Don't be afraid of no ghosts... The P.I. genre, like most writing genres, abounds with pen names and pseudonyms, but it also has plenty of ghost writers. Sometimes, it's actually a real writer who employs a ghost, but more often than not, it's some celebrity whose "work" is actually ghosted. Although these days, at the … Continue reading Ghost Writers: Have Pen, Will Travel
Tag: My Back Pages
The Streets of London
Let them take you by the hand and lead you through the streets of London... Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Mick Cardby by David Hume Fitzroy Maclean Angel by Mike Ripley James Hazell by P.B. Yuill George Harley by Phil Lecomber (Soho) Albert Easterbrook by Bridget Walsh (Victorian London) Barney Huggins by Mike … Continue reading The Streets of London
All Together Now
P.I. Ensembles Ever since Ed McBain's 87th Precinct made its debut back in 1956, many have wondered when someone would apply the same formula to the private eye genre. Oh, to be sure, there have been plenty of detectives working for large agencies. Everyone from Hammett's Continental Op  to Joe Mannix (at least for one … Continue reading All Together Now
My Scrapbook: Raymond Chandler’s Typewriter
My ScrapbookRaymond Chandler's Typewriter Is this the coolest thing ever or what? Long-time friend of the site, Mark Coggins, author of the acclaimed August Riordan private eye series, has scored a typewriter at an estate sale, Â conducted by auction house Doyle New York. And not just any typewriter. It's the the Olivetti Studio 44 that … Continue reading My Scrapbook: Raymond Chandler’s Typewriter
Nero Wolfe: A Social Commentary on the US
An Essay by Marcia Kiser (2003) All genre fiction provides a glimpse of life for the period in which the works are written. Science fiction shows the reader what the future may hold. Romance can, and does, give the reader insight into social customs and dress for the period covered, usually for a specific group, … Continue reading Nero Wolfe: A Social Commentary on the US
New England Eyes
The Gumshoes of Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Â and Vermont (but not Massachusetts) Yeah, New England actually consists of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Â Vermont and Massachusetts, Â but let's face it: Massachusetts is big enough and populous enough to justify having its own pageon this site … Continue reading New England Eyes
Lawrence Sanders
Pseudonyms include Lesley Andress, Mark Upton (1920-98) In his time, LAWRENCE SANDERS ranked right up there in popularity with Stephen King, Danielle Steele and only a handful of other newsstand, airport and bus station superstars, so much so that his name was more prominent on the covers of his books than their titles, and this … Continue reading Lawrence Sanders
Start Spreading the News…
Big Apple Eyes Mike Hammer by Mickey Spillane Matt Scudder by Lawrence Block Mary Lou "Dunk" Bateson by Lawrence Sanders Joshua Bigg by Lawrence Sanders R.J. Brooks by Stephen Bogart Burke by Andrew Vachss Curt Cannon by Curt Cannon (The Bowery) Pete Chambers by Henry Kane Timothy Cone by Lawrence Sanders Timothy Dane by William … Continue reading Start Spreading the News…
A New York State of Mind
Empire State Eyes Charlie Bradshaw by Stephen Dobyns (Saratoga) Joe Kurtz by Dan Simmons (Buffalo) Don Strachey by Richard Stevenson (Albany) Laney Bird by Emilya Naymark (Sylvan) Nicholas Bishop by Stephen G. Eoannou (Buffalo) Dick Moonlight by Vincent Zandri (Albany) Jeff Resnick by L.L. Bartlettby (Buffalo) Fran Kirk by Ruthie Furie (Cheektowaga/Buffalo) Tim Smith by … Continue reading A New York State of Mind
Sam Wiebe on The Last Exile
The author speaks... In the last months of Joe Biden’s presidency—and don’t worry, this only touched briefly on politics—he said something profound about the justice system: “Even when individuals have done nothing wrong — and in fact have done the right thing — and will ultimately be exonerated, the mere fact of being investigated or … Continue reading Sam Wiebe on The Last Exile