Watching the Detectives

Detective and mystery fiction has been part of my life for almost as long as I can remember. I recently tallied my 45 published stories according to genre and found that I’ve had more mysteries published than any other type of story. While detective movies and literature have been very important to me, I’m pretty sure it all started with television. After all, movies, until quite recently, were either encountered incidentally when they happened to be shown on TV, or had to be seen in theaters or rented. And books had to be sought out at stores or libraries. But television has a constant presence in the household and my first exposure to detective fiction probably came from me joining my father in watching various reruns from his youth or whatever was running on Mystery! when I was in the age range when being exposed to new ideas had the greatest impact on my developing imagination.

So today I’m endeavoring to choose my ten favorite television depictions of detectives and put them in order from least to favorite. I love all ten of these shows and many more, but I can only choose ten (with one instance of cheating a bit, which you’ll see as you go up the list), so let it be noted that exclusion is not to be seen as disrespect toward any small-screen sleuth who does not appear in the countdown.  

One more thing to note: the fine actors in spots 10 and 9 are at the bottom of the list because their shows are still running and so can’t properly be compared to the other eight, which are completed bodies of work. Perhaps, if I update this list several years from now, the order will be altered in some ways.

So here we go. My ten favorite TV detectives, from 10 to 1.

10. Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes

 I was prepared to hate Sherlock. When I heard the BBC was doing an updated version of Sherlock Holmes, I was against it. My favorite fictional character belongs in the Victorian and immediately post-Victorian eras. The entire mystique of the canon fits that period so well. The world has changed so much since then and we have so many new methods of crime-solving at our disposal here in the 21^st century. I was convinced they wouldn’t get it right. And I was wrong. The essence is there! Holmes, Watson, and the usual cast of characters are all represented in modernized versions and the spirit of Doyle’s work lives on. I’ve enjoyed every episode so far, though some are better than others, and I look forward to the next series.

9. Idris Elba as Luther

 Since 2010, Idris Elba has portrayed Detective Chief Inspector John Luther in 3 series of episodes. Elba’s intense performance has made him one of my favorite current actors and made Luther a TV cop I look forward to seeing in what I hope are many future episodes.

8. Ronald Howard as Sherlock Holmes

In 1954, 39 half-hour episodes of a Sherlock Holmes TV series aired. I call this “Holmes Lite,” as they were short, sweet little mysteries, perfect for quick distractions when one is in the mood for a Holmes fix that’s not too heavy or intense. Simply put, these stories are fun. Howard plays Holmes well, and his co-star, Howard Marion Crawford, plays a Watson who is somewhat of a cross between the brave, able doctor of Doyle’s canon and the comedic sidekick of the Basil Rathbone films.   

7. Robbie Coltrane in Cracker

A detective doesn’t have to be a police officer or private investigator as long as he or she works to get to the bottom of mysteries. Robbie Coltrane gave a great performance as Dr. Edward “Fitz” Fitzgerald, a psychologist who assists the Greater Manchester Police in this 1993-1996 series. An obese, chain-smoking, drinking, gambling, sarcastic, yet brilliant man, Coltrane’s character was a pleasure to watch.    

6. Derek Jacobi as Cadfael

A medieval monk solving mysteries is a wonderful contradiction, as the clergy usually has the job of encouraging faith and belief in things we can’t see or hear, while a good detective must always rely on evidence and facts. This mixture of two opposing ideas is what made Brother Cadfael so interesting. The character originally appeared in stories by Ellis Peters (the nom de plume of Edith Pargeter) and was adapted for TV between 1994 and 1998. 

5. Inspector Morse and his spinoffs

Okay, this is the part where I cheat. The Inspector Morse TV series ran from 1987 to 2000 and starred John Thaw as author Colin Dexter’s opera-loving, crossword-solving police detective. His partner was Detective Sergeant Robbie Lewis, played by Kevin Whately. From 2009 to the present, Lewis, now an inspector, has had his own series, simply called Lewis, in which he is assisted by the young Detective Sergeant James Hathaway (Laurence Fox). In addition to that, there is also another currently running spinoff series, Endeavour (Morse’s rarely mentioned first name), which features Morse as a young detective (played by Shaun Evans) in 1960s Oxford. I enjoy all three series and consider them parts of a whole, so I see no reason not to include them all on this list. 

