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Who's your favourite fictional detective?

163 replies

BurlingtonBertieFromBow · 04/09/2012 17:11

I like Jackson Brodie in Kate Atkinson's books
Also Inspector Barnaby, George Smiley (does some detecting in A Murder of Quality) and Adam Dalgleish

OP posts:
seeker · 06/09/2012 12:40

Spencer

LtEveDallas · 06/09/2012 12:37

Lt Eve Dallas of course!

(and Charlie Parker, Milo Sturgis, Alex Delaware and Alex Cross)

Merrylegs · 06/09/2012 12:32

Shoestring.

SoniaGluck · 06/09/2012 12:31

ennis Yes, you're right. And I agree about the feminism. Just being so attracted to a character with a title and so much wealth always just felt a little bit wrong somehow.

Not enough for me to stop reading, obviously.Wink

HooNose · 06/09/2012 12:26

Books: Matthew Shardlake
TV: James Hathaway

ForcesSweetheart · 06/09/2012 09:44

Thursday Next literary detective (the eyre affair, lost in a good book etc - jasper fforde)

CleoSmackYa · 06/09/2012 09:34

Rebus, followed by Shardlake.

WeAllHaveWings · 06/09/2012 09:00

Tom Thorne
Alex Cross

JemimaPuddle · 06/09/2012 09:00

Charlie Parker

Thedoctrineofennis · 06/09/2012 08:58

Hedgehog why don't you like Carol? Carol seems more real to me, Tony seems more "perfect" (around the edges of his gaping flaw, of course).

Thedoctrineofennis · 06/09/2012 08:55

Sonia, LPW was written "ahead of his time" I would say - he had an awareness of his privilege, certainly in the later books, and his creator gave him some strong ideas about the place of women!

Cheerful, Jackson Brodie is a good character but the books in which he appears are far from "straight" mysteries.

Tim Vale - excellent call, Mrs John.

Yamyoid · 06/09/2012 05:27

Cooper (Kyle McLachlan) from Twin Peaks.

hedgehogpatronus · 06/09/2012 05:18

CB? BC perhaps.

And I adore Marino in the Patricia Cornwell books (before he went a bit mental).

hedgehogpatronus · 06/09/2012 05:17

Not a detective as such but can I just mention Tony Hill (Val McDermid novels)?

Can't bloody stand Carol, but Tony is a great character. And the telly version is good in and of itself bonus points for Robson Green being delectable

And another vote for CB's Sherlock. He's incredible. Although he'd drive you absolutely spare.

MrsJohnMurphy · 06/09/2012 03:27

Patrick Kenzie/Angie Gennaro
Felix Castor
Jack Parlabane (although love Tim Vale more)
Tom Thorne
Roy Grace
Merrily Watkins

CheerfulYank · 06/09/2012 02:18

Elliot Stabler. Mmmmmmmm.... :o

I loved Holt Ramsey as well, who was in Stephen King's novella A Good Marriage, which was in Full Dark, No Stars. Did anybody read that? I thought it was great. :)

Should I check out Jackson Brodie then?

NellyJob · 06/09/2012 02:00

another vote for Colombo!! (just one more question....)

monsterchild · 06/09/2012 01:52

Arkady Renko

Dirk Gently

SoniaGluck · 06/09/2012 01:39

imperial You're quite right, of course. I tend to tie myself in knots over pointless dilemmas that really only exist in my own head. And I have a significant talent for complicating my life as a result.

iklboo · 06/09/2012 00:13

Kinsey Milhone
Tom Thorne
Harry Dresden (sort of detective!)

InelegantlyWasted · 06/09/2012 00:11

Roy Grace
Marcus Didius Falco
Amelia Peabody
Charlotte and Thomas Pitt
Gordianus the Finder

cocolepew · 06/09/2012 00:07

Remembered Lucas Davenport from the Prey series, too.

imperialstateknickers · 05/09/2012 23:42

Peter Wimsey. The only one I've re-read constantly since teenage years.
Sonia you don't need to reconcile lefty leanings! Lord Peter is contemporary to 1920s/30s, it's like feeling guilty for being a descendant of people who were involved in the Slave Trade - I have discovered my great x6 grandfather made money as an investor, but I do not feel in any way obliged to beat my breast apologising to the descendants of the people he was involved in trafficking.

LucyEyelesbarrow · 05/09/2012 23:34

Phryne Fisher
Miss Marple

pearlgirl · 05/09/2012 19:46

I like Charlie Resnick for his cats and his sandwiches as well - might have to reread some of them now.

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