Favorite Detectives

I am not sure if this is covered in another group, but I could not find it as such.

My favorite detectives include (in no particular order)

Detective: Sharon McCone Author: Marcia Muller
Kinsey Milhone Sue Grafton
Kate Martinelli Laurie King
Cordeila Gray P.D. James
Alan Banks Peter Robinson
Luke Thanet Dorothy Simpson
Adam Dalgiesh P.D. James
Tony Hill Val McDermid
Peter Pascoe Reginald Hill
Roderick Alleyn Ngaio Marsh
Reginald Wexford Ruth Rendell
Ben Cooper Stephen Booth

There are more, but this is all I can come up with at one sitting.

I am sorry about the runon of detectives and authors in the previous message. I had it separated in my original message.

Some of my favorites

Lucas Davenport John Sandford
Sister Fidelma Peter Tremayne
Hercule Poirot Agatha Christie
Sherlock Holmes Sir Arthur Canon Doyle
Brother Cadfael Ellis Peters
Elijah Bailey Isaac Asimov ;)

I, too, an a huge Sandford fan. But I have a real weakness for Travis McGee by John D. MacDonald (the touchstone only goes to one, but there are lots). He was the first series detective I ever read, and still one of the best.

Charlie Parker by John Connolly

Spenser by Robert. B. Parker

Eve Duncan by Iris Johansen

Temperance Brennan by Kathy Reichs (*don't* watch the TV show, it's bloody awful)

--Laura

Oh come on - the TV show is hilariously funny. My husband and I call it "the stupid show". : )

favorite detectives -

Marlowe - created by Raymond Chandler
Dalgliesh - created by P.D. James
Elvis Cole - created by Robert Crais
but I think my most favorite is
Arkady Renko - created by Martin Cruz Smith

I have to agree on Adam Dalgiesh, although I could never get Roy Marsden out of my head when I was reading the books.

I love Eve Dallas in the J. D. Robb books

My all time favorite is definitely Kinsey Millhone created by Sue Grafton but I also like Kathy Reichs' Tempe Brennan although she's not really a detective.

I love Harry Stoner in the Jonathan Valin books. Not as well-known as some of the others, but great writing. Also Marsh Tanner created by Stephen Greenleaf.

Gotta be fat Andy by Hill.

Casey Jones, by Katy Munger, is kinda vulgar, lotsa fun. Jane Haddam's Gregor Demarkian and Kate Wilhelm's Bobby Holloway (and her father) are also favorites. I also usually enjoy Lord Peter.

Thanks for all the names. I'm just getting started reading mysteries and I find I like the ones with strong detectives are much better.

Too many to think about. How about in no particular order:-
1. Spenser
2. Matt Scudder
3. Dave Robicheaux
4. Harry Bosch
5. Det. Insp. John Rebus
6. Lt Joe Leaphorn.

I would not like to have that lot coming after me.

My favorites are Lord Peter Whimsy Dorothy L. Sayers and Sherlock Holmes

Here are some of my favorites.

Myron Bolitar - Harlan Coben
Claire Malloy - Joan Hess
Joe Pickett - C. J. Box
Clare Fergusson & Russ Van Alstyne - Julia Spencer-Fleming

If you haven't read the books by Julia Spencer-Fleming you are really missing out. She write a wonderful series set in Maine. Claire is a Reverend in a small town and Russ is the Police Chief. Their relationship isn't as simple as it should be as they continue to be involved in local crimes. Excellent writing and wonderful character development.

My favorites are:

Hilda Adams - Mary Roberts Rinehart
Jane Marple - Agatha Christie
Maud Silver - Patricia Wentworth
Trixie Belden - Kathryn Kenny
Sheriff Spencer Arrowood - Sharyn McCrumb
Amelia Peabody - Elizabeth Peters (the first half of the series more than the recent books)

Corinne, can you tell a little about these women detectives. A little about their personalities, age. Just a little. Thank you.

I don't know if they're still good, but early Scobie Malone books by Jon Cleary were excellent. Very Aussie.

Here's my faves:

Spenser- Robert B. Parker
Elvis Cole - Robert Crais
John Francis Cuddy - Jeremiah Healy
Jake Spanner - L.A. Morse
Sam Hunter - L.A. Morse
Joe Goodey - Charles Alverson
Nameless - Bill Pronzini
Brady Coyne - William G. Tapply
Atticus Kodiak - Greg Rucka
Patrick Kenzie & Angela Genaro - Dennis Lehane
Red Diamond - Mark Schorr
Burke - Andrew Vachss
Leo Haggerty - Benjamin Schutz
Mark Renzler - Paul Engleman
Mitch Roberts - Gaylord Dold
Gun Pederson - LL Enger
Lamaar Ransom - John Calder

Mantra

Gautherbelle -

Hilda Adams, Jane Marple, and Maud Silver are all nosy (but intelligent and kind) spinsters who solve mysteries. Maud Silver is a nurse who often takes jobs in private homes where some crime is suspected. Trixie Belden books were written (I think) in about the 1950s or 1960s. She's a young girl who solves mysteries with her brothers and a few friends...kind of a tomboy, lives on a farm, very kind and adventurous. I think they're pretty well written, although they can be a bit sexist...the girls always plan the parties, the boys are already medical and engineering geniuses... If I hadn't been so taken with them as a kid, they might get on my nerves now. Amelia Peabody is an Egyptologist who excavates in turn-of-the-century Egypt with her husband and other family members.

Corinne, thanks for the information.

Belle

I've recently discovered two detectives I admire: Mas Arai, a Hiroshima surviver who lives in Los Angeles (Author Naomi Hirahara). Also, Bernie Gunther from Philip Kerr's trilogy: March Violets, The Pale Criminal and A German Requiem. The books take place in Nazi Germany. Sort of a German Phillip Marlowe!

One name: 'Maigret', ~ georges simenon~

1. Harry bosch
2. Arkady Renko
3. Rebus

Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin, with a shout-out to Saul Panzer in the same books.

Message 21: Actually, Mas Arai is a gardener and amateur sleuth, not a detective. Sorry!

After perusing my bookshelves to refresh my memory, I submit the following detectives and creators, in no particular order:

Kathleen Mallory by Carol O'Connell
Holland Taylor by David Housewright
Francis Xavier Flynn by Gregory Mcdonald
"Fang" Mulheisen by Jon A. Jackson
John March by Peter Spiegelman
Derek Strange by George P. Pelecanos
Joe Kurtz by Dan Simmons
Sonchai Jitpleecheep by John Burdett
Harry Fannin by David Markson
and, from radio, Johnny Dollar (played by Bob Bailey), the insurance investigator "with the action-packed expense account."

Previously mentioned eyes* with whom I fully agree:

Bernie Gunther by Philip Kerr
Arkady Renko by Martin Cruz Smith
Kenzie & Gennaro by Dennis Lehane

Characters I used to really like but who now seem written in a manner that's too similarly formulaic:

Harry Bosch by Michael Connelly
Elvis Cole by Robert Crais

A couple of genre cross-overs:

Greg Mandel by Peter F. Hamilton
Lord Darcy by Randall Garrett

*a term borrowed from www.thrillingdetective.com

Adding some not mentioned:

Sharyn McCrumb's Sheriff Spencer Arrowood
Michael Innes's Inspector Appleby
Jan Burke's Irene Kelly
Heron Carvic's Miss Seeton
Peter Lovesey's Sgt. Cribb
Josephine Tey's Alan Grant
Max Allan Collins's Nathan Heller
Steve Carella, and the rest of the bunch at Ed McBain's 87th Precinct
Donald Hamilton's Matt Helm (NOT the movies; they're bloody awful)

Good ones, myshelves, because I've only read Hamilton and McBain, and not everything by them, either. I meant to mention the 87th Precinct, too, but the thought slipped away, so I'll settle for seconding your recommendation for McBain.

