<< T.T. Flynn's pulp story "The Deadly Orchid" (1933)
is a definitive
piece of 1930's escapism. It stars series characters Mike
Harris and
Trixie Meighan, operatives for a detective agency - not
dissimilar to
the setup of Hammett's Continental Op tales, or Nebel's Dick
Donahue or
Cardigan stories. To catch a criminal who preys upon the rich
in Palm
Beach, both have to go undercover as a wealthy couple.
Written at the
depth of the Depression, it is a fantasy wallow for ordinary
people in
dreams in wealth. Flynn was a prolific contributor to the
pulps, but
this is the only tale of his that has been reprinted today.
Considering
its quality, one would like to read more of Flynn's work.
"Orchid"
depicts detectives catching a criminal, but there is no
actual plot
element of mystery to it. In this it differs from Nebel's
Cardigan
tales, which often deal with the detective investigating some
mysterious
crime. Flynn and Nebel were exact contemporaries, and their
work seems
related, at least in subject matter. The use of a couple in
Flynn's
tale, combined with a great deal of humor, also anticipates
the comic TV
mysteries of the 1980's, such as Moonlighting or Remington
Steele.>>
You can probably find a lot more about Flynn (or at least
about his
publications) in Hubin's encyclopedia and in the index to the
pulps, if
you have access to those. Off the top of my head I can't
recall having
read anything by or about Flynn, not even the _Orchid_
story.
Regards,
mt
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