Created by Michael Nava (1954 --) HENRY RIOS's a gay, Hispanic, heart-on-his-sleeve criminal defense lawyer and recovering alcoholic (whew!) from San Francisco. He's got quite a rep as a ''rescuer,'' a ''fixer of broken lives'' who's willing to do things his way. But this ain't no Pollyanna feelgood series. Here there be darkness... Henry went … Continue reading Henry Rios
Tag: Alcoholic
Duck Darley
Created by Casey Barrett Unlicensed New York P.I. DUCK DARLEY has been around, and has the physical and emotional scars to prove it. A former felon and alcoholic who's currently walking the more-or-less straight-and-narrow, he self-medicates by vaping pot, attending AA meetings and getting beat up at his local dojo. Oh, he's also the estranged … Continue reading Duck Darley
Nick Belane
Created by Charles Bukowski (1920-94) "My eyes were blue and my shoes were old and nobody loved me. But I had things to do. I was Nicky Belane, private detective." Alcoholic, rheumy-eyed, with all the charm of dried vomit and on a downhill slide towards the Big Sleep, much like his creator himself, obnoxious Los … Continue reading Nick Belane
Hank Dolworth & Britt Pollack (Terriers)
Created by Ted Griffin "Too small to fail." -- evidently not. Alcoholic disgraced ex-cop HANK DOLWORTH (Donal Logue, left) teams up with fellow slacker, drinking buddy and allegedly reformed thief BRITT POLLACK (Michael Raymond-James, right) to launch a down-scale, under-the-table detective agency in grimy, colourful Ocean Beach, California (near San Diego) in Terriers, a short-lived … Continue reading Hank Dolworth & Britt Pollack (Terriers)
Milo Milodragovitch
Created by James Crumley (1939-2008) "Son, never trust a man who doesn't drink because he's probably a self-righteous sort, a man who thinks he knows right from wrong all the time. Some of them are good men, but in the name of goodness, they cause most of the suffering in the world. They're the judges, … Continue reading Milo Milodragovitch
Pete Fernandez
Created by Alex Segura Everything's definitely not Archie in this one. Alex Segura rocked the boat with his 2013 debut, Silent City, which introduced us to PETE FERNANDEZ, a man who seems to drag around his own personal dark cloud. When we first meet him, in Silent City (2013), he's recently been shitcanned from his … Continue reading Pete Fernandez
Matt Scudder
Created by Lawrence Block (1938--) Loads of fictional private eyes drink oceans of booze. Some become invincible, some become silly, some become virtual Einsteins of deduction. MATT SCUDDER had no such luck. He drank and became an alcoholic. He used to be one of New York's Finest, a decent-enough detective, honest enough to get by, … Continue reading Matt Scudder
Mike Kendall (Small Town Crime)
Created by Eshom Nelms and Ian Nelms Client: "You drunk?" Mike: "I'm comfortable." Fresh off 2016's entertaining little P.I. mind-fuck Too Late and a small but engaging role in 2017's Oscar-contending Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri comes actor John Hawkes in yet another juicy performance, once again as a battered yet oddly compelling loser. Small … Continue reading Mike Kendall (Small Town Crime)
Jack Taylor
Created by Ken Bruen (1951--) "Expect nothing, and by Christ, you're entitled to even less" -- Jack Taylor in The Devil Alchohic. Coke fiend. Pill popper. Angry. Bitter. A limp. Scarred. Broken. Battered, tattered and tortured. A man of few joys, but many great sorrows. Loyal to a fault. As flawed as fuck. And as … Continue reading Jack Taylor
Jack Irish
Created by Peter Temple (1946-2018) Got a cryptic note in my in-box. It said: "JACK IRISH -- Aussie ex-soldier, ex-lawyer, ex-alcoholic, punter, footy fan, cabinet-maker and finder of people and conspiracies." Well it certainly piqued my interest, so I did a little digging. Turns out Jack's a character created by some guy called Peter Temple. … Continue reading Jack Irish