Yes, I meant to say something like "one-man operator," in
contrast to the Op. I've never read Daly (I've heard it isn't
worth it) but my understanding from what I've read about his
work is that his heroes, even though they were called
"private investigators," were more like
mercenaries/adventurers. Others will know better than me. As
for the detectives in the classic English tradition, aren't
they all amateurs? I didn't mean to quibble too much with Jim
Doherty's point about Chandler being more directly
influential within the detective genre in setting its
conventions (Hammett's influence on Chandler aside).
Alan H
<< > As far as the private detective convention
goes: The Maltese Falcon was
> published in 1930. Chandler started publishing in
1933. Does anyone know
whether
> anyone preceded Hammett in this?
Quite a few people: Doyle and Christie spring to mind.
However, if you mean
the "single owner/operator agency" detail, well, Spade
was in business with
Archer before he got murdered. After that Spade works
alone, I guess.
Does Carroll John Daly's Race Williams count?
All the Best,
Brian >>
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