A 1001 Midnights Review: BRETT HALLIDAY – Counterfeit Wife.

A 1001 MIDNIGHTS Review by Art Scott BRETT HALLIDAY – Counterfeit Wife. ZiffDavis, hardcover, 1947. Reprinted in paperback a number of times. Mike Shayne, the durable private eye from Miami, has hung in there for an unusually long career (in part with the aid of ghost writers — see the next entry). The appeal of the character seems rooted in the straightforward approach originally laid out by Halliday (Davis Dresser). Shayne is a tough, direct character, not tricked out with gimmicks, not given to guilt complexes or excessive philosophizing. The stories are fairly complicated. with a fun complement of fights, shoot-outs, mobsters, and slinky dames. Add to that a loyal secretary (Lucy Hamilton), a wisecracking newshound (Tim Rourke), a sympathetic cop (Will Gentry), a nasty, stupid cop (Peter Painter), a lot of two-fisted drinking, and you have all the elements. Mike Shayne is the Generic Private Eye. This crackling adventure from Shayne’s middle period (after the death of his wife,…