The Books of Sleuth

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It’s been a while since I wrote a post focusing on crime novels, so let’s get fictionally felonious again! Today, I’m going to discuss some of my favorite detectives/investigators in literature.

Their exploits can be compelling and satisfying for various reasons, including the wish-fulfillment aspect of seeing criminals get their comeuppance — though not always, and even those caught or killed can wreak a lot of havoc before their illegal work is done. Then there’s the appeal of intricate plots, trying to guess the culprits, seeing how fictional sleuths solve cases, enjoying the interesting and at-times weird personality traits of the detectives and criminals, etc.

Fictional sleuths — some professional, some amateur — are on my mind after having read four of Tarquin Hall’s India-set mysteries the past few weeks. They star private investigator Vish Puri — a brilliant, incorruptible, overeating, occasionally comedic, unfortunately a bit sexist character who solves various quirky cases. Just how quirky is telegraphed by the titles of some of Hall’s books, including The Case of the Man Who Died Laughing (2010) and The Case of the Deadly Butter Chicken (2012).

Yes, sleuths are often in multiple novels — including J.K. Rowling’s superb crime series starring Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacott. Those two characters are brave, brainy, charismatic investigators who carry some serious physical or psychological baggage and, while work partners, are secretly in love with each other. It’s saying something that I find that 2013-launched series — written under the pen name Robert Galbraith — almost as compelling as Rowling’s earlier Harry Potter books.

Also excellent are Walter Mosley’s novels starring another expert investigator: Easy Rawlins, an African-American World War II veteran who lives in Los Angeles. The series began with the 1990-published Devil in a Blue Dress, and now has 16 installments set from the 1940s to 1960s.

Absorbing, too, are Louise Penny’s atmospheric Canada-set novels featuring inspector Armand Gamache.

And there are Val McDermid’s great books starring cold case detective Karen Pirie that I won’t get into today because I’ve recently written about them in other contexts.

Some other contemporary authors have created characters who are not detectives per se but do plenty of incisive sleuthing to solve crimes. Among them are bounty hunter Stephanie Plum in Janet Evanovich’s mysteries, attorney Mickey Haller in Michael Connelly’s books, and the roaming Jack Reacher in the novels by Lee Child (with recent titles co-written by Andrew Child).

Then of course there are past authors who created detectives — many quite iconic. Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes (in novels and short stories), Edgar Allan Poe’s C. Auguste Dupin (in short stories), Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple (of course!), Wilkie Collins’ Sgt. Richard Cuff (of The Moonstone), Umberto Eco’s William of Baskerville (in The Name of the Rose), Sue Grafton’s Kinsey Millhone (of alphabet mysteries fame), Dorothy L. Sayers’ Peter Wimsey/Harriet Vane duo, Raymond Chandler’s Philip Marlowe, Dashiell Hammett’s Sam Spade, P.D. James’ Adam Dalgliesh, etc.

And, in books penned by multiple authors over the years…Nancy Drew!

Comments about this post? Fictional sleuths you’ve liked?

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109 thoughts on “The Books of Sleuth”

  3. Hi Dave,

    I’m not really a reader of crime books; having said that I’ve just finished Josephine Tey’s “Miss Pym Disposes” which was recommended on this site a few years back. I greatly enjoyed the beginning of it and instantly fell in love with Lucy Pym, but as a whole, the book meandered a bit too much for my liking, and by the time there was a crime and an uncovering of the criminal, I’d lost interest. Until I saw it commented here, I forgot that it also reminded me of “Gaudy Night” which I did quite.

    Being that I’m not a huge crime reader, I’ve managed to avoid the addiction that is Agatha Christie. Though I do own a copy of “And Then There Were None” which I found in a used bookstore a couple years back, and so is about #219 on the TBR. However my book club is doing any Agatha Christie book in October, so I guess that will be bumped up. Sorry, Misty, that means your book is now #399. There needs to be an extra day in the week just for reading!

