Created by J. Sydney Jones Real-life criminalogist HANNS GROSS and fictional attorney/private investigator KARL WERTHEN are the heroes of a series of intricately plotted historical mysteries by author J. Sydney Jones set in turn-of-the-century Vienna. Often referred to as "the father of criminology," Doktor Hanns Gustav Adolf Gross (1847-1915) was an Austrian criminal jurist and examining magistrate who … Continue reading Hanns Gross & Karl Werthen
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Judd Brody
Created by Carol Ericson "That's the way I like it--hot and wet." --J.P. in his job interview You've got to hand it to Harlequin. Although they're best known as the purveyors about a zillion pulpy, sappy romance novels, this once-Canadian publishing dynasty (founded way back in 1949 in Winnipeg, Manitoba) initially published everything and anything … Continue reading Judd Brody
Painter
Created by Melinda DiLorenzo "For just one night I needed to turn off the dread I felt every day. I needed to forget that despite every carefully planned escape, my past was waiting to tap me on the shoulder and steal away everything I cared about. I wanted this man. It was passionate. It was … Continue reading Painter
J. P. McCoy
Created by Carol Ericson "That's the way I like it--hot and wet." --J.P. in his job interview Hoo-boy! You want it steamy? Harlequin's short-lived Intrigue Noir series (four books?) offered plenty of panty-wetting innuendo amid the usual trappings of "noir" fiction: bounty hunters, scam artists, private detectives, femme fatales, and the usual melange of blackmail, … Continue reading J. P. McCoy
David Spandau
Created by Daniel Depp "The Nice-Cannes airport is about as architecturally exciting as a VD clinic." -- from Babylon Nights Should a writer's personal life be fair comment in a review? My first instinct is to go all Nancy Reagan and just say "No." But how about if that said writer has used his or … Continue reading David Spandau
Deirdre O’Hara
Created by Maurice Gagnon(1912-99) DEIRDRE O'HARAÂ is a "vibrant young Montreal lawyer and highly-specialized marine insurance investigator" who appears in three novels (labelled as "The Deirdre O'Hara Files")and at least one short story, by French-Canadian author Maurice Gagnon. She has a Siberian husky called Red Devil, and lives on a yacht, The Siren, that she keeps … Continue reading Deirdre O’Hara
Rowena Grant
Created by Maurice Gagnon (1912-99) "That wily redhead, private investigator ROWENA GRANT, formerly of the MUC" is called back by her former employees, the Montreal police, to help them crack the case of a serial killer who seems to be targeting newly-promoted women on the Montreal police force, in her one appearance to date, 1990's … Continue reading Rowena Grant
Robert “Bob” James
Created by John Goldbach (1978--) "A lot remains unknown. Things change when you look at them." -- Robert clues us in... Here we go again... ROBERT "BOB" JAMES is a private eye. A loner with cynical streak that naturally hides a romantic streak. He thinks too much; he drinks too much. He cracks wise, as … Continue reading Robert “Bob” James
Valentijn Rixtus Bentinck (Heer en meester)
Created by Willem Zijlstra "Every day is Valentine’s Day!" When we first meet charming adventurer and sometime "voluntary" private detective VALENTIJN RIXTUS BENTINCK VALENTINE in the very first episode of the Dutch television series Here en mister  ("Lord and Master" in English), he's crashing an elegant party riding a hot air balloon. As one does... … Continue reading Valentijn Rixtus Bentinck (Heer en meester)
Flip, Flop & Fly
Pet-Owning Eyes CATS Okay, so Chandler was a cat man, and more than a few author photos feature him and a feline or two, although Marlowe--at least in the books--never had a cat. But these dicks did: Marcia Muller's San Francisco eye Sharon McCone has had a cat or two. Nick O'Donohue's Nathan Phillips has … Continue reading Flip, Flop & Fly