Created by Peter Paige Pseudonym of Morton Wolson (1913-2003) "It all began with the dog who liked beer..." -- the opening of "A Corpse for Cinderella" Yet another hard-boiled private eye from the pulps, Peter Paige's CASH WALE was a New York City dick very much in the Race Williams vein, full of gunplay and fisticuffs, … Continue reading Cash Wale
Tag: Dime Detective
Hannibal Smith
Created by C. William HarrisonPeseudonyms include Coe Williams and Will Hickok(1913-1994) HANNIBAL SMITH (no relation to the A-Team) is a sort of troubleshooter who appeared in a handful of stories in Dime Detective in 1945-46. About a million or so years ago, he used to be a boxer, but now he's "fat, forty and futile," and … Continue reading Hannibal Smith
Steve Midnight
Created by John K. Butler (1908-64) Although he wasn't really a private eye, STEVE MIDNIGHT sure acted like one in the pages of Dime Detective in the 1940s. Steven Middleton Knight earned his nickname from the moneyed days of his youth when he had a rep as a "midnight playboy on a nation-wide scale." … Continue reading Steve Midnight
Cass Blue
Created by John Lawrence (1907-1970) CASS BLUE is a New York private dick who appeared in several short stories in Dime Detective back in the thirties. With his hard-ass attitude, a conveniently flexible set of morals and a blackjack on his hip, he's ready for just about anything. His pals include speakeasy owner Al Lascoine, … Continue reading Cass Blue
The Acme Indemnity Op
Created by Jan Dana Pseudonym of John Frederick Brooks Lawrence (1907-1970) Sssshhhhh.... don't tell the Hammett folks. But in 1937, Dime Detective started publishing a series of short stories featuring a nameless hard-boiled and cynical claims investigator who worked for a national insurance agency. No similarity to Hammett's very popular and influential hard-boiled, cynical Continental … Continue reading The Acme Indemnity Op
Cardigan (aka “Steve Cardigan” & Jack Cardigan”)
Created by Frederick NebelPseudonyms include Grimes Hill, Lewis Nebel & Eric Lewis(1903-1966) “I said I was sorry, you want me to set it to music?” The award for most appearances by a series character in Dime Detective has to go to prolific pulpster Frederick Nebel's St. Louis private eye JACK CARDIGAN. Starting with "Death Alley" … Continue reading Cardigan (aka “Steve Cardigan” & Jack Cardigan”)
John Dalmas
Created by Raymond Chandler (1888-1959) "I felt like an amputated leg." -- "Trouble is My Business" “There was a desert wind blowing that night. It was one of those hot dry Santa Anas that come down through the mountain passes and curl your hair and make your nerves jump and your skin itch. On nights like … Continue reading John Dalmas
Carroll John Daly
Pseudonyms include John D. Carroll (1889--1958) "(Throughout his career) Daly remained an artificial, awkward, self-conscious pulpster, endlessly repetitious, hopelessly melodramatic. He had absolutely no ability for three dimensional characterization, nor did he posess a feel for language or mood. Additionally, he was cursed with a tin ear. His dialogue was impossibly stilted... and totally lacked … Continue reading Carroll John Daly
My Bookshelf: Four-&-Twenty Bloodhounds, edited by Anthony Boucher
My Bookshelf Four-&-Twenty Bloodhounds, edited and with introductions by Anthony Boucher This early anthology (1950) from the Mystery Writers of America may have seemed to be just the usual grab bag of stories from all across the genre, and indeed the cover of the original hard cover edition promised short stories "of fictional detectives... … Continue reading My Bookshelf: Four-&-Twenty Bloodhounds, edited by Anthony Boucher
Highland Park Price
Created by Dale Clark Pseudonym of Ronal Kayser Other pseudonyms include Clark Clayton (1905-88) “Your Troubles Are Over When You Tell ‘em To Me.” -- Price's business card Like more than a few private eyes from the pulps, Dale Clark's gizmo-obsessed, penny-pinching HIGHLAND PARK PRICE may not be quite as crooked as he seems. Although he … Continue reading Highland Park Price