    Sue

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    • Thank you, Sue! As I mentioned in another comment, the only Josephine Tey book I’ve read is “A Daughter of Time,” which I liked a lot and forgot to mention in my post. Sorry “Miss Pym Disposes” didn’t hold up for you after a promising start. Dorothy L. Sayers’ “Gaudy Night” is excellent!

      I’ve only read about a half-dozen Agatha Christie novels myself, but I must say I thought “And Then There Were None” was terrific. Hope you feel the same way about it!

      Ha! 😂 (Your Misty mention.) Like most cats, Misty is very patient in some respects. He looks forward to his book being #398 again. 🙂

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      • Well on Tuesday I finished Cormac McCarthy’s “Suttree”. Not actually a crime novel, but lots of crime in it. Despite being a fan of Cormac, this one was a bit too grimy for me.

        And then today I’ve finished Daphne du Maurier’s non fiction biography on her father “Gerald”. Not my usual kind of really, but really compelling.

        So Misty is now #397. Still too many books, and not enough reading hours!

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        • You’ve been doing some interesting reading, Sue! I liked “Suttree” a lot, and glad you enjoyed the Daphne du Maurier book that was outside your usual reading zone.

          Is Misty #397 in human years or cat years? 🙂

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  4. Hello Dave! You have covered my favourite genre in fiction which is crime. I am dazzled by the great titles and novels you have mentioned here. We both admire Val McDermid and Walter Mosley, but the others, particularly, PD James; Umberto Eco; Edgar Allan Poe and Sue Grafton are all authors I am excited to explore more (sitting on my shelf)! A fantastic post even if my heart is beating a little faster when I think of all the great books I am yet to enjoy! Thanks Dave, very much!

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    • Thank you, Sharon! I enjoyed your comment, and am glad I wrote about your favorite genre. 🙂 Sounds like you have some great future reading on your shelf! I read a collection of Poe stories as a preteen, and have been a fan ever since. And I once “conversed” with Sue Grafton on social media, which was a thrill.

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  8. Your post is once more full of unputdownable books, Dave! The one, which tempts me most at the moment is “The case of the man who died laughing “by Tarquin Hall The one I mentioned lately is March Violets by Phlip Kerr and it is a thriller that speaks about Germany and its politics in the 1930. Many thanks:)

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    • Thank you, Martina! Glad you liked the post! “The Case of the Man Who Died Laughing” contains a mysterious attack involving what seems like supernatural magic.

      A book like “March Violets” that’s both a thriller and set in a very fraught time/place? A riveting combination!

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        • Berlin must have been quite a place in the 1930s, for better and for mostly worse. Your intriguing description of the more recent Berlin, Martina, makes me wish I had visited there; unfortunately, my only time in Germany was visiting Frankfurt briefly during a trip to other European countries.

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          • I must admit that I have never been to Frankfurt, but I enjoyed Berlin very much with all the great cultural sites and the Pergamon museum. In the 1930s the city was full up of corruption within the NAZIS and their new rich supporters. I’m convinced, Dave, that you saw other interesting cities in Europe! I can not recommend you to travel once more to Europe, because, we all know, because of the climate, we should not ……..

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            • Martina, your description of 1930s Berlin sounds somewhat like the Trumpian 2025 Washington, DC. 😦

              I’d love to get back to Europe, but it’s not the time for financial and other reasons — one of which you alluded to. I did greatly enjoy the cities I visited in the past: London, Paris, Marseille, Amsterdam, Brussels, Madrid, Rome, Florence, Venice, Moscow, etc.! If I’m remembering correctly, you’ve traveled a lot yourself!

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              • Yes, Dave, that is the point why I continue to mention it, great!!!
                You are right we travelled a lot and sometimes I have a bad feeling!
                We have never been to Brussels but to Russia, St. Petersburg and it was great but I wouldn’t do it now. We also went to the other marvellous cities you mentioned.
                Many thanks for this nice conversation!