4. Jack Lord as Steve McGarrett 

Hawaii Five-O had an incredible run from 1968 to 1980, making it (I think, but I’m too lazy to look it up right now, the longest running weekly police drama before Law & Order). It’s been the butt of jokes for years, due to the blindingly garish fashions of the 70s, the catch phrase “Book ‘em, Danno,” which is actually not spoken very often at all in the series, and Jack Lord’s thick, seemingly immovable hair. People can make whatever comments they want, but it’s hard to deny that the show was a huge success, and it’s easy to see why. The stories were always compelling crime dramas with great guest stars, clever mysteries, and good action scenes. Like some of the 60s and 70s’ best shows (like Star Trek and Bonanza) Hawaii Five-O features story styles that could switch episode to episode from drama to semi-comedy to espionage-based noir worthy of the early Bond movies. Jack Lord’s no-nonsense McGarrett was the series’ star and the glue that held the show together. 

3. Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes

Holmes is my favorite fictional character in the entire world. He’s been played by many fine actors on film, many of them quite good. But Jeremy Brett, in his 41 Holmes adaptations, from 1984 to 1994, was the most faithful to the character as created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. These are nearly perfect versions taken directly from the source material. Brett’s performance is magnificent, as are those of his two Watsons, David Burke and Edward Hardwicke. It was when I happened to walk into the living room of the house I grew up in to find my father watching the Holmes episode “The Devil’s Foot” when I was 11 years old, that I became hooked on Holmes and soon sought out the original stories. 27 years later, I’ve had six of my own Holmes stories published, with 2 more on the way, and, I hope, many more yet to be written. I have Jeremy Brett to thank for all that! Many people who know me well might expect Brett’s Holmes to be first on this list, but it’s third, because, as I said a moment ago, Jeremy Brett was, perhaps, the best, but he was not the only great Holmes. The top 2 spots had to go to actors who are now the only men I can accept as the detectives they so brilliantly portrayed.

2. Peter Falk as Lieutenant Columbo

Columbo was a unique character among TV detectives, with his stories being not whodunits, but, as someone once pointed out, how-catch-ems, meaning that we, the viewers, knew from the opening scenes who had committed the murder, and, probably, so did our title character, a disheveled little man who latched onto his suspects like an annoying tick, not letting go until he’d just-one-more-thinged them to the point of gathering enough evidence to put them away. These were brilliant stories starring one of the greatest actors ever to grace the silver or small screens. I probably saw Columbo even earlier than my first exposure to Sherlock Holmes, and I still admire the series and Falk’s work to this day. One of my favorite conversations I’ve ever had involved discussing the brilliance of Pete Falk with Robert Culp, an actor who played a murderer on Columbo no less than 4 times. As far as I’m concerned, Peter Falk was Columbo, and if the occasional rumors of a rebooted, recast version ever turn out to be true, my head may literally explode, so somebody needs to keep a mop close by.

1. David Suchet as Hercule Poirot

How could the first spot on this list go to anyone else? Hercule Poirot is easily my second favorite literary detective, after Holmes, and most adaptations previous to 1989 had been less than faithful to the character Agatha Christie put on paper. David Suchet, over a span of nearly 25 years, starred in TV adaptations of almost every one of Christie’s Poirot novels or short stories, for a total of 70 episodes or TV movies. Suchet meticulously researched the role and perfected it in a way no previous actor had (and, I think, no one else ever will, for perfection cannot be improved). His Poirot is an extraordinary accomplishment, and watching an episode transports the viewer to a different time and place. The glorious opening theme music pulls us in and we’re spellbound until the conclusion of the mystery. I would go so far as to call Suchet’s little Belgian detective the finest adaptation of a literary character I have ever seen. Of course, I also have to mention the superb supporting cast of Hugh Fraser as Captain Arthur Hastings, Philip Jackson as Chief Inspector Japp, and Pauline Moran as Miss Lemon, whose contributions to the stories and interactions with Poirot added to the show's many layers of charm. 

