The Latest Posts

Mike Ehrmantraut

Created by Peter Gould and Vince Gilligan "Shut the fuck up, and let me die in peace." —Mike  in the final season of Breaking Bad Yeah, yeah. I know. Neither AMC's acclaimed Breaking Bad (2008-13), nor its subsequent spinoff/prequel Better Call Saul (2015-22) is a private eye show. But a private eye character proves to be … Continue reading Mike Ehrmantraut

Jake Spanner

Created by L.A. Morse "When you get old, you either went soft or you got dry. Fortunately, I got dry." -- Jake, on aging.Cranky, pot-smoking 78-year old JAKE SPANNER is, as the title of his one recorded adventure puts it, an old dick, working some of the same turf as Robert Benton's similarly-themed The Late … Continue reading Jake Spanner

Carole Trevor (The Old Towne Detective Agency)

Created by Judson P. Philips Other peuedonyms include Philip Owen, Hugh Pentecost (1903 – 1989)   Feisty, headstrong socialite CAROLE TREVOR  runs the Old Towne Detective Agency, given to her by her goofy but affable man-about-town ex-husband, wealthy New York socialite Maxwell Blythe. It was a parting gift after their divorce that he fully expected her to sell off—he gave … Continue reading Carole Trevor (The Old Towne Detective Agency)

“The Kid” (City Streets)

Created by Dashiell Hammett (1894-1961) The almost forgotten City Streets (Paramount, 1931) was one of the few Dashiell Hammett stories written expressly to be adapted to film (a couple of Thin Man films were also in that group), and as such probably deserves our attention, even if it isn’t a private eye tale. I've no … Continue reading “The Kid” (City Streets)

Eddie Cruise

Created by Conrad Metcalf Pseudonyms include C.E. Metcalf (1959–) EDDIE CRUISE is the private eye hero of Eddie Cruise Private Eye (2020), an indie-published labour of love from author Conrad Metcalf. No, not  that Conrad Metcalf. You’re thinking of Jonathan Lethem’s hard-boiled private “inquisitor” in his loopy  Gun with Occasional Music (1995). Although the love of the … Continue reading Eddie Cruise

Ray Boyd

Created by Lee Goldberg And here I thought that Lee Goldberg was such a nice boy... I mean, the man wrote episodes of Diagnosis Murder! And its tie-ins. But in Crown Vic, he unleashes the beast with two violent, sexually explicit and previously unpublished stories that just reek of 1950s pulp paperbacks. The only thing … Continue reading Ray Boyd

Carmen Courageous

Created by Rob MacKinnon “It’s a good thing Danger is my middle name." Well, they tried. Coming off a successful crowd-sourcing campaign, hopes were high for this rollicking comic book aimed at adventure-loving kids eleven and up. CARMEN COURAGEOUS was a plucky young (twenty-something?) Seattle-based private eye looking for adventure, and whatever comes her way. … Continue reading Carmen Courageous

Charles Stubblefield

Created by D.H. Reddall CHARLES STUBBLEFIELD is a Cape Cod P.I with a bit of heft to him, and a reputation for being tough and tenacious. He appeared in a string of slightly-more-hardboiled-than-usual short stories in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine... and even one right in these pages. A history buff, Charles grew up on the … Continue reading Charles Stubblefield

“With One Eye Open”

A Charles Stubblefield Mystery by D. H. Reddall Fall 2006 When Billy Farrell explained his problem to me, I said “Go to the cops.” “I did. They said there’s nothing they can do unless he threatens her or hurts her, or unless she files for a restraining order." “Tell her to get the restraining order, then.” … Continue reading “With One Eye Open”

Rex Rivetter

Created by Greg and Rhiannon McAfee "Some folks call it noir or pulp fiction. But for a private eye named Rex Rivetter, it's home." In-mid 2015, San Diego’s Greg and Rhiannon McAfee approached old pal Dave Rivas with the idea of producing  a new weekly podcast, along the lines of the old time radio detective … Continue reading Rex Rivetter