Tag: Miscellany Page 117 of 175

Fiona Griffiths from the Fiona Griffiths series

When we meet her, Fi is most junior detective on the South Wales Major Crimes unit. And she’s very aware of it—she’s very aware of a lot. She had some…very serious medical issues as a young person (I’ll let her tell you about it), and she’s really not totally over it. She keeps most of her problems to herself, her colleagues and supervisors know that her brain doesn’t work like most people’s do. It’s Fi’s unique perspective and her drive to be accepted by other detectives that provide the push for her to get to the bottom of the murder case in her first book, Talking to the Dead.

Archie Goodwin from the Nero Wolfe series

I do an annual tribute to Archie on October 23rd, so I’ll keep this short. Archie is the narrator of the Nero Wolfe mysteries. He’s Wolfe’s assistant, his legman, his majordomo. A decent P.I. in his own right, Archie’s major task is to be the reclusive genius’s conduit to the world outside. He’s got a quick wit, a pretty good punch, a strong typing speed, and a fantastic memory. I’ve been reading Archie since I was in junior high, and I can’t imagine that I won’t be reading him on my deathbed.

Harry Dresden from The Dresden Files

What can I possibly say about Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden?

Maybe I’ll let him sum things up. In the Chicago Yellow Pages (back when they were a thing), you could find this listing:

HARRY DRESDEN — WIZARD
Lost Items Found. Paranormal Investigations.
Consulting. Advice. Reasonable Rates.
No Love Potions, Endless Purses, Parties or Other Entertainment

That pretty much says it all. He’s Chicago’s only Professional Wizard, a sometimes Police Consultant, a Warden of the White Council, the Winter Knight, and incurable smart-ass.

I love this guy.

Izzy Spellman from The Spellman Files

Izzy is the daughter of two P.I.s and joining the family business as a way to delay maturation. She drinks too much, she has a very spotty relationship record. Has a nose for trouble—and is a good investigator, when she puts in a little effort. Her family spends as much time investigating each other as they do whatever case they’re working. She’s funny, she’s quirky, she has a tendency to use a lot of footnotes in her narration. She’s as funny as Stephanie Plum at her best, as good an investigator as Kinsey Millhone (if not better), and an ability to find herself in trouble as often as Dennis Mitchell.

(Borrowing from Lisa Lutz’s website) “Izzy’s cynical—okay, wise—enough to realize that a primrose-covered cottage with a white picket fence is not in her future. That’s okay with her. Ever the jaded P.I., she catalogs her ex-boyfriends with calculated brevity, reducing her romantic misjudgments to curt summaries of name, age, occupation, hobbies, duration, and last words. No sooner has she met a new man that she begins composing his exit profile.”

Jupiter Jones from The Three Investigators series.

The Three Investigators series solidified my obsession with Detective Fiction, one that readers here know has not let up one bit. The First Investigator gave hope to chubby, bookish kids everywhere—the HQ he set up underneath the discarded bits and pieces in his Aunt and Uncle’s junkyard was a dream hangout, his inventiveness was something to be jealous of, and his nose for a mystery was something we all aspired to. I don’t know how many times I read every novel in that series I could find (more than was good for me), but watching Jupiter (and Pete and Bob) get into and out of trouble (mostly because of Jupiter’s intellect) was one of my favorite things in childhood.

Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird

(and, technically, the other book that probably should never have seen the light of day, we’ll just ignore that)

Atticus’ fight for justice for all, his parenting style, the lessons he imparted to his children, the basic decency he showed to everyone…in short, his character. No one human can probably be as good as he’s depicted. But Lee did it in such a way that we all believe he could’ve been, and we all want to try to be that kind of person ourselves.

Harry Bosch from The Harry Bosch series

Everybody counts or nobody counts. This motto has driven the law enforcement career (and retirement) of this orphaned son of a murdered prostitute, who turned his grief and trauma into a crusade for justice for everyone, not just the powerful and rich. There are more than twenty novels in his own series, plus appearances in novels of two spin-off series–plus one of the best TV series that Amazon has yet produced. His drive, his focus, his crusade has captured the imagination of a legion of fans, and it shows no signs of slowing down.

Chet “The Jet” from the Chet and Bernie Mysteries

Chet flunked out of the training to be a police dog on the last day (a cat was involved), and that was the best thing that could’ve happened to him. He’s now the partner of Bernie Little, a private investigator in Phoenix. Bernie and Chet may not be the most successful team out there (Bernie’s not good with money), but they are known for their integrity, their persistence, and their successes in closing cases. Chet loves little more than chasing down a perp and wrapping his teeth around their ankle (Slim Jims, a scratch behind the ears, a game of fetch, or Bernie’s smell would be challenges for that). I became a fan of Chet’s within a couple of chapters of his debut and my appreciation for him continues to grow.

Dobby the House Elf from the Harry Potter series

Dobby…the poor slave of the Malfoys, freed by Harry Potter at the end of The Chamber of Secrets. Who doesn’t cheer a little every time they read or hear, “Dobby has no master. Dobby is a free elf!”? He’s constantly causing trouble as he tries to help/save Harry. His death is one of the hardest to read in the series, the connection that so many readers make with him over the course of the series demonstrates Rowling’s skill with characters. He doesn’t have fabulous powers, he doesn’t have a giant role to play in the series. But here’s there frequently, doing the little things and being stalwart, brave, and loyal.

Eustace Scrubb from The Chronicles of Narnia

When we first meet Eustace he’s such a worthless twit, it seems even Lewis has little use or patience for him. His whiny attitude, demanding to see the British consulate in Narnia, (and what’s up with calling his parents by their names?), etc. And don’t get me started with the way he treats Reepicheep! But then comes the night in the dragon’s cave and the singular best depiction of sanctification in fiction (with the possible exception of Bunyan). Then he grows, he develops, and over the next book and a half becomes one of the great heroes of Narnia. Eustace is my favorite Son of Adam in the series and I still enjoy thinking of him decades after first meeting him.