And that's the list. I'd like to extend my thanks to all the actors, writers, directors, and producers of these fine detective shows, as well as the original creators of the characters and the mysteries in which they found themselves entangled.    

 

Lines I Will Not Cross

As a writer of new Sherlock Holmes stories, the best kind of compliment I can receive from a reader is to be told that my stories capture the feeling of the originals by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle or that they would, as one reviewer said, “fit right into the canon.” That is precisely my intent every time I sit down to write a new one. I want to bring readers to that same comfortable place they go when reading Doyle’s work. What I do not want to do is reinvent the carriage wheel that rolls down Baker Street by revising, adjusting, or otherwise trying to make the legend of the world’s greatest fictional detective too much MINE rather than Doyle’s. Holmes belongs to his original author and to the generations of readers who have thrilled to his exploits. I’m just borrowing him (with the gracious permission of my editor and publisher, the public domain state of the character, and the readers who actually—and I still have a hard time wrapping my head around this fact—pay a bit of their hard-earned money to read my Holmes stories). The last thing I want to do is go too far and fundamentally alter Holmes and his cast of fellow characters in any way that drastically strays from canon. As I consider this state of mind today, I’ve thought of a list of some (but probably not all) the things I will never do within my Holmes stories.

 

I will never resurrect Moriarty. Doyle killed him off, so he stays dead. Yes, I might make postmortem references to him or even have Holmes involved in a plot of the evil professor’s devising if the story takes place before “The Final Problem,” but I will not have the Napoleon of Crime crawl out of his grave (I know he wasn’t given a proper burial; it’s a figure of speech).

I will never reveal what “really” happened in any of Doyle’s stories. I am not a Holmes revisionist and I have enough of my own stories to tell without having to mutilate the work of the original writer. 

I will never insert explicit sexual details into my Holmes stories. Yes, I might hint at things or include light innuendo, but full-blown (accidental pun, there) erotica has no place in that world. If sex plays a role in a story, I will write of it as Watson would have written of it: discreetly.   

I will never kill off one of Doyle’s major characters within one of my stories. This includes Holmes, Watson, Mrs. Hudson, Mycroft, the main inspectors like Lestrade, Gregson, and Bradstreet, and probably a few others that don’t come to mind at the moment. That would smack of me going for shock value and I just won’t go there. Of course, any character I create for a story is fair game and is never safe! I did write a story (featuring my 1930s British intelligence agent Hound-Dog Harker) in which an elderly Holmes appears and mention is made of Watson having passed away at some point in the past, but the death of the dear doctor is not a major plot point and does not happen during the events of the story itself. That story is also not part of my intentionally canon-like Holmes series.

I will never have Holmes face a supernatural threat in a story that is specifically about him. To do so would defeat the entire purpose of Holmes’ character and methods. He will not meet Dracula, werewolves, or zombies, or fight black magic or ancient gods! Yes, my novel Season of Madness hinted at the supernatural, but that book was about Watson without Holmes. Within my Holmes tales, events may seem to be supernatural, but will always have a logical, realistic explanation by the end of the mystery. Other characters may believe in the supernatural, but Holmes can distinguish between the improbable and the impossible. It is, after all, what he does best.  

  

I will never reunite Holmes with Irene Adler. Their story begins and ends with “A Scandal in Bohemia.” If Doyle had wanted Miss Adler to be a recurring character, he would have brought her back. The whole point of her character is that she makes such an impression on Holmes that he henceforth refers to her as the woman. She is the one example to which he (either consciously or otherwise) compares all others. Irene Adler, post-Scandal, is an idea that lives on in the minds and memories of Holmes, Watson, and the readers. She must remain a ghost of the past to retain the potency of what she means to the lore of the canon.    

I will never reveal how Watson’s wife Mary died. Doyle tells us that Watson met her during “The Sign of Four,” that they married, and that she died sometime later. That’s all we need to know.

 Those seven items are the rules I’ve thought of today while pondering my personal philosophy for writing Sherlock Holmes. But I’m far from the only modern Holmes writer. Some others choose to do the things I’ve decided not to do, and that’s fine. If it works for them and their readers, it’s not my place to judge.

