Martin Brett's Mike Garfin Novels An Overview by Kevin Burton Smith For a homesick Montréaler like me, Stark House's 2006 reprinting of The Deadly Dames (originally published in 1956) and A Dum-Dum for the President (1961), the third and fourth books to feature ma ville's greatest private eye, Martin Brett's Michel "Mike" Garfin, provides an embarrassment … Continue reading Hard, Tough and More Than a Little Nasty
Category: Essays & Articles
On the Trail of Drexel Drake’s Falcon
An On-Going Investigation by Frank Derato I have always enjoyed the Falcon films with Tom Conway and the other night, while watching one I noticed that Michael Arlen is credited with having created the character. A little googling revealed that Arlen supposedly created the character in "Gay Falcon," a 1940 short story. But what about … Continue reading On the Trail of Drexel Drake’s Falcon
P.G. Wodehouse: P.I. Writer
By Rudyard Kennedy "Consider the case of Henry Pifield Rice... I must explain Henry early, to avoid disappointment. If I simply said he was a detective, and let it go at that, I should be obtaining the reader's interest under false pretences. He was really only a sort of detective, a species of sleuth. At Stafford's … Continue reading P.G. Wodehouse: P.I. Writer
Talkin’ ’bout Ernest Tidyman– Can You Dig It?
A Son Remembers I can say with some assurance that my father (Ernest Tidyman) had no exploitative intent. He wanted his writing to be successful, sure, but he never intended to cash in on "black," per se. He just thought that it was time for a black hero, and he knew he could create a … Continue reading Talkin’ ’bout Ernest Tidyman– Can You Dig It?
The Literary Life of Ralph Dennis
By Richard A. Moore RALPH DENNIS (1932-1988) was born in South Carolina and had a master’s degree from the University of North Carolina, where he also taught. For mystery fans, Dennis will always be associated with the City of Atlanta, the locale for the twelve novel series about Jim Hardman, former cop and unofficial private … Continue reading The Literary Life of Ralph Dennis
Down Those Mean Skies…
The Case of the Private Detective in Science Fiction, Fantasy and Related Genres "I've seen the future, brother/It is murder." -- Leonard Cohen, "The Future" "I checked out with K19 on Aldabaran III, and stepped out through the crummalite hatch on my 22 Model Sirus Hardtop. I cocked the timejector in secondary and waded through … Continue reading Down Those Mean Skies…
Props & Peeves II
More Private Eye Stories from A Real-Life P.I. By Colleen Collins I’m a real-life P.I. who loves reading stories featuring my fictional counterparts. Seven years ago, I wrote the article “Props & Peeves! Private Eye Stories from a Real-Life P.I.” for the Thrilling Detective. At the time, I’d twice been a judge for the Private … Continue reading Props & Peeves II
Props & Peeves
Private Eye Stories from A Real-Life P.I. By Colleen Collins Okay, true confession time here. Yes, I'm a working professional private investigator , but the truth is... I love reading about fictional private eyes' searches for hidden truths down a wide variety of mean streets. I just love the stuff, and I'm honoured to have … Continue reading Props & Peeves
Raymond Chandler Was an Asshole
By Stephen Blackmoore JULY 23, 2011 Today is Raymond Chandler's 123rd birthday. Last week a friend of mine said, "You're pretty hard on L.A." "What do you mean? I love this town. It's so fucked up." "That," he said. "That's what I'm talking about." I look at Chandler the same way. And so I can … Continue reading Raymond Chandler Was an Asshole
Raymond Chandler and the Case of the Lost Libretto
Or: Pour O Pour The Goblin Wine "She was the beat of my heart for thirty years. She was the music heard faintly around the edge of the sound. It was my great and now useless regret that I never wrote anything really worth her attention, no book I could dedicate to her." -- Raymond Chandler, … Continue reading Raymond Chandler and the Case of the Lost Libretto