Created by Steve MacManus & Colin Maxwell Can something be both cheeky and cheesy? It's the early seventies, and former Vietnam chopper pilot turned "freelance fixer" JACK DERRINGER is working the "Golden Triangle" of Los Angeles, San Francisco and Las Vegas, because "that's where the money is." His motto? "Whatever the problem, I'm the solution." … Continue reading Jack Derringer (Derringer & So’n)
Tag: Las Vegas
Max Rossi
Created by Paul W. Papa Here we go again... MASSIMO "MAX" ROSSI is the suitably hard-boiled house detective for the infamous Sands Hotel & Casino in 1950s Las Vegas, which means a lot of Rat Pack references, drinks and babes and gangsters and goons galore, of course. It all feels sorta like a cup of instant … Continue reading Max Rossi
Nick Carpenter (Living to Die)
Created by Stephen Smoke (1949--) "I'm not here to borrow trouble, but I can afford it" Why? It's probably a bad sign for a film when there's more entertainment coming from the audience than from the screen. Call it the MST3K effect. But Living to Die is just that kind of film. It wasa 1991 vehicle … Continue reading Nick Carpenter (Living to Die)
My Scrapbook: Dan Tanna’s T-Bird… in Matchbox Scale
My Scrapbook Dan Tanna's T-Bird... in Matchbox Scale By Stefan Halushka Falling the breadcrumbs from Jim Rockford's Trailer... in Matchbox Scale, I discovered another great diorama recreating an another iconic scene from a private eye show by master modeler Stefan Halushka--this one featuring Las Vegas private eye Dan Tanna's classic cherry red 1957 Ford … Continue reading My Scrapbook: Dan Tanna’s T-Bird… in Matchbox Scale
Joe Riddick
Created by Grant Bywaters In Farewell, Las Vegas (2020), former New England cop JOE RODDICK is now a Sin City private op, tough enough to get by, but human. His daughter Kaylee seems set on stepping into her father's footsteps, and she's already occasionally helping him out on his cases, mostly with computer stuff. But … Continue reading Joe Riddick
Zoe Busiek (Wild Card)
Created by Lynn Latham and Bernard Lechowick "Nobody's ever accused me of being an adult before." -- Zoe reveals she’s no SuperMomThe American TV channel Lifetime isn’t exactly known for its hard-boiled fare, but they did make it a watered-down go back in 2003, when they premiered Wild Card, folding some occasionally gritty and often … Continue reading Zoe Busiek (Wild Card)
“Baddle Ax” Baddalach
Created by Norman Partridge "Get your hands in the air...and give me that chihuahua!" Former light heavyweight champ JACK "BADDLE AX" BADDALACH has lost his last match, so he's not too fussy about taking the odd job from Freddy G., owner of the Casbah Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. And odd is the operative … Continue reading “Baddle Ax” Baddalach
Martha Chainey
Created by Gary Phillips From the creator of Ivan Monk comes a new hero, MARTHA CHAINEY. Okay, so she's not a P.I., and she's not exactly on the side of the angels. But she's a six foot, tough-talking, hard-as-nails African American ex-showgirl now working as a courier for some Vegas thugs, so you go ahead--you … Continue reading Martha Chainey
Jack Morgan, Peter Knight, Dan Carter, Chris Schneider, Craig Gisto, Santosh Wagh, Joey Montague, Matteo Ricci, et al (Private)
Created by James Patterson, Maxine Paetro, Mark Sullivan, Mark Pearson, Michael White, Ashwin Sanghi, Rees Jones, Jassy Mackenzie, Adam Hamdy, et al I've heard so many bad and even cruel things from writers and readers whom I generally respect about James Patterson's writing--tempered by equally effusive but vague praise by diehard fans--that I really had … Continue reading Jack Morgan, Peter Knight, Dan Carter, Chris Schneider, Craig Gisto, Santosh Wagh, Joey Montague, Matteo Ricci, et al (Private)
Cricket West
Created by Fred Zackel Former federal agent and current Las Vegas private eye Cricket West, a "broken nose blonde on the dark side of thirty," is reeling with "euphoria" after getting her second shot of the COVID-19 vaccine, in 2021's Drunk in Blood. "Lockdown was a bitch," is the way she puts it. But that feeling … Continue reading Cricket West