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List of all important Detectives and detective fiction stories in english Literature by AGoodLIbrary.com

List of Detectives in English Literature

[Glossary given at the end of the chart!]

Detective [Year]Work Writer [Nationality]Details
C. Auguste Dupin [1841]The Murders in the Rue Morgue [Detective Fiction]Edgar Allan Poe [American]– Short Story
– First literary detective
– Analytical reasoning
Sherlock Holmes [1887]A Study in Scarlet [Detective Fiction]Arthur Conan Doyle [British]– Novel
– Classic Whodunit
– Master of deduction, forensic science
– Accompanied by: Dr. Watson
– Address: 221B Baker Street, London
Father Brown [1910]The Innocence of Father Brown [Mystery]G.K. Chesterton [British]– Roman Catholic Priest – Amateur sleuth
– Philosophical approach to crime
– Appearance in 53 short stories
Hercule Poirot [1920]The Mysterious Affair at Styles [Cozy Mystery]Agatha Christie [British]– Golden Age detective
– Logical and methodical
– Last appeared in “Curtain”
Miss Marple [1930]The Tuesday Night Club
Agatha Christie [British]– Village-based sleuth
– Feminine intuition
– Last appeared in “Sleeping Murder
Sam Spade [1930]The Maltese Falcon [Hardboiled]Dashiell Hammett [American]– Cynical, tough detective
– Introduced noir elements
Nero Wolfe [1934]Fer-de-Lance [Traditional Detective]Rex Stout [American]– Eccentric genius detective
– Classic American sleuth
Byomkesh Bakshi [1932]Satyanweshi [Detective Fiction]Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay [Indian]– Indian ‘truth-seeker’
– Inspired by Holmes
Feluda [1965]Feludar Goendagiri [Detective Fiction]Satyajit Ray [Indian]– Bengali detective
– Analytical, intellectual style
– First appeared in “Sandesh” (A Bengali Children’s magazine)
Lew Archer [1949]The Moving Target [Hardboiled]Ross Macdonald [American]– Psychological depth
– Influence of Chandler
– Based in LA
Columbo [1960]Prescription: Murder [Police Procedural]William Link & Richard Levinson [American]– Popularized Reverse Whodunit
– Focus on the psychological battle
Hajime Kindaichi [1977]The Honjin Murders [Locked-Room Mystery]Seishi Yokomizo [Japanese]– High-School student
– Golden Age-style
– locked-room mystery
Harry Bosch [1992]The Black Echo [Police Procedural]Michael Connelly [American]– Gritty realism – Corrupt police system
Lisbeth Salander [2005]The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo [Nordic Noir]Stieg Larsson [Swedish]– Hacker-detective
– Feminist undertones
Cormoran Strike [2013]The Cuckoo’s Calling [Modern PI Fiction]Robert Galbraith (J.K. Rowling) [British]– Contemporary private investigator fiction



Whodunit –

Have you ever read a story where some crime/murder has been committed and until the end you keep guessing “Who did it?,” that’s a Whodunit!

A mystery story where the main focus is on solving a crime, usually a murder.

Sleuth –

Sleuth is just another term for a Detective / Private Investigator… or anyone who is carrying out a careful investigation to solve a mystery. It can be a professional detective or an amateur who solves crimes.

Hard-boiled detective –

A tough, street-smart, no-nonsense detective who often works in a dangerous world full of crime and corruption. This character is usually cynical, has a strong sense of justice, and doesn’t always play by the rules.

Noir –

Noir (meaning “Black” in French) is a type of crime stories.

A dark and moody genre that often has cynical detectives, femme fatales (mysterious, dangerous women), and corrupt societies.

These stories usually have a pessimistic or tragic ending.

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