The Show-Me Eyes Johnny April by Mike Roscoe (Kansas City) Frances Finn by Gerelyn Hollingsworth (Kansas City) Alo Nudger by John Lutz (St. Louis) Nathaniel Rose by Michael Bracken (St. Louis) Mike Saxon by L.V. Roper Cal Burke, Connor Sullivan & James Devlin (Phoenix Inc.) by Irene Hannon Respectfully submitted by Kevin Burton Smith.
Category: My Back Pages
Sapphic Sleuths
Lesbian Eyes Hand in hand with the success of women sleuths in general in the eighties came the rise of the lesbian eye. Who knew? While Kinsey, Sharon, V.I. et al were assaulting the mainstream bestseller lists, in alternative and women's bookstores, readers first began snapping up lesbian novels featuring lesbian P.I.s by the armful. … Continue reading Sapphic Sleuths
Big in Japan
Japanese Eyes Kōsuke Kindaichi by Seishi Yokomizo Haida by Jūrō Kara (Umihoozuki) Maiku Hama by Kaizo Hayashi and Daisuke Tengan (Yokohama) Takayasu Higashino by Takushi Fukada & Hiroshi Ishii (Bondage House) Mosaku Anchu by Matsunaga Anshindo Kazuo Mori by Peter Tasker (Tokyo) Milo Murano by Natsuo Kirino Kimitsuka Kimihiko & Siesta by Nigojū & Umibōzu … Continue reading Big in Japan
As Clear as Country Water…
Nashville Cats & Other Tennessee Private Eyes NASHVILLE Harry James Denton by Steven Womack (Nashville) Jared McKean by E. Michael Terrell (Nashville) Sid Chance by Chester D. Campbell (Nashville) Greg & Jill McKenzie by Chester D. Campbell (Nashville) Sonny Hunt by Jimmy Sangster and Ernest Frankel (Nashville) Bobby Cain & Harper McCoy by D.P. Lyle … Continue reading As Clear as Country Water…
The Eyes of Roger Torrey
A Preliminary List There's no doubting that Roger Torrey (1901-46) was one prolific pulpster, pounding out (in between drinks) almost 300 stories for the crime and detective magazine of the thirties and forties (at least fifty in Black Mask alone!). And while he may not have enjoyed the acclaim of Hammett, Chandler or many … Continue reading The Eyes of Roger Torrey
Joe’s Twenty-Five Fave Detective Novels
As chosen by Joe Lofgreen from Joe's Detective Pages One of the very first contributors to this site, Joe Lofgreen graciously allowed me to reprint this list way, way back in 1998, taken right from his own, now sadly defunct, Joe's Detective Pages. Joe prefaced his selection by stating, "I'm not big on lists, especially … Continue reading Joe’s Twenty-Five Fave Detective Novels
Flash Casey by George Harmon Coxe
From The Great Detectives by Otto Penzler The following piece came from Otto Penzler's fascinating 1978 book The Great Detectives. Like the blurb on the cover of my battered paperback copy says, "The world's most celebrated sleuths unmasked by their creators," and sure enough there are interviews and conversations with twenty-six of them here, with … Continue reading Flash Casey by George Harmon Coxe
My Scrapbook: A Kent Murdock Murder Mystery TOLD IN PICTURES!
My ScrapbookA Kent Murdock Murder Mystery TOLD IN PICTURES! Is this cool, or what? Above is the actual cover of Four Frightened Women (1950, Dell), and right below is an ad for it. Occasionally touted as "the very first graphic novel" (it wasn't), it was number two in Dell's "Told in Pictures" line, Dell's ambitious … Continue reading My Scrapbook: A Kent Murdock Murder Mystery TOLD IN PICTURES!
George Harmon Coxe
(1901-1984) George Harmon Coxe was a journalist, prolific pulp writer, and novelist; an early star of hard boiled crime fiction, and one of Cap Shaw's beloved Black Mask Boys. In a long and prolific career, Coxe put his name to over sixty novels, the last being published in 1975, and hundreds of short stories. His … Continue reading George Harmon Coxe
Twenty-Five Best Private Eye Novels of All Time (1993)
As chosen by Jon L. Breen in The Fine Art of Murder I'm not sure if The Fine Art of Murder (1993) really is "The Mystery Reader's Indispensable Companion" as its subtitle reads, but it sure is fun. This motley crew of new and reprinted essays and lists from such notables as Robert Bloch, Stephen … Continue reading Twenty-Five Best Private Eye Novels of All Time (1993)