Created by Jan Dana Pseudonym of John Frederick Brooks Lawrence (1907-1970) Sssshhhhh.... don't tell the Hammett folks. But in 1937, Dime Detective started publishing a series of short stories featuring a nameless hard-boiled and cynical claims investigator who worked for a national insurance agency. No similarity to Hammett's very popular and influential hard-boiled, cynical Continental … Continue reading The Acme Indemnity Op
Tag: Insurance Investigator
John Wallis & David Roche (Bug & Roach)
Created by Wilson Toney JOHN "BUG" WALLIS and DAVID ROCHE (everyone seems to insist on pronouncing it "roach") are a pair of seen-it-all investigators for the National Detective Agency, a long-established firm, headquartered in some unnamed city in the Midwest, looking into everything from late night car accidents to high-level corporate malarkey, published by Stark … Continue reading John Wallis & David Roche (Bug & Roach)
Jerry Killain
Created by Harlan Ellison Pseudonyms include Jay Charby, Landon Ellis, Sley Harson, Ellis Hart, John Magnus & Jay Solo (1934-2018) "I don't play if I don't know how to win." -- Jerry lays it out for his boss, in "The Golden Virgin" Although he's celebrated as a science fiction and fantasy author (and as a … Continue reading Jerry Killain
Steve Hastings (Mystery in Mexico)
Created by Muriel Roy Bolton STEVE HASTINGS (William Lundigan) is a Los Angeles insurance dick, dispatched by his boss to look for a stolen necklace- and a missing colleague who may have double-crossed the company--in the Robert Wise-directed Mystery in Mexico (1948, RKO). Steve's pursuit leads him to the man's sister Victoria (Jacqueline White), whom … Continue reading Steve Hastings (Mystery in Mexico)
Julian “Digger” Burroughs/Devlin “Trace” Tracy/Daedulus Patrick Murphy
Created by Warren Murphy (1933-2015) "It's a bubble that's gonna break, it's Murphy's law..." --theme song lyrics, sung by Al Jarreau I'm sorry, but there's just no sense listing these guys separately. Warren Murphy wrote them all, and they're all basically the same guy, especially the first two, JULIAN "DIGGER" BURROUGHS and DEVLIN "TRACE" TRACY. … Continue reading Julian “Digger” Burroughs/Devlin “Trace” Tracy/Daedulus Patrick Murphy
Milo March
Created by M.E. Chaber Pseudonym of Kendell Foster Crossen Other pseudonyms include Bennett Barlay, Christopher Monig, Richard Foster & Clay Richards (1910-1981) MILO MARCH, a former employee of both the OSS and the CIA before becoming a high-flying, globetrotting investigator for Denver-based Intercontinental Innsurance, appeared in over twenty fast-paced books by M.E. Chaber. Later in … Continue reading Milo March
Henry Smith
Created by Fredric Brown (1906-72) HENRY SMITH was probably the most developed of Fredric Brown's detective series in which the characters' family name wasn't Hunter. Not that Brown developed poor Henry much, although perhaps that might have actually been the point. Because Henry was a relatively generic guy, just an ordinary working stiff who just … Continue reading Henry Smith
Slater Ibáñez
Created by George Bixley SLATER IBÁÑEZ is an ill-tempered, violence-prone insurance investigator has two problems: alcohol and keeping it zipped. He prowls the streets of LA, looking for insurance fraud and sex, "keeping his balance with the jobs that his employer, Della, throws his way, and the back-channel support he gets from his idiot cop … Continue reading Slater Ibáñez
Joe Shannon (Shannon)
Created by... In the 1961–62 season, George Nader appeared as stand-up insurance investigator JOE SHANNON in the syndicated crime drama Shannon. Joe worked for the Los Angeles branch of the Transport Bonding and Surety Company, which had its headquartered in Denver, Colorado. Joe's job was to protect the company's clients (apparently mostly trucking companies) from hijacking, … Continue reading Joe Shannon (Shannon)
Russ Andrews, Steve Banks & Bill Davis (The Investigators)
Created by Michael Garrison Hotshot insurance investigators RUSS ANDREWS and STEVE BANKS ran the prestigious, swanky New York-based Investigators, Inc. on The Investigators, a 1961 television show that attempted to milk the popularity of 77 Sunset Strip (1958) and its numerous imitators, a formula that was easy enough to copy, but not necessarily guaranteed to succeed. Russ was the definitely the star … Continue reading Russ Andrews, Steve Banks & Bill Davis (The Investigators)