Fictional detectives from literature | List of famous fictional detectives

Filled with red herrings, smoking guns, and bogus alibis, there’s something about a gripping mystery that captivates readers. a tingling need to find out who it was. the best mystery is one that a reader can put together for themselves using the available evidence. however, a representative is needed to solve the problem within the story for the readers. a character who can help him organize the puzzle pieces and uncover new clues to add to the theory he so carefully crafts. Who better to solve a mystery than a detective? a character who lives to solve the mystery he faces, who accepts challenges with intrigue and excitement. there have been many famous fictional detectives in literature for many years. so many that a select few have achieved legendary status where they are known far and wide.

While it’s hard to dismiss many of the great fictional detectives that have been created from the minds of writers over the years; Let’s take a look at some of these famous fictional detectives who perfectly represent the spirit of real problem solvers.

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august dupin

First Appearance: Auguste Dupin made his first appearance in a short story “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” by Edgar Allan Poe published in 1841, widely considered to be the first detective fiction.

auguste dupin appears in only three edgar allan poe novels. the knight c. Auguste Dupin is considered the first among fictional detectives. It’s worth remembering that the word “detective” didn’t exist at the time Poe wrote about the Rue Morgue murders. He set the prototype for Dupin even before Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes. It’s easy to criticize a work in hindsight, but these early stories paved the way for a genre that’s one of the most popular even today.

monsieur dupin is a very intelligent man with a great analytical talent, capable of knowing what someone is thinking based on what has happened to him during the day.

sherlock holmes

First Appearance: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle introduced Sherlock Holmes, one of the most popular fictional detectives, in A Study in Scarlet, published in Beeton’s 1887 Christmas Yearbook.

Sherlock Holmes appeared in a total of 60 short stories, written by Arthur Conan Doyle and published between 1887 and 1927. Of these, four are complete novels and 56 short stories.

This or any list of fictional detectives would never be complete without mentioning this famous gentleman detective born from the mind of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

sir arthur conan doyle emphasizes holmes’ magnificent brain in many ways: he uses watson’s admiration to reinforce the reader’s; He gives Sherlock Holmes many mishaps, including incompetent cops and the criminals he is hunting; And perhaps the best trick of all, Holmes often shows off his intelligence by impressing his clients with how much he can tell about them just by looking at his outward appearances.

holmes is, in a nutshell, determined in his detection. in that sense, he makes sense that all emotions, particularly love, are abhorrent to his cold, precise, but admirably balanced mind.

hercule poirot

First Appearance: This Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot, is first introduced to the world by Dame Agatha Christie in The Mysterious Affair of Styles published in 1920.

Hercule Poirot, a retired Belgian police officer, is one of Agatha Christie’s most famous detectives and his earliest characters appeared in 33 novels, 2 plays and more than 50 short stories published between 1920 and 1975.

Short with a long curly moustache, Poirot is highly intelligent, extremely conscientious and instinctive, and a brilliant detective from Belgium who fled to England during the First World War. Poirot is a more laid back and introverted person than many famous detectives, which works incredibly well for his line of work. When people aren’t noticing you, it’s easy to see things you’d rather keep hidden.

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the tough guys

first appearance: the hardy boys #1 the treasure of the tower published in 1927

Frank Hardy is the eldest (18) of the two Hardy brothers in the Hardy Boys series of novels by Franklin W. dixon.

Tough Guys Frank and Joe Hardy are fictional detectives who appear in various mystery series for children and teens. the series revolves around teens who are amateur sleuths, solving cases that stumped their adult counterparts. In each novel, the tough boys are constantly involved in adventure and action. despite frequent danger, the boys “never lose their temper…they are strong boys, luckier and smarter than anyone around them.” they live in an atmosphere of mystery and intrigue.