A friend of mine really likes Matt Helm, too, and gave me a copy of the first book, but I have to confess I didn't like it as much as I wanted to given my friend's build-up. Do the books get better as you go along?

bookstothe sky,

Just my opinion, but I'd say if Death of a Citizen didn't grab you, the rest probably won't. Same character, new situations. I enjoyed all of them, but then I loved the first.

Glad you mentioned Lord Darcy.

Johnny Dollar?! That rings a bell. But I prefer Lamont Cranston!

Has anyone mentioned Philo Vance by S.S. Van Dine?

My ultimate favorite (so far) is Inspector Kurt Wallander, the depressive, diabetic, lovelorn, and tenacious detective created by Henning Mankell

Other memorable detectives:
Cordelia Gray by PD James
Inspector Frost by RD Wingfield
Jonathan Argyle by Ian Pears

Milo Sturgis and Petra Connor by Jonathan Kellerman

I seem to be attracted to detectives with a past that haunts them in some way.

My favourite is Alex McKnight, who has retreated to a remote place called Paradise. Most of its inhabitants seem to have gone there to escape some trauma in their past.

I also rush to buy novels featuring Elvis Cole, Harry Bosch and Myron Bolitar.

Pascual, Dalziel and Wield-Reginald Hill
Travis McGee and Meyer - John D. McDonald
Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin - Rex Stout

Some of my favourities include:

Bob Skinner - Quintin Jardine
Roger the Chapman - Kate Sedley
Jane Bauer - Lee Harris - I also like her Christine Bennett
Cliff Janeway - John Dunning
Dame Frevisse - Margaret Frazer
Mary Russell - Laurie King
and of course Sue Grafton and Marcia Muller.
A strange list...

Detectives I love...

Albert Campion Margery Allingham
Archie Goodwin Rex Stout
Jane Marple Agatha Christie
Maud Silver Patricia Wenthworth
Roderick Alleyn Ngaio Marsh

With all due respect to an earlier poster, Miss Silver is an ex-governess, not a nurse. Both Miss Silver and Miss Marple knit; Miss Silver is particularly prolific, and typically completes at least a baby outfit during the course of a case. She has a great fondness for the works of Alfred Lord Tennyson and a tendency to quote them.

Ross Macdonald's Lew Archer hasn't been mentioned yet ...

Some of my favorites, because I know I'll miss someone I love.

Inspector Luke Thanet by Dorothy Simpson
Spenser by Robert B. Parker
Harry Dresden by Jim Butcher
Inspector Gamache by Louise Penny
Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin by Rex Stout

Hmmm. Lots of favorite authors. Not as many favorite detectives.

Dr. Diane Fallon by Beverly Connor
Lindsay Chamberlain by Connor
Gideon Oliver by Aaron Elkins
Cribb & Thackeray by Peter Lovesey
Peter Diamond by Peter Lovesey
Gordianus the Finder by Steven Saylor
Sean Drummond by Brian Haig
Chief Inspector Chen by Qiu Xiaolong
Holly Barker by Stuart Woods
Chief Inspector Roper (then Superintendent) by Roy Hart
Jesse Stone by Robert B. Parker
Spenser by Parker
Sunny Randall by Parker
Lunghi Family detectives by Michael Z. Lewin
Ben Abbott by Justin Scott

some amateurs, some pros.

I'll second Harry Dresden by Jim Butcher.

And add,
Father Brown by G. K. Chesterton
Richard Jury by Martha Grimes

I love Milo Sturgis, Sunny Randall, Jesse Stone, Spenser, Elvis Cole, Angie Gennaro, Eve Dallas, Kiney Milhone too.

No one mentioned Juliet Applebaum from Aylet Waldman's hilarious and well-written series......

Most of my favourites have already been mentioned, but I also love
Coffin Ed Johnson & Gravedigger Jones (by Chester Himes)
Catherine Levendeur (by Sharan Newman)
Aimee Leduc (by Cara Black)
Inspector Alan Banks (by Peter Robinson) --although he's been annoying me a bit since he quit smoking. :)

I also love Nestor Burma (by Leo Malet) but they can be hard to find in English.

Can't go wrong with Nelson DeMille's John Corey or Marshall Karp's Lomax & Biggs tandem.

Marlow
Spade
Spenser
Easy Rawlins
Travis McGee

I'm new to this.So many of the characters mentioned I like. I used to like Spenser a lot, but lately the books are very thin. The earlier ones are great. A particular favourite is "Early Autumn" .I must say I find Susan Silvermann a bit irritating! I didn't think anyone these days had heard of Miss Silver and Albert Campion. I like Eve Dallas too, though I don't think I'd like to live in that era. For a few not mentioned,how about:
Brother Cadfael- Ellis Peters;Judge Dee - Robert Van Gulik, Carol Ashton -Claire McNab, and not forgetting, 'The cat who' -Lilian Jackson Braun

I forgot!!!
Inspector Lynley (and his prickly sidekick Barbara)-Elizabeth George

Thanks for this thread! I'm learning a lot!

My faves: Superintendent Jules Maigret (Georges Simenon) -- I read any of those I can get my hands on, alas in English (life ambition is to read them in French, which I am working on). I love how Simenon contrasts Maigret's homey domestic life with the sordid crimes he deals with.

Also: Precious Ramotswe of the Number 1 Ladies Dective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith. Loved all of those. Guido Brunetti from Donna Leon's series. Will keep reading those.

Don't forget Brother Caedfael (sp?).

I've read one Dalgliesh -- a bit slow I thought but I will be back for more.

#47> gooutsideandplay, have you tried any books by Andrea Camilleri, featuring Inspector Montalbano? I thought you might enjoy them, since you like Donna Leon's Guido Brunetti.

#48 -- Aluvalibri -- Thanks, yes, Montalbano is on my TBR list! Can you recommend any specific ones?

#49

gooutsideandplay,

The Shape of Water is very good, and it's the first book in the series. It's the only one I've read, but I thought it was a good place to start. I also have The Snack Thief and it looks like it will be good. I'll let you know what I think when I finish it.

#49> gooutsideandplay, I have read many of them (in Italian), so I don't really know the titles in English translation except a few. I agree with christiguc (#50), but I can tell you that all the books in the series are enjoyable and the plots interesting. I agree with the idea of starting with The Shape of Water.
Enjoy!

Besides my own William Mize detectives - Denton Ward and Monty Crocetti; I really love Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin, Perry Mason, Paul Drake and Della Street, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, and I'll even throw in some 87th Precinct for good measure.

Oh, and The Shadow, because I'm weird like that.

#43 jmcclain19

No, you can’t go wrong with Nelson DeMille’s John Cory..... or anything else DeMille has written.

#26 - Johnny Dollar was great. Bob Bailey was best, I agree, but some of the other actors were pretty good too, even if the stories were sometimes a bit weak.

I haven't seen it myself, but there's a Johnny Dollar graphic novel that came out in 2003 with a story by David Gallaher and art by Eric Theriault assisted by Serge Lapointe on inks.

