"A Death in the Family" author (4)
I believe the answer is:
agee
'a death in the family author' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
This is the entire clue.
(Other definitions for agee that I've seen before include "In Ayr not straight" , "off the straight at Gleneagles" , "American writer" , "off the straight on Princes Street" .)