Mark billinghams top 10 fictional detectives books the guardian. Lucy worsleys the art of the english murder is a fascinating look at how the detective novel was born from crime reporting, and how, eventually, detective fiction gave way to. The first famous detective in fiction was edgar allan poe s c. This guy could be lost among the slew of other fastidious detectives with their eccentric ways and their long, suspensefilled speeches in the drawing room at the end of the book. Poe referred to it as one of his tales of ratiocination, where ratiocination is itself a french word meaning reasoning or conscious deliberate inference. Throughout history, reallife detectives have performed amazing feats of sleuthing that rival any fictional exploits.
He explicitly rejects holmes famous maxim, once you have. The 50 best tv detectives and sleuths the telegraph. The 100 greatest literary detectives international crime. The 100 most iconic, wellknown, and generally beloved fictional characters of film, television, literature, and pop culture since the turn of the 20th century. Recently, we brought you the pi case files, giving you a peek inside the crime fiction lover filing cabinet at some notes weve been compiling on private detectives from across the genre. A late example of the golden age staple of the gentleman detective. Here, worsley picks the 10 best fictional detectives.
Heres a list of some of the top fictional female pis who prove that the best private investigators dont have to be male. Police department in the american tv series of the same name. She had the best detectives, in my opinion, way more interesting than nancy, frank, or joe. British and caribbean coppers who oversee the fictional island resort of saint marie. The top ten fictional detectives 1 sherlock holmes sherlock holmes is a fictional private detective created by british author sir arthur conan doyle. Without further ado, here are the 30 best literary sleuths known to man, woman or beast. But dont forget fictional detectives in plays, movies and books like miss marple, jim rockford or columbo. Fictional detectives are characters in detective fiction. The 100 most iconic fictional characters the definitive dose. A throwback to the bad old 90s days of comic book movies 4.
Lucy worsleys the art of the english murder is a fascinating look at how the detective novel was born from crime reporting, and how, eventually, detective fiction gave way to the darker americanstyle thriller of the cold war era. Lisbeth salander not all private investigators go out in the field, conduct interviews, perform surveillance, or any of a myriad of. Though dupin is not featured in as many stories as his counterparts. Famous detectives in fiction have entertained people for almost two centuries. Mark billinghams top 10 fictional detectives books. The 12 greatest fictional detectives who arent sherlock holmes 1 columbo.
Most notably, the legendary jean gabin played maigret in three films. Silver is a retired governess who started to practice as private detective. Each chapter examines a different aspect of our planet. Famous private detectives in novels, movies, and tv. From natures wonders to how humans are affecting the plant, each fullpage color photograph is captioned, giving a brief explanation as to why it is included in the book. The first famous detective in fiction was edgar allan poes c. These fictional american characters were created by edward stratemeyer. The 19th book featuring harry bosch, black box, will be out next month, and one of my favorite detectives, now sliding firmly into middle age, shows no sign of slowing down. In this post, we share a list of famous fictional detectives crime fiction is probably the most popular genre for both readers and writers. Each private investigator stands out on their own merit, which distinguishes them from the next.
Greatest fictional detectives best, most ranked user. Sherlock holmes no list about the best fictional detectives will ever be complete. Known for his meticulous mustache, dandified dressing habits, and obsession with order and neatness he is one of the most easily recognizable fictional detectives. An international compendium of the 100 greatest literary detectives edited by eric sandberg university of oulu eric. The hardy boys, joe and frank hardy the three very famous detectives first appeared in 1927 and have featured in several adventure books for both children and teenagers. If youre looking for an eerily intelligent fictional detective who isnt propping up a. I always make a list of suspects with their motives and alibis, and try to unmask the culprit at least four chapters before the end. This notso famous detective book is a gem for readers who appreciate reality more than anything. The 12 greatest fictional detectives who arent sherlock holmes. Edgar allan poes 1841 short story the murders in the rue morgue is generally considered to be the first true detective story. These include novels, short stories, graphic novels and comic books. She bears a lot of similarities with agatha christies jane. Writers write is your comprehensive writing resource. This list is comprised of some of the most recognizable names from fictional books.
Top 10 female detectives in fiction crime fiction the. Philip marlowe created by raymond chandler veronica mars created by rob thomas tv series books based on tv series. The tv series rivals of sherlock holmes consists of the character. Hercule poirot features the first time in the mysterious affair at styles by. Commissaire maigret aloof, pipesmoking police inspector jules maigret, created by prolific belgian writer georges simenon, is probably the most beloved detective character in french literature and cinema. These 10 gumshoes dazzled the general public with their abilities and largerthanlife personalities, and they were also involved in some of the most historically important cases of. Since that initial series nancy has been revamped various times for everything from seventies tv series to madefortv movies and modern book series. The 20 best fictional female detectives, ranked the.
