Created by Tara Moss A new series, well-received, following the adventures of feisty Australian war-time reporter BILLIE WALKER who returns home to Sydney after the war, mourning the disappearance and possible death of her husband Jack Rake somewhere in Europe. Turfed out of her job now that "the men are back,” she takes over her late … Continue reading Billie Walker
Tag: Historical 1940s
Max Dexter
Created by Chris Laing MAX DEXTER is a former Mountie and WWII vet who came back from overseas with a bum leg, now working as a private eye, going down the mean streets of post-war Hamilton, Ontario in Canada, a hard town now--a hard town then. They don't call it "The Hammer" for nothing. Max … Continue reading Max Dexter
Clifford Waterman
Created by Richard Stevenson Pseudonym of Richard Lipez (1938-2022) The good news? Richard Stevenson, the creator of the acclaimed Don Strachey mysteries has started a new P.I. series with the publication of Knock Off the Hat in 2022, which introduced CLIFFORD WATERMAN, a gay private eye trying to keep it together in post-war Philadelphia. It's … Continue reading Clifford Waterman
H.P. “Philip” Lovecraft
Created by Joseph Dougherty "The omens are bad. Me, I'm going to Florida!" -- you know things are bad when the landlady threatens to call it quits Raymond Chandler's mean streets were never like this! A pleasant surprise was Cast a Deadly Spell, a pulpy, tongue-in-cheek 1991 HBO offering that took the world of the … Continue reading H.P. “Philip” Lovecraft
Aloysius Archer
Created by David Baldacci It's 1949, and rough-and-tumble WWII vet ALOYSIUS ARCHER is a hard-luck drifter and a total shit magnet, freshly sprung from Carderock Prison, when he hits the road in One Good Deed (2019), a sly, noirish change of pace from the #1 New York Times bestselling author Baldacci. His parole conditions are pretty … Continue reading Aloysius Archer
Tommy “Dapper” Luoo
Created by John Triptych Although primarily a sci-fi writer, John Triptych has written and published two books (so far) about TOMMY "DAPPER" LUOO, a Chinese-American private eye in 1940-50s Los Angeles, and he intends to keep going. As the author says, "If you like hard-boiled detective fiction with equal helpings of James Ellroy, Walter Mosley, Raymond Chandler, Ross Macdonald, … Continue reading Tommy “Dapper” Luoo
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
Jack Levine
Created by Andrew Bergman(1945--) "Private dicks aren't known for being great abstract thinkers, Miss Lane, but we can get around town without a map."-- Jack tries to reassure a client in The Big Kiss-Off of 1944 One of the first, and still one of the very best retro eyes, predating both Nate Heller and Toby … Continue reading Jack Levine
Harry Palmer
Created by Dennis Broe "I learned how to doctor evidence in my years on the LAPD." -- Left of Eden Set in the Los Angeles of the late 1940s, ex-cop HARRY PALMER and his secretary turned fellow private eye Crystal seem to have a knack for getting in over their heads and annoying very powerful … Continue reading Harry Palmer
Stone & Stine (City of Angels)
Music by Cy Coleman Lyrics by David Zippel Book by Larry Gelbart ''It's as though I was hit by a wrecking ball wearing a pinky ring'' -- Stone City of Angels was an ambitious and well-received musical comedy that wowed them on Broadway in 1989, written by Larry (M*A*S*H) Gelbart, with music by Cy Coleman and lyrics … Continue reading Stone & Stine (City of Angels)