Created by Michael A. Black This P.I. can definitely kick your ass. That's because RON SHADE is not just a tough Army vet turned tough-guy Chicago P.I.--he's a tough Army vet turned tough-guy Chicago P.I. really into competitive kickboxing. So don't get him pissed, okay? In his debut, A Killing Frost (2002), he's hired to find an … Continue reading Ron Shade
Tag: Ex-Army
Sarge Steel
Created by Pat Mussili, Joe Gill and Dick Giordano "A cool knowing man who savors danger... who will not make one concession to fear... and whose fees may be as little as a smile from a pretty girl!" -- cover blurb from Sarge Steel--Private Detective #1 At 6'1", 198 pounds, blue eyes, black hair and a … Continue reading Sarge Steel
Ford Morgan & Roy Shepherd
Created by Michael Collins In 1995's The Cadillac Cowboy, Michael Collins gave us not one, but two intriguing detective characters to add to our list. While neither LANGFORD "FORD" MORGAN or ROY ROGERS SHEPHERD are actually private eyes per se, they're both far too good at what they do to be dismissed as mere amateurs. And … Continue reading Ford Morgan & Roy Shepherd
Giff Speer
Created by Don Tracy Pseudonyms include Barnaby Ross, Roger Fuller (1905-1976) GIFF SPEER is a special agent of sorts for the Military Police, occasionally even going undercover to investigate crimes involving the U.S. Army. So what's he doing here? Well, about halfway through the series by Don Tracy, following events in Pot of Trouble (1971), Giff … Continue reading Giff Speer
Major Martin Myers
Created by Bevis Winter Pseudonyms include Al Bocca, Peter Cagney, Sammy Coburn, Bennet Hill & Gordon Shayne; and the house pseudonym Hyman Zore (1918-1985) In a small town in England, ex-Corporal Philip Denton, just back from World War II, discovers the body of his wife in the basement of their farmhouse, and is promptly arrested by … Continue reading Major Martin Myers
Patrick Hardy
Created by Martin Meyers (1934-2014) "Breasts to the left of him, breasts to the right..." -- Patrick notices these things (from Spy and Die) New York's PATRICK HARDY is your "classic, 1970's paperback private eye", according to Max Allan Collins, in his intro to the 1998 anthology Private Eyes that he co-edited with Mickey Spillane, … Continue reading Patrick Hardy
Gloria Morris
Created by G.R. Browda "Gloria doesn't care from legal." -- Bannon tries to explain Gloria Look out! GLORIA MORRIS is a smart, literate San Francisco private eye; an easy-on-the-eyes B-girl with a good rep and an "explosive sense of honor," with a fondness for Edgar Allan Poe, Mark Twain and "frisky ladies." I'm not quite … Continue reading Gloria Morris
Gillian Baltic
Created by Dale Clark Pseudonym of Ronal Kayser Other pseudonyms include Clark Clayton, Dale Clarke (1905-88) Here I was, getting all jazzed because I thought I'd discovered a whole new hard-boiled female P.I. from the 1940s when I stumbled across this mini-review of Dale Clark's 1946 novel The Red Rods by Anthony Boucher from the December 8, … Continue reading Gillian Baltic
Andy Roark
Created by Peter Colt Not to get all Springsteeny or anything, but when ANDY ROARK came marching home from Vietnam, it wasn't the greatest of homecomings. And ten years or so burning down that road, he's still trying to find his way in the world. He's back home in Boston, circa 1982, working as a … Continue reading Andy Roark
Matt Murdock
Created by Robert J. Ray (1935--) Happiness is a warm gun for MATT MURDOCK, a pistol-packin' P.I. from Orange County. The blurbs may mention Philip Marlowe and Travis McGee, but there's more than a little Mike Hammer and Mack Bolan tossed in here, too. Matt was an army brat who grew up all over the … Continue reading Matt Murdock