Nichtglied,

Well, as some comedian once said, all the German I know I learned from Hogan's Heroes. My German vocabulary is a bit more extensive, since I've also seen The Great Escape and Stalag 17 many times. So, if I have the spelling and pronunciation right, Nicht would be "don't" in English, but I have no idea what glied would be. I'm taking the Nicht translation from the scene in Stalag 17 where

***SPOILER ALERT***

Peter Graves is thrown out into the compound with noisy cans tied to him, and he's yelling "Nicht Schiezen" (I've no doubt I'm spelling that incorrectly). I've always wondered why he didn't just lie still and wait for the guards to find him instead of thrashing about and getting shot.

***END SPOILER ALERT***

Anyway, I guess I'll take a moment to go to a German-English dictionary; back shortly.

Huh. Well, I was right about Nicht, although there appear to be a lot of other meanings/connotations to the word. Glied, on the other hand, had a couple of translations, one of which really surprised me, so I'll be darned If I can figure out what your name means in English; care to translate?

All right, back on topic. Thanks for the Johnny Dollar graphic novel information. I'll take a look around the internet and see if it's something I want to own. I haven't actually heard anyone else except Bob Bailey perform as Johnny Dollar, and I haven't even listened to all of Bailey's shows. A friend burned me a CD of the Bailey stuff more than a year ago, but I only listen to it when I'm doing manual labor around the house, which isn't all that often, so I've got about 3/4 of his shows to listen to.

Thanks again for the info,

bookstothesky

A new found Detective duo for me is:

DI Anna Travis and her boss DCI James Langton from Lynda La Plante's Anna Travis books.

#55 - Here's a clue.

6 EUR Nichtglieder 4 EUR Mitglieder, Schüler, Rentner 3 EUR

Aluvalibri --- Just finished The Shape of Water and also Rounding the Mark. Thanks very much for the recommendation, I've put Salvo Montalbano on my list of new favorite detectives! I'm about to start the Snack Thief. I love the interaction between Montalbano and his subordinates -- very witty. I can only imagine how good it must be in the original Italian. I love the one policeman who always crashes Montalbano's office door open in his enthusiasm saying something like, "there's someone here in poisson to see you poissonally, chief!!!"

Gooutsideandplay, I am very pleased to hear that you like Montalbano. Well, there are hues in the Italian version that are probably impossible to translate into English, but since the translator is Stephen Sartarelli (incidentally a good friend of mine), I am sure he did a superlative job.
I find the part where Montalbano talks about food particularly amusing and REALLY Italian!

#'s 55 & 57

Non-member, perhaps?

6 Euros for those that are non-members, or not members, 4 Euros for members in good standing, students and senior citizens?

Am I close? :)

#60 - Bingo.

#61-

All right! LT is a true educational resource :)

#56-

I just bought The Red Dahlia by Lynda La Plante about a week ago. I bought it on a whim, never having heard of the author. I haven't even researched it yet to see where the book stands in relation to other books in the series (it would be too good to be true for it to be the first book, I'm sure). Anyway, It's good to know someone who shares similar reading tastes with me--judging by the books we have in common--likes the author/series; makes me want to read the book that much sooner.

#59 ---Yes, yes, there was one scene when he went to the home of a fisherman to get some more information about coastal tides or something in Rounding the mark and he is invited to share the family's dinner and sample the wife's specialty. The fisherman keeps trying to talk to him about the coastal tides during the dinner but Montalbano waves him off with a Sicilian hand gesture meaning: later, later. Great fun.

> 62 : bookstothesky : Red Dhalia is the second, I read it last week (I haven't read the first either). There is a relationship sub-plot that might be spoilt a little by reading out of order but there's nothing I noticed to spoil the main plot of the first book.

Lynda La Plante is a British writer, mainly known for her TV series (Helen Mirren' Prime Suspect series for one). She's written a lot of crime fiction too - of variable but readable quality (no rubbish so far). My favourite of her books is Bella Mafia

#64:

GreyHead,

Thanks, I really appreciate the input. I'll scout around for Bella Mafia and the first of the Anna Travis series.

#62 and #64

I read her first book in the Anna Travis series called Above Suspicion not so long ago. What I liked was that the relationship sub-plot is just that. It doesn't take over the story, although it does play a bit more in the first book.

I'm notorious for reading books out of order, so I think I could safely tell you that reading these out of order wouldn't be overly harmful (unless you are adament about reading them correctly.)

bookstothesky - the books we have in common are an interesting bunch...like you mentioned, lots of series.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned V.I. Warshawski by Sara Paretsky. Any other fans?

#26 bookstothesky - I am also a Mallory fan. She might be the most unusual female detective I've come across.

and Lord Peter Wimsey.

#43: I agree with both of your choices, especially Nelson DeMille. I did meet Marshall Karp at a signing for his first book, The Rabbit Factory, and he seemed like a nice guy. I enjoyed the story, but I have to admit to disappointment with the actual presentation of the hardcover book. I got it home, opened it up and discovered very large type, lots of spacing between each sentence, 114 chapters with an average of 1-2 blank pages before the next chapter starts, multiple blank end pages, etc. In the acknowledgments at the end of the book, Karp gives thanks to a particular woman "who helped take the fear and mystery out of how to fill 600 blank pages." Well, 114 chapters with 1+ blank pages, on average, goes a long way, I say:) Too bad, really, because it's an attractive, eye-catching book otherwise, in my opinion; it didn't have to be inflated to a behemoth to justify the $25.00 price tag.

#67: Mallory is great. I'm 3 books behind in the series, though, so I need to dig them out of my boxes and catch up (I seem to be reading more stand-alone books lately). I've also recently purchased quite a few used Lord Peter Wimsey books but haven't read any yet, so I've got those to get to also; so many books, etc., etc.

"Message 14: LittleTaiko

Clare Fergusson & Russ Van Alstyne - Julia Spencer-Fleming

If you haven't read the books by Julia Spencer-Fleming you are really missing out. She writes a wonderful series set in Maine. Claire is a Reverend in a small town and Russ is the Police Chief. Their relationship isn't as simple as it should be as they continue to be involved in local crimes. Excellent writing and wonderful character development."

I completely agree with Little Taiko about this duo. I could not stop thinking about the most recent book and how it ended, but was happy to find out that Spencer-Fleming is writing another one so the 'relationship' continues.

Also love Arly Hanks in the Maggody books by Joan Hess for a real comedic treat.

I love Elizabeth George andn her Linley/Havers books. That last one I coudn't get through though. I also enjoy the Richard Jury Mysteries by Martha Grimes

My absolute favourite detectives are

Mma Ramotswe Alexander McCall Smith

Chen Cao Qiu Xiaolong

Arkady Renko Martin Cruz Smith

Kurt Wallander Henning Mankell

I'd love to know how many other Inspector Chen fans there are out there.

Lynley and Havers by Elizabeth George
Adam Dalgliesh by P.D. James
Amanda Peabody by Elizabeth Peters
Fat Andy by Reginald Hill
Hercule Poirot by Agatha Christie
Nathan Heller by Max Allan Collins
Gregor Demarkian by Jane Haddam

Eve Dallas of the in death books by J. D. Robb

How about "The Thinking Machine"
by Jacques Futrelle? A pre-cursor to Holmes.

Mallory, Wimsey, Lynley and Havers, Holmes, Martinelli, Renko, Dalgleish, Johnson Johnson (a Dorothy Dunnett series, less well known the her historical fiction series), Gordianus the Finder (Steven Saylor)

Most of my favorites have been mentioned above, so I'll only say that my current favorites are Mallory (just finished Find Me, the latest (and maybe last) in the series, and all I can say is WOW!), Harry Dresden, and Dexter Morgan (the third Dexter novel, titled Dexter in the Dark, is due out any day now).

