Douglas Adams' "holistic detective" Dirk Gently (pseudonym for Svlad Cjelli) is my favorite detective. He looks at the interconnectedness between all things (and I do mean all) to solve mysteries. He's psychic, but he doesn't see it that way (preferring to call his ability a "depressingly accurate knack for making wild assumptions").
The first book featuring Gently is Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, followed by The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul. The third was supposed to be Salmon of Doubt but it was unfinished at the time of Adams' death in 2005. What there was of it has been published alongside a number of other unfinished and small tidbits of writing, as The Salmon of Doubt: Hitchhiking the Galaxy One Last Time.
The first book was born out of a two-part Doctor Who episode Adams wrote, and was heavily influenced by his time at university. Dirk Gently has a similar feeling to Hitchhiker's Guide, so if you're a fan, you may want to check it out. It was also adapted to four television episodes from 2010-2012.
Mine is a little more modern (and spurned a television show.) And while my favorite isn't TECHNICALLY a detective, she helps solve crimes, so I think it counts.
I really love Temperance Brennan from the "Bones" book series by Kathy Reichs. (Ok, I like her on the TV show too, but I legitimately like her in the books. They're two very different people, really.)
Brennan is a forensic anthropologist in Canada (though the character is American.) She does everything from solving murders to identifying old bones. I've read two of the books in the series now, and I love her (and her cop counterpart) dearly. She's a little reckless, but only because she wants to catch the bad guys. And, unlike TV Brennan, is not completely socially inept (though she has her moments.)
Like most heroines in these kinds of books, she tends to disregard her own safety, but she is incredibly protective of her daughter. I just like her. I like that she gets so involved with her work, I like her personality and I like the writing (though... I DO NOT recommend reading the books if you're squeamish... or eating. They get a little graphic. I made the mistake of reading the first one on my lunch break and had to quickly stop doing that. XD)
It's one of the better crime novels I've read in my life and I recommend it, especially if you like the show.
Mine is a little more modern (and spurned a television show.) And while my favorite isn't TECHNICALLY a detective, she helps solve crimes, so I think it counts.
I really love Temperance Brennan from the "Bones" book series by Kathy Reichs. (Ok, I like her on the TV show too, but I legitimately like her in the books. They're two very different people, really.)
Brennan is a forensic anthropologist in Canada (though the character is American.) She does everything from solving murders to identifying old bones. I've read two of the books in the series now, and I love her (and her cop counterpart) dearly. She's a little reckless, but only because she wants to catch the bad guys. And, unlike TV Brennan, is not completely socially inept (though she has her moments.)
Like most heroines in these kinds of books, she tends to disregard her own safety, but she is incredibly protective of her daughter. I just like her. I like that she gets so involved with her work, I like her personality and I like the writing (though... I DO NOT recommend reading the books if you're squeamish... or eating. They get a little graphic. I made the mistake of reading the first one on my lunch break and had to quickly stop doing that. XD)
It's one of the better crime novels I've read in my life and I recommend it, especially if you like the show.
I don't have much to contribute this week. I don't have anything against mystery/detective books, they are just not what I typically go for. I can't say I've read any really, other than the Cam Jansen books, and a few Nancy Drew books as a pre-teen. The one James Patterson novel I read was the one that didn't feature Alex Cross. I also have not read Sherlock Holmes, although I like most of the film and tv portrayals that I've seen, and know enough about the characters.
ReplyDeleteNancy Drew is clearly the BEST novel ever.
DeleteSo it's cool; you win. ;)