The Hard-boiled Lady Writers of the Pulps The story goes that when big shot Hollywood director Howard Hawks finished reading Leigh Brackett's 1944 crime novel No Good From a Corpse, he was blown away by the snappy patter and the rock hard prose, and figured the writer might be just who he needed for his … Continue reading You’re a Mean Man with a Typewriter, Sister
Tag: Female Author
Erica Jensen
Created by Debbi Mack Licence? I don't need no stinkin' licence! Playing by the rules and following orders while deployed to Afghanistan in 2011 as a Marine left ERICA JENSEN with a fucked-up back, PTSD and an addiction to painkillers, so she's decided to keep it low key. And who really needs all that tiresome … Continue reading Erica Jensen
Helena Handbasket
Created by Donna Moore Tired of mysteries that seem to spin out the same old tired clichés, one after another? Bored with the same old-same old private eye schtick? Had enough of books with all the fizz of that half-empty bottle of club soda left over from last Christmas? Then might I humbly suggest going … Continue reading Helena Handbasket
Kate Connolly & Vicente Domingo (Maternal Instincts Mysteries)
Created by Diana Orgain Cozy Alert! Well, it was bound to happen--with the glut of cozy series clogging up the pipes, and the burning question of why a caterer, a florist, a dog walker or a retired opera singer would continually be involved in homicide investigations, it was really only a matter of time before … Continue reading Kate Connolly & Vicente Domingo (Maternal Instincts Mysteries)
Mary Kelly
Created by Diana Killian Pseudonym of D.L. Browne Other pseudonyms include Josh Lanyon, Colin Dunne, Louise Harris It had to happen. The female eye, So Cal division, finally went retro. In a promising short story debut which creator Diana Killian assured us was just the start, MARY KELLY is an op for the Brannigan Detective … Continue reading Mary Kelly
Sloane Monroe
Created by Cheryl Bradshaw Outdoorsy "sassy, headstrong" Utah private eye SLOANE MONROE isn't afraid to leave the pavement, especially with her hunky police officer boyfriend in tow, in this well-regarded (well) series of self-published thrillers which have drawn enthusiastic online comparisons at various time to everyone from Sue Grafton and Robert Parker to Mary Higgins Clark … Continue reading Sloane Monroe
Khloé Mercer
Created by Kiki Swinson KHLOÉ MERCER is getting tired of putting her neck on the line as an investigative journalist, snooping into all sorts of malfeasance and corruption, and getting paid diddley squat for it. So she figures she might as well at least make some bucks doing it, and becomes a private eye, in … Continue reading Khloé Mercer
S.J. Rook (The Ross Agency)
Created by Delia C. Pitts The Ross AgencyPrivate InvestigationsLost? Missing? Cheated?Your Problems--Our Solutions-- the agency's business card The Ross Agency is a tiny Harlem detective firm on the side of the angels, dedicated to offering affordable services to its clients, taking those cases the police are too busy--or too indifferent--to solve. Things like tracking down … Continue reading S.J. Rook (The Ross Agency)
Jack Hennessey
Created by Vy Kava JACK HENNESSEY is a private eye in Eastbrook, Connecticut, with a brand new office (the last one having been torched by an ungrateful client), a 10-year-old green Ford truck, and an assistant named Rena with cornrows, who manages things for him. He made his debut in the 2020 novella "Seeing the Truth", … Continue reading Jack Hennessey
Lennox Cooper
Created by Lily Gardner Evidently, Portland, Oregon police detective LENNOX COOPER didn't get the memo: You don't shit where you eat. And you don't fuck where you work. When we meet her in A Bitch Called Hope (2013), it's been a year since an affair with a married fellow officer got her turfed from the Portland … Continue reading Lennox Cooper