Authors and Detectives on the Series Pages

Many classic detectives and Golden Age authors (as well as modern ones) deserve web pages of their own, but due to time constraints and ISP space problems this is not feasible. The Series pages are designed to make up for this by providing more limited descriptions of several detectives and authors, emphasizing the best in the administrator's opinion, not the totality. The series pages get updated on a random basis, and some are more complete than others. Return to this current web page to see latest updates. (You will undoubtedly note my laziness in that the later pages are the least developed. Also inclusion of an author/detective in one category or another is often arbitrary. Future enhancements may include new categories, such as female private eyes and humorous detective stories, some of which are discussed elsewhere on this web site -- look down by the Counter.)

List of Series Pages/Categories

British Police: Inspectors or other ranks at Scotland Yard and in other police forces in the UK; technically 'police procedurals' but the main detective is the Inspector.

Listed: Catherine Aird/Inspector C.D. Sloane; Colin Dexter/Inspector Morse; Peter Dickinson/Supt. Jimmy Pibble; John Greenwood/Inspector Jack Mosley; S.T. Haymon/Inspector Benjamin Jurnet; Reginald Hill/Pascoe and Dalziel; Michael Innes/Sir John Appleby; Peter Lovesey/Supt. Peter Diamond; Patricia Moyes/Chief Supt. Henry Tibbett; Joyce Porter/Chief Inspector Wilfred Dover; Ruth Rendell/Chief Inspector Reginald Wexford; Peter Robinson/Inspector Alan Banks; Josephine Tey/Inspector Alan Grant; Henry Wade/Inspectors Poole, Lott, and others; Colin Watson/Inspector Purbright.

Misc: Gwendoline Butler's Commander Coffin, W.J. Burley's Supt. Wycliffe, J.D. Carr's Colonel March, John Creasey's Commander Gideon, Freeman Wills Crofts's Inspector French, Clare Curzon's Supt. Yeadings, Jack Harvey's DI Charlie Resnick, Ngaio Marsh's Chief Inspector Roderick Alleyn, Jill McGown's Inspectors Lloyd and Hill, Sheila Radley's Inspector Quantrill, Colin Wilson's Supt. Saltfleet.

Amateurs: Detectives who detect for the joy or stimulus of it, not for pay or profit.

Listed: Margery Allingham/Albert Campion; Simon Brett/Charles Paris; John Dickson Carr/Dr Gideon Fell; Agatha Christie/Miss Jane Marple; Edmund Crispin/Gervase Fen; V.C. Clinton-Baddeley/Dr Davie; Ellery Queen/Ellery Queen and Drury Lane; Dorothy Sayers/Lord Peter Wimsey; S.S. Van Dine/Philo Vance; Rivals of Holmes -- G.K. Chesterton/Father Brown; Jacques Futrelle/The Thinking Machine; Edward D. Hoch/Dr Sam Hawthorne; C. Daly King/Trevis Tarrant; Baroness Orczy/Old Man in the Corner.

Misc: Isaac Asimov's Henry, Robert Campbell's Jimmy Flannery, Jonathan Gash's Lovejoy, Mollie Hardwick's Dorian Fairweather, Anthony Oliver's Lizzie Thomas, Stuart Palmer's Hildgarde Withers, Frank Parrish's Dan Mallet

Professionals: Lawyers, pathologists, and other non-police who work directly or indirectly in law enforcement.

Listed: Douglas G. Browne/Harvey Tuke; Sarah Caudwell/Hilary Tamar; Carter Dickson/Sir Henry Merrivale; R. Austin Freeman/Dr. Thorndyke; Ronald Knox/Miles Bredon; John Mortimer/Horace Rumpole; Rivals of Holmes -- William Hope Hodgson/Carnacki the Ghost Finder; Edgar Wallace/Mr. J.G. Reeder.

Misc: Helen McCloy's Basil Willing; David Williams's Mark Treasure

Private Eyes: Professional detectives who make their living solving crimes; private eyes or 'gumshoes' tend to be American -- the British ones are more 'gentlemanly' or donnish. So this category ranges from Sherlock Holmes to Philip Marlowe.

Listed: Lawrence Block/Matt Scudder; Agatha Christie/Hercule Poirot; Dashiell Hammett/Continental Op; Bill Pronzini/The Nameless Detective; Conan Doyle/Sherlock Holmes; Rex Stout/Nero Wolfe; Rivals of Holmes -- Ernest Bramah/Max Carrados; August Derleth/Solar Pons.

Misc: Liza Cody's Anna Lee, Robert Crais's Elvis Cole, Stephen Dobyn's Charlie Bradshaw, P.N. Elrod's Jack Fleming, Loren D. Estleman's Amos Walker, Alexander McCall Smith's Precious Ramotswe

Cops: Foreign policemen (i.e., not British); and also procedural novels with no single detective but a squad or 'troupe'.

Listed: J D Carr/Henri Bencolin; Tony Hillerman/Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee; William Marshall/Yellowthread Street Station; Ed McBain/87th Precinct (Steve Carella), Matthew Hope (not a cop); James McClure/Kramer and Zondi; Ian Rankin/John Rebus; Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö/Martin Beck; Arthur Upfield/Napoleon Bonaparte.

Misc: James Lee Burke's Dave Robicheaux, Michael Dibdin's Aurelio Zen, Richard Fliegel's Lowenkopf and Greeley, Jack Vance's Sheriff Joe Bain.

Historical Mysteries: Detective series set in ancient Egypt, Rome, Greece, etc.; but also 18th Century and Victorian times.

Listed: Bruce Alexander/Sir John Fielding; Lillian de la Torre/Dr Sam: Johnson; Peter Lovesey/Sgt. Cribb, Bertie Prince of Wales; Stephen Saylor/Gordianus the Finder.

Misc: J.D. Carr's Historicals, Lindsey Davis's Marcus Didius Falco, Ray Harrison's Bragg and Morton, J.G. Jeffrey's Jeremy Sturrock, Francis Selwyn's Sergeant Verity, P.C. Doherty's Judge Amerotke, Randall Garrett's Lord Darcy, Edward Marston's Nicholas Bracewell, Ellis Peters's Brother Cadfael, John Maddox Roberts's Decius Caecilius Metellus, Lynda Robinson's Lord Meren, Kate Ross's Julian Kestrel, Leonard Tourney's Matthew Stock.

Gee Whiz: Superheroes.

Listed: Ian Fleming/James Bond; Maxwell Grant/The Shadow; Rivals of Holmes -- Sax Rohmer/Moris Klaw; M.P. Shiel/Prince Zaleski; Seabury Quinn/Jules de Grandin

Rogues and Villains: Crooks and Scam Artists.

Listed: Sax Rohmer/Fu Manchu; Kyril Bonfiglioni/Charlie Mortdecai; Frank McAuliffe/Augustus Mandrell; Sundry/Count Dracula; Sundry/Professor Moriarty; Rivals of Holmes -- Grant Allen/Col. Clay; Clifford Ashdown/Romney Pringle; E.W. Hornung/Raffles; Maurice Leblanc/Arsène Lupin;

Misc: Ross Thomas's Wu & Durant, Padillo & McCorkle; Russell Thorndike's Doctor Syn

Grobius, Sept. 2003

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