Created by Les Roberts Cleveland? You’re soaking in it. It’s the stomping ground for tough, likable, Kolbasa-loving blue collar private eye MILAN JACOVICH (pronounced MY-lan YOCK-ovich) an ordinary joe kinda guy, in this solid series. He's an ex-football player, well-educated, and fiercely proud of his Slovenian heritage, his working class roots and—make no mistake—his hometown. … Continue reading Milan Jacovich
Tag: Shamus Finalist
Jack Gannon
Created by Rick Mofina JACK GANNON is a reporter for the Buffalo-based World Press Alliance who's never been quite able to escape his blue collar roots--or the disappearance of his sister Cora decades ago. His first recorded case, Vengeance Road (2009), was all toughness and grit; as terse and hard-boiled as they come, as Gannon … Continue reading Jack Gannon
Ray Wyatt
Created by Rick Mofina A new thriller by Mofina is always good news, but a new trilogy? Sign me up. RAY WYATT is a seasoned reporter, one of the go-to guys for the First Press Alliance, a wire service based in Manhattan that covers the world, which is why Ray seems to always have his … Continue reading Ray Wyatt
Julie Collins
Created by Lori G. Armstrong JULIE COLLINS is stuck in a dead-end secretarial job with the Bear Butte County Sheriff's office in western South Dakota, working part-time as a P.I. with her childhood friend Kevin Wells. Still grieving over the unsolved murder of her Lakota half-brother, Julie counters her bone-deep cynicism with tequila, cigarettes, and dangerous men. She's usually … Continue reading Julie Collins
Lisa Jamison
Created by Lori Duffy Foster When she got pregnant at fifteen, single mom LISA JAMISON vowed her daughter Bridget would have a better life than she did, and then set about getting her one. It took a while, but she cut ties with her own drug-addled parents and Marty, Bridget's father. Lisa worked her ass … Continue reading Lisa Jamison
Dek Elstrom
Created by Jack Fredrickson Wry, spry and "creatively unemployed," Chicago's VLODEK "DEK" ELSTROM is a hapless, soft-boiled private eye in a hard-boiled world, scrounging to pay the rent on his fixer-upper turret and feed his junk food habit. And he's not suffering from an abundance of pride or ego. So... whatever it takes. As long … Continue reading Dek Elstrom
John Denson
Created by Richard Hoyt "I'm a gentleman and a scholar; would you care for some screw-top?" -- Denson greets a client in Decoys Consider him Gonzo-lite. Or maybe a New Age Northwest reincarnation of Shell Scott. Or just a hippy-dippy eye who has certainly inhaled. But there's no denying that Pacific Northwest private eye JOHN … Continue reading John Denson
Sharon McCone
Created by Marcia Muller (1944--) "Marcia Muller is the founding mother of the contemporary female hard-boiled private eye." -- Sue Grafton Generally credited with being the first liberated female private detective of the modern era, Marcia Muller's SHARON McCONE paved the way for the subsequentsuccess of Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone, Sara Paretsky's V.I. Warshawski, Laura Lippmann's … Continue reading Sharon McCone
Rae Kelleher
Created by Marcia Muller (1944--) Originally the apprentice of (and later an investigator for) Marcia Muller's Sharon McCone, twenty-something rookie San Francisco private eye RAE KELLEHER has headlined a couple (so far) of pretty good short stories--although, as an employee, her boss is never quite far away. But readers who only know Rae from the … Continue reading Rae Kelleher
Nebraska
Created by William J. Reynolds (1956- At last! The wait is over! Omaha, Nebraska finally has its own private eye! All you protesters can go home. Sorry about the pepper spray... Actually, the aptly-named NEBRASKA (one name only, please, just like Spenser) is a writer and former private investigator who comes out of shamus retirement … Continue reading Nebraska