By Hugh Lessig A Picasso Smith Story January 1999 Chapter 1 Wallace Random got shellshocked at Iwo Jima, and he came home wide-eyed and full of secrets. He took government checks and wrote letters to his Aunt Tot in Eugene, Oregon, whom I suspected did not exist. He spent his nights drinking sasperella at The … Continue reading “The Gift of Wallace Random”
Category: My Back Pages
… and Throw Away the Key!
Locked Room & Impossible Crime P.I. Mysteries S. S. Van Dine's Philo Vance, possibly the only detective more annoying than Hercule Poirot, may indeed need a kick in the pants, but there are actually plenty of locked-room capers and other impossible crimes that good ol’ regular- joe private eyes have cracked over the years. Here … Continue reading … and Throw Away the Key!
Murder, My Suite
House Dicks While you’re checking in, they’ll be checking you out... Tony Reseck by Raymond Chandler (The Windermere Hotel, Los Angeles) Marty Bond by Ed Lacy (The Grover, New York City) Gil Vine by Stewart Sterling (Plaza Royale, New York City) Johnny Killain by Dan J. Marlowe (The Duarte Hotel, New York City) Joe Grundy … Continue reading Murder, My Suite
San Diego Eyes
America’s Finest City’s Finest Eyes Max Thursday by Wade Miller Walter James by Wade Miller Rick Cahill by Matt Coyle Madison Kelly by Elizabeth Breck Harry O by Howard Rodman Pedro Gomez & Dennis "Hardball" Bakelenekoff by Bill L. Norton (Grand Slam) Joe Moran by Dale Clark Dr. Elizabeth Chase by Martha C. Lawrence Rick and … Continue reading San Diego Eyes
Under Electric Candlelight
Transgender Eyes Okay, I know they’re out there. Merry Bell by Anthony Bidulka was the first trans eye I encountered, but she certainly wasn't the first—just the first I’d come across. And she certainly won’t be the last. But who was the first? So far, it looks like P.R. Ellis’ Jasmine Frame might be the first. … Continue reading Under Electric Candlelight
The Maple Leaf Rag
Other Canadian Eyes "You thought the national flag was about a leaf, didn't you? Look harder. It's where someone got axed in the snow." -- Margaret Atwood THE PRAIRIES Becker by Martin Kitsch (Alberta) Merry Bell by Anthony Bidulka (Livingsky, Saskatchewan) Mike Cobb & Adam Cullen by David A. Poulsen (Calgary, Alberta) Eddie Dancer by … Continue reading The Maple Leaf Rag
The 2023 Shamus Awards
From the Private Eye Writers of America The finalists for the 2023 Shamus Awards, for works published in 2022, were presented at the 2023 Bouchercon in San Diego. The winners are listed below, in red. BEST PI HARDCOVER The Wheel of Doll by Jonathan Ames (Happy Doll) The Big Bundle by Max Allan Collins (Nate … Continue reading The 2023 Shamus Awards
My Scrapbook: The Last Three Dick Hammers
My ScrapbookThe Last Three Dick HammersWritten and drawn by Chris Wisnia Hot-tempered, foul-mouthed, crotch-scratching DICK HAMMER is a private skulk working the web comic mean streets of Crude Bay, Southern California, written and drawn by Chris Wisnia. He first popped up in 2004 in Dick Hammer: Conservative Republican Private Investigator, a regular back-up feature in Tabloia Weekly Magazine (which … Continue reading My Scrapbook: The Last Three Dick Hammers
Turn It Up to Eleven!
Gonzo Eyes "I wouldn't recommend drugs, alcohol and firearms as a way of life for anyone, but they've always worked for me.” — Dr. Hunter S. Thompson When the pedal hits the metal, when the yeggs hit the pan, when neo-noir’s soft-muted jazzbo soundtracks warbling behind shadow-shrouded mean streets just don't get your motor running, and … Continue reading Turn It Up to Eleven!
Ohio Players: How Many More?
Private Eyes of the Buckeye State Cincinnati (Whatever Became of Me?) Patricia Delaney by Sharon Gwyn Short Eli Paxton by Mike Resnick Harry Stoner by Jonathan Valin Cleveland Rocks! Jinx Alameda by Brian Michael Bendis Jim Bennett by Robert Martin Gil Disbro by James E. Martin Milan Jacovich by Les Roberts Nick Kepler by James … Continue reading Ohio Players: How Many More?