Peepers on Parade

I launched Killer Covers’ “Slice of P.I.” series on July 24, which (by no coincidence) was National and International Private Investigator Day. I’m ending it this morning, 22 days and 22 covers later.

Putting this series together has been an altogether delightful experience. It led me to explore some of the deeper recesses of my computer files, looking for book fronts that demonstrate the wide range of private eye fiction—both in time period and type—as well as an assortment of artists. (I always prefer hand-illustrated covers to photo fronts.) A few of the covers I’d wanted to include had to be eliminated, because I could not identify their painters, even with help from tech writer-turned-book art authority Tim Hewitt, who provided me with the scans of Lawrence Block’s The Sins of the Fathers and John D. MacDonald’s Darker Than Amber. But there were always others waiting to substitute. The issue, finally, was how long I wanted this series to run. My original promise was that it would last “seven days or more.” Within the first week, however, I had already gathered enough interesting covers (not previously showcased on this page) for three weeks worth of posts. I could probably keep going still, but I do have responsibilities elsewhere, including to The Rap Sheet, which has not seen much attention from me since I began this project.

So, as Marlene Dietrich sang, “let’s call it a day,” with the assurance that I shall return to the subject of elegantly illustrated private detective works. Probably sooner than later.