Created by -- File this one under "rare." Jim Doyle Private Detective and the Train Hold-Up was published in 1939 as a "penny" book published by Whitman Publishing, out of Racine, Wisconsin, and measured a scant 2 5/8" x 3 5/8." It was had 32 pages, and boasted ten illustrations, and was all held together … Continue reading Jim Doyle
Tag: Kiddie Pulp
Colwyn Dane
Created by Rupert Hall Pseudonym of Edward Reginald Home-Gall Authors include Mark Grimshaw (house pseudonym; used by Ernest McKeag, Harry Belfield) "Gosh, that was worth seeing, guv'nor!" exclaimed Slick Chester. Crikey! Cut from the same cloth as Sexton Blake but aimed at a younger audience, COLWYN DANE was a private detective/adventurer, the kind of hero so beloved … Continue reading Colwyn Dane
Sam the Cat
Created by Linda Stewart Pseudonyms include Sam Stewart, Nick Carter Okay, anyone who knows me knows that I think animal detectives of any sort, but especially cats, are generally about as useless as tits on a bull detective. But, in this case, since it's a book for kids, I'll make an exception. SAM THE CAT … Continue reading Sam the Cat
Kiddie Pulp, Part II
Portrait of the Detective as a Young Sleuth Perhaps realizing how popular mysteries are with young readers, a few P.I. writers have jumped on the bandwagon with stories aimed at the children's and YA markets, sometimes writing of their grown-up detectives making their way through the world as children and young adults or, in Harlan … Continue reading Kiddie Pulp, Part II
Mickey Bolitar
Created by Harlan Coben Young teenager MICKEY BOLITAR's even further removed from P.I. status than his crime-solving uncle Myron Bolitar, the trouble-bound sports agent who thinks he's Spenser. But, like his uncle with whom he goes to live with after the death of his father in this series of young adult mysteries, Mickey's got the … Continue reading Mickey Bolitar
Chet Gecko
Created by Bruce Hale "It was a hot day in September. The kind of day when kindergartners wake up cranky from their naps." -- Chet sets the scene in The Chameleon Wore Chartreuse It's not enough that the gumshoe is in grade four? He's also got to be a lizard, too? Even if I hadn't already … Continue reading Chet Gecko
Private I. Guana
Created by Nina Laden "What color was he when you last saw him?" - I. Guana grills his client in "The Case of the Missing Chameleon" The original reptilian gumshoe, as far as I can tell, has a few tricks up his sleeves. And they're not just for kids. Anyone who thinks Eric Garcia's Anonymous Rex … Continue reading Private I. Guana
Princess King
Created by Martin Powell & Fernando Cano Part of the Far Our Fairy Tales collection, a series of graphic novels for kids that spoof classic children's stories, Private Eye Princess and the Emerald Pea (2019) riffs mightily on Hans Christian Andersen's "The Princess and the Pea." PRINCESS KING of the Royal Detective Agency is charged with finding … Continue reading Princess King
Frank and Joe Hardy (The Hardy Boys)
Created by Franklin W. Dixon House pseudonym of Stratemeyer Syndicate(1862-1930) World-renowned private detective, and former ace NYPD sleuth FENTON HARDY seemed to always be off somewhere working on some important case, so that left his two teenage sons, FRANK and JOE HARDY, to watch over things in Bayport, a thriving town on the north-eastern … Continue reading Frank and Joe Hardy (The Hardy Boys)
Encyclopedia Brown
Created by Donald J. Sobol (1924-2012) Probably the most famous child detective of them all, ranking right up there in popularity with teenage sleuths The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew, ENCYCLOPEDIA BROWN first appeared in Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective in 1963 by Donald J. Sobol, and the series hasn't been out of print since. That … Continue reading Encyclopedia Brown