Touchstones are acting a bit recalcitrant this morning.

For my favorite will always be Poirot as that was the first Mystery I ever read.

Love most of the ones mentioned and will go out an try the others I haven't heard of.....

Any one read an of the Tim Cockey books? Picked Backstabber up at the library, very funny.

I didn't see Lawrence Sanders's sandwich-eating Edward X. Delaney mentioned here. I still think of sandwiches in terms of dry (at the table) or wet (over the sink).

Another favorite is the bumbling accidental detective Stanley Hastings, created by Parnell Hall.

I have three favourites

Sexton Blake

Sherlock Holmes

Philip Marlowe

Steve Carella

ireed110, I haven't read Lawrence Sanders in years!! Delaney is wonderful!

I have some favorites as well:

Lew Archer - Ross Macdonald
Heredia - Ramon Diaz Eterovic
Michael Ochajon - Batya Gur
Tamara Hayle - Valerie Wilson Wesley
Jim Qwilleran - Lilian Jackson Braun

Touchstones for Ross Macdonald and Lilian Jackson Braun not working.

I tend to like partnerships best. Among the classics, of course Holmes/Watson and Nero/Archie. Among the moderns, Bill James has written some wonderful titles featuring the partnership of Colin Harpur (thoroughly likeable and totally corrupt) and his boss Desmond Iles (thorough despicable and totally corrupt.)

HAS NO ONE READ BOOKS BY DANIEL SILVA OR LEE CHILD. MY GOODNESS - YOU HAVEN'T LIVED YET.

I'm shocked and saddened that no one has read, let alone recommended the likes of Daqniel Silva or Lee Child. Read them and explore the tales of real excitement. Move with the times.

# 84
I like the Lee Child books I've read, but more for the fastpaced action than for the macho Jack Reacher or the plots that sometimes get a bit to artistic.

I've read quite a few of Daniel Silva's Gabriel Allon books and enjoyed them...but I thought the series started getting really repetitive. Or maybe I just got sick of the character. :)

Ok! I will try them. What are your favorite ones by them?

Just reading my first Sherlock Holmes book,
The hound of the Baskervilles
Only a few pages in but it's very gripping!

Lee Child starts with Killing Floor but there isn't much in the way of details linking the series so you could choose pretty much anyone of them to start with. In order or Jack's life the Enemy is the earliest whilst he is still in the army.

So far Child has done a remarkable job of keeping the quality and characterisation consistent, whilst ensuring sufficient variety in the plot to keep you guessing every time.

Jack (none) Reacher is hardly a detective though which is why he hasn't featured in this thread.

#88, Ah, the book which has one of my favorite phrases of all literature:

"Mr. Holmes, they were the footprints of a gigantic hound!"

The descriptions of Grimpen Mire are wonderful.

First of all, detectives I haven't yet seen mentioned:

Benjamin January (and Abishag Shaw) by Barbara Hambly. First book: A Free Man of Color. I started reading Hambly's mysteries because I loved her fantasy novels, and now I find myself a bit disappointed that she's gone back to fantasy. But only a little. :)

Lovejoy by Jonathan Gash. First book: The Judas Pair. I admit, I started reading these because of the television series, but I really fell in love with the books, despite the differences between the books and the show. It's almost like getting two completely different characters who happen to have the same name, and I like both of them.

Vicky Bliss by Elizabeth Peters. First book: Borrower of the Night, but Vicky's partner in crime, John, doesn't appear until the next book, Street of the Five Moons.

Samuel Vimes, from Terry Pratchett's Discworld. First book: Guards! Guards!

Some other favorites who've been referenced before:

Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin by Rex Stout. (With an echo of Linkmeister's shout-out to Saul Panzer!) Wolfe and Archie are probably my most enduring detective favorites. I've been reading and re-reading the books for twenty years, and they've never gotten old.

Albert Campion by Margery Allingham.

Amelia Peabody by Elizabeth Peters.

#82

Thanks for the Bill James recommendation; never heard of the guy, but the books sound pretty good.

I don't usually go in for reading "cozies," but I finally gave Dorothy L. Sayers' Lord Peter Wimsey books a try and they were quite good (the first two, anyway, as that's all I've read so far).

#92. Try him, I think you'll like him. I would suggest perhaps not starting with the earliest of the series, as the characters were not fully fleshed out at the beginning. I started with a book called "Club" (touchstone won't work), which is still my favorite, although several others are top notch.

#93

Thanks, I'll give "Club" a try, though I may have to hit the internet to get it. I've tried my local B&N bookstore, a large independent bookstore and a used bookstore, all with no luck so far. I've still got a couple more used bookstores to try, then I'll break down and order them online if totally strike out.

Take it easy,

bookstothesky

My all time favorites are

Philip Marlowe and Lew Archer.

>89 reading_fox: (re. Lee Child's Jack Reacher as "hardly a detective.")

I agree that the books are *marketed* as action-oriented thrillers (which they are, and very good ones at that . . . ), but for my money there's a strong element of detection in many of them.

It's particularly strong in (no spoilers beyond the back cover or first chapter):

Killing Floor: a murder is committed, and Reacher (initially a suspect) sets out to discover the killer's identity and motive

Die Trying: a woman is kidnapped from a city sidewalk, and Reacher must figure out why *she* was taken and what the kidnappers are up to.

The Enemy: Reacher, still an investigator for the military police, looks into the suspicious death of a general at a cheap motel.

One Shot: A gunman kills five people from ambush in a small Midwestern city. An ex-Army sniper is arrested on the basis of overwhelming evidence but swears he is innocent. Reacher investigates.

Part of what I find fascinating about the series is that Child writes his hero like a Hawk/Joe Pike/Win Lockwood* type of character (emotionally remote, physically tough, able to kill efficiently and without remorse) but also gives him sharp eyes and good deductive skills. It's an interesting combination, and not a terribly common one.

* (The tough-guy sidekicks of Robert B. Parker's Spenser, Robert Crais' Elvis Cole, and Harlan Coben's Myron Bolitar, respectively)

And, to add my two cents to the thread, some favorites of mine that I haven't seen mentioned:

Forensic anthropologist Gideon Oliver, by Aaron Elkins, in Old Bones and others

Disillusioned social crusader Tom Bethany, by Jerome Doolittle, in Body Scissors and others.

Ex-cop turned rare-book dealer Cliff Janeway, by John Dunning in The Bookman's Wake and others.

Ex-ballplayer Harvey Blissberg, by Richard Rosen, in Strike Three, You're Dead and others.

My fave and my first discovery at detective series, although he's more of a forensic psychiatrist, is Frank Cleavenger created by Keith Ablow. Great books and curious to find out what kind of ghosts linger in that man's closet to cause him to have such addictions!

Philip Marlowe
Phineas Poe (not sure if he counts, but I say he does, and nobody has read those books anyway)

Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe: flawed, but tough and savvy.
Noir detective fiction at its best.

Most definitely Charlie Parker by John Connolly. I'd stand in line in the freezing rain at some godawful hour to get a book from that series. :-) I also like the earlier Spensers by Robert B. Parker, and the earlier Dave Robicheaux novels by James Lee Burke. Right now I am really liking Stuart MacBride's Logan MacRae series, and Cody McFadyen's Smokey Barrett series as well (it's only got two books so far, but hey--I'm hopeful!).

