Created by Kenneth R. Hayles After nine or so turns as The Falcon (taking over the role from his brother George Sanders) and as the radio voice of The Saint, actor Tom Conway took another turn as a dashing and debonair gentleman detective, appearing in two decidedly B films as aging New York City private … Continue reading Tom “Duke” Martin
Tag: Gentleman Detective
Bill “the Hook” Lockwood
Created by Brad Latham BILL "THE HOOK" LOCKWOOD, better known by the nickname he received in his boxing days for his hard-hitting left, is a high-living chief investigator for the Transatlantic Insurance Company out of New York City. He was the hero in a series that tried to stand out from the usual Men's Adventure … Continue reading Bill “the Hook” Lockwood
Anthony Bathhurst
Created by Brian Flynn Pseudonyms include Charles Wogan (1885--1958) Tall, grey-eyed ANTHONY LOTHERINGTON BATHHURST, son of Irish parents and a former Uppingham schoolboy, was a blandly affable British private detective who appeared in over fifty clever, clue-packed novels by Brian Flynn. They're all very much in the classic mystery mode, clearly and admittedly influenced farnmore by Doyle … Continue reading Anthony Bathhurst
Johann Friedrich von Allmen & Carlos de Leon
Created by Martin Suter You're pulling my leg, right? JOHANN FRIEDRICH von ALLMEN is the proud owner of one of the most fancy-pants names in the entire shamus game. He's also the suave dandy "head" of Allmen International Inquiries, a detective agency that specializes in the recovery of stolen objets d'art and other precious trinkets, … Continue reading Johann Friedrich von Allmen & Carlos de Leon
Eugene Valmont
Created by Robert Barr Pseudonyms include Luke Sharp (1850-1912) "Every detective follows a wrong clue now and then, and every detective fails more often than he cares to admit." -- "The Siamese Twin of a Bomb-Thrower" The wild success of Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes inspired a slew of imitators on both sides of the Atlantic from roughly from … Continue reading Eugene Valmont
Max Carrados & Louis Carlyle
Created by Ernest BramahPseudonym of Ernest Bramah Smith1868-1942 "I have no blundering, self-confident eyes to be hoodwinked." Ernest Bramah's MAX CARRADOS, often billed as "The Blind Detective," was arguably the first of the defective detectives, and certainly one of the worthiest rivals of Sherlock Holmes. It may have been a gimmick, but it was a … Continue reading Max Carrados & Louis Carlyle
Peter Clancy
Created by Lee Thayer Pseudonym of Emma Redington Lee (1874-1973) "Oh, Mr. Peter, sir!" -- Wiggar exclaims, as Clancy solves another one. Dashing, debonair and extremely discreet red-headed private investigator PETER CLANCY specialized in solving the problems of the very rich -- for a very big fee. He didn't even advertise, yet he never seemed … Continue reading Peter Clancy
Kenneth Carlisle
Created by Carolyn Wells (1862-1942) Silent movie star KENNETH CARLISLE has seen the writing on the wall. Disillusioned with the movie business, he quits the business just as the "talkies" come in, and sets up as a private investigation on Manhattan's East Side. Carolyn Wells wrote over 170 books in her life. Initially she wrote … Continue reading Kenneth Carlisle
Fleming Stone
Created by Carolyn Wells (1862-1942) Fleming? One of those exasperatingly perfect "master detectives" so popular in the early twentieth century was Carolyn Wells' FLEMING STONE, a quiet scholarly type, fond of good books and better manners, who is invariably called in to solve some invariably "impossible" crime when all the resources of local law enforcement … Continue reading Fleming Stone
Philo Vance
Created by S.S. Van Dine Pseudonym of Willard Huntington Wright (1888-1939) "Philo Vance Needs a kick in the pance." -- Ogden Nash Yes, yes, yes. As several people have pointed out to me over the years, PHILO VANCE was a private eye, and it would be unfair for me to exclude him from this site. … Continue reading Philo Vance