List of fictional detectives

Fictional detectives generally fit one of four archetypes:^{[according to whom?]}

The amateur detective (Miss Marple, Jessica Fletcher, Lord Peter Wimsey); From outside the field of criminal investigation, but gifted with knowledge, curiosity, desire for justice, etc.
The private investigator (Cordelia, Holmes, Marlowe, Spade, Poirot, Magnum, Millhone); Works professionally in criminal and civic investigations, but outside the criminal justice system.
The police detective (Dalgliesh, Kojak, Morse, Columbo, Alleyn