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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:
hedgehogpatronus · 06/09/2012 05:18

CB? BC perhaps.

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

Yamyoid · 06/09/2012 05:27

Cooper (Kyle McLachlan) from Twin Peaks.

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.

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).

JemimaPuddle · 06/09/2012 09:00

Charlie Parker

WeAllHaveWings · 06/09/2012 09:00

Tom Thorne
Alex Cross

CleoSmackYa · 06/09/2012 09:34

Rebus, followed by Shardlake.

ForcesSweetheart · 06/09/2012 09:44

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

HooNose · 06/09/2012 12:26

Books: Matthew Shardlake
TV: James Hathaway

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

Merrylegs · 06/09/2012 12:32

Shoestring.

LtEveDallas · 06/09/2012 12:37

Lt Eve Dallas of course!

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

seeker · 06/09/2012 12:40

Spencer

hedgehogpatronus · 06/09/2012 13:05

Thedoctrineofennis because I am unduly influenced by the tv version, in which she is a bitch to Tony more often than not. Plus I just read the latest book in which she is pretty ridiculous.

Also can't bear Hermione Norris, give me Simone Lahbib any day drool

I know IABU.

Thedoctrineofennis · 06/09/2012 13:09

Sonia you're in love with him because DLS was, and she is a very good writer. Don't feel bad about it - there's an orderly queue on this thread and others where LPW comes up Grin

Thedoctrineofennis · 06/09/2012 13:10

Hedgehog I haven't seen the tv version. I do want to be HN when I grow up and lose two stone though so I'd probably get the opposite impression!

SoniaGluck · 06/09/2012 15:30
Grin
Francagoestohollywood · 06/09/2012 15:34

Maigret.

EmpressOfTheGoldFlames · 06/09/2012 15:36

Peter Wimsey AND Harriet Vane
Val McDermid's Kate Brannigan
Jane Rizzoli & Maura Isles (not seen the TV version, just mean the books)
Kinsey Millhone
The early VI Warshawski, later ones not so much.

bluepencil · 06/09/2012 15:38

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

WhereYouLeftIt · 06/09/2012 15:43

Harry Dresden (The Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher). Not strictly speaking a detective, although he does have his PI licence and many of the books begin with him taking on a case.

And Miss Marple! Who can resist the ultimate undercover investigator?

Xiaoxiong · 06/09/2012 15:44

Father Brown!

BalloonSlayer · 06/09/2012 15:45

I like Inspector Wexford. Because he is NORMAL, happily married with kids, no tragedy in the past blighting his life making him throw himself into his work and become icily attractive to ladies he meets who turn out to have done it blah blah blah. I should say almost normal though as he was in his early sixties in 1964, and he still is. But, hey, way to go Reg!

gymboywalton · 06/09/2012 15:45

precious ramotswe-gorgeous books

piprabbit · 06/09/2012 15:46

Kinsey Millhone
VI Warshawshki
Miss Marple
Kate Brannigan
Andy Dalziel (would it be very wrong to fancy him a bit?)
Falco
Lord Peter Wimsey
Sam Vimes

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