So many, so here are 10 off the top of my head...Sherlock Holmes obviously, as well as Maigret, Marlowe, Rebus, V.I. Warshawski, Kurt Wallender, Dave Robicheaux, Falco, Stephanie Plum, and Christopher Brookmyre's Jack Parlabane.

I am delighted at seeing readafew in message 3 above include Elijah Bailey here :)

I'd have to go with Adam Dalgliesh from P.D.James's series, then Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple, Commisar Maigret, Sam Vimes from Pratchett's Discworld, Sherlock Holmes and, of course, Elijah Bailey together with R. Daneel Olivaw, for they are inseparable ;)

(Since we are speaking of Asimov, I think Hari Seldon's search for the psychohistory is of a "detective" nature as well, even if not a true whodunnit. I certainly enjoyed it as such, partly)

Also, a recent favourite is L from the Death Note manga, but the genre might not be everyone's cup of tea ;)

Being fairly new to LT, I had to revive this thread. There are lots of good ones listed here but no one has mentioned some of my lesser known faves such as

Roger L. Simon's - Moses Wine
John Straley's -Cecil Younger
James Crumley's - C.W. Shugrue
Stephen Dobyns - Charlie Bradshaw

Just a few I enjoy

My favourites include:

Bill Pronzini - Nameless
Marcia Muller - Sharon Millhone
Quintin Jardine - Bob Skinner
John Dunning - Cliff Janeway
Georges Simenon - Maigret
Lisa See - Liu Hulan

there are so many good ones.

Alex Delaware
Alex Cross
Harry Bosch

These are probably my top favorites!

dragonsign

Lewis Cole series by Brendan DuBois
Joe Picket - C.J. Box
Kathleen Mallory - Carol O'Connel
Mary Russell -Laurie King
V.I. Warshawski - Sara Paretsky
Charlotta Carlyle - Linda Barnes
Tony Hill - Val McDermid

Just to mention a few

In no particular order: Christie's Poirot, Stout's Wolfe (and Archie), Mosley's Easy Rawlins, Fisher's John Archer/Perry Dart, Mankell's Wallander, Hansen's Dave Brandstetter, Holmes (of course), Miss Marple, Barbara Neely's Blanche (great amateur--I especially like Blanche Among the Talented Tenth), Chester Himes' Gravedigger Jones and Coffin Ed, Chandler's Marlowe and Hammett's Spade. I'm starting to like Rumpole quite a lot, John Mortimer's lawyer-detective. I kind of like Max Carrados, too--the famous blind detective. Miss Marple is quite amusing. Hard not to like P.D. James's Dalgleish, and Rendell's Wexford. Simenon's Maigret may have the slight edge as my all-time favorite.

Dalgliesh, Wolfe, Alleyn, Campion, Cadfael -- and a couple that I don't think have been mentioned here yet: Mary Russell from the Sherlock Holmes series by Laurie King and George Felse, lesser known creation of Ellis Peters.

Simenon is the best as evidenced by the number of his books still in bookstores and libraries, some published in 1932.

Archer Mayor is the author of a series of about twenty great novels featuring a detective named Joe Gunther. In the earlier works, Gunther is chief of detectives on the Brattleboro, Vermont, police force and in the later ones, he is a special agent with a newly created fictional Vermont bureau of investigation. I, as a reader, feel as though I developed a friendship with Gunther who, in turn, has a group of co-workers and personal relationships who appear in all the books. Each individual novel is original, very carefully crafted, well-paced, and quite entertaining. I've acquired and read all except the latest, Chat, which is out only in hardcover and does not appear to be available at a sufficiently discounted price to persuade me to buy it just yet. If you try one of these fine works by Archer Mayor, I can assure you that you will be hooked as I was. Enjoy. By the way, on Mr. Mayor's Web site, www.archermayor.com, you will find a number of short video clips of this marvelous author sharing his thoughts with a group of appreciative listeners.

Oh my, oh my! I've found some kindred spirits! Most of my favorites have already been mentioned, and I'll list them (again) at the end of this post.

But. . .please do try some of the JANE WHITEHEAD books by Thomas Perry. She's a Native American (Iroquois, from one of my old stomping grounds -- Tonawanda, New York, where I grew up -- I'm not kidding, there's a small town & a city in Western New York named this) who specializes in helping folks running from the law and particularly bad guys disappear. Read them, if you can, in chronological order. Well worth seeking out.

Then there's the inimitable Lois McMaster Bujold who writes wonderful science fiction -- but in a few of her Miles Vorkosigan books she has Miles solve murder mysteries -- notably in the terrific Cetaganda and The Mountains of Mourning as well as in Memory, Diplomatic Immunity, and Ethan of Athos -- which is a bit of a stretch. These books, for any s/f fans out there, are also best read in chronological order.

I add my vote to the following as my favorite detectives:
Sherlock Holmes
Peter Wimsey
Travis McGee and Meyer
Nero Wolfe, Archie Goodwin, and Saul Panzer
Kate Martinelli
Matt Scudder
Spenser and Hawk
Alex Delaware and Milo Sturgis
Sunny Randall
Jesse Stone (but I hated the latest book in this third series by Robert B. Parker)
Dave Robicheaux (but James Lee Burke's books are so dark that I have to read them one at a time, and not all at once)

I also enjoy Lucas Davenport in John Sandford's PREY series -- though I find Davenport a much more shallow character than any of the above.

I will be checking out some of your recommendations, so many thanks!

Sorry about the lack of Touchstones in the above message -- I just can't seem to get this function to work consistently tonight. My original message does have the proper number & placement of brackets, but for some reason they didn't show up in the post.

It happens, Rachel, do not worry about it.
:-))

Don't get to read as many crime stories as I'd like to, nowadays, but always enjoy "private eye" stuff, even James Garner in "The Rockford Files" (favourite TV tec because he's so damn ordinary, and nice). Ditto Precious Ramotswe.
Currently giggling over Comic Crime and The Old Dick, having just digested Mark Ramsden's trilogy, but none of them any match style-wise for Chandler's Marlowe or Macdonald's Archer, imho ;-)
C.Card in Brautigan's Dreaming of Babylon deserves a mention, along with Pronzini's "Nameless", and Brad Solomon's Charlie Quinlan. John Franklin Bardin's
Dr George Mathews in The Deadly Percheron offers psychoanalytic sidelights and Gordon de Marco's Riley Kovachs politically correct ones.

The best detective story (the most literate) I've read in recent years has to be Auster's The New York Trilogy. The most disappointing Ian Sansom's The Case of the Missing Books. The latter starts out along the lines of Howard Engel's Benny Cooperman, "He'd read far too many books, that was Israel's trouble. Books had spoilt him; they had curdled his brain... His expectations were sky-high, and his grasp of reality was minimal." Which sounds uncannily like my c.v., but doesn't quite live up to it's Quixotic promise. Again, like yours truly...
;-)

Try the Jack Reacher novels by Lee Child...very close to classic MacDonald!
-Wendy

The Jack Reacher novels are indeed terrific -- I just finished Nothing to Lose and now I've added yet another book to my "oh I want to own this book!" list.

I enjoyed the first few Randy Wayne White books about Doc Ford -- feeling that with a little more experience Ford would become the newest incarnation of Travis McGee, but then I felt the books' quality dropped substantially. The heroines were always gorgeous, bright, and tormented -- and usually came to a bad end -- which, IMHO, is the lazy author's way of avoiding involving his protagonist in domestic entanglements!

However, I'm just about to finish the newest Doc Ford, Black Widow, and though it took me a day or two to get into it (mainly b/c I absolutely detested the first few characters introduced in this book), I'm just about at the end and I'm really enjoying it. It's probably not one I'll want to add permanently to my collection, but it was a great summer read.

