Created by Michael Lennox and George Zuckerman Newshawk MARY ROBERTS works the Québec City crime beat in the Duplessis-era Whispering City, an obscure but surprisingly strong noir from 1947. The fatal car crash of a long-retired actress intrigues intrepid reporter Roberts, sporting a rather nifty tam, and she decides to investigate further. She soon discovers … Continue reading Mary Roberts (Whispering City/La forteresse)
Tag: Canada
Cooper Hart
Created by Stephen Randle "I could quite literally throw a stone from my front steps and hit the Lower City below, and I had done it a few times just to prove it was possible." In what they're tagging a "gritty YA urban fantasy novel" set following a "climate apocalypse," Canada's Hamilton, Ontario is sinking … Continue reading Cooper Hart
Harry Spilman
Creator unknown HARRY SPILMAN has the distinction of being the first P.I. to appear in any form of the internet. Back in the early eighties, the NABU Network (an early precursor of the internet) had a mystery series that encompassed five interactive cases in the "LITERATURE" section. These stories allowed readers to essentially "become" Harry, … Continue reading Harry Spilman
Dale Hunter
Created by Delvin R. Chatterson Trouble is his business? Not exactly. It's just that successful young Montreal entrepreneur DALE HUNTER just can't seem to stay out of trouble, in this engaging non-P.I. series of thrillers by Del Chatterson. Chatterson, it should be noted, writes about business like Dick Francis wrote about horses. When we meet … Continue reading Dale Hunter
Sam Montcalm
Created by Tom Henighan In Nightshade (2010), Ottawa "bedroom snooper" SAM MONTCALM gets in way over his head when his personal connection to a suspect in a high-profile Québec City murder case with international implications that reach far beyond Canada are discovered. It's an impressive debut, a Shamus finalist even (for Best Paperback Original), and … Continue reading Sam Montcalm
Max Burger
Created by William Byrne MAX BURGER is a private investigator based in Canada's capital, Ottawa. But he's not your average private investigator. He's also a, uh, mutant hamburger? The rest of him seems pretty normal though. Except for the pickled feet, lettuce arms and meat patty lips he's just another tall, thin man wearing a … Continue reading Max Burger
Patrick Bird
Created by Alexis Stefanovich-Thomson Young private detective PATRICK BIRD wanders the rapidly changing streets of Toronto in the mid-sixties, back when it was only Canada's second largest city and sneeringly referred to as "Toronto the Good" (at least in sleazy, breezy Montréal). But the times they are a-changin', and Toronto is evolving, growing, and slowly … Continue reading Patrick Bird
Speed Savage (aka “White Mask”)
Created by Tedd Steele Other pseudonyms include Ted Stelle, T.A. Steele, Theodore Steele, David Benedict, Jack Benedict, David Forrest, Gerald Laing, Jack Romaine (1922-??) SPEED SAVAGE, who appeared regularly in the Canadian-published Triumph Comics in the 1940s, was many things. A "brilliant young criminologist." A private detective. But mostly he saw duty as the … Continue reading Speed Savage (aka “White Mask”)
Colm Steiner
Created by Nicholas Wagner "When night fell, they burned a campfire and ate a kangaroo." A hard-drinking, hard-loving, hard-edged hard man for hire, COLM STEINER works for the London-based Enquiry Service in the years following World War I, doing whatever needs to be done: find a missing person, qualm a gang war, track down a … Continue reading Colm Steiner
Leo Falloon (No Clue)
Created by Brent Butt "Whoa! Where are all the guns coming from? This is Canada!" Lovably schlubby Canadian actor/comedian Brent Butt writes and stars in No Clue, a 2014 comedy in which mild-mannered, middle-aged Vancouver novelty salesman LEO FALLOON with offices on Pender Street. Nope, he's not a private eye at all, but is mistaken … Continue reading Leo Falloon (No Clue)