Created by M.F. Beal "To be a woman is to be a revolutionary" — Kat Talk about firsts. The Oxford Companion to Women's Writing tagged M.F. Beal's ground-breaking 1977 novel, Angel Dance as the first "self consciously feminist mystery," while it's generally considered to be the first PI novel to feature a lesbian as the … Continue reading Kat Guerrera
Tag: Bodyguard
Jimmy Devore
Created y W.R. Burnett (1899-1982) Published by retro press Stark House forty-five years after his death, Man With a Thousand Enemies (2025) is a feisty little read. No, it doesn't stand up to the author’s classics (The Asphalt Jungle, Little Caesar), but it is a quick, satisfying blast of hard-boiled pulp: terse, taut and generally … Continue reading Jimmy Devore
Aud Torvingen
Created by Nicola Griffith "An owl screamed in the wood and I wanted to ride behind its eyes when it plunged its talons into living flesh, wanted to tear something warm and soft to pieces while it squealed." AUD TORVINGEN is Nicola Griffith's hard-as-nails and Norwegian-to-the-core lesbian bodyguard/P.I./shit magnet, first introduced in the widely-acclaimed The … Continue reading Aud Torvingen
Justine Poole
Created by Thomas Perry In the 2024 standalone Hero, Thomas Perry, creator of Jane Whitfield, gives us another strong, resourceful female. But JUSTINE POOLE isn't a "guide," shepherding people into a new life under new identities. Nope, Justine—we eventually fid out—has already done that. Not that it matters—it's her present life, as a personal security … Continue reading Justine Poole
John Locke
Created by Jack Barnao Pseudonym of Ted Wood (1931-2019) Former SAS counter-terrorism expert (he served in Belfast, Ulster, Rome and London, and was involved in the storming of the Iranian embassy), JOHN LOCKE grew bored with army life and returned home to Toronto to set himself up in business. His business cards read "John Locke, … Continue reading John Locke
Charlie Fox
Created by Zoë Sharp (1966--) CHARLIE FOX isn't your average female eye. In fact, she's not really an eye at all. What she is is almost a female version of Lee Childs' Jack Reacher. Like Reacher, she's ex-military (she was kicked out of the army for reasons she'd rather not go into), she gets around … Continue reading Charlie Fox
I Could Be Your Bodyguard (Hey!)
Personal Security Specialists Of course, more than one big, hulking brute of a P.I. (or even some not so big and bulky ones) have taken on bodyguard work, but there are some eyes who seem to specialize in it--although it's surprising how many of them prefer almost any euphemisms rather than simply "bodyguard." It's also … Continue reading I Could Be Your Bodyguard (Hey!)
Allen Choice
Created by Leonard Chang "That I am a nobody doesn't bother me as it might some people. I prefer anonymity, unobstructed movement through a crowd with neither a first nor a second glance in my direction." (Angst. It's not just for breakfast anymore...) Originally billed as a "Novel of Intrigue," Leonard Chang's noirish Over the … Continue reading Allen Choice
Amy & Steve Wheeler
Created by Richard Osman With his mega-successful Thursday Murder Club series on pause, the best-selling author in 2024 to try out a new detective team, a father and daughter combo, in the frothy We Solve Murders. AMY WHEELER is a hot shot British security specialist working for London-based Maximum Impact Solutions. Amy's married, no kids, … Continue reading Amy & Steve Wheeler
Atticus Cameron, Nathan Locke, Calvin Cruz & Jade Jax (Dynamis Security)
Created by Liliana Hart Billed as the "Dynamis Security" books, the series spotlights the adventures of various operatives of the Dallas-based company, which offers international private security to various governments around the world. The firm was founded by the enigmatic, recently widowed veteran ATTICUS CAMERON, he of the "hair black as pitch" and "eyes like … Continue reading Atticus Cameron, Nathan Locke, Calvin Cruz & Jade Jax (Dynamis Security)