Now, back to my regularly scheduled Baker Street scribblings. I’ve recently finished my eight Holmes story, and I’m now working on a play featuring the Great Detective.  

My Sherlock Holmes stories appear in volumes 1, 3, 4, 5, and 7 of Airship 27 Productions' anthology series Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective, all of which can be found on my Amazon page. 

    

2013 So Far

2013 has been, by far, the busiest year of my life since I started writing. I thought I should put all my releases for the year in one blog post, making them easy to find for anyone interested. First, here's the link directly to my Amazon page, which lists all my books.

And here's everything so far for this year:

Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective Volume 4 was released by Airship 27 Productions back in the beginning of the year and contains my fourth Holmes story, "The Problem of the Coincidental Glance," along with stories by my friends I.A. Watson, Bradley H. Sinor, W.R. Thinnes, and Andrew Salmon. Holmes Volume 4 can be found on Amazon in print or for Kindle.

Shortly after the Holmes book, my second story featuring another classic pulp character appeared in Dan Fowler: G-Man Volume 2, which also includes stories by Derrick Ferguson, Joshua Reynolds, and B.C. Bell. Also from Airship 27, the second Fowler book can be found in both print and Kindle editions.

This summer, I saw a lifelong dream come true as Pro Se Productions published my spy novel, NOBODY DIES FOR FREE, featuring my character Richard Monroe. I'm very proud of this book and happy to see some of the wonderful reviews posted by those who have read it. A sequel will be published sometime in 2014. Here are links to the print and Kindle versions.

After Sherlock Holmes, of course, the next most famous character I've been given the opportunity to write about is Allan Quatermain. QUATERMAIN: THE NEW ADVENTURES, features two novellas, one by me and one by Alan J. Porter. Print edition. Kindle. 

My detective character, Lt. Marcel Picard, returned for his fourth case in "Beaten to a Pulp," in Pro Se Presents magazine's July issue. In print or for Kindle.

The vampire series that began with 100,000 MIDNIGHTS continues in the sequel, ACROSS THE MIDNIGHT SEA, from Musa Publishing. Available as an e-book for Kindle or Nook. 

And I wasn't yet done with pulp for the year, as I had a fourth story published by Airship 27, this one in RAVENWOOD: STEPSON OF MYSTERY Volume 2. "Agents of the Night" had occult detective Ravenwood teaming up with masked vigilante The Black Bat. Available in print or as an e-book.  

And finally, just in time for Halloween, Buzz Books released my full-length horror novel, CHICAGO FELL FIRST, which tells the story of how a group of strangers comes together to survive and hopefully help the innocent victims of a zombie infestation of one of America's major cities. For a limited time, CHICAGO FELL FIRST is only 99 cents for Kindle or Nook. 

I'd like to thank every writer, editor, publisher, artist, blogger, interviewer, and promoter who had a part in making this year such a success for me. And I'm especially grateful to everyone who bought and read any of my books! If anyone reading this hasn't tried my work and decides to give it a shot, I hope you enjoy it! 

Jason Kahn and BADGE OF LIES

Last Month, Pro Se Press released two new novels on the same day. One was my spy novel Nobody Dies For Free, and the other was a work of crime noir by Jason Kahn called Badge of Lies. For today's post, Jason was kind enough to answer some questions about his novel and his writing career in general.

 


Aaron: Your novel, Badge of Lies recently became available. Can you tell us what it's about and what inspired you to write it?

Jason: Badge of Lies is the story of detective Frank Arnold, a recovering alcoholic who’s just buried his partner and best friend Mitch Connell, only to find out that Mitch was not the man Frank thought he was. The mistress who comes out of the woodwork is surprising enough, but the ties to organized crime are more concerning, especially after the cryptic warning Mitch gives from beyond the grave, that Frank’s in trouble, and not to trust anyone.

