Created by Norbert Davis Pseudonyms include Harrison Hunt, Cedric Titus (1909-1949) "She was one of the real mysteries of Hollywood. She was thin and flat-chested, with a complexion like yellow paste. Her black hair was lifeless and dull. Her features were assembled in regular enough order, but her face gave a queer blank effect, as … Continue reading Mark Hull
Tag: Short Story
February Smith
Created by Leigh Brackett (1915-1978) "I am a private dick...That means, according to all the storieds I've read, that I'm tough, resilient and bullet proof. Also infallibly brilliant. So don't worry..." -- (people should worry) FEBRUARY SMITH is the hero of "The Death Dealer," a 1943 novella by Leigh Brackett, written a year before her … Continue reading February Smith
“The Dover Affair”
A short story by Dave Zeltserman From the Files of Johnny Lane Fall 2002 It was eight thirty in the morning. I still had a half hour before my meeting with Tom Morton, so I gave Eddie Braggs a call. Eddie's my editor at the Denver Examiner. He didn't seem his usual self, though. He acted … Continue reading “The Dover Affair”
“Blondes, Blondes, Blondes!”
A short story by Jack Bludis Featuring Ken Sligo Winter 2006 "Girls, girls, girls!" I shouted out to the men looking for action on Baltimore's notorious Block. "Blondes, Brunettes, Redheads. Get 'em while they're hot!" It was 1947, two years since the war. The only men in uniform were cops and a few foreign sailors in … Continue reading “Blondes, Blondes, Blondes!”
Henry Goiler
Created by Tom Fassbender and Jim Pascoe For those of you who can't get enough of retro eye Benjamin Drake, check out "Faze Out," a nitty, gritty short story by Fassbender and Pascoe featuring Drake's nemesis and inter-office rival at the Always Reddy Detective Agency in Testacy City, fellow op HENRY GOILER. In this tale, the … Continue reading Henry Goiler
Allen Garver
Created by James M. Reasoner (1953--) ALLEN GARVER was Texas writer James M. Reasoner's attempt to create a more realistic detective than, for example, the white suit and fedora-sporting Nicholas Lake. Alas, he only appeared in one 1981 short story. SHORT STORIES "Outback" (April 1981, MSMM) COLLECTIONS Old Times' Sake (2007) |Â Buy this book! Includes … Continue reading Allen Garver
Dan Boyd
Created by James M. Reasoner (1953--) James M. Reasoner has written tons of private eye stuff, in between about a zillion Westerns. Besides the thirty-six Mike Shayne stories he wrote as "Brett Holliday" for Mike Shayne Mystery Magazine, he's highly regarded among fans of the genre for Texas Wind, a much beloved P.I. novel, and … Continue reading Dan Boyd
Nick and Holly West
Created by Joan H. Parker & Robert B. Parker "We have money. We do this because we like to." -- Holly in "Galahad, Inc." Dashiell Hammett once said "Maybe there are better writers in the world but nobody ever invented a more insufferably smug pair of characters. They can't take that away from me" The … Continue reading Nick and Holly West
Eddie Anderson
Created by Fredric Brown (1906-72) Pint-size Chicago private eye EDDIE ANDERSON, on the trail of an escaped homicidal maniac, goes undercover in a sanitarium. On his honeymoon, no less. A delightful short story and one of the relatively few short stories by Brown that features an honest-to-goodness P.I. Fredric Brown although, of course, he did write … Continue reading Eddie Anderson
Oscar Fife
Created by Jonathan Lethem Jonathan Lethem is, of course,  a big shot American writer; an acclaimed novelist, essayist, and short story writer. His first novel, Gun, with Occasional Music (1994) was a tongue-in-cheek mish-mash of science fiction and detective fiction, featuring private "inquisitor" Conrad Metcalf and a slew of genetically modified kangaroos packing heat. Lethem may be a … Continue reading Oscar Fife