Created by Jon L. Breen In an era when the perception of faith has been tainted and polluted by fundamentalists of all types, from zealots who fly airplanes into buildings to droolers who see the murdering of doctors and politicians as their personal stairway to heaven, and the media is crowded with holier-than-thou hucksters who … Continue reading Norm Carpenter & Al Hasp
Tag: SoCal
Ace Carpenter
Created by Hamilton T. Caine Pseudonym of Stephen Smoke (1949--) "Her spirits, as well as her tits and ass, were beginning to sag more than a little." -- Caine tries to do Chandler in Hollywood Heroes. ACE CARPENTER is a Southern California P. I. created by Hamilton T. Caine (actually Stephen Smoke, founder and editor … Continue reading Ace Carpenter
Justine Poole
Created by Thomas Perry In the 2024 standalone Hero, Thomas Perry, creator of Jane Whitfield, gives us another strong, resourceful female. But JUSTINE POOLE isn't a "guide," shepherding people into a new life under new identities. Nope, Justine—we eventually fid out—has already done that. Not that it matters—it's her present life, as a personal security … Continue reading Justine Poole
John Sugar (Sugar)
Created by Mark Protosevich "I don't like hurting people." What the fuck was this? When I caught the first episode of Sugar, an eight-parter that streamed on Apple TV+ in the spring of 2024, it felt like a dream come true. A smart, stylish (and parody-free) private eye drama? Aimed at adults? Suitably complex, well-acted, … Continue reading John Sugar (Sugar)
Marty Randolph
Created by Jon Rankin "Dawn cracked hard--real hard." Hard-living womanizer and "purveyor of information"(he doesn't like the term "private eye"), MARTY RANDOLPH likes to be in control of things, but his playboy lifestyle doesn't always make it easy. And it gets even worse when he realizes the woman he picked up in a bar the … Continue reading Marty Randolph
Leo Bloodworth & Serendipity Dahlquist
Created by Dick Lochte Call it tongue-in-cheek noir, I guess. SoCa gumshoe LEO BLOODWORTH talks tough and drinks hard, and the last thing in the world he thinks he wants is some smartass, roller-blading 14-year old girl for a partner. But when SERENDIPITY DAHLQUIST hires Leo to find her missing pitbull Groucho, that's exactly what … Continue reading Leo Bloodworth & Serendipity Dahlquist
Peggy Newman (High Desert)
Created by Nancy Fichman, Katie Ford & Jennifer Hoppe-House "I'm ninety-nine per cent sure that this guru bastard murdered his wife." If you want to mine the vein of modern day gonzo noir, as popularized by St. Leonard, Carl Hiaasen and others, you have to go big. And if you’re gonna go big, you should go … Continue reading Peggy Newman (High Desert)
Wil Hardesty
Created by Richard Barre It’s not all fun, fun, fun... Presenting the surfer dude as angst-ridden P.I., SoCal's WIL HARDESTY made an auspicious debut in 1995's The Innocents, scooping up a Shamus for Best First Novel, and praise from folks like Michael Collins, Stephen Greenleaf, James Crumley and Ross Thomas. Wil's a Vietnam vet still … Continue reading Wil Hardesty
Harvey Mapes
Created by Lee Goldberg Just what the world needs now: an over-educated and under-employed slacker twenty-something security guard with private eye wet dreams. HARVEY MAPES works for Bel Vista Estates, one of those ubitquious SoCal gated communities, working the night shift and not exactly setting the world on fire. Though having a stapler that works … Continue reading Harvey Mapes
Roger & Suzanne Bowman
Created by Jerold Last A globe-trotting married couple who find trouble wherever they go? If you were expecting Frances Crane’s Pat and Jean Abbott, you’d be wrong. This is a more modern itineration. Plus dogs! Former patent attorney and police officer ROGER BOWMAN and UCLA biochemist SUZANNE FOSTER are boyfriend/girlfriend visiting Montevideo, Uruguay, when we first … Continue reading Roger & Suzanne Bowman