John Dickson Carr's Detectives (and Others)

Detective Search (name of detective or author)

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Dr. Gideon Fell: Who's Who Entry supplied to Anthony Boucher by JDC (© 1950 MWA)
    Fell, Gideon, retired; formerly schoolmaster, journalist, and historian;
    b. Stavely Manor, Garth, Lincolnshire, 1884; sec. s. Sir Digby and Lady F.;
    grad., Eton and Balliol, Harvard (U.S.A.), BA, MA (Oxon.), PhD (Harvard), LLD (Edinburgh).
    Fellow of Royal Historical Society, Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor (France).
    Publications: Romances of the Seventeenth Century (Smith, 1922); The Drinking Customs of England from the Earliest Times (Crippen & Wainwright, 1946).
    Clubs: Garrick, Savage, Detection.
    Hobbies: Reading and detection of crime.
    Present address: 13 Round-Pond Place, Hampstead, London NW3.

Note: There are no details about GF's wife, who is occasionally referred to, not even her name. Other addresses were Yew Cottage, Chatterham, Lincolnshire (Hag's Nook), and 1 Adelphi Terrace, London (Mad Hatter and 1930s mysteries -- much more centrally located than Hampstead). Date of death: presumably shortly after 1967.
Sir Henry Merrivale: Unfortunately JDC did not obligingly supply such a precis as he did for Fell; the following information has been culled from the books.
    Merrivale, Sir Henry, Bart. Born 1871. Holder of one of the oldest baronetcy titles in England.
    Married. Two daughters.
    Doctor (physician), Lawyer (King's Council barrister).
    Head of British counter-intelligence in WWI (and still maintained office in Whitehall).
    Politics: once a rabid Socialist, soon became an equally rabid Tory.
    Address: somewhere in central London (not specified where his family estate is, but probably near Cheltenham)
    Date of death: presumably around 1957


This database includes other recurring characters in the Carr productions (such as Inspector Hadley) and also 'detectives' (who are sometimes historical figures) featured in the Historical Mysteries. JDC did not have a huge cast of recurring characters (a là 87th Precinct), but did have a few who cropped up now and then.

It is not intended to list JDC's best characters (murderers and otherwise), although if that strikes you as a good idea, please suggest it on the Bulletin Board. (Ben Soar, Aunt Elspeth, the Bishop of Mappleham, Uncle Jules, Charles Grimaud, Dr. Illingworth, Fay Seton etc. come to mind.)

Note: currently the database does not include any detectives other than John Dickson Carr/Carter Dickson creations.
Detectives by other authors who can be considered 'equals' of JDC's might be added in future.

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You can view the entire list of JDC's books in different order based on Date, Title, Detective, Type, or Popularity Rank, or use Keywords to Search for a book.

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