Created by Fred Olen Ray (1954--) and B.J. Nestles Pseudonym of Terrill Lee Lankford "I'd stumbled into the middle of an evil, insidious cult of chainsaw worshipping maniacs. I had to wonder if we'd let our religious freedom go too far in this country, or maybe our immigration laws were just too lax." — Jack … Continue reading Jack Chandler (Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers)
Tag: SoCal
Gene Burk
Created by John Kaye (1941--) Don't look back -- something may be gaining on you. In John Kaye's well-received The Dead Circus (2002), a noirish ode to dark secrets and the buried past, it's 1986, and GENE BURK is an ex-cop turned Hollywood private eye, obsessed with rock'n' roll, and still reeling over the death … Continue reading Gene Burk
George Killeen
Created by Roger Torrey Pseudonyms include Sam Drake, Samuel Drake, John Ryan, R.D. Torrey (1901-46) Los Angeles private eye GEORGE KILLEEN was yet another hard-boiled gumshoe created by pulpmeister Roger Torrey. Surprise, surprise.. he's Irish! According to Jess Nevins, he "gets along well with Lieutenant McFee of the Homicide Squad" whom Killeen admits is “one … Continue reading George Killeen
Sammy & Ethel Abbott
Created by James R. Langham (1912-99) Yet another detecting couple, apparently married to it, SAMMY and ETHEL ABBOTT appeared in two clever, lightly humorous, noir-tinged novels, Sing a Song of Homicide (1940) and A Pocketful of Clues (1941). Sammy was a special investigator for the Santa Monica DA — a quasi-legal private eye who carries … Continue reading Sammy & Ethel Abbott
V. Daniel
Created by David M. Pierce Pseudonyms include Milton (1932--) " 'Voila,' I said. 'That's French for something' " — Write Me a Letter I always sorta thought of David M. Pierce's VIC DANIEL as a stretched-out Shell Scott for the nineties. Although he wore his big crazy heart on his sleeve, he shared an attitude … Continue reading V. Daniel
Breda Burrows & Lynn Cutter Fugitive Nights)
Created by Joseph Wambaugh(1937-2025) Real-life veteran LAPD cop-turned-cop-writer Joseph Wambaugh's only foray into the Shamus Game novel is quite a departure. Mostly because it's not that great. Whereas his previous books tended toward gritty, just-the-facts, ma'am non-fiction and gritty, two-fisted fiction set in the nasty little corners of police life, Fugitive Nights is a relatively … Continue reading Breda Burrows & Lynn Cutter Fugitive Nights)
Brian Kane
Created by Jack Bludis BRIAN KANE is a Hollywood eye, with a weakness for Camels and young starlets. He works the dirty side of the mean streets of Tinsel Town in the early fifties, peeping in windows, snapping pictures and generally trying to survive. Although Brian's beat is supposedly the unglamourous side of town, where … Continue reading Brian Kane
City of Angels, City of Dicks
Los Angeles Eyes "I used to like this town. A long time ago." — Philip Marlowe in The Little Sister (1949) “L.A. isn’t the end; it’s the beginning...” — Elvis Cole by Robert Crais Southern California, and Los Angeles in particular, is ground zero for private eyes. From Raoul Whitfield and Raymond Chandler to Robert … Continue reading City of Angels, City of Dicks
Atticus Wynn & Rosemary Sanchez
Created by Carlyle Clark ATTICUS WYNN and ROSEMARY SANCHEZ are freshly minted (and freshly engaged) San Diego private investigators, hustling to make ends meet, in this alternately humorous and gritty series by Carlyle Clark. He's a bit of a wiseass, more than a little cynical and rough around the edges; she's more of the idealistic … Continue reading Atticus Wynn & Rosemary Sanchez
Tommy Case
Created by David Burton Divorced, ex-cop TOMMY CASE was raking it in as a Newport Beach P.I., and after scoring big on a recovery job, he decides to call it a day and retire, do some sailing, etc. He actually lives on his sailboat, the NOMORR (stands for No More Rat Race) and that suits … Continue reading Tommy Case