This is a cross over of genre's but my favorite has to be Captain Vimes of the Nightwatch in the Discworld series written by Terry Pratchett. The way he solves crimes is such a crack up.

Also:

Harry Dresden - Jim Butcher
Rachel Morgan - Kim Harrison
Phryne Fisher - Kerry Greenwood

Plus an honorable mention to Jade del Cameron by Suzanne Arruda whose books I have recently discovered.

Vimes rocks! He's my absolute favorite character in Discworld -- after the Patrician himself, of course!

Another LTer recommended I try the Quinn Parker series by Bruce Zimmerman, and now I'm in love! Why are all the good men fictional? Anyway, I've been looking for a replacement to my beloved Travis McGee series for a few years, and I think I've found it in the Zimmerman books. The man can write, folks --fluently, articulately, easily. And the plots are deeply engaging, but not the super-terrorist foiled by an alert agent stuff -- just a guy helping out friends and finding more trouble than he's willing to let lie. And Quinn Parker's friends are good people, very realistic, interesting enough to be folks I wish I knew in real life, but without the artificial quirkiness some authors work too hard to create in their characters. I highly recommend this series.

Wahoo a fellow Discworld lover.

Might give the Quinn Parker series a look and see if my library has them.

Dashiell Hammett's Continental Op
J. Robert Janes' unlikely duo of St-Cyr of the Surete and Kohler of the Gestapo in WWII occupied France
Sherlock Holmes
Martha Grimes' Richard Jury of Scotland Yard
Sarah Andrews' geologist turned P.I. Em Hansen
S. J. Rozan's New York P.I. Lydia Chin
Susanna Gregory's medieval Cambridge sleuths Mathew Bartholomew and Brother Michael
Jane Haddam's retired FBI Gregor Demarkian
Kate Ellis's British cop and archaeology fan Wesley Peterson

Whoops, forgot two:
Loren D. Estleman's Detroit P.I. Amos Walker
M. C. Beaton's cop Hamish Macbeth

I have rediscovered R. Austin Freeman's Doctor Thorndyke, the original and best scientific detective. I now know how to make fake footprints using plaster of Paris and gutta percha from the garden shed, how to convert a body into a mummy and how to make a mummy into a reasonable facsimile of a recently dead person, but not one that would fool Dr Thorndyke.

You have to suspend judgement because Thorndyke's casual racism could make you cringe. Reflected the racism of the times, I suppose.

A couple months ago I read The Man From Tibet by Clyde B. Clason. It was remarkably free of any of the rascist attitudes commonly found in the mysteries written by his peers in that era. The forward talked about Clason's sleuth, Professor Theocritus Lucius Westborough, being ahead of his time in that regard.

We are so use to the accepted norms of today that when we read works written in an earlier time we apply our norms be they religious, scientific, racism or whatever. We can't fairly evaluate a book if we don't read it for the period in which it was written - warts and all.

Surprised not to see:

Lincoln Rhyme by Jeffrey Deaver

Also love:

Alex Delaware by Jonathan Kellerman
Alex Cross by James Patterson

I like the character of Lucas Davenport better than the storylines of John Sanford

#21...it'''s Berlin Noirby Philip Kerr..and i love it..i think there is another volume..coming soon or not ???? whatever..hope this helps

Just a few right now:
Burke Andrew Vachss
Sam Spade Dashiell Hammett
Travis McGee John D. McDonald

and how can you leave off the "Worlds Greatest Detective"
The Batman

Kinsey Milhone
Temperence Brennan
Stephanie Plum
Amelia Peabody
Jane Jeffreys
Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee

I love:

Harry Bosch
Milo Sturgis
Myron Bolitar

I just joined your group - and the Library Thing for that matter - so I'd like to share my favs as well. Many are ones others have mention:

Elvis Cole and Joe Pike Robert Crais
Patrick McKenzie Dennis Lehane
Spenser and Hawk Robert B. Parker
Myron Bolitar and Win Lockhorn Harlan Coben
Temperance Brennan Kathy Reichs
Mike Chapman Linda Fairstein
Dave Robicheaux James Lee Burke

But going through the list I don't think I saw any of the following:

Lincoln Perry Michael Koryta - If you haven't experienced Koryta, you don't know what you're missing!!!

Walt Longmire Craig Johnson - Walt's technically a sherrif, but everyone in those books are fabulous!!!

Kel McKelvey Thomas Holland - Kel is more like a Temperance Brennan; he's a forensic scientist. Absolutely wonderful!!

Ellie Hatcher Alafair Burke - I'm always so excited to find a GOOD female protagonist. So many disappoint me, but Ellie is GREAT!!

#125 I agree we forget that even though by today's standards the words and terms may be racist in their period it was probably perfectly ok. Not that it makes it right or wrong just different.

Two of my favorites:

Luis Mendoza in Dell Shannon's (aka Elizabeth Linington). Linington was one of the first women to write police procedurals. They also, for the times in which they were created, were unusual in that the main character was a "minority".

The same for the aboriginal detective, Napoleon Bonaparte in the Australian mystery series by Arthur W. Upfield. (author touchstone not working)

My list would have to include:

Hercule Poirot Agatha Christie
Eve Dallas J.D. Robb
Sherlock Holmes Arthur Conan Doyle
Meg Langslow Donna Andrews
Hannah Swensen Joanne Fluke
Commissario Guido Brunetti Donna Leon

My list would have to include:

Hercule Poirot - Agatha Christie
Eve Dallas - J.D. Robb
Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Conan Doyle
Meg Langslow - Donna Andrews
Hannah Swensen - Joanne Fluke
Commissario Guido Brunetti - Donna Leon

Sorry ... I was trying to edit my previous posting, but somehow it came out as a second posting.

Albert Campion
Lord Peter Wimsey
Fat Andy and Wieldy but not Peter Pascoe because he gets on my nerves!
The wonderful Rebus
Tommy and Tuppence Beresford Agatha Christie
Nobody has mentioned Matthew Shardlake C. J. Sansom

I have to add :

Phryne Fisher - Kerry Greenwood
Steve Carella - Ed McBain

Well,I don't know if these sleuths are that famous but I still like them...
Sherlock Holmes(who doesn't like this guy
anyway?)
Nancy Drew(quite disappointed with the movie
though)
Hercule Poirot(the guy from those Agatha
Christie novels)
Detective Conan(the guy/kid from that Japanese
anime cartoon)
Well,I'm not sure if I listed all my favorites but take note that these are not in any particular order...

1. Sherlock Holmes
2. Hercule Poirot
3. Tommy & Tuppence
4. Batman

Here are my top 5 detectives

1. Sherlock Holmes (He is the best detective!!! End of debate, and yes he is better than Batman)
2. Hercule Poirot (His moustaches make me smile :))
3. Kinsey Milhone from Sue Grafton
4. Conan Edegawa (Case Closed)
5. Miss Jane Marple (Just a cute little old lady)

I really like
Dirk Gently by Douglas Adams
A new favorite is
Jack Spratt by Jasper Fforde
And the old favorites
Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot, Jane Marple and Nero Wolfe.

What a thread - everyone from Sherlock Holmes to Trixie Belden mentioned!
(I loved Trixie Beldon!!) Most of my favorites have already been listed, but in no particular order:

John Corey - Nelson Demille
Logan MacRae - Stuart MacBride
Alan Banks - Peter Robinson
Frank Elder - John Harvey
Barbara Havers - Elizabeth George Her boss, Thomas Lynley, not so much.
And, yes, Sherlock Holmes is the greatest!

