Trenchcoat Cousins Freelance spies, former spies, retired spies, undercover spies posing as private eyes, private eyes posing as spies, freelance spies... it's hard to keep track. But all of the following gumshoes have—or had—some deep connections to the spy game. And that's not even counting the shared fondness for trench coats... Secret Agent X-9 by … Continue reading Spy Eyes
Tag: My Back Pages
My Scrapbook: The Three Stooges as Private Eyes?
My ScrapbookThe Three Stooges as Private Eyes?No, not really... Here's the cover for issue #1127 (August-October 1960) of Four Color, Dell's long-running and highly collectible series (1332 issues!), known for its photo covers and their film and television tie-ins. In their long, long run, Dell covered cartoons, kids shows, adult dramas, sci-fi, detective shows, westerns … Continue reading My Scrapbook: The Three Stooges as Private Eyes?
Written, directed and starring…
One-man P.I. Shows What is it about the private eye genre that attracts so many filmmakers intent on doing it all themselves? Is there something about the genre itself that feeds some sort of DIY, man's gotta do what a man's gotta do, macho hunger? Is it about control? Money? Ego? Is it simply a … Continue reading Written, directed and starring…
I Could Be Your Bodyguard (Hey!)
Personal Security Specialists Of course, more than one big, hulking brute of a P.I. (or even some not so big and bulky ones) have taken on bodyguard work, but there are some eyes who seem to specialize in it--although it's surprising how many of them prefer almost any euphemisms rather than simply "bodyguard." It's also … Continue reading I Could Be Your Bodyguard (Hey!)
Why I Love Crime Fiction
By Leonard Chang What is a private detective but a philosopher in a trench coat? Picture this: You are a nine-year-old listening to your parents scream at each other in Korean, their words incomprehensible because you don't understand the language, but the savagery of their intent is clear enough. You don't want to leave your … Continue reading Why I Love Crime Fiction
Work Lessons & Professional Advice
Everything I Know About the Job, I Learned From P.I. Novels Okay, I just started this one. I'm looking for words of wisdom, truisms, and the like, garnered from P.I. novels. WORD ON THE STREET "Prostitues and junkies were the best informants on the street. Waitresses, bartenders, UPS drivers, and laborers were pretty good, too. … Continue reading Work Lessons & Professional Advice
They Left Their Hearts…
Some San Francisco Treats "You said you were going' to Frisco, stay a couple of months. I always liked San Francisco, I was there for a party once." -- from the song "Maybe Someday" by Bob Dylan, who swiped it from Out of the Past. Sam Spade by Dashiell Hammett Carver Bascombe by Ken Davis … Continue reading They Left Their Hearts…
Out of the Past and Against All Odds
Two versions of one story... with a 32 minute difference By Sam Wiebe The following is from Sam Wiebe's always interesting newsletter (available in free and paid versions, wherein he expounds on writing, crime fiction, film and whatever else catches his attention. Sam, of course, is the award-winning Canadian crime writer and the creator of … Continue reading Out of the Past and Against All Odds
Signed, Sealed and Delivered
P.I. Postage Stamps: If you can't lick 'em, join 'em? Really! These are all actual postage stamps by actual countries, paying tribute to the writers, the actors, the filmmakers and even, amazingly, occasionally the detectives themselves of the Shamus Game. Honest! Or at least sorta. Some countries have legitimate reasons for honouring various detectives on … Continue reading Signed, Sealed and Delivered
Three is the Magic Number
Some Notable P.I. Trilogies The New York Trilogy by Paul Auster The Frank Clemons Trilogy by Thomas Cook The Black Mask Boys by William F. Nolan The Joe Kurtz Trilogy by Dan Simmons The Brenna Spector Trilogy by Alison Gaylin The Twenty-Year Death Trilogy by Ariel S. Winter The Terry Orr Trilogy by Jim Fusilli … Continue reading Three is the Magic Number