Created by Jorma Napola (1914-2000) Private eye novels have never been big in Finland. I don't really know why, but I have my suspicions: the private eye is a product of a culture that believes heavily in individualism and the right to take the law into one's hands if necessary. But Finland is pretty much … Continue reading Jaakko Piira
Tag: Private Eye
Gabriel Præst
Created by Amulya Malladi There’s nothing like a Dane? Scandi Noir is everywhere, although mostly it seems to be woefully under-populated by private eyes. Mostly the detectives tend to be grizzled cops and inspectors (brilliant but anti-social, troubled, almost always divorced, almost always prone to bad habits) and homicidal spinsters (I’m looking at you, Maud!). … Continue reading Gabriel Præst
William Garrett
Created by Natalie Marlow British author Natalie Marlow (apparently her real name) reimagines Chandler's tarnished knight of 1940s Los Angeles as a private inqury agent who is all tarnish. Then she plops him on the decidedly mean streets of 1930s Birmingham, England, in the noirish Needless Alley (2023). Without a speck of chivalry, WILLIAM GARRETT has … Continue reading William Garrett
Tamara Hayle
Created by Valerie Wilson Wesley Another black private eye, but unlike contempories like Easy Rawlins or Aaron Gunner, TAMARA HAYLE "owes more to Waiting to Exhale than to the rage of Richard Wright. They're funny and slight and smart," according to The New York Times. Tamara's an ex-cop turned Newark, New Jersey private eye, a … Continue reading Tamara Hayle
Steve Drake
Created by Richard Ellington (1914-80) "Broadway is my beat and murder is my business!" -- cover blurb from Shakedown Over the course of five novels and a few short stories, former actor and G.I. and current Broadway wisenheimer STEVE DRAKE finds that private investigation may not be the nicest work in the world, but "it's … Continue reading Steve Drake
Philip Macadam
Created by Hillary Waugh Pseudonyms include Elissa Grandower, H. Baldwin Taylor, Harry Walker. (1920-2008) Best known for his police procedurals, Hillary Waugh also found the time to create a handful of memorable private eyes, including PHILIP MACADAM, a traditional NYC gumshoe who only makes one appearance, in 1958's The Girl Who Cried Wolf. In this … Continue reading Philip Macadam
Michael Westen (Burn Notice)
Created by Matt Nix When the tough get burned, the burned get going... When spies get fired, they don't get a pink slip or a form letter from human resources. They get a "burn notice" and became untouchable. In the USA Network series Burn Notice (2007-13), Jeffrey Donovan played MICHAEL WESTEN, a handsome, young, yogurt-loving former … Continue reading Michael Westen (Burn Notice)
Duck Twacy (The Great Piggy Bank RobberyDuck Twacy)
Created by E.C. Segar "Snake Eyes! Agh! Eighty-Eight Teeth! Hammerhead! Oh, no, Pussycat! Pussycat Puss! Bat Man! Double-Header! P-p-picklepuss! P-p-p-pumpkin Head! Neon Noodle! Juke Box Jaw! Wolf Man! You're all under arrest!" "The Great Piggy Bank Robbery," a 1946 Looney Tune cartoon short from Warner Bros., directed by Robert Clampett and featuring Daffy Duck, is … Continue reading Duck Twacy (The Great Piggy Bank RobberyDuck Twacy)
Todd Wright (So Help Me Todd)
Created by Scott Pendergast A disappointingly underwhelming TV show that—so far--smothers its own potential cleverness with a thick, warm blanket of comfy family drama that never quite pays off, at least until the seventh episode—coincidentally a Thanksgiving-themed episode. Your enjoyment of So Help Me Todd (2022, CBS/Paramount) will depend on your tolerance for having your heart … Continue reading Todd Wright (So Help Me Todd)
Doc Holiday
Created by Kirk Alex You’ve heard the expression “too on the nose”? Like, when some writer thinks he’s being clever, offering a simple hint or allusion to something, a shout-out meant to be subtle or disguised, but in fact is about as subtle as a sledgehammer to the face? This series may qualify. Naming your … Continue reading Doc Holiday