John K. Butler

(1908-64) Author JOHN K. BUTLER is best-known, at least in our little neck of the woods, for the numerous stories he pounded out for such pulps as Black Mask, Detective Fiction Weekly, Double Detective and especially Dime Detective. A native Californian, Butler was born in Auburn, up near San Francisco. In the latetwenties he migrated to … Continue reading John K. Butler

From Spenser to Yeats: Jane Yeats, That Is

Feminism's Version of the Hard-boiled Sleuth is on the Wagon and Rides a Harley An Essay by Jill Edmondson    Start with one serving of fingertips severed during a rather unfortunate version of Miller time. Blend in a blinding hangover buttressed by a British beer. Add the roar of a Harley drowning out the raspy hacking … Continue reading From Spenser to Yeats: Jane Yeats, That Is

Ben Corbett

Created by Julius W. Long (1907-1955) "The D.A.'s bundler carrier, that's me. I crack the cases, and Keever gets the headlines." -- "Blind Bogey" Prolific pulpster Long--he seemed to be everywhere in the forties, with his name frequently splashed on pulp covers-- had two ongoing series. He wrote  about Clarence Darrow "Corpus Delecti" Mort, a … Continue reading Ben Corbett

Ed Rivers/Lloyd Carter

Created by Talmage Powell Pseudonyms include Jack McCready & Anne Talmage (1920-2000) "The apartment was sodden with heat. I've been in Tampa a long time but I never got used to the heat." -- from "Her Dagger Before Me" Rough-and-ready ED RIVERS is a plug-ugly op for the Nationwide Detective Agency, the agent-in-charge of their … Continue reading Ed Rivers/Lloyd Carter

Jules Tremaine

Created by Norvell W. Page Pseudonyms included G. Wayman Jones, N. Wooten Poge, Randolph Craig & Grant Stockbridge (1904-1961) "That grenade must have ruined my guitar. I'll have to buy a new one." Prolific pulpster Norvell W. Page, although he was best known for churning out countless novel-length adventures featuring proto-superhero The Spider for the pulp of the … Continue reading Jules Tremaine

Rod Case

Created by John K. Butler (1908-64) Hoo-boy! They sure had some peculiar occupations, those hard-boiled dicks of the pulps. ROD CASE was--I kid you not!--a hard-nosed "special agent" for the Los Angeles-based General Pacific Telephone Company in a handful of short stories that ran in Black Mask in the early 40's. He was somewhat of … Continue reading Rod Case

Miles Standish Rice

Created by Baynard H. Kendrick Pseudonyms include Richard Hayward (1894-1977) Miami-based MILES STANDISH RICE was Baynard Kendrick's other private investigator--you know, the one who wasn't blind. Now completely overshadowed by Captain Duncan Maclain, the sightless insurance investigator of numerous short stories, novels and even film, Rice nonetheless had a good run of his own back in … Continue reading Miles Standish Rice

Published in Black Mask

Some Significant Contributors & Other Writers of Interest The most influential and best known of the detective pulps, what's surprising about the following list of contributors to the legendary Black Mask is not only who's on it (Louis L'Amour? Max Brand?), but who isn't, or how few times writers we instantly associate with the venerable mag actually … Continue reading Published in Black Mask

John Collins

Created by Norbert Davis (1909-49) “John Collins was playing the Beale Street Blues and playing it soft and sad because that was the way he felt. The notes dripped through the dimness of the room like molasses and provided an appropriate accompaniment to his thoughts. He had a hangover.” -- the intro to "Don’t You … Continue reading John Collins

Bill Lennox

Created by W.T. Ballard (Willis Todhunter Ballard)Pseudonyms include P. D. Ballard, Harrison Hunt, Neil MacNeil, John Shepherd(1903-80) “Just a friendly town... When the knife falls, everyone helps you down into the gutter.”-- Lennox ponders Hollywwood in "A Little Different" Here's another iconic private eye who's officially not a private eye, yet does pretty much everything … Continue reading Bill Lennox