Created by George P. Pelecanos (1957--) George Pelecanos produces critically acclaimed novels that are very much in the hard-boiled tradition. His series character, Greek/American licensed private investigator NICK STEFANOS tends bar (sometimes) at The Spot in Southeast Washington, D.C., struggling to make ends meet. He's a hard-livin', hard-drinkin' kinda guy (despite the fact he often … Continue reading Nick Stefanos
Tag: Alcoholic
Marissa Wong (Wong & Winchester)
Created by Hollis Ludlow-Carroll SOMEHOW I missed the short-lived Canadian TV show Wong & Winchester (2023) when it first aired, but I'm glad I stumbled across it (while searching for something else on Plex, a streaming service that mysteriously popped up on my television, a few years later). It's not one of the great private eye … Continue reading Marissa Wong (Wong & Winchester)
Tim Chadwick
Created by Joseph S. Walker "Heston says you used to be a cop." — the opening line in every story Yep. TIM CHADWICK used to be a cop. A detective in Major Crimes. But he drank. And now he's no longer a cop. When asked by a concerned waitress at his why he's no longer … Continue reading Tim Chadwick
Whistler
Created by Robert Campbell (1927-2000) "The Santa Ana winds were blowing in from the valley through the passes, sweeping up the pulverized dog droppings, gum wrappers, old newspapers, and bleached confetti, whirling the mess down the gutters toward yesterday." —from Alice in La-La Land All you need to know about how the author feels about … Continue reading Whistler
Nicholas Bishop
Created by Stephen G. Eoannou Stephen G. Eoannou's mystery, After Hours (2025), featuring World War Two-era private eye NICHOLAS BISHOP is a bit of a Frankenstein monster; a patchwork tale comprised of multiple parts gathered from all over the place. Instantly familiar, but quite fun if you enjoy those parts. Bishop is a drunk, but … Continue reading Nicholas Bishop
Mick “Brew” Axbrewder & Ginny Fistoulari
Created by Reed Stephens Pseudonym of Stephen R. Donaldson) (1947- -) Guilt? Jealousy? Anger? Alcoholism? Lust? Pity? Self-pity? You're soaking in it. In this trilogy from the eighties, drunk and washed-up ex-cop MICK "BREW" AXBREWDER is content to drink himself to death in some dive bar in Puerto del Sol, a city somewhere in the … Continue reading Mick “Brew” Axbrewder & Ginny Fistoulari
Kevin Lonnegan
Created by Thomas B. Cavanagh Former cop KEVIN LONNEGAN is wallowing in the troughs of Orlando P.I. biz when we first meet him in Murderland (2005), working workmen's comp and adultery cases, trolling strip joints, hot sheet motels boasting hourly rates and other dens of iniquity that the local chamber of commerce don't mention much. … Continue reading Kevin Lonnegan
Eddie Miles
Created by Jack Clark Oh, what a difference a blurb makes... Originally, author Jack Clark, already a Shamus finalist for his first novel, was flogging his self-published novel Nobody's Angel for five bucks apiece to passengers in his Chicago cab. Hard Case Crime took note, and published the book for real in 2010, with … Continue reading Eddie Miles
Gentlemen, Name Your Poison (I)
Drinkers, Stinkers and Occasional Tipplers "Alcohol is like love: the first kiss is magic, the second is intimate,the third is routine. After that, you just take the girl's clothes off." -- Terry Lennox in The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler It started out on the printed page, but it's mostly through all those damn movies … Continue reading Gentlemen, Name Your Poison (I)
Jaakko Piira
Created by Jorma Napola (1914-2000) Private eye novels have never been big in Finland. I don't really know why, but I have my suspicions: the private eye is a product of a culture that believes heavily in individualism and the right to take the law into one's hands if necessary. But Finland is pretty much … Continue reading Jaakko Piira