Judy Bolton -- Margaret Sutton
Nancy Drew -- Carolyn Keene
Travis McGee -- John D. McDonald
Doc Ford -- Randy Wayne White
Lilly Bennett -- Marne Davis Kellogg
Albert Campion -- Margery Allingham
DCI Alan Banks -- Peter Robinson
Carlotta Carlisle -- Linda Barnes
Charlie Moon -- James D. Doss
Duncan Kincaide -- Deborah Crombie
Richard Jury -- Martha Grimes
Kate Shugak -- Dana Stabenow
Anna Pigeon -- Nevada Barr

Geez, this is hard to stop once you get started!

My favorite is Arsène Lupin by Maurice Leblanc

Lots of my favorites here, including Inspector Montalbano, Easy Rawlins and Peter Wimsey. I don't think anyone mentioned two I'd add: Fandorin in the Russian mysteries by Boris Akunin, and Inspector O in the North Korean ones by James Church.

#146 jnwelch
You must have used single brackets around the author James Church because it comes up as a book about churches instead of the author you intended.

Some of my favorites are Inspector Adamsberg- Fred Vargas, Martin Beck- Maj Sjowall, Van Vetereen-Hakan Nesser, I can't think of the name of Hanning Mankell's detective, but I liked him, Inspector Maigret-Georges Simenon. Private Investigator Cyrus Barker and his assistant-Will Thomas.
There are so many good ones, I can't read fast enough.

Ohhh, I forgot about Richard Jury. Thomas Lynley and his buddy Melrose-Elizabeth George.
Hamesh Macbeth-MC Beaton

Most of my favorites have already been mentioned:

Trixie Belden Kathryn Kenny
Lovejoy Jonathan Gash
Andy Dalziel Reginald Hill
Sherlock Holmes Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle
Miss Marple Agatha Christie
Nero Wolfe Rex Stout
Sam Spade Dashiell Hammett
Spenser Robert B. Parker
Cadfael Ellis Peters
Philip Marlowe Raymond Chandler
Lynley and Havers Elizabeth George
Arkady Renko Martin Cruz Smith
Gideon Oliver Aaron Elkins
Meg Lanslow Donna Andrews
Richard Jury Martha Grimes
Jim Chee/Joe Leaphorn Tony Hillerman

And three I don't think have been mentioned:

Justin de Quincy Sharon Kay Penman
Lazlo Kreizler (The Alienist) Caleb Carr
Marcus Didius Falco Lindsey Davis (I love, love, love this series)

touchstones very wonky as usual

Thanks #147. James Church for Inspector O.

Hello - new poster to the group and to Library Thing. Excellent venue for us avid readers!

My favorite detectives change as I get into new series - I tend to find a new (to me) author, read one of his/her books and then have to go get them starting from book #1.

But - since I've been reading mysteries for 43 years, here's my favorites so far:

Travis McGee - unique and a classic

Nero Wolfe

Cork O'Connor - William Kent Krueger's small town Sheriff (sometime Sheriff) up in Minnesota.

Lucas Davenport

Mario Balzic - my hometown (Pittsburgh) police chief from the pen of K.C. Constantine .

Looking forward to hearing other's favorites.

Gervase Fenn, Nick and Nora Charles, Aurelio Zen, Nigel Strangeways, Appleby, Holmes, Philip Marlowe.

Mine are:
Inspector Alan Banks-Peter Robinson
Inspector Tom Thorne- Mark Billingham
Inspector Wexford- Ruth Rendell
Inspector Luke Thanet-Dorothy Simpson
Dr. Alex Delaware & Lt. Milo Sturgis- Johnathan Kellerman
Spenser- Robert B. Parker
I'm sure I'm forgetting someone, but this is a pretty good list. I used to love Kay Scarpetta, but Patricia Cornwell's last few books have really disappointed me. They seem to be getting more and more outlandish.

The Travis McGee novels by ((John D. MacDonald)) are engrossing, and very well written. MacDonald was a Harvard grad who began writing while in the armed forces. Unfortunately, many of his books seem to only be available in paperback, and they're hard to find.
McGee lives on a houseboat, and has a houseboat neighbor named Meyer, who is a leading economist, and who plays the part of Dr. Watson to McGee's Sherlock Holmes.
In one book, Meyer recommended a book to McGee, and I immediately went out and bought it. The book is (How to be Good) by L. Rust Hills. It's the only time I've ever bought a book based on the recommendation of a fictional character. But that's how convincing the MacDonald's writing is.
By the way, How to Be Good was okay, but I won't rush out to buy anything else Meyer recommends.

John Rebus - Ian Rankin
Tom Thorne - Mark Billingham
Varg Veum - Gunnar Staalesen
Harry Hole - Jo Nesbø
Kurt Wallander - Henning Mankell

I haven't read any lately, but I love the PI Grace Smith in Liz Evans books. Her books are very witty, amusing and light.

Wow! I'm shocked that my number one pick is not even mentioned. oh well, here is my top five.

1) Ellery Queen by Ellery Queen
2) Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
3) Cliff Janeway by John Dunning
4) Inspector Juve (Fantomas) by Marcel Allain *Gotta love it when the villain is main character.
5) Commissioner Sir Denis Nayland Smith (Fu Manchu) by Sax Rohmer *Again, gotta love it when the villain is the main character.

Guido Brunetti by Donna Leon

#158> treeofwisdom, I only read one Fu Manchu novel, and greatly enjoyed it.

My votes:
Rebus, of course;
Vimes and Carrot (from Pratchett)
Fat Andy
And the amazing Kinky Friedman - what a guy, and he has a great cat too!

I join Sophie in saying Ian Rankin's creation John Rebus and Reginald Hill's Andy Dalziel. :-)

I also really enjoy Detective Inspector Frost, written by R.D. Wingfield, but the books are less in-depth as Rankin's and Hill's.

>162 gerben1980:

I've never read the Frost books, but I loved the TV series featuring him. (Now must go look for the books. Sure, I need more books!)

I love Lucas Davenport. I can hardly wait for each new one to be published and I tend to re-read one every time I am sick. Not only are the plots great and the villains very interesting, but Sanford's characters and all the incidental by-play between the various cops is very real and highly entertaining. My favorites are the two that involved Clara Rinker.

I read all of Robert B. Parker's stuff, too. Although I think Spenser is getting a little too maudlin & repetitive.

I read one of the Brother Cafael books by Ellis Peters and really liked it. Thanks for the reminder of seeing it on your list. I need to check back in on the bro'.

Could you let me know who wrote the Lt. Joe Leaphorn series????

Thanks

Tony Hillerman wrote the
Lt. Joe Leaphorn series.

1.dave robicheaux

2.adam dalgliesh

3.hamish macbeth

4.sherlock holmes

5.mary russell

6.kinsey milhone

7.encyclopedia brown (i stand by this)

1. Sherlock Holmes
2. Miss Marple
3. Simon Serrailler
4. Anders Knutas (Swedish Detective)
5. Inspector Anders (You have to admire a one-legged Italian detective who prefers older women.)
6. Napoleon Bonaparte (Bony) (You have to accept he's a creation of his time)
7. Mario Silva
8. Dangerous Davies (But, I must confess I only know him through the TV series based on the books so that one probably doesn't count.)

