Johnny and Suzy Marshall
Created by James M. Fox (pseud. of Johannes Matthijs Willem Knipscheer; 1908-89)

A pair of Californian Nick and Nora wanna-bes, JOHNNY and SUZY MARSHALL appeared in a slew of books by James M. Fox in the forties and fifties.

They even had an Asta-like canine partner to help/hinder them with their cases -- a sometimes-ferocious, sometimes-playful Great Dane called Khan who figured rather prominently in the novels.

But whereas Nick and Nora were rather urbane and urban sophisticates, constantly travelling from one trouble spot to another, martinis in hand, Johnny and Suzy were suburban all the way, beer-drinkers and homebodies, who never had to go very far, it seemed, to find trouble. It always found them, thanks to Johnny's job as a private detective.

The books were fun, and engaging, but relied too heavily at times on the cute factor, particularly the "kiss me, I'm stupid" ditziness of Suzy, a common problem among wives of these type of books of that era.

Great titles, though, and the Dell covers were great!

As for the author, his real name was Johannes Matthijs Willem Knipscheer, which may be why he wrote as James M. Fox. He was a member of the MWA.

NOVELS

• Don't Try Anything Funny (1943)
• Hell on the Way (1943)
• Journey Into Danger (1943)
• Cheese from a Mousetrap (1944)
• The Lady Regrets (1947)
• Death Commits Bigamy (1948)
• The Inconvenient Bride (1948)
• Death Commits Bigamy
• The Gentle Hangman (1950)
• The Aleutian Blue Mink (1951; aka "Fatal in Furs")
• The Iron Virgin (1951)
• The Scarlet Slippers (1952)
• A Shroud for Mr. Bundy (1952)
• The Bright Serpent (1953)

SHORT STORIES

• "Start From Scratch" (1950, Four and Twenty Bloodhounds)

Report respectfully submitted by Kevin Burton Smith.