Created by Roger Torrey
Pseudonyms include Sam Drake, Samuel Drake, John Ryan, R.D. Torrey
(1901-46)
“I shot him three times, catching him in the knees, and at ten feet I don’t miss.”
Better add JOHN BOYLE to the list of prolific pulpster Roger Torrey‘s seemingly endless supply of private eyes.
Like most of his eyes, Boyle’s a little tough, a little shifty, and perhaps a little too fond of the ladies.
When potential client Mrs. Alvin, a well-off middle-aged widow, hesitates about telling Boyle her story, he simply nods at his office door, which reads “Investigations: Strictly Confidential.” Turns out she’s being blackmailed, and isn’t sure what to do.
A while back, she’d come from upstate Hamlin to the big city (presumably New York City) with a friend, also a widow, and they’d hired a couple of young men from an escort agency for a night on the town. It was all above board, she claims — at least initially. But finally she confesses to Boyle that there are photographs.
Boyle’s not entirely convinced of her story, but as he says, “A dumb and trusting widow with a lot of money isn’t a thing that comes along very often in the private detective business.”
With the help of his pal, dour Lieutenant Harry Sams of the Bunco Squad, and Winters, the young owner of the escort agency, Boyle seems to have gotten things settled.
But then Mrs. Arvin, back home now, gives Boyle a call. Seems her teenage niece, a “trampy wench,” has been murdered, and before you know it Boyle’s on a plane to Hamlin…
SHORT STORIES
- “Death Has an Escort” (October 1942, Private Detective Stories)
FURTHER INVESTIGATION
- The Eyes of Roger Torrey
A Preliminary List
Respectfully submitted by Kevin Burton Smith.
