Slim Callaghan

Slim Callaghanis a fictional London-basedprivate detectivecreated by the writerPeter Cheyney.Like another of Cheyney's characters, theFBIagentLemmy Caution,he was constructed as a British response to the morehardboileddetectives of American fiction such asSam SpadeandPhilip Marlowe.

After making his debut in the 1938 novelThe Urgent Hangmanhe featured in six further novels and a number of short stories. The novels were all bestsellers. The character has also appeared in a variety of film, television, radio and stage adaptations. The novels enjoyed particular popularity in Francewhere actorTony Wrightplayed Callaghan in three film adaptations.Other actors to portray Callaghan includeMichael Rennie,Derrick De MarneyandViktor de Kowawho played him in the 1964 German television seriesSlim Callaghan Intervenes.TwoWest Endstage versions in the early 1950sMeet Mr. CallaghanandDangerous CurvesbyGerald VernerstarredTerence De Marney.

Operating out of an office inMayfair'sBerkeley Squarehe frequently encounters attractive, but deceitfulfemmes fatales.Callaghan has been described as a "suave, handsome, resourceful, Mayfair-based private detective who is Irish – the nationality was perhaps a tease for Cheyney's patriotic critics".

Novels

• The Urgent Hangman(1938)
• Dangerous Curves(1939)
• You Can't Keep the Change(1940)
• It Couldn't Matter Less(1941)
• Sorry You've Been Troubled(1942)
• They Never Say When(1944)
• Uneasy Terms(1946)

Bibliography

• Goble, Alan.The Complete Index to Literary Sources in Film.Walter de Gruyter, 1999.
• Harrison, Michael.Peter Cheyney, Prince of Hokum: A Biography.N. Spearman, 1954
• James, Russell.Great British Fictional Detectives.Remember When, 21 Apr 2009.
• Knight, Stephen.Crime Fiction Since 1800: Detection, Death, Diversity.Macmillan, 2010.