Terry Scott
Created by Bill Crider

Canadian folksinger Murray McLauchlan once asked the musical question, "What would Humphrey Bogart do?" Evidently the answer is "Hire a private eye."

Reminiscent at times of John Stanley and Kenn Davis' 1979 novel, Bogart '48, which had Bogey playing detective, Bill Crider 's We'll Always Have Murder, the first in a proposed series, partners the movie tough guy with rough-and-tumble Hollywood dick TERRY SCOTT to foil a blackmail scheme.

There are the usual touristy L.A. locales, and enough run-ins with assorted gangsters, wise guys and celebrities to appeal to those of you who get a kick out of Stuart Kaminky's Toby Peters series.

And if you've got a serious Bogey jones, you might also want to consider Woody Allen's Play It Again, Sam, John Wagner and Alan Grant's Bogie Man comic, or Andrew J. Fenady's The Man With Bogart's Face.

But who knew Bogey got into so much trouble that there was a series to be had? The trick will be to see how long Crider, the creator of the Sheriff Dan Rhodes and Truman Smith P.I. series, can keep it up.

Uh, the plausibility of the series, that is.

NOVELS

• We'll Always Have Murder (2003). Buy this book

Report respectfully submitted by Kevin Burton Smith.