Created by Peter Parmantie
JOSEPH ANGELLO describes himself as a “short, overweight investigator with a big nose that I stick in everyone’s business.” Not bad, actually. I’d go on to say he’s pretty ugly, too. And also one of the more refreshing eyes to come out of the cyber-pulp explosion of the late nineties. (We ended up publishing five of his stories, in fact, so I guess we really liked him).
Joe’s cynical, and skeptical and not always a nice guy, often more than willing to get down and dirty, if that’s what it takes to get the job done in a city so corrupt and perverted that he can’t even bring himself to name it. And yet, there are also heart-breaking moments when we slip behind the hardened exterior, and see the sad, and maybe even pathetic man under the shell–lonely, mourning the loss of his beloved wife Maud, doing whatever he can to survive.
Peter Parmantie was a retired teacher who decided he wanted to write. A compulsive reader, starting almost from birth, he cut his teeth on thrillers as an adolescent, kicking his regular studies overboard and educating himself by reading what adults then considered trash. His conclusion? They were wrong. So he set about trying his hand at the genre. He promised we’d see more stories of Mr. Angello for the future, but sadly, we never heard from him again…
However, Illinois State University does bestow the annual Peter Parmantie Educational Scholarship for “graduating University High School seniors who desire a career in education. They must have demonstrated achievements beyond those required in the academic environment. Candidates also must be independent thinkers who develop their own ideas and philosophies. They must demonstrate the desire for continuous learning and have good communications skills.” And that sure sounds like our Peter…
SHORT STORIES
- “A Family Affair” (Summer 1999, Thrilling Detective Web Site)
- “It’s All in
- Delivery” (February-March 2000, Thrilling Detective Web Site)
- “Thoroughbred” (June 2001, Thrilling Detective Web Site)
- “Seeming” (Summer 2002, Thrilling Detective Web Site)
- “Full Circle” (Winter 2003, Thrilling Detective Web Site)
