Created by S.J. Rozan & John Shen Yen Nee If you're a hardcore mystery buff, you may be thinking: "Wait a minute! Wasn't Judge Dee a fictional detective in a series of novels written from the b1940s through the 1960s by Robert van Gulik?" And you'd be more or less correct. Judge Dee (or Judge Di, … Continue reading Lao She & Judge Dee Ren Jie
Tag: Historical 1920s
Nameless (The Big Farewell)
Created by Dan Leissner "I've had a ton of shit shovelled in my face. The shit they gave me when I went off to war. And when I came home... And lame excuses and empty promises from guys on their knees, trying to stop me from doing my job. Trying to wriggle out of a … Continue reading Nameless (The Big Farewell)
Sam Klein
Created by Allan Levine "Tolerance and equality were only words social gospellers ... spoke about. Such acceptance, Klein and every other Jew in Winnipeg knew, was often cheap talk. Neighbourhoods, clubs and summer resorts were all restricted. And yet, in the chaos and turmoil of the strike, something had changed." --The Bolshevik's Revenge The Jets, … Continue reading Sam Klein
Becker (Becker: House Detective)
Created by Martin Kitsch The hero of Becker: House Detective, another CBC radio series,\clues us in on his lot in life: "The Queen of the Rockies. A Grand Hotel. About the last thing you'd expect to find in the Rockies in 1923, but then I may be the last thing you'd expect to find in … Continue reading Becker (Becker: House Detective)
Eugène Duchamp
Created by Marie-Ève Bourassa Pas pire. Pas pire... In her first foray into crime fiction, Marie-Eve Bourassa brings it on home with Red Light: Adieuu, Miognonne (2016), scoring an Arthur Ellis for Best French novel and -- even better -- introducing an intriguing new private eye to Montreal's ranks. It's the 1920s, and former cop, … Continue reading Eugène Duchamp
PaPa LaBas
Created by Ishmael Reed (1938-) Ishmael Reed's headspinning Mumbo Jumbo (1972) is mish-mash of Black pride, righteous anger, fingerpointing and, um, Footloose? It's also, if you look at it in just the right light, a private eye story. It’s the early 1920s, Warren Harding is president, membership in the Ku Klux Klan is growing, ragtime is morphing into jazz, … Continue reading PaPa LaBas
Rita Gaspereaux (The Big Man’s Daughter)
Created by Owen Fitzstephen Pseudonym of Gordon McAlpine Owen Fitzstephen's book is called The Big Man's Daughter, and it doesn't really have a detective in it, but... Explaining one of Fitzstephen's books is a bit like skiing about soup. This is really just the author playing fast and loose (and possibly avoiding lawsuits from the … Continue reading Rita Gaspereaux (The Big Man’s Daughter)
Ace Mifflin
Created by Ted Slampyak "Private eyin's what I do. It's a dirty job. That's why I like it." He ain't scuzzy--he's just drawn that way. Here's another private eye spawned during the 1980's comic book/graphic novel boom/renaissance. In the "jazz age" of 1926 Boston, ALEXANDER C. "ACE" MIFFLIN is a scruffy private detective who appeared … Continue reading Ace Mifflin
Maisie Dobbs
Created by Jacqueline Winspear In her spawling, ambitious eponymously-titled historical novel, we first meet MAISIE DOBBS, a young working class girl in 1920s England with a love of books and learning. Once, a long time ago (much of the book flashes back to her younger years), Maisie worked as a housemaid for social activist Lady … Continue reading Maisie Dobbs
Minky Woodcock
Created by Cynthia von Buhler Hard Case Crime/Titan Comics stepped briefly out of its hard-boiled shell for the 1920s period piece fantasy-tinged limited series. The Girl Who Handcuffed Houdini, set in the surprisingly sexy world of 1920s magic. Plucky, kinky, rabbit-loving MINKY WOODCOCK (she's a penpal of Agatha Christie!) is tired of being dismissed by … Continue reading Minky Woodcock