First Appearances of Classic Private Eyes

"First Cases" is a collection of the first short stories by classic private eye writers featuring their heros (or heroines). That should be the book's caveat, as many of the protagonists had already appeared in full length novel form before these stories were published. The lineup includes such luminaries as Loren Estlemen's Amos Walker, Lawrence Block's Matthew Scudder, Bill Pronzini's "Nameless" and Editor Robert J. Randisi's own Miles Jacoby. All of the series characters featured are currently ongoing (or at least were as of 1996, when the book was published). Editor Randisi knows his stuff, having been the founder of the Private Eye Writers of America.All that said, the quality of the stories varies. Some of the writers had yet to really find their voice and some (especially the older) stories are somewhat by-the-numbers. Nevertheless, the book is an inetersting historical artifactfor those who want insight on how their heros developed. My personal favorites are Block's and Estlemen's. They show again why they are, for my money, the two best and most consistent private eye writers currently working in the genre.