From Kate Derie (founder and editor of Cluelass)
"If I had to pick one single mystery site as best designed
and most interesting, it would be Thrilling Detective. (And yes,
you may quote me on that.)"
From Cathleen Jordan (editor, Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine)
"I should say how much I enjoy your Web site, which I bookmarked a few months ago ... It's a lot of fun, and very informative. Thanks for doing it!"
From Harlan Coben (creator of the Myron Bolitar series)
"Nice work...You're doing a mankind a great service. You
will be rewarded, though probably not in this lifetime. Keep
it up."
From Les Roberts (writes the Saxon and Milan Jacovich
P.I. series)
"I'm DELIGHTED with this website, and didn't even know of
its existence until today. I'm very gratified by your kind words
and support for my work."
From Bill Pronzini
"If I paid more attention to Internet sites, as I should do, I'd have known about Thrilling Detective much sooner. Very enjoyable. I've bookmarked your site and will keep an eye on it. Continued success."
From E.M. Cosin (creator of Zen Moses, P.I., and writer for TV's Buddy Faro)
"Just perusing the Internet and found your site by accident....very
cool."
From Andi Shechter (fan, critic)
"My first visit and I've bookmarked you for life..."
From Jan Grape (writes the Jenny Gordon and C.J. P.I.
series, former editor of the PWA newsletter)
"Checked out your Thrilling Detective site...There is soooooo
much good stuff to look at...And now I can say with authority
it's WAY COOL! "
From Max Allan "Impossible to Satisfy" Collins
(writer; Nate Heller, Ms. Tree, Mallory, Mike Mist, Dick Tracy,
etc., etc.)
"Just stumbled onto your P.I. site...mindboggling....a terrific
job!...marred only by your inability to recognize what a terrific
comic book MIKE DANGER was. Did you really read all the issues?"
From Eric Leclere (author, The Lost Son)
"Keep up the good work."
From Bill Hagen (professor, fan)
"Finally got around to checking out your site, and it seems
remarkably friendly. My compliments."
From Lee Meadows (P.I. writer, and host of Book Beat,
WPON 1460AM)
"Great site! Excellent! Right on the money for those of
us who really enjoy the genre."
From Christopher Mills (writer of the Matthew Dain, P.I.
stories, and co-creator of Femme Noir)
"The Thrilling Detective Web Site's my favorite place on
the web, and I'm really proud to have had my story featured there."
From Terry Beatty (cartoonist, co-creator of Ms. Tree,
known accomplice of Max Collins and Wendi Lee)
"Nifty...All in all, a great site -- next time I update
our page, do you mind if I list yours under our "links"?"
From Alison Gordon (creator of the Kate Henry series)
"You're a man who likes talking to a man who likes to talk?
What about dames? This is the first time I've been here. Nice
site." (She also called me an asshole, but we won't go there...)
From Victor Gischler (crime writer)
"Your website is one of the best I've seen. I log on to
Thrilling Detective at least twice a week. It's quality. It's
fun. It's a gin martini of yummy goodness."
From John Baker (British P.I. writer)
"One of the best sites I've come across, and I'll certainly
be pushing it with people this side of the water."
From Noah Stewart (fan, critic)
"I visited your site a few minutes ago and was extremely
favourably impressed. Lovely design, GREAT use of type and if
I may say so, a very sensible decision to restrict yourself to
a smaller field than most...keep slugging."
From Bill Crider (writer of the Truman Smith P.I. series
and professional gator wrestler)
"Thumbs up!...I've revisited your site several times. It's
just as good as I said it was."
From Wendi Lee (P.I. writer)
"Wow! Your Thrilling Detective website has a lot of great
information on all my favorite detectives (not just my own, either)."
From Duane Swierczynski (editor, writer)
"Thrilling Detective is the best I've seen, and I've been hunting around the web for a while, hungry for hard-boiled action. I've spent much of today avoiding work and dipping into the various trivia items. Excellent stuff."
From Burl Barer (Brilliant Author)
"Nice web site!!"
From Dean Barrett (author of Hangman's Point)
"Just to say you have a really fine web site. Lots of material,
fun and great links! Congratulations!"
From Oline Cogdill (Sun-Sentinel Mystery Columnist)
"What a totally cool and damned informative site!"
From Walter Satterthwait (creator of the Joshua Croft
series)
"You're a brave guy, Kevin....hang in there....Very cool
web site."
