stevenson.

Answer 6

Frederick Major Paull Knott (Knott-863) was the playwright who wrote "Dial M for Murder" and is my 4th cousin

Answer 7

I am 20 degrees from Robert Louis Stevenson.  Less than 30 degrees from the rest of the list.

Answer 8

I'm 1 degree from Milton Michael Raison, a published mystery writer, poet, Hollywood screenwriter in the 40's - 60's.

Answer 9

• 23 degrees from John Buchan
• 26 degrees from Alexandre Dumas
• 22 degrees from Robert Stevenson
• 22 degrees from Dashiell Hammett
• 28 degrees from Joan Lindsay
• 29 degrees from Ngaio Marsh
• 25 degrees from Raymond Chandler
• 23 degrees from Tony Hillerman
• 22 degrees from Wilkie Collins
• BUT only related to Robert Louis Stevenson [21st cousins once removed]

Answer 10

I am most closely connected to Ngaio Marsh at 21 degrees.

Comments

I too am also 21 degrees from Ngaio Marsh. She is my cloest.

My Canadian born spouse is 18 degrees from Tony Hillerman.

Tony's fathers sister in law is actually distantly related to my spouse!!

Answer 11

17 degrees from RLS trough my wife, otherwise, 18th cousin twice removed........As for John Buchan, 14 degrees through my 3rd great grand mother who was, also, 1st cousin once removed to the first Governor General and his wife, being as they were both 1st cousins.

Answer 12

Closest is 21 to Dashiell Hammett. Related to none.

Answer 13

Robert Stevenson 19 degrees  Robert and Mildred are 18th cousins three times removed and are descendants of Richard (Burgh) de Burgh Knt Burgh-13.  174 common ancestors.

Dashiell Hammett 20 degrees.

Joan Lindsay 21 degrees.

Raymond Chandler 21 degrees.

John Buchan 22 degrees.  Relationship to his wife Susan Charlotte (Grosvenor) Grosvenor-235.  Susan and Mildred are 13th cousins once removed.  Descendants of Randle Grosvenor Grosvenor-7. Four common ancestors.

Wilkie Collins 23 degrees.

Tony Hillerman 24 degrees.

Alexandre Dumas 27 degrees.

Ngaio Marsh 31 degrees.

I Speed 23 degrees.  17th cousins twice removed descendants of Ralph (Lumley) de Lumley Lumley-45.   285 common ancestors.

Answer 14

Samuel Dashiell Hammett is my 11th cousin once removed.

Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson is my 23rd cousin once removed.

Answer 15

Robert Louis Stevenson at 22 steps.

Answer 16

I am 16 degrees from Wilkie Collins, which is a surprise.

Answer 17

I just had a look at Charles Dickens, I am 14 degrees.

I know that's not direct or even closely related, but close in degrees to two of the best authors of all time is great.

Answer 18

Relations:

• I am 19 Degrees (or steps) from Robert Lewis Balfour "Louis" Stevenson (20th cousin, 6x removed [1-1-6-4-8]) (who is not only my only relative on this list, but is also  the shortest in degrees).  Our CA's are Isabel Fitz Geoffrey formerly Bigod and Sir John FitzGeoffrey (25th GGP)

Family Connections:

• 20 Degrees from Anthony Grove (Tony) Hillerman
• 20 Degrees from Raymond Thornton Chandler
• 21 Degrees from Joan à Beckett Lindsay formerly Weigall
• 21 Degrees from Samuel Dashiell (Dashiell) Hammett
• 21 Degrees from John "1st Baron Tweedsmuir" Buchan GCMG GCVO
• 22 Degrees from Dame Edith Ngaio (Ngaio) Marsh DBE
• 23 Degrees from William Wilkie (Wilkie) Collins
• 25 Degrees from Alexandre Dumas père formerly Davy de la Pailleterie

Answer 19

Ancestors and Cousins:

15 degrees from Dashiell Hammett - (10C, 1xR)
15 degrees from Robert Louis Stevenson - (11C, 4xR)

Connections:

19 degrees from Tony Hillerman
20 degrees from John Buchan
21 degrees from Ngaio Marsh
22 degrees from Joan Lindsay
22 degrees from Raymond Chandler
22 degrees from Wilkie Collins
24 degrees from Alexandre Dumas

Answer 20

My closest at 19 steps is John Buchan.