The characters were created by the American writer Edward Stratemeyer. The books themselves were written by various ghostwriters under the collective pseudonym of Franklin W. dixon.

nancy drew

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First Appearance: The character first appeared in the 1930 book The Secret of the Ancient Clock

Nancy Drew is a fictional character, a detective in an American mystery series created by editor Edward Stratemeyer as the female counterpart to his series Hardy Boys.

The books are written by multiple authors and are published under the collective pseudonym Carolyn Sharpe.

Did you know that Nancy Drew has solved more than 500 cases in her career? that’s a lot of mysteries. Secret of the Old Clock transports readers over eighty years ago to the place where it all began for Nancy in River Heights, a fictional town supposed to resemble Iowa City, Iowa.

cadfael

First appearance: brother cadfael first appeared in a morbid taste for bones by ellis peters published in 1977

brother cadfael, a welsh benedictine monk, lives in shrewbury abbey in mid-twelfth century england. he is an unusual member as he fought and killed on holy ground during a bloody crusade, he knew women intimately, he was a soldier, also a ship’s captain, however now he has retired to the quiet life of a monastery growing crops to feed the their fellow “recluses”. ” and doing some pretty interesting experiments to improve them, an untitled scientist.

his worldly knowledge, while useful, gets him into trouble with the series’ more doctrinaire characters, and the seeming contradiction between the secular and spiritual worlds forms a central and ongoing theme of the stories.

Miss Marple

first appearance: miss marple first appeared in a short story published in royal magazine in december 1927, “the tuesday night club” which later became the first chapter of the thirteen issues (1932); however, her first appearance in a full-length novel was in Vicarage Murder in 1930 and her last appearance was in Sleeping Murder in 1976.

When it comes to well-known fictional detectives in classic literature, along with Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot, she will belong to those mentioned first. The brainchild of Agatha Christie, Jane Marple appeared in 12 novels and 20 short stories as an elderly spinster who spends her spare time solving a variety of mysteries in her home on St. Ella’s. Mary mead.

I can almost imagine the gossipy, irritating, highly curious lady sniffing around town, and it’s easy to see why a clever character like her gained so much recognition under the crime and mystery novels.

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alex cruz

first appearance: alex cross was introduced to the world by james patterson in along came a spider published in 1993

after a spider came, alex cross appeared in a total of 27 novels so far. his last appearance was in the 2019 novel criss cross.

alex cross, detective, doctor of psychology, hypnotist, friend to poor people when he helps out at a food shelter, respected by black people for never leaving the hood following his brilliant career, great family man and a bit of genius who can’t give up a case. though tough and rough when he has to be, practical as he comes, the crimes he sees sometimes upset him, like the deaths of young children.

adam dalgliesh

first appearance: adam dalgliesh first appeared in 1962 in p d james novel cover her face

adam dalgliesh appeared in a total of 14 books, which were published between the years 1962 and 2008. he also appears in the two novels starring p.d. James’s other detective, Cordelia Grey.

dalgliesh is well known for composing poetry and several volumes of his poetry have been published. despite his introversion, he is considered attractive by women who describe him as “tall, dark and handsome”. In his long career, he has been quite astute and successful and now heads a squad of cid officers who work only on the most sensitive. cases.

marco didio falco

First Appearance: Marcus Didius Falco is a creation of Lindsey Davis. first appeared in silver pigs, published in 1989. appears in 20 books.

marcus didius falco is a former legionnaire, current informant (ie private investigator) in vespasian rome (69-79 ad). Falco has been written both to conform to and deviate from the stereotypical construction of the cynical, tough, lonely detective. An ex-legionnaire with a tragic past, he can crack jokes and hurl insults like a creation of Dashiell Hammett or Mickey Spilene, but Falco can also strike with a sincere emotional depth that’s not far removed from a poet like Catullus.

