Ralph Dennis was a notable American author, born in South Carolina and who completed his master’s degree from the University of North Carolina. He was known for his suspense, mystery, and detective novels, with a particular emphasis on the Hardman series. Dennis was also a teacher, specializing in television and radio.
The Hardman series, published by Popular Library between 1974 and 1977, is set in Atlanta and features Jim Hardman, a former cop and unofficial private eye. The series, comprising twelve novels, is widely regarded as a groundbreaking contribution to the hardboiled fiction genre. However, due to the numbered titles and poor packaging, the books were marketed as sleazy men’s action-adventure paperbacks, which led to Ralph Dennis being denied the recognition he deserved as a master of the genre.
Hardman is depicted as a private investigator practicing without a legal license and is a former Atlanta policeman. He is joined in his investigative cases by Hump Evans, a former American football player. Three of the books in the series have been translated and released in French, regarded as classic hardboiled novels. Jim Hardman’s character can be easily compared with the likes of Spenser, the fictional detective character created by author Robert B. Parker.
In 1976, Ralph Dennis attempted to develop a new novel series featuring the main hero named Kane, with the book called Deadman’s Game. However, the book was not successful in gathering much of an audience and hence, the series could not be carried further. Despite this setback, Dennis continued to write and had a file cabinet full of unpublished novels at the time of his death in 1988. As of December 2019, all of his out-of-print books have been re-released and by March 2020, all six of his previously unpublished books were in print as well.