Looking into some pulp tropes in real life, I've done a bit of research recently into Occult Detectives. Unfortunately, I haven't found any "real" occult detectives that investigate haunted houses, evil cults, or things man was not meant to know. I have, however, uncovered some occult detectives that royally mucked things up. In one case, a "detective" used his "occult" powers to accuse an innocent man of wrongdoing, according to newspaper reports in 1907. Sam Flint persuaded a police judge to issue a warrant for the arrest of Will C. Bradford based on nothing more than a vision he had while "in a trance". He accused Bradford of being wanted for a murder committed in South Carolina "Flint, who on many occasions has offered his services to the local department as a trance medium and human bloodhound, said there was a mark on the alleged murderer's shoulder which he had seen in his dreams," according to the Times. ...
The Crime Machine is the blog of True Crime author Warren Harris, where he explores both contemporary topics in criminal justice and historical mysteries with a literary connection.