The best crime writers in the world could only give us some of the best crime fighters we know and love.

From novels to TV series and more, here is our selection of the top 10 crime fighters in no particular order:

 

Sherlock Holmes

“There is nothing more deceptive than an obvious fact.”

Created by famous British author, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes is a popular private detective. So popular, in fact, that the character is listed on Guinness World Records as the “most portrayed movie character” in history.

He first appeared in 1887 in A Study in Scarlet, becoming a favourite after a short story series in The Strand Magazine in 1891’s A Scandal in Bohemia. Holmes appeared on a total of four novels and 56 short stories, which are mostly narrated by The detective’s friend, John Watson.

It’s believed that Edgar Allan Poe’s character C. Auguste Dupin inspired the creation of Sherlock Holmes. Dupin is acknowledged as the first detective in fiction, later serving as a prototype for many other similar characters. But that doesn’t seem to be the only inspiration; in fact, Émile Gaboriau’s stories of Monsieur Lecoq also seem to have inspired Holmes. The latter’s speech and behaviour often follow Lecoq’s popular stories of the time.

 

Jessica Fletcher

“There are three things you can never have enough of in life, Lieutenant: chocolate, friends, and the theatre.”

Jessica Beatrice Fletcher, or J. B. Fletcher when she’s writing, stars in the popular American series Murder, She Wrote. Best-selling author of mystery novels, congresswoman, and English Teacher, her travels as an author take her to a variety of places that allow her to set her characters’ lives outside of her bubble.

One of her trips leads her to Hawaii, where she meets Thomas Magnum and shares a case. She typically solves crime in the style of one of her characters, with the local police seemingly needing her help.

 

Miss Marple

“Well, my dear,’ said Miss Marple, ‘human nature is much the same everywhere, and, of course, one has opportunities of observing it at closer quarters in a village.”

Unlike any other typical detective, Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple is an expert at observing human nature. She uses her intelligence and unassuming appearance to blend into the background and pursue the truth.

She often states that there is “a great deal of wickedness in village life”; which she, in fact, seems to often find herself having to solve.

 

Hercule Poirot

“My name is Hercule Poirot and I am probably the greatest detective in the world.”

Belgian private detective Hercule Poirot is known for his detective skills and impressive moustache. Both respected and admired by the variety of police forces that he meets in his travels, he’s truly become one of the most beloved characters we know.

With his knowledge of human nature and the use of psychology, Poirot always seems to be able to weed out the criminals wherever he goes.

 

Magnum, P.I.

“One of the clichés of my profession is that to get information from a bartender you have to slip him bills of various denominations. Bills that you can’t afford with pictures of unfamiliar presidents and usually for information that isn’t worth it.”

Private investigator Thomas Magnum starred in the 1980s American series Magnum, P.I. with Tom Selleck as the main character. A reboot premiered in 2018 with Jay Hernandez – which only attests to the popularity of this quirky private investigator.

A sports fan and Navy officer, Magnum lives an opulent life in Hawaii, picking and choosing the cases he wants to take. He becomes friends with ex-British Army Sergeant Major Jonathan Quayle Higgins III, although in the beginning, their relationship was cold.

 

DCI Jane Tennison

“You know, it’ll be a huge miscalculation to try and undermine my authority.”

British procedural drama series, Prime Suspect, stars DCI Jane Tennison, who becomes the first female Detective Chief Inspector in the Metropolitan Police Service of Greater London. She eventually rises to the rank of Detective Superintendent, while still confronting the institutionalised sexism in the police force.

We see Tennison growing from a woman in her forties trying to prove herself to a woman in her sixties struggling to stay relevant in a profession that doesn’t welcome an older woman giving out orders. In addition to sexism, the show also tackles racism in the police force, paedophilia, and homophobia.

 

Columbo

“Where there’s a microscope, there’s always a slide.”

Homicide detective Columbo, created by Richard Levinson and William Link, originally aired in 1968 and had its last episodes in 2003. It made popularised the ‘howcatchem’, or the inverted detective story, in which the crime and the perpetrator are shown first.
Intelligent but inelegant, Columbo is a blue-collar detective known for his frequent cigar-smoking, beige raincoat, and unassuming demeanour. With a circumstantial speech, or non-linear thought pattern, and seeming ineptitude, the typical high society criminals in the show are taken by surprise when Columbo often leads them to self-incrimination.

 

Nancy Drew

“Ned said ‘Nancy Drew is the best girl detective in the whole world!’”

“Don’t you believe him,” Nancy said quickly. “I have solved some mysteries, I’ll admit, and I enjoy it, but I’m sure there are many other girls who could do the same.”

Created by Edward Stratemeyer, Nancy Drew is the female counterpart to the Hardy Boys series. First appearing in 1930, the books are ghostwritten by a variety of authors and published under a collective pseudonym: Carolyn Keene.

Nancy Drew has become a formative influence for a number of women, as stated by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former First Lady Laura Bush. The character has evolved through the decades to reflect the culture changes in the US, but she still remains a cultural icon.

 

Dr R. Quincy, M. E.

“Gentlemen, you are about to enter the most important and fascinating sphere of police work: the world of forensic medicine, where untold victims of many homicides will reach back from the grave and point back a finger accusingly at their assailant.”

Based on the book Where Death Delights by former FBI agent Marshall Houts, Dr Quincy is a medical examiner in the show Quincy, M.E. that aired from 1976-1983. The American medical mystery-drama was perhaps the inspiration for the many forensic crime dramas that followed.

Dr Quincy, with a knack for spotting wrongdoings and with a phenomenal skill as a coroner, helped solve some of the most mysterious deaths.

DCI Vera Stanhope

“I know a rotten apple when I smell one.”

Quick-witted, intuitive, and a love of fish and chips: Detective Chief Inspector Vera Stanhope is a breath of fresh air. Written by Ann Cleeves, this female detective is part of a famous crime drama series, Vera, based on the novels of the same name.

Obsessed about her work, she regularly showcases her superior detective skills even though she’s nearly retired from the fictional Northumberland & City Police. She loves her work and her co-workers, working closely with sergeants Joe Ashworth and Aiden Healy.

If she sounds familiar, it’s no wonder! How many times do we have the pleasure of a stunning character like DCI Vera Stanhope? Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple is perhaps the only other older female detective we can think of at the top of our head.

If you love both Vera and Miss Marple, why not join us this November for A Murder is Announced?

We always have something on at the Grand – give our Box Office a call on 01253 290190 to book your tickets today!