In a message dated 2/2/00 7:02:02 AM Pacific Standard Time,
james.doherty@gsa.gov writes:
<< one of the things I
really like about HB is that it usually involves a pro,
who's involved in
the crime for professional reasons. The presentation of
the profession may
be fantastic (i.e. Mike Hammer or Satan Hall), but the
professional status
gives the character a convincing reason for being
involved. >>
Actually, I tend to like the amateurs. The pro's tend to be
doing what they're doing by rote. Series characters (which
PI's and police detectives tend to be) seldom get themselves
killed, or even seem to be affected by what happens. A
civilian who becomes interested for personal reasons (because
someone they care about is killed or just their own obsessive
curiosity about what's happening) tend to be more interesting
and less cozy. The world they discover is stranger to them.
They make mistakes and, like the antagonist, end up weaving a
tangled web of their own. Take the Wrong Man premise
Hitchcock was so fascinated by as an example...
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