Complete newbie to the genre, but so far:

1. Sherlock Holmes
Holmes, you are not the first fictional character I have dreamed about. Such is the treacherous nature of women. But you ARE the first one to almost, almost make me cross that threshold and enter that forbidden dark pit. I speak, of course, of fan fiction.
But we could make it a book-long deal. A short story? God, please, I'm not asking for a huge series commitment here.

2. Will Trent (Karin Slaughter)
Awww, he's so adorable. KS does a good job at portraying him as vulnerable and quirky without making him a wuss, I think.

3. Alan Banks (Peter Robinson)
OK, a little bit stereotypical, but dude. He owns a leather jacket and has good taste in music.

Are there any good female detectives around? And can someone with more thrillers under their belt recommend some quirky, but not quirky-for-the-sake-of-quirky ones?

I like Kinsely Millhone a lot. I didn't much care for A is for Alibi, but the series picks up after that. Good character development and many, many books in the series.

#169, I'll add yet another vote to the list for Mary Russell of The Beekeeper's Apprentice, et. al. and put in a nomination for Maisie Dobbs. Both quite intelligent and not too cozy, depending on the flavor of mystery you like.

Two very good recomendations. I can't believe I didn't think of them, especially since I'm listening to Apprentice again.

I'll add my vote for Mary Russell; also a few others spring to mind: Cordelia Gray from P. D. James' An Unsuitable Job for a Woman; Kate Ardleigh from the Victorian mysteries by Robin Paige, beginning with Death at Bishop's Keep; Robert B. Parker has a female detective, Sunny Randall, but I can't remember what the first novel with her was and there are a lot more of them than I remember! (Edited to add: Family Honor was the first Sunny Randall book.)

And, although I haven't read the books yet, I'll recommend the Precious Ramotswe series by Alexander McCall Smith, starting with The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, based solely on the wonderful HBO series based on the books.

#169 - PI Tess Monaghan, in the series by Laura Lippman, is an excellent heroine!

#167 - I LOVE Encyclopedia Brown! He was the best and I can't wait until my daughter is old enough to read them. I'm sure that's what got me started in the whole crime serial genre.

173 -- Precious IS! (Haven't seen the series...I specifically avoided because I didn't want to ruin the book.)

169...Three female sleuths that come to mind:
'Kate Sugak' series by Dana Stabenow,
'Joanna Brady' series by J.A. Jance
'Claire Reynier' by Judith Van Gieson
All three could be considered 'quirky': 'Kate Sugak' lives in Alaska with her part-wolf dog 'Mutt'; 'Johanna Brady' is a female sheriff in a small Arizona town; 'Claire Reinier' is in charge of a New Mexico university's rare books & papers collection.

I like the Jack Reacher books. Good reads.

Marlowe - Raymond Chandler
Elvis Cole - Robert Crais
Cliff Janeway - John Dunning
Jack Reacher - Lee Child
Cyrus Barker and Thomas Llewelyn - Will Thomas
Jackson - Kate Atkinson

Dave Robicheaux-James Lee Burke
Barbara Havers - Elizabeth George
Harry Bosch- Michael Connelly
Matthew Shardlake- C.J. Sansom ( a new favorite)
John Rebus- Ian Rankin

I'm going to kick myself for forgetting someone.

Note to self: You can't mention Barbara Havers and not mention Winston Nkata as well.

Also, forgive me, Brother Cadfael!

I keep reading new mystery series and discovering new favoirite detectives. Right now I have a book crush on Inspector Armand Gamache.

See just typing his name made me forget to say that he's the creation of Louise Penny

oh yeahhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!! "respectfully submitted, Johnny Dollar" this guy is terrific. my dad introduced me to him. what a cool character. good one

My favorite detectives:
Morse by Colin Dexter
Harry Bosch by Michael Connelly
Steve Carrella and comrades from the 87th Precinct by Ed McBain
Mary DeNunzio (although she's a lawyer) by Lisa Scottoline
Izzy Spellman and family by Lisa Lutz (these are great books)
Cliff Janeway by John Dunning
Fearless Jones by Walter Mosley

I'd also add new favorite Inspector Gamache from the Louise Penny series.

I vote for Loren Estelman's "Amos Walker!"

Sherlock Holmes has been a favorite of mine since I was about 12. I can still read one of his stories and enjoy it.
The Continental Op is the noir classic. Too bad Hammett wrote only five novels.
Lately I have been reading Ross Macdonald. Lew Archer has really grown on me. I refer to him as the energizer bunny of detectives. Tell him to find someone and he is in constant motion until the whole story is solved. Archer is also a stand up guy, trying to bring some principles into a nasty part of the world.
Dave Robicheaux talks like a priest and when he gets really angry he keeps kicking and hitting his victim until they pull him off. I also like the backgrounds that James Lee Burke creates.

Martin Beck by Sjöwall & Wahlöö
Sherlock Holmes by Doyle
Hercule Poirot by Christie
Kurt Wallander by Mankell

Thomas Perry's Jane Whitefield books were great. Why does he not write more??

I have not read anywhere near the amount of mysteries people in this group have read, but so far, some of my favorite detectives are:

Travis McGee by John D. MacDonald
Brother Cadfael by Ellis Peters
Inspector Gamache by Louise Penny
Joe Leaphorn & Jim Chee by Tony Hillerman
Commasarrio Brunetti by Donna Leon
Hamish Macbeth by M.C. Beaton
Dallas & Roarke by J.D. Robb

Gabriel Allon master art restorer and spy. Great series by Daniel Silva.
John Corey the federal agent who solves crimes in several of the Nelson Demille thrillers.

I'm a big fan of Donald Lam and Bertha Cool. He's the brains, she's the muscle. I gobbled up a bunch of their books years ago. Written by Erle Stanley Gardner under the pen name of A.A. Fair

They are dated and have a lot of the sexism from the time they were written, but they are good light-hearted fun and all the gals have great gams!

Flavia de Luce by Alan bradley. Most original detective in years. Can't wait for more.

#167 7.encyclopedia brown (i stand by this)
I am with you brother. I would also mention Alfred Hitchcoks Three Detective series. Yes they were juvenile and not very sophisticated, but when I was seven or eight, when I read them they set me on this path.

Never noticed this topic before. Here's the top of my favorites list...

Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conen Doyle
Amerlia Peabody - Elizabeth Peters
Broter Cadfael - Ellis Peters
Gideon Oliver - Aaren Elkins
Peter Wimsey - Dorothy L. Sayers
Joe Leaphorn - Tony Hillerman

I couldn't possibly make a short list of my "favs". I would say that all the names I would put on such a list appear here already. I'll just add a few that I didn't see or that appeared above only a small number of times.

Also will try to make them all professional detectives rather than 'by-chance" detectives!

Men:
Napoleon Bonaparte (Bony) - Arthur Upfield
Wolfe & Goodwin - Rex Stout (couldn't leave them off)
Insp. Alex Grismolet - Dean Fuller
Sheriff Walt Whitmire - Craig Johnson
P. I. Eddie Dancer - Mike Harrison
Inspector Todd - Ian Rutledge
Detective John Cardinal - Giles Blunt
Detective J. P. Beaumont - J. A. Jance
P. I. John Justin Mallory - Mike Resnick (for fun)
Commissario Salvo Montalbano - Andrea Camilleri

Women:
Eve Dallas - J. D. Robb
Stephanie Plum - Janet Evanovich (for fun)
V.I. Warshawski - Sara Paretsky

I just finished one book by one of my favourite police authors Quentin Jardine Grievous Angel # 21 in the Bob Skinner series. I will soon start # 22 Funeral Note.