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  9. Great post, as ever, almost all the usual suspects covered, and everyone else has contributed their favourites. Luckily, so far, haven’t spotted that unlikely detective, the escaped French teacher Miss Lucy Pym, given name really Laetitia., rescued from tormenting classmates by the head girl of her school, now the principal of an exhausting physical education college. A modest inheritance allows Lucy to quit teaching, but endless freedom becomes boring.

    Instead, via freakish luck, Lucy becomes a best selling writer on psychology and in demand as a speaker. As in Dorothy L Sayers Gaudy Night,, and several other classics, including a Sherlock Holmes story and a Midsomer, a college is a superb cauldron of suspects. Was the death of an unpopular student in the gymnasium really an accident? Wrong at first – can Lucy spot the entitled psychopath killer ?

    Another mystery.. Why was Josephine Tey,*, , really Elizabeth MacKintosh of Inverness so down on everybody she dismisses as a ‘Celt’, and why revere’ Anglo-Saxons ?

    • See The Franchise Affair and other works featuring Alan Grant.

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    • Thank you!

      Your mention of Josephine Tey had me remember that I’ve read her excellent mystery “A Daughter of Time” and should have mentioned it in my post. 🙂 Her Miss Lucy Pym character sounds amazing! Loved your description of her! And, yes, college-set novels can be quite interesting. I thought “Gaudy Night” was really good.

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  10. Dave, thank you for another great post and for bringing up crime fiction as a topic. I have found that crime fiction really does give us unforgettable characters. It is not my usual “cuppa tea” but I determined, in the last couple of years, to read outside my usual genres. It has been a fun experience. A couple of weeks ago, I came across a brand new crime detective I think you’d enjoy: Glory Broussard. She’s bold, whip-smart, and completely unexpected. This quote comes from Glory Daze (the sequel) : “It was true that Glory had already lived most of her little life, but she was damn sure of one thing—she wasn’t done yet.”

    There are two books out so far, and I’m only halfway through the first, but I can already tell Glory is not your typical detective — she’s a small-time bookie and even a hoarder, which makes her all the more fascinating. And to add a fun detail that Misty may enjoy — the author, Danielle Arceneaux, has what she calls a very “ungovernable” cat. 🐾

    One of the reasons why I am enjoying reading this genre is that it gives me both justice and complexity, the thrill of mystery alongside a deep dive into human nature.

    Thank you again for a wonderful post and follow-up conversation.

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    • Thank you, Rebecca, for the comment and Danielle Arceneaux recommendation! Fictional detectives are often quirky, and it’s interesting what quirks each possess. Ms. Arceneaux has an “ungovernable cat”? Misty wants to visit that author’s household (apparently in Brooklyn) NOW! 🙂

      And, yes, reading outside one’s genre comfort zone here and there can indeed be fun and rewarding.

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      • Dave, serendipity struck again today! I find the universe very interesting!!! Anyway, I just came across another crime story and character I had no knowledge of before — The House Without the Door (1942), the fourth book in the Henry Gamadge series by Elizabeth Daly. I did a little research this morning and discovered that Daly was often called Agatha Christie’s favourite American mystery writer — Christie even praised her in print. Another detective to add to the list. And the list is never ending!!!

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        • Serendipitous indeed, Rebecca! 🙂 I hadn’t heard of Elizabeth Daly before seeing your comment; being Agatha Christie’s favorite American mystery writer was quite a feather in her cap! (“The Mystery of the Feathered Cap”? Nah…)

          There are definitely MANY fictional detectives!

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  11. Gee, you covered them all Dave, even Nancy Drew.

    Oh.. what about Perry Mason, by Erle Stanley Gardner?

    Okay, I knew the series, and after an older post you did, I did read one of the books. Omg, it read exactly like the TV show. An idiot could have turned the book into a script.

