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4.0 

Jim Hanvey, Detective

By Octavus Roy Cohen & Leslie S. Klinger
Jim Hanvey, Detective by Octavus Roy Cohen & Leslie S. Klinger digital book - Fable

Publisher Description

First published in 1923, Jim Hanvey, Detective is a collection of seven stories that originally appeared in The Saturday Evening Post and features private eye Jim Hanvey in classic whodunit style mysteries. Described as the "backwoods Nero Wolfe," the genial Hanvey befriends "good guys" and criminals alike to get the job done.

Bank robberies, jewel heists, and all-purposes cons—none are a match for Octavus Roy Cohen's waddling sleuth.

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Jim Hanvey, Detective Reviews

4.0
“What an absolute joy ride. I've found that I really love classic mysteries, especially short stories, and this was no different. Hanvey is such a fun and unique character that was incredibly refreshing. The stories were incredibly fun and there was some unique takes on the mysteries as well. Half the time as the reader you had no idea what Hanvey was up to but that made you more invested in the outcome. I've heard Cohen's other works aren't as good and have some blatant racism, but none of that appeared here. Definitely worth checking this out if you're a fan of the golden age of mysteries. Quick hits: + Hanvey is such a unique and interesting character. He's much different than most detectives. + The mysteries are mostly unique and they're a bit different than the usual. I was invested in every one and I really was interested in where they were going to go. + The characters were unique too. Like the classics the bad guys or thieves weren't necessarily bad. There was respect between Hanvey and the culprit which made for a unique dynamic. This one was relatively short, with about 8 mysteries. But I thoroughly enjoyed every one. I'm looking forward to checking out more classics and checking out some of the Hanvey novels. I would highly recommend to mystery fans. This one had me laughing, invested in the stories and enjoying the characters.”
“1920s crime fiction, with a unique detective. Jim Hanvey isn't young and dashing. He has no girl, no scuzzy history, no love affair with a bottle of bourbon. He is fat, ugly, tasteless...and shockingly sagacious. Not that you'd know it to speak to him. This must be the precursor to Columbo, from the working-class syntax, to the perennial underestimation he receives, to the scrupulous honesty, to the cheap cigars.”

About Octavus Roy Cohen

Octavus Roy Cohen (1891-1959) was an early 20th century American author whose character Jim Hanvey was one of the earliest private eyes in fiction.

Leslie S. Klinger

LESLIE S. KLINGER is the two-time Edgar® winning editor of New Annotated Sherlock Holmes and Classic American Crime Fiction of the 1920s. He has also edited two anthologies of classic mysteries and, with Laurie R. King, five anthologies of stories inspired by the Sherlock Holmes Canon. Klinger is the series editor of Library of Congress Crime Classics, a partnership of the Library of Congress and Poisoned Pen Press/Sourcebooks. He is a former Chapter President of the SoCal Chapter of the Mystery Writers of America and lives in Malibu, California.

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