Avoiding thugs, crime bosses, his ex-wife, his new girlfriend, Internal Affairs and a rogue cop who might be framing him for several mob-related killings, Frank desperately tries to unravel Mitch’s cryptic clues. But the closer Frank gets to the information that will protect him, the more danger he finds himself in. The truth may set him free, but it may also get him killed as Frank tries to stay one step ahead of the cops, the criminals, and the women eager to betray him. It’s enough to drive a good man to drink, or become all the things he despises before he’s done.

 I wrote this at the request of a different publisher who liked a science fiction crime series I was writing for her. She asked me to write a hard-boiled detective novel, and of course I said yes. I’d written a previous short story set in a fictional “Metro City” involving some of the same main characters, namely Frank and his partner Vera. So I thought I’d write the story of how they became partners in the first place, and combine that with Frank being led on a constant goose chase by his dead partner.

 Aaron: How did you originally start writing and then pursuing it seriously?

Jason: Academically, I was always drawn to writing—high school newspaper, stuff like that. I was headed toward a journalism degree my second or third year in college, so I knew then that I wanted to be a writer. But it wasn’t until the summer after my senior year that I discovered I wanted to be a WRITER. I’d been reading scifi-fantasy books since I was a kid, and during my senior year, my then-girlfriend, now-wife, said to me, “hey, why don’t you write one of those?” Incredible as it may seem, the thought had never occurred to me. That summer I started writing, and haven’t stopped since. I’ve published numerous short stories in magazines and anthologies, and Badge of Lies is my first novel.

Aaron: Who or what are some of your major influences?

Jason: Early on, I would say authors like Raymond Feist and David Eddings as I tried to write fantasy-adventures, but then, much more James Ellroy and Joseph Wambaugh as I started writing more noir crime fiction. Especially Ellroy. The Black Dahlia, L.A. Confidential, The Big Nowhere. I wasn’t prepared, my mind exploded. A whole new world opened up.

Aaron: Badge of Lies was published by Pro Se Press, a major entity in the New Pulp movement. How did you come to be involved with New Pulp in general and Pro Se in particular?

 Jason: I wouldn’t say it was a conscious decision to start writing New Pulp fiction. It just so happened that what I was really getting into writing happened to be in that genre. And finding Pro Se was a stroke of utmost fortuitousness. Remember when I said that other publisher asked me to write a hardboiled detective story, which turned into Badge of Lies? Well I wrote it, and then her small press house went out of business, leaving me high and dry with a manuscript and no publisher. Needless to say I was a bit depressed. But I would not be deterred, and I started looking around for an appropriate home. I looked for a LONG time, and eventually found several candidates. Some weren’t the right fit, others just said “no thanks.” Then I found Pro Se. The head honcho, Tommy Hancock, said they were not quite closed to submissions and I could certainly send in the manuscript. I did so, and within a few weeks was informed that Badge of Lies had been accepted. From that point on, everything has just been a dream.

Aaron: What other projects of yours, either past or upcoming, would you like readers to know about?

Jason: I recently finished that science fiction series I referred to earlier. It’s called The Dark InSpectre, and involves a police unit of telepaths with the unique ability to contact the psychic awareness of the dead. I’ve always thought of it as a cross between L.A. Confidential and the psi-corps of Babylon Five. It’s a wicked piece of noir fiction, and I’ve submitted it to Pro Se. It’s been accepted for publication and we’re going into the editing phase shortly. I’m totally psyched about it.

Aaron: In your experience, what are the best and worst aspects of being a writer?

Jason: The best part about writing for me is that it makes me happy, pure and simple. When I’m not writing I’m edgy and anxious. I constantly feel like I should be writing, like I’m slacking off if I’m not. But after I’ve written something, even if it’s just a paragraph or two, that all goes away. I feel better about myself. The neurons start firing, I get jazzed about the new possibilities that arise from the latest section, about where they might go and all the other story threads that will now come into play. I feel a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. I’d say the hardest part is finding the time. Both to write and to just think about a story, to work it out in my head. I’m a news editor by day, and my job is extremely busy. I’m also a husband and father of two boys. I’ll write whenever I can, but long stretches can go by when I’m not writing. It can be very frustrating. I look forward to long flights, like from New York to San Francisco and back. I tend to get a lot of writing done on flights like that!

