Detective: John ("Red Johnny" --from his hair and whiskey, not his politics) M. Ross,
wavy russet hair, grey-green eyes, medium height (about 5'8") athletic build, age about 35. Competent with pistol or fists as needed. Licensed private detective.

Background: born  1903 in a small college town (Midvale) in a small
mid-Atlantic state. His parents were both teachers at the college
(Midvale College), so he could attend with the teaching fees waived
(and live at home) so he was able to get a college education at a
time when that was still fairly rare and mostly for the elite. He
majored in criminal justice, a new major in the 20s.

He went to LA because he wanted something bigger and more exciting than
a small quiet college town and LA was was beginning to have a name as
an exciting city.

He first joined the LAPD on the basis of his college training, but
on the streets of LA he very quickly learned that real-life policing was
very different from and much tougher than the type taught him in college.
By keeping his head down and learning from the older cops, he survived and
improved his street skills. However, the death of a sergeant he had looked
on as a mentor and the fact that he was expected not to investigate that
death too carefully for fear of exposing a scandal within the department led to
his resignation, though he left under "honorable" conditions and still
has friends in the department.

He has now been on his own as a PI for at least half-a-dozen years. He hired his secretary Nicole Laverne soon after going out on his own and she has proven an increasingly loyal and capable employee. However, so far their relations are only professional, though friendly.