Barrie Craig

Alternate names: Barry Crane, Barrie Craig Created by -- Barry Craig, Confidential Investigator is one of the few detective radio series that had separate versions of it broadcast from both coasts. Even the spelling changed over the years. It was first "Barry Crane" and then "Barrie Craig." NBC produced it in New York from 1951 … Continue reading Barrie Craig

Lupe Solano

Created by Carolina Garcia-Aguilera “I became a PI so I could write the books.” -- Carolina Garcia-Aguilera Cuban-born private eye LUPE SOLANO claims Miami's Little Havana as her turf, as does her creator, former real-life gumshoe Carolina Garcia-Aguilera. Lupe runs her own agency, assisted by her health-conscious cousin Leonardo and a motley crew of colourful … Continue reading Lupe Solano

Naomi Cottle

Created by Rene Denfeld "Hope was a beautiful thing, Naomi thought." -- The Child Finder Egnigmatic, peculiar NAOMI COTTLE is a young private investigator with an almost supernatural knack for finding lost children. She's a determined and dogged detective, singlemindedly obsessive and willing to spend years on a case, if necessary, sleeping on friend's or client's … Continue reading Naomi Cottle

Fred J. Dodge

(1854-1938) Born in Butte County in California in 1854, FRED J. DODGE grew up in Sacramento, and became a detective for Wells Fargo, working for them for over fifty years, much of it undercover, in California, Nevada, Arizona, Texas, Kansas and Oklahoma. There's no doubt Dodge got around. While working in Tombstone, Arizona in 1879, … Continue reading Fred J. Dodge

Murder in the Library: True Detectives (Non-fiction by Real-Life Eyes)

What? You thought I made this all up, or downloaded it all from Wikipedia? Nope. Here are the books that inspired me to create this site, and the books I've used to cobble it together over the years, as well as the ones I've discovered along the way. If you like this site, you may … Continue reading Murder in the Library: True Detectives (Non-fiction by Real-Life Eyes)

Eugène François Vidocq

(1775-1857) EUGÈNE FRANÇOIS VIDOCQ was the world's first private detective, as we generally understand the term. He also  killed his first man at fourteen, and once posed as a cannibal in a traveling show. Well, maybe. I say "maybe" because almost everything we know about Vidocq comes from Vidocq himself and other, often contradictory sources. Like … Continue reading Eugène François Vidocq

My Scrapbook: Miss Cora M. Strayer’s Private Detective Agency

My Scrapbook Miss Cora M. Strayer's Private Detective Agency I can't claim any credit for this one. It's lifted from Paul Reda's amazing Miss Cora M. Strayer's Private Detective Agency page  regarding a real-life private detective Cora M. Strayer (1867-1930), who ran an actual detective agency and lived a colorful life, full of mystery and multiple … Continue reading My Scrapbook: Miss Cora M. Strayer’s Private Detective Agency

Jay J. Armes

Pseudonym of Julian Armas (1932--) "The Lord has given us a brain. We only use one-tenth of ten percent of it." -- Jay J. Armes Okay, you got me... JAY J. ARMES is a real person, not a fictional person. He's a real-life Texas private eye, generally considered, at least according to him, as one … Continue reading Jay J. Armes

Rick Levine & Laura Fitzhugh

Created by Colleen Collins Things to do in Denver when you're a Deadhead... Slacker former defense attorney and current Colorado eye RICK LEVINE's plans to get clean, stop inhaling and grow up seemed like a good idea at the time. But after five years of living the straight and narrow, his attempts to get himself … Continue reading Rick Levine & Laura Fitzhugh

Jack Wade

Created by Don Winslow "As a fire investigator, Bentley makes a good fisherman." --not everyone's as good as Jack... To be honest, Don Winslow's standalone California Fire and Life (1999), featuring JACK WADE, a disgraced cop/slacker surfer dude/hotdog insurance claims adjuster specializing in arson, just blew me away. It's a dizzying, circular ride that begins and … Continue reading Jack Wade