    And Charlie Chan, by Earl Derr Biggers was another series of books made into movies. I never did read the books, but I liked the old movies when I was a kid.

    Now? Well….

    Interestingly the stories were based on a on Hawaiian detective, Chang Apana. Chan was always played by a white man, a no-no today, but his son was Chinese-American.

    Misha says MEOW to Misty!

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    • Thank you, Resa! I appreciate the mentions of the Perry Mason and Charlie Chan books, which I didn’t include in the post because I’ve never read any of them. 😦 I did watch the Perry Mason TV show here and there — either when I was VERY young or in reruns; can’t remember. Sounds like those shows stuck to the books too (?) closely. 🙂 And really unfortunate that a white actor played Charlie Chan; that was definitely more of a thing back then. 😦

      Misty returns Misha’s hello!

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  12. Lord Peter will always be a favorite with me. I’ve been reading Elly Griffiths’ Ruth Galloway series–some are better than others, but they are always engaging. And Kate Atkinson’s Jackson Brodie! Excellent in every way. (K)

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  13. I’ve gotten in the habit of watching Midsomer Murders on TV based on Caroline Graham’s Chief Inspector Barnaby books. I find myself switching back and forth from TV episode to book just to see how they differ. I did, however, get stuck for a bit on one of Barnaby’s detective sergeants and fell in love. Reminds me of the quote in Purple Rose of Cairo when a young woman falls in love with an actor in a movie and the actor walks off the screen which causes a real uproar. Cecilia (the young woman): “I just met a wonderful new man. He’s fictional but you can’t have everything.”

    Great theme Dave. Lots of who-dun-its to check out. Susi

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    • Thank you, Susi! I appreciate the mention of Caroline Graham’s Chief Inspector Barnaby books, which I have not read. I’m intrigued after reading your comment and doing a little “sleuthing” online about that author and series. 🙂

      Great, hilarious quote from “The Purple Rose of Cairo”! 😂 Woody Allen IS funny, though his morals and his behavior in his personal life leave something to be desired.

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  15. It’s not a genre I’m big on reading, Dave, and although I have dipped in there’s no particular author who’s b become a ‘must-read’ with me. I appreciate the work that must go into developing a ‘whodunnit’ plot, however. Thanks for the information on some of the best in the genre and have a good week. 🙂

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  18. The teenage sleuth, Nancy Drew, introduced me to the investigative mystery novels. I later graduated to more serious crime-solving characters: Sherlock Holmes, Miss Marple, and Hercule Poirot. To this day, I cannot resist a good murder mystery for light reading. Tarquin Hall’s private investigator Vish Puri is an unknown to me. Thanks for the mention.

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  19. The Vera Stanhope novels by Anne Cleeves are also very good. I don’t read many books of sleuth but loved the Nancy Drew, Donna Parker and Trixie Belden books as a young person. There is something about a teenage sleuth.

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    • Thank you, Dan! You and Liz have three excellent favorites. 🙂 For some random reason I’ve read more Hercule Poirot mysteries than Miss Marple ones; when I read Agatha Christie again I’ll try to remedy that. (I’ve only read about a half-dozen of Christie’s many mysteries.)

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    • Thank you, Marie! That’s an author and character I’m not familiar with. I see on Wikipedia that the first novel in that series is “Iron Lake”; hopefully my local library will have it. 🙂 The Minnesota setting sounds intriguing!

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  24. Hi Dave, other than Nancy Drew there were also, the Willard Price books about the illegal wild animal trade, The Hardy Boys and the Three Investigator series. Enid Blyton also had The Secret Seven and The Famous five series. Clearly I read more thrillers / investigative books when I was younger.

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  25. I’m rereading Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories right now. I’ve also enjoyed PD James’s Dalgleish books; some sad characters in those.

    Your first paragraph reminded me of a set of crime novels by Damyanti Biswas set in Mumbai. Gritty and atmospheric.

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