Re:RARA-AVIS: Who is a PI?

Kevin Smith (kvnsmith@colba.net)
Wed, 12 May 1999 16:37:14 -0400 Is Robicheaux a P.I.? Damn, I wish he were. In spirit, he certainly is,
which is why I included him on my site. He seems to take on cases with
little regard for his "real" job. In fact, I wish he'd just chuck the job,
and its aggravations, and set up shop with his P.I. buddy and chronic
screw-up, Clete "Porkpie Hat" Purcell. Or, if Burke wants to keep Dave
where he is, chatting with dead guys, hosing down his wharf, helping out
ex-lovers and sending old high school friends to jail on a regular basis,
maybe he should just leave Dave to it, and write a book about Clete solo
instead. I'd read it. As a pal of mine says, CLETE RULES!

Of course, helping an old friend, without getting paid for it, is an old P.
I. tradition, which is why, say, Scudder or McGee or Millhone or whoever
will always be a private eye, even if it's personal, and Jessica Fletcher
or Miss Marple will always be an amateur sleuth. A private eye makes
trouble his business, not a hobby.

Kevin Smith
The Thrilling Detective Web Site
http://www.colba.net/~kvnsmith/thrillingdetective/

In this month's issue: True Confessions in our P.I. Poll, and a new Matthew
Dain story by Chris Mills.

#
# To unsubscribe, say "unsubscribe rara-avis" to majordomo@icomm.ca.
# The web pages for the list are at http://www.vex.net/~buff/rara-avis/.