Created by Anders Bellis One thing that never seems to stop is the tsunami of pushy self-published hustlers who think the entire world (and this site) need to know about their latest masterpieces, and that the best way to accomplish it is to sneak a full-fledged plug into our Comments section. And here’s another one, … Continue reading Larry Carmody
Tag: Historical 1930s
William Garrett
Created by Natalie Marlow British author Natalie Marlow (apparently her real name) reimagines Chandler's tarnished knight of 1940s Los Angeles as a private inqury agent who is all tarnish. Then she plops him on the decidedly mean streets of 1930s Birmingham, England, in the noirish Needless Alley (2023). Without a speck of chivalry, WILLIAM GARRETT has … Continue reading William Garrett
Mike Murphy (City Heat)
Created by Sam O. Brown Pseudonym of Blake Edwards (1922-2010) "When a hotshot cop and a wise-guy detective get together... the heat is on!" -- the film's tagline. Burt Reynolds is MIKE MURPHY, a 1930's down-on-his-luck Kansas City P.I., reluctantly teamed-up with former Homicide partner Speer (played by Clint Eastwood), in the 1984 would-be buddy flick City … Continue reading Mike Murphy (City Heat)
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
The Twenty-Year Death Trilogy
Created by Ariel S. Winter "I had on my good suit, a navy blue so deep it looked black, with a pressed white shirt, a red-and-blue-striped tie, a red handkerchief, and freshly polished loafers. I'd had a shower and a shave." -- Dennis Foster calls on his client, in The Falling Star "Yeah, I'd always … Continue reading The Twenty-Year Death Trilogy
Ray Ripley
Created by Douglas Heyes Pseudonyms include Matthew Howard (1919-1993) “Looking back, I can see how quitting a corrupt police force to go straight as a private cop was like a two-dollar whore coming out of a cathouse to set up shop as a virgin” Douglas Heyes could have been a truly great P.I. novelist, but … Continue reading Ray Ripley
Gene Hammons
Created by Jon Talton GENE HAMMONS used to be a soldier, serving in World War I. And he used to be a homicide cop in Phoenix, Arizona. But when he went against the powers that be and tried to free a woman he felt had been wrongfully accused of murdering a local big shot, he … Continue reading Gene Hammons
Gene Castle
Created by Jim Christy (1945 --) GENE CASTLE is a private eye working the mean streets of Vancouver, British Columbia in the years leading up to World War II, when we first hook up with him in Shanghai Alley (1997), a slick, entertaining (and appropriately-presented) paperback original that takes place in that city's teeming Chinatown--at … Continue reading Gene Castle
“Just One of Those Things”
A Mary Kelly Story by D.L. Browne Fall 2001 The Chinese have a saying: "Dangerous enemies will meet again in narrow streets." The way I remember it, business was slow that November. Carl von Ossietzky won the Nobel Peace Prize and everyone was learning to Rumba. We were between World Wars and the Pinkertons over … Continue reading “Just One of Those Things”
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