Created by Gregory McDonald (1937-2008) Hot shot investigative reporter IRWIN MAURICE FLETCHER hates his given name. He prefers to go simply by “FLETCH.” Can you blame him? And he isn't technically a P.I. by avocation. So what's he doing here? Well, when the writing's this fast, sharp and funny (and it is), we're too busy laughing to bother … Continue reading Fletch
Tag: Edgar Winner
Tony Cassella
Created by Larry Beinhart Brooklyn's TONY CASSELLA has an extremely flexible set of ethics and "half a law degree from Yale" (he dropped out of law school, figuring on a more hands-on occupation). But there was a hiring freeze in the Police Department at the time, so he opted for the corrections department, where he … Continue reading Tony Cassella
Jane Whitefield
Created by Thomas Perry "I'm a guide . . . I show people how to go from places where somebody is trying to kill them to other places where nobody is." JANE WHITEFIELD doesn't think of herself as a private eye. She prefers to think of herself as a "guide." But what she really is is … Continue reading Jane Whitefield
Neal Fargo
Created by Joe Gores (1931-2011) NEAL FARGO's a hard-nosed San Francisco private eye, and non-practising attorney. He's also as cold and ruthless as they come, very much in the Hammett mold. He's also well-dressed, well-built, and, well, shady. As he puts it, "Clients pay me, but I work for myself." Before making a living as … Continue reading Neal Fargo
Dick Francis
(1920-2010) Although only a handful of them are even professional investigators, master Britsh thriller writer DICK FRANCIS must be considered one of the best private eye authors of the late twentieth century, delivering a consistently solid, entertaining and distinctive body of work that can proudly stand up to any of his contemporaries. A former Welsh … Continue reading Dick Francis
Stone & Stine (City of Angels)
Music by Cy Coleman Lyrics by David Zippel Book by Larry Gelbart ''It's as though I was hit by a wrecking ball wearing a pinky ring'' -- Stone City of Angels was an ambitious and well-received musical comedy that wowed them on Broadway in 1989, written by Larry (M*A*S*H) Gelbart, with music by Cy Coleman and lyrics … Continue reading Stone & Stine (City of Angels)
Dan Fortune
Created by Michael Collins Pseudonym of Dennis Lynds "We are a species that preys on itself. We live on our own kind, hunt each other. That's what I wanted to tell the girl who faced me across the desk in the office part of my one-room loft, but I didn't. I told her what the … Continue reading Dan Fortune
Dan Kearney, O.B., Larry Ballard, Bart Heslip, Gisele Marc, etc. (Dan Kearney & Associates)
Created by Joe Gores (1931-2011) The DAN KEARNEY & ASSOCIATES novels and short stories by Joe Gores are one of the all-time great private eye series; the closest anyone has ever come to a private eye version of Ed McBain's famed 87th Precinct procedural novels. A motley crew of San Francisco detectives, repo men … Continue reading Dan Kearney, O.B., Larry Ballard, Bart Heslip, Gisele Marc, etc. (Dan Kearney & Associates)
Kevin MacInnes
Created by Franklin Bandy Pseudonym of Eugene Franklin Bandy Pseudonyms include Eugene Franklin (1914-1987) KEVIN MacINNES isn't a psychologist, but a retired US Army officer who, assigned to intelligence and criminal investigation duties, specialized in giving lie detector tests. After his retirement, he opens MacInnes Security (so he "is" a P.I). MacInnes Securit,y providing a whole … Continue reading Kevin MacInnes
Berkeley Barnes & Larry Howe
Created by Eugene FranklinPseudonym of Eugene Franklin Bandy, Jr.(1914-1987) Here's another spin on the Nero Wolfe/Archie Goodwin formula. Pill-popping BERKELEY HOY BARNES is a New York City hypochondriac, and former lawyer turned private eye, who really doesn't like meeting people he doesn't know. He relies on LARRY HOWE to do the legwork, keep track of … Continue reading Berkeley Barnes & Larry Howe