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
Tag: Fantasy
Jim Stubb
Created by Gene Wolfe (1931-2019) Another wacky genre mix-and-match. And Free Live Free (1985) isn't even really a detective story, even if down-and-out private eye JIM STUBB is one of the four main characters. It's 1983, and elderly eccentric Ben Free offers free room and board to anyone who will come and live with him, … Continue reading Jim Stubb
Emerson Cod (Pushing Daisies)
Created by Bryan Fuller "In Cod We Trust." — advertising slogan on a billboard Hoo-boy. This one's a stretch, even on a site whose parameters are as elastic as this one. Sure, television's Pushing Daisies (2007-09, ABC) had a private eye as a regular character, but it was never really a PI show. What it … Continue reading Emerson Cod (Pushing Daisies)
Boubacar
Created by Tochi Onyebuchi (1987-) "Fortune always left whatever room I walked into, which is why I don’t leave my place much these days..." Merde! In  Harmattan Season (2025) by Tochi Onyebuchi, we meet hard luck West African BOUBACAR who's been a “chercher” (a finder of lost persons) for a long time. Maybe too long? … Continue reading Boubacar
Jack Silence
Created by Teel James Glenn "We Make Parafey go away." -- Ghostmaker Inc.'s slogan Former actor JACK SILENCE is the hard-boiled hero in  author Teel James Glenn's urban-fantasy series, set in a cock-eyed world a little bit like ours, and a little bit not. It seems that after The Convergence, the "Fey" took over from … Continue reading Jack Silence
“Big Jim” Foote
Created by Tom Bredehoft This private eye is a little different—he ain't human! Nope, “BIG JIM” FOOTE is the genre’s first Sasquatch Shamus, a fact not immediately recognized by the good citizens of Morgantown, West Virginia. They simply don’t suspect that the friendly local P.I with the rather large feet is “one of them,” living … Continue reading “Big Jim” Foote
Del Farmer (aka Del Winter)
Created by Duane Swierczynski He's hot, he's hip, he's dead. Meet DEL WINTER, hard-boiled dick. But Winter isn't like the other shamuses you may find on this site. For one thing, he's shuffled off this mortal coil and assumed permanent room temperature. Really. He's dead, Jim. Or at least, he was. For a while. And … Continue reading Del Farmer (aka Del Winter)
Fernlight & Bramble (The HOP-D Cases)
Created by P A Wilson Down these mean streets a fairy must flit? Here we go again... another fantasy/private eye hybrid. This time out, it's FERNLIGHT, a sprite intent on running her own detective agency. Her partner is BRAMBLE, a not-too-swift but fiercely loyal fairy, winged and three foot tall, and together they set out to … Continue reading Fernlight & Bramble (The HOP-D Cases)
Miles Paladon
Created by Robert J. Randisi & Kevin D. Randle 1939 Chicago shamus MILES PALADON is gunned down in a back alley but comes to on a bloody medieval battlefield, with an arrow sticking out of his chest and a bunch of Prince Valiant lookalikes calling him Prince Paladon. Yep, it's another of those "how the hell … Continue reading Miles Paladon
Rex Shepard (You Never Can Tell)
Created by Lou Breslow and David Chandler "Oh Goldie, these are humans we're dealing with. You can't just tell them the truth and expect them to believe it." -- Rex explains the inadequacies of humans. Speaking of unfortunate viewing habits, how could you not include You Never Can Tell in the list of movies on your … Continue reading Rex Shepard (You Never Can Tell)