Aaron:  Thanks, Jason, for taking the time to tell us about your work.

Badge of Lies can be found on Amazon on its own page or along with Jason's other work at his Amazon author page.

More information about Jason's work can be found on his website, his blog, or Facebook. 

Return of the G-Man

Several years ago, as one of my very first jobs for Airship 27 Productions, I contributed a story to the first volume of an anthology series featuring the classic pulp character, Dan Fowler: G-Man.

I'm happy to announce that today marks the release of the second volume and I, once again, have a story included. My story, "Monkey Business," begins with the death of the head of Chicago's Polish crime gangs and we soon find FBI Agent Dan Fowler on the case.

The book also features stories by my pulp colleagues Derrick Ferguson, Joshua Reynolds, and B. C. Bell. I'm thrilled to share the book with those three excellent writers. Also involved were Neil Foster, creator of the book's magnificently noirish interior illustrations; Brian McCulloch, who designed the stunning cover; and, as always with Airship 27 books, editor Ron Fortier and art director Rob Davis.

DAN FOWLER: G-MAN Volume 2 is now available at Amazon. 

Here's a look at the cover:

 

   

My Fourth Visit to Baker Street

I'm pleased to announce the release of SHERLOCK HOLMES CONSULTING DETECTIVE Volume 4, which includes work by writers I.A. Watson, Andrew Salmon, Bradley H. Sinor, Bill Thinnes, and my story, "The Problem of the Coincidental Glance." Here's the official press release and the cover!

HOLMES RETURNS

Airship 27 Productions proudly announces the release of the fourth volume in its most successful anthology series to date; SHERLOCK HOLMES – CONSULTING DETECTIVE.  “These are the books our fans keeping demanding more of,” reported Ron Fortier, Managing Editor of Airship 27.  “Readers around the world just can’t seem to get enough of the Great Detective.  Considering the popularity of shows such as SHERLOCK on BBC and ELEMENTARY on NBC, it’s clearly obvious that the crime solving team of Holmes and Dr. Watson are still as popular as ever.”

The time and place, Victorian England on the cusp of a new century where the marvels of science will spur the Industrial Revolution to new heights of cultural wonder. And yet amidst this societal upheaval, the dark elements of human kind continue to worm their way through the streets of London and its surrounding countryside.  Murder and mayhem remain and thus the work of Sherlock Holmes continues; his powers of deductive reasoning the crucial bulwark to stem this tide of villainy.

Here are five new adventures of Holmes and Dr.Watson written in the traditional style of his creator, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.  Writers I.A. Watson, Aaron Smith, Bradley H. Sinor, Bill Thinnes and Andrew Salmon deliver a quintet of truly memorable cases to challenge the famous crime fighting duo.  From the murder of a man who collects clockwork automatons to the theft of a valued Japanese sword, our heroes are once again called into action confronting a diverse set of mysteries guaranteed to entice the world’s greatest Consulting Detective.

Fortier relishes the debut of this new volume considering the overwhelming acclaim of the first three in the series.  “Amongst those books were four Pulp Factory Award winners,” he recalls happily.  “Two for Best Pulp Short Story of the Year, one for Best Pulp Cover and another for Best Interior Artwork.  The literary and artistic bars for this series have been set extremely high and we would have it no other way.”

The Pulp Factory Awards denoting the best pulp story and art from the previous year are voted on by the members of the Pulp Factory Yahoo Group and presented to the winners each year at the Windy City Paper & Pulp Show.

Sporting a cover by Chad Hardin with interior illustrations and design by Rob Davis, the

fourth volume in this bestselling series also features a fascinating essay, “The Mystery of

Mr. Holmes,” by I.A. Watson.  Here is grand adventure as Sherlock Homes fans around

the world have come to expect from Airship 27 Productions.

PULP FICTION FOR A NEW GENERATION!

Now Available at Create Space – (https://www.createspace.com/4137813)

At the Airship 27 Website – (http://robmdavis.com/Airship27Hangar/index.airshipHangar.html)

At Amazon http://www.amazon.com/dp/0615758231

Then at Indy Planet (http://indyplanet.com/store/)