Created by Roger Torrey Pseudonyms include Sam Drake, Samuel Drake, John Ryan, R.D. Torrey (1901-46) Yet another of pulpster Torey's seemingly endless supply of hard-boiled private eyes, JOHN RYAN--occasionally accompanied by his bull terrier companion/bodyguard Toby--appeared in at least six stories in 1943-44. And possibly more. With authors as prolific (and hungry) as as some … Continue reading John Ryan
Tag: Short Stories
Tony Key
Created by Steve Fisher Pseudonyms include Stephen Gould, Grant Lane (1912-80) Former Federal Agent turned hard-boiled Hollywood dick TONY KEY, he of the white shoes, white sweater and jet black hair, appeared in a dozen or so stories in Detective Fiction Weekly, and Black Mask, written by screenwriter and pulpster Steve Fisher. Tony calls himself … Continue reading Tony Key
Barker
Created by Patrick Whitehurst What if Sherlock Holmes was one of the Baker Street Irregulars? Or Philip Marlowe was a bum living under a pier on California's Central Coast? With a bunch of stray dogs? And his "clients" are almost invariably his fellow down-and-outers? That's the world of BARKER, (his first name's apparently Victor, but … Continue reading Barker
Vince Pope
Created by Michael A. Black Author Black riffs on Hammett's The Thin Man with a string of short stories featuring former private eye VINCE POPE and his sexy (and very wealthy) socialite wife Laura. Set in the years immediately following World War II, Vince, a returning vet, decides to shuck his gig as a "pretty … Continue reading Vince Pope
Thibault
Created by Gigi Vernon Chandler may have been wrong. Maybe it is a game for knights. Or at least former knights. It's the 12th Century, and  the French city of Troyes in the county of Champagne is a major trade center, a crossroads of commerce and culture, ruled by Henri the Generous, the Count of … Continue reading Thibault
Maya Laster
Created by Noreen Cedeño Here's an eye of a different color. Noreen Cedeño's raspy-voiced MAYA LASTER does plenty of the regular private investigator things, albeit reluctantly, because--although she has the required license and all that--what she really is is a genetic genealogy investigator, running a one-woman agency in  Dallas with the catchy title of Laster … Continue reading Maya Laster
Helmut Erhard
Created by Josh Pachter HELMUT ERHARD, who appears in a series of short stories by Josh Pachter, isn't exactly speediest P.I. in the Lone Star state. But eventually he gets there. Helmut grew up in a small town in Texas, the son of a German POW in one of the camps the US Army set … Continue reading Helmut Erhard
Zach Barnes
Created by Steve Liskow Hartford, Connecticut private eye ZACH BARNES and his super-smart (and super-sexy, of course) girlfriend Beth Shepherd, a superstar romance author known as "Taliesyn Holroyd," who writes over-the-top bodice-ripper romance novels. Except that the real writer is a dude--and Beth makes a good living posing as him at signings and other book … Continue reading Zach Barnes
Peter Cheyney
Pseudonym of Reginald Evelyn Peter Southouse Cheyney (1896-1951) Peter Cheyney was--and so far remains--Britain's leading writer of hard-boiled fiction. He created three memorable characters: Lemmy Caution, a ruthless machine-gun toting FBI agent; Slim Callaghan, a British private eye... and himself. According to his friend and fellow writer Dennis Wheatley "he was the greatest liar unhung … Continue reading Peter Cheyney
Jason Dark
Created by Hugh Pentecost Pseudonym of Judson Phillips Other pseudonyms include Philip Owen (1903 – 1989) "You don't hate a weapon--a gun, or a knife, or a meat cleaver. You hate the man who uses the weapon against you." -- "The Dark Plan" Sort of like a cross between Dick Francis' Sid Halley and the … Continue reading Jason Dark