From Ron Fortier (writer)
"Wow, what a great job. Had tons of fun tooling around the
various pages and listings. Talk about bringing back lots and
lots of memories!"
From Dennis McMillan (publisher)
"I keyed in "Raoul Whitfield" on Yahoo, not expecting
to come up with much if anything, when lo and behold-- your site
turns up first. Even in the small world of hard-boiled aficionados,
there is always something new under the sun, and it looks like
you're doing an excellent job!"
From John Buford
(fan)
"There is little on the web that I find interesting. For
all the hype, most of it's just plain boring, and I waste little
time with it except for utilitarian purposes like work-related
research. That said, The Thrilling Detective Site is a triumph.
It's everything a web site is supposed to be and more. Its obviously
a labor of love and I hope you never burn out on producing it,
I am sure its a lot of work. For us lovers of this type of fiction
its an incredibly valuable resource. Keep up the good work."
From NetWeek, December 2000
(Entertainment/Books and Writing Category)
"This huge, rambling e-mag for detective story fans has
everything from unpublished private eye stories to book and film
reviews...The editor/ webmaster Kevin Smith is a life-long devotee
to crime fiction, especially of the detective genre. Be sure
to check out the trivia section which reveals the most common
mistakes in crime fiction, as well as Sam Spade's hat size. Here's
lookin' at you kid."
From Sympatico NetLife, March-April
2001
"With its contemporary private-eye stories, online comic strip(s) and exhaustive links to all things PI-related, Thrilling Detective is a must-stop for fans of hard-boiled detective fiction. Its best feature is a searchable listing of fictional "private dicks and janes" from across the media spectrum. Passionate writing about the subject matter, combined with an uncluttered interface and quality information, make this site as powerful as a Mickey Finn. About the only thing missing is a shot of bourbon for visitors."
E-mazing Web Site of
the Day, March 26, 2001
"Here's a site for folks who like private eyes. Each issue brings new stories, new characters, and new cases to crack. There's a thorough listing of series characters and creators from film, TV, radio, and comics. There's short fiction and two new private-eye comic strips. And lots more. Neat stuff."
(Lorri Malone)
From Fiction Factor, January
2002
(Spotlight Review)
"The Thrilling Detective is an easy to navigate and a fast
loading site. A definite plus for those of us with slow modems.
The graphics and artwork are minimal. The cover page features
quality artwork reminiscent of Dick Tracy or Sam Spade.
The print is easy to read. Most is black on a cream background, which does not induce eyestrain. A great kindness for those of us who spend hours working on our computers.
The site is free to view and open to the public. While it does not pay at this time, the editor, Kevin Burton Smith is hoping that will change in the future. They aim for a return time on submission of one month but they do exceed that on occasion. Writer's guidelines are easily accessible on the site. They are also very willing to work with new writers, especially if they feel a story has potential.
Mr. Smith has done an excellent job compiling a large section
of links to writer's sites, fan pages for the actors who've played
hard-boiled detectives, and other hard-boiled detective sites,
both fiction and non-fiction.
When asked about his goals for the site, he replied, "Well,
ideally, to continue what we're doing, which is to be a giant
reference site for all things P.I.-related, and also offer kick-ass
private eye fiction from new writers and other barbarians of
the new pulp."
Most of the stories on the site are written in first person.
I asked Mr. Smith if they had a preference for that pov.
KS: "Not really, though it does seem to be quite common
in private eye fiction. Of course, the template for that is Chandler.
And I and my faithful fiction editor, Gerald So, are both suckers
for Chandleresque prose."
If you like detective stories, I highly recommend visiting
The Thrilling Detective. It has a lot to offer the true mystery
buff. While it does not pay at this time, the stories are of
very high quality and it would be a great way to feature your
work, or perhaps gain those all important 'published credits'
to your portfolio."
Mystery Fan Site of the Day,
February 20. 2003
"Today's selection is The Thrilling Detective Web Site,
a pulp magazine for the 21st century. Editor Kevin Burton Smith
and fiction editor Gerald So have pulled off quite a feat here,
honoring -- revering, even -- the history of mystery while at
the same time making the whole enterprise exciting and relevant
for today's audience. (If you think that sort of thing is easy,
ask the barons of Major League Baseball why they can't seem to
do it.) Do yourself a favor -- get to know The Thrilling Detective
today."