Hes been given three years until he must retire from the lapd and hes still. Sherlock holmes is definitely among the most noted detectives in literature. The two fictional detectives have appeared in book and television shows and computer games. The most famous detective in fiction is for sure sherlock holmes some of the worlds most famous fictional detectives are hercule poirot, sam spade and philip marlowe. Later, sir arthur conan doyle s sherlock holmes became the most famous example and remains so to this day. Their skills and talents have not just made detectives famous but also the subject of many a fictional crime stories and novels. Hunting for clues, solving crime, spoiling the plans of evil doers and putting them behind bars, all this in a days work as a detective. Now, thanks to some excellent detective work by our own david prestidge, were consolidating those notes into one definitive list and recommending a book for each private eye. The fictional pi philip marlowe has already come up once on this list, and for good reason. The wire, the sweeney, luther, nypd blue and true detective have provided some of tvs best cops. Murder on the orient express by agatha christie, a study in scarlet by arthur conan doyle, the cuckoos calling by ro. I love how they created a whole show revolving around everyday happenings. These fictional characters have taken up roles from some real life private investigators.
Marlowe first appeared in the 1939 novel the big sleep, but some of chandlers earlier short stories featured other versions of a similar character. Encyclopedia brown has taken us on countless journeys since it was first published in 1963. The earliest books were praised for the excellent writing of a caliber not. Love that book and the musical who are your favorite fictional couples. Spam or selfpromotional the list is spam or selfpromotional. This is the image of a detective fed to us by classic noir, and the image that still comes to mind for many when asked to consider famous fictional detectives throughout history. Referring to himself as a consulting detective in the stories, holmes is known for his proficiency with observation, forensic science, and logical reasoning that borders on the fantastic, which. The 12 greatest fictional detectives who arent sherlock. Like the books themselves he is tough but lyrical, violent when he needs to be but always aware.
Hewitt the protagonist, a lawyer turned detective has been considered a good rival to sherlock by detective fiction geeks. An international compendium of the 100 greatest literary detectives. Score a book s total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book. Mickey mouse 1928 created by walt disney and ub iworks for steamboat willie. As a detective, he is known for his logical reasoning, early use of. There is something about an enthralling mystery that captivates an audience. Nancy drew is one of the most famous girl detectives, and for good reason. The fictional detective philip marlowe first featured. An agatha christie creation, poirot is a belgian detective who works in england.
Leroy encyclopedia brown is one of the most popular kid detectives in literature. Who are the coolest, smartest, most interesting, most compelling detectives in fiction. Poirot is surely one of the greatest fictional detectives, because he was involved in so many unforgettable crime novels, including the murder of roger ackroyd, murder on the orient express and death on the nile. Then when i was 8 i discovered agatha christies novels, and read every one of those, too. A modernday version of the famous detective in the tv series elementary. Inappropriate the list including its title or description facilitates illegal activity, or contains hate speech or ad hominem attacks on a fellow goodreads member or author. Incorrect book the list contains an incorrect book please specify the title of the book. Miss maud silver, created by british writer patricia wentworth, was a detective who appeared for the first time in the 1928 novel grey mask. Sherlock holmes is the most famous fictional private investigator.
This is a partial list of fictional private investigators also known as private eyes or pis who have appeared in various works of literature, film, television, and games. Nancy first appeared in 1930 in a series of mystery novels written by various people under the pseudonym of carolyn keene. Mark billingham is a standup comedian and the bestselling author of sleepyhead, scaredy cat and lazybones. Famous fictional and nonfictional private investigators. Here are the 10 of the greatest detectives in literature. It seems to me that the great fictional detectives very often dont fit in.
The character, created by author raymond chandler, has been highly influential on detective fiction. Poes biographer jeffrey meyers wrote that the story. Heres our list of the most famous detectives from books. The largeformat sized book is divided into nine chapters. This riot recommendation on female detectives in fiction is sponsored by other press. I read every book with the hardy boys, nancy drew, and encyclopedia brown when i was very young. What with the proliferation of detective fiction and detectives on television and in literature, from a. Famous private detectives in novels, movies, and television including p. Whenever im bored i like to read a good detective story. A guide to fictional detectives by beth carswell recently the guardian reported that in 1945, at the behest of the ministry of information in britain, agatha christie wrote an essay lauding the excellence of british crime fiction.
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