Hotel detective

Last updated

A hotel detective is a person in plain clothes hired to monitor the security of a hotel and investigate various security, morality, or rule violations therein. [1] They are distinct from uniformed security guards employed by a hotel.

Contents

Hotel detectives are often retired and/or ex-police officers with additional training.[ citation needed ] They have prominence in certain noir fiction, especially in the works of Raymond Chandler, where detectives are occasionally referred to as "dicks." [2]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raymond Chandler</span> American novelist and screenwriter (1888–1959)

Raymond Thornton Chandler was an American-British novelist and screenwriter. In 1932, at the age of forty-four, Chandler became a detective fiction writer after losing his job as an oil company executive during the Great Depression. His first short story, "Blackmailers Don't Shoot", was published in 1933 in Black Mask, a popular pulp magazine. His first novel, The Big Sleep, was published in 1939. In addition to his short stories, Chandler published seven novels during his lifetime. All but Playback have been made into motion pictures, some more than once. In the year before his death, he was elected president of the Mystery Writers of America.

<i>The Big Sleep</i> 1939 novel by Raymond Chandler

The Big Sleep (1939) is a hardboiled crime novel by American-British writer Raymond Chandler, the first to feature the detective Philip Marlowe. It has been adapted for film twice, in 1946 and again in 1978. The story is set in Los Angeles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mystery fiction</span> Genre of fiction usually involving a mysterious murder

Mystery is a fiction genre where the nature of an event, usually a murder or other crime, remains mysterious until the end of the story. Often within a closed circle of suspects, each suspect is usually provided with a credible motive and a reasonable opportunity for committing the crime. The central character is often a detective, who eventually solves the mystery by logical deduction from facts presented to the reader. Some mystery books are non-fiction. Mystery fiction can be detective stories in which the emphasis is on the puzzle or suspense element and its logical solution such as a whodunit. Mystery fiction can be contrasted with hardboiled detective stories, which focus on action and gritty realism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philip Marlowe</span> Fictional character created by Raymond Chandler

Philip Marlowe is a fictional character created by Raymond Chandler who was characteristic of the hardboiled crime fiction genre. The genre originated in the 1920s, notably in Black Mask magazine, in which Dashiell Hammett's The Continental Op and Sam Spade first appeared. Marlowe first appeared under that name in The Big Sleep, published in 1939. Chandler's early short stories, published in pulp magazines such as Black Mask and Dime Detective, featured similar characters with names like "Carmady" and "John Dalmas", starting in 1933.

<i>The Blue Dahlia</i> 1946 American crime film by George Marshall

The Blue Dahlia is a 1946 American crime film and film noir with an original screenplay by Raymond Chandler directed by George Marshall and starring Alan Ladd, Veronica Lake and William Bendix. It was Chandler's first original screenplay.

<i>Farewell, My Lovely</i> 1940 novel by Raymond Chandler

Farewell, My Lovely is a novel by Raymond Chandler, published in 1940, the second novel he wrote featuring the Los Angeles private eye Philip Marlowe. It was adapted for the screen three times and was also adapted for the stage and radio.

<i>The Long Goodbye</i> (novel) 1953 novel by Raymond Chandler

The Long Good-bye is a novel by Raymond Chandler, published in 1953, his sixth novel featuring the private investigator Philip Marlowe. Some critics consider it inferior to The Big Sleep or Farewell, My Lovely, but others rank it as the best of his work. Chandler, in a letter to a friend, called the novel "my best book".

<i>The Simple Art of Murder</i> Book by Raymond Chandler

The Simple Art of Murder is the title of several quasi-connected publications by hard-boiled detective fiction author Raymond Chandler:

<i>The Lady in the Lake</i> Novel by Raymond Chandler

The Lady in the Lake is a 1943 detective novel by Raymond Chandler featuring the Los Angeles private investigator Philip Marlowe. Notable for its removal of Marlowe from his usual Los Angeles environs for much of the book, the novel's complicated plot initially deals with the case of a missing woman in a small mountain town some 80 miles (130 km) from the city. The book was written shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor and makes several references to America's recent involvement in World War II.

<i>Playback</i> (novel) Novel by Raymond Chandler

Playback is a novel by American-British writer Raymond Chandler featuring the private detective Philip Marlowe. It was first published in Britain in July 1958; the US edition followed in October that year. Chandler died the following year; Playback is his last completed novel.

<i>Hawaiian Eye</i> American television series

Hawaiian Eye is an American detective television series that ran from October 1959 to April 1963 on the ABC television network.

<i>The Little Sister</i> Novel by Raymond Chandler

The Little Sister is a 1949 novel by Raymond Chandler, his fifth featuring the private investigator Philip Marlowe. The story is set in Los Angeles in the late 1940s and follows Marlowe's investigation of a missing persons case and blackmail scheme centered around a Hollywood starlet. With several scenes involving the film industry, the novel was partly inspired by Chandler's experience working as a screenwriter in Hollywood and his low opinion of the industry and most of the people in it. The book was first published in the UK in June 1949 and was released in the United States three months later.

<i>The Brasher Doubloon</i> 1947 American crime film noir by John Brahm

The Brasher Doubloon is a 1947 American crime film noir directed by John Brahm and starring George Montgomery and Nancy Guild. It is based on the 1942 novel The High Window by Raymond Chandler.

<i>Killer in the Rain</i> Book by Raymond Chandler

Killer in the Rain is a collection of short stories, including the eponymous title story, written by hard-boiled detective fiction author Raymond Chandler.

<i>Time to Kill</i> (1942 film) American 1942 film

Time to Kill is an American mystery film directed by Herbert I. Leeds. It is the first screen adaptation of Raymond Chandler's novel The High Window, which was remade five years later as The Brasher Doubloon. The detective was changed from Philip Marlowe to Michael Shayne for this version, with Lloyd Nolan playing the part and Heather Angel in a rare turn as leading lady. It is also the final Michael Shayne film starring Lloyd Nolan made at Fox, who closed down their popular B movie unit which included Mr. Moto, Charlie Chan, and the Cisco Kid. In 1946 the series would be reborn at Producers Releasing Corporation with Hugh Beaumont taking over the role.

<i>Glitz</i> (novel) 1985 novel by Elmore Leonard

Glitz is a 1985 novel by author Elmore Leonard, following the story of Detective Vincent Mora who is being stalked by Teddy Magyk, the serial rapist he put away. It was made into a 1988 television film starring Jimmy Smits and Markie Post.

<i>Strangers of the Evening</i> 1932 film

Strangers of the Evening is a 1932 American pre-Code mystery film produced by Samuel Bischoff for Tiffany Pictures, directed by H. Bruce Humberstone, and starring ZaSu Pitts, Lucien Littlefield and Eugene Pallette. Based on Tiffany Thayer's novel The Illustrious Corpse, the screenplay was adapted by Stuart Anthony and Warren Duff.

<i>The Woman</i> (1915 film) 1915 film by George Melford

The Woman is a 1915 American silent drama film directed by George Melford and starring Theodore Roberts, James Neill, Ernest Joy, Raymond Hatton, Mabel Van Buren, and Tom Forman. Based on a play by William C. deMille, the film was released on May 3, 1915, by Paramount Pictures.

<i>Fifteen Wives</i> 1934 film by Frank R. Strayer

Fifteen Wives is a 1934 American mystery film directed by Frank R. Strayer and starring Conway Tearle, Natalie Moorhead and Raymond Hatton.

Bosch: Legacy is an American police procedural television series developed by Michael Connelly, Tom Bernardo and Eric Overmyer. A sequel to the Amazon Prime Video series Bosch (2014–2021), it stars Titus Welliver as former LAPD detective Harry Bosch, with Mimi Rogers and Madison Lintz also reprising their roles. The series premiered on May 6, 2022, on Amazon Freevee with the release of four episodes, with the remaining released weekly, two episodes at a time. The series was renewed for a second season prior to its premiere. The second season premiered on October 20, 2023, again with the release of four episodes, with the remaining episodes to be released weekly, two at a time. The series was later renewed for a third season prior to its second season premiere.

References

  1. George Kalogerakis (4 May 2009). "Hotel Detectives". Travel and Leisure.
  2. Chandler, Raymond (1992). The big sleep (First Vintage crime/Black Lizard ed.). New York. p. 28. ISBN   0-394-75828-5. OCLC   26717361.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)