Created by James M. Reasoner
(1953–)
DELANEY is, as Ed Gorman puts it in the intro to the Reasoner collection Old Times’ Sake (2007), “one of working class heroes, modest men who work diligently at finding truths large and small.”
Which works out just fine, given that the cases he works tend to be classic fair play mysteries, something not all P.I. stories can be accused of. These were, according to the author, his first stab “at a private eye character,” and he describers them as “low-key, private eye procedural tales. Delaney was even more dour and world-weary than (some of his later privates, such as) Markham and Cody.
Reasoner, of course, has written private eye stuff before. Besides the slew of Mike Shayne stories he wrote (or co-wrote with his wife, L.J. Washburn) as “Brett Holliday” for Mike Shayne Mystery Magazine, he’s highly regarded among fans of the genre for his own P.I.s.
UNDER OATH
- “James Reasoner puts his stamp on everything he writes. His work can be funny, violent, sad, even whimsical at times, but it doesn’t matter because the craft and the art are always informed by the wisdom of the man telling ther stories.”
— Ed Gorman, from the intro to Old Times’ Sake
SHORT STORIES
- “Three Birds” (January 1979, MSMM)
- “The $100,000 Collar” (March 1979, MSMM)
- “The Golden Bear” (May 1980, Skullduggery)
COLLECTIONS
- Old Times’ Sake (2007) | Buy this book
Includes three Delaney stories.
RELATED LINKS
- Rough Edges
James Reasoner’s blog. - Texas Winds
The Private Eye Tales of James M. Reasoner
Report respectfully submitted by Kevin Burton Smith.
