Started in 1998, the Thrilling Detective website was created by, currently edited by and largely written by Kevin Burton Smith. Over 14 years, Thrilling Detective has staked out a permanent corner in the online world of mystery and detective fiction. The most recent issue offers a listing, voted on by readers, of the 14 best P.I. novels of all time. In addition, This Day in P.I. History spans the calendar to highlight the significant birthdays and happenings related to all things P.I. For example, June 26 is Peter Lorre's birthday. The oft‐imitated Lorre was born in Rosenberg, Hungary in 1904, and his real name was Lazlo Lowenstein. Lorre starred with Humphrey Bogart in The Maltese Falcon and Casablanca and was the depraved killer is Fritz Lang's classic film M.
Offering far more than just private eye trivia and birthday notations (though there's plenty of both here), Thrilling Detective offers a very thorough listing of detectives from A‐Z, listings of films, television shows and radio shows that utilize the detective genre as a format. There's a detective Hall of Fame organized by decades, a glossary of detective‐like lingo in either English or French, a long list of links to mystery sites, and a bibliography that offers titles of reference works, anthologies and magazines related to detective fiction.
One can subscribe to the site's newsletter, Rude Wit and Raucous Laughter, and if one is still thirsty for more, there's also a chance to follow website creator Smith on Twitter. To familiarize one's self with Smith's personality, take a look at the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) link on the site. In This Just In, new hardcover detective novels and non‐fiction works are previewed. Links are available to Amazon.com for those readers interested in purchasing copies. Finally, in Word on the Street there is information on breaking news in the P.I, the latest on DVD, new titles in the making, author appearances, etc. A fun site for readers and fans of the detective and mystery genre, Thrilling Detective offers a wide variety of interesting and entertaining opinions, reviews and lists. Though supported by advertisers, donations to Thrilling Detective are welcome.