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falco works his way through investigations of business conspiracy, treason, and vengeful murder, some of which take him to far-flung reaches of the roman empire, including britain, cordoba, and carthage.

click gently

First Appearance: Dirk Gently, aka Svlad Cjelli, created by Douglas Adams. It first appeared in Dirk Gentle’s Holistic Detective Agency, published in 1987.

dirk gently, a plump man who normally wears a heavy old tan suit, a red checkered shirt with a green striped tie, a long leather coat, a red hat, and thick wire-rimmed glasses, is one of the famous fictional detectives to appear in science fiction.

Dirk Mildly is a very peculiar detective. he has been forced into the profession after being posted from st. cedd university for cheating. he didn’t cheat, it was a coincidence when he correctly guessed all the answers of an upcoming quiz. he trained many students on test answers to earn money, supposedly through mystical means that he believed he was faking, but he really had no idea his scam would end up being so correct.

The unspoken assumption behind smoothly becoming a detective is the mystery of having all the right answers when you never knew you had all the right answers that led you to become a detective. he’s not a mystic, but he believes in particle physics and einstein’s relativity, apparently, and all the spooky science that comes out of that, and especially, maybe, the grand unification theory of everything.

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mr peter wimsey

first appearance: lord peter wimsey first appeared in whose body? by Dorothy L. said in 1923

An amateur who solves mysteries for his own amusement, Lord Peter Wimsey is a typical example of (fictional) British gentleman detectives.

was in the first world war and experienced “war shock” with subsequent fear of responsibility because his regiment was decimated during the war. he sometimes seems loquacious due to nervous tension, and all of his personality quirks are due to his war experiences. at the same time, he is aware of his life of privilege and wants to do something meaningful; hence his ‘hobby’ of investigating criminal cases.

tommy and tuppence

First Appearance: Tommy and Tuppence are two fictional detectives, first appearing in 1922 in Agatha Christie’s Secret Adversary.

Tommy and Tuppence, 22-year-old somewhat impoverished residents of London circa 1920, are bored enough to form a partnership in which they’ll agree to do anything legal for a salary. Tuppence wants to marry rich. Tommy doesn’t care. Tommy & tuppence are also rare. they speak in riddle terms, but seem to understand each other. they want things they don’t need, but they join forces in a venture that doesn’t initially make sense.

byomkesh bakshi

First Appearance: The best known fictional character of sharadindu bandyopadhyay and one of the famous fictional detectives, byomkesh bakshi first appeared as a character in the satyanweshi story published in 1932. byomkesh bakshi appears in around of 32 stories from 1932 to 1970 before the death of the author sharadindu bandyopadhyay.

byomkesh bakshi is probably the first conventional Indian detective. Reading the stories, it’s hard not to spot similarities between Byomkesh and Sherlock Holmes: the way the character is first introduced, the way the narrator, Ajit and Byomkesh, become roommates. there is even a police officer similar to lestrade who creates trouble for byomkesh. sometimes byomkesh wakes up a bit in the middle of the night, or early in the morning, to go out on a mission.

cormorant attack

First Appearance: Cormoran Strike is the brainchild of J K Rowling and is published under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith. it first appeared in Cuckoo’s Call published in 2013.

cormoran strike is a wounded war veteran with a troubled past, damaged love life and financial problems, seen sleeping in his office when we first meet him. Strike has left the military, which provided him with the structure and home life his mother could never have, and he has established himself as a private detective. the only problem is the lack of paying customers. He then welcomes a new temporary secretary, Robin Ellacott, with her uptight fiancé and her secret desire to be a detective.

william warwick

First Appearance: william warwick first appeared as a detective in nothing venturesome by jeffrey archer published in 2019. we first meet him in the clifton chronicles as the hero of the harry clifton novels .

william has wanted to be a detective since he was eight years old, so he chooses to follow that path, against his father’s wishes (his father is a lawyer and wants william to follow in his footsteps). William has good instincts and has dedicated his time to learning the trade when he is selected for the art and antiques department at scotland yard. his first major case is solving the theft of a rembrandt from the fitzmolean museum, where he meets his love interest beth de him, who has some secrets of her own from him.

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