Margaret Lee Runbeck

Margaret Lee Runbeck (1901–1956) was an American novelist and short-story writer. She is best known for the novels *People Will Talk* and *The Year of the Sudden Guest*. Runbeck also wrote shorter fiction and contributed to popular magazines of her era, building a reputation for accessible storytelling and character-driven plots. Her work often centers on everyday lives and social expectations, blending romance, humor, and domestic drama in a style aimed at a broad readership. Active during the first half of the twentieth century, she published under her own name and remained a recognizable figure in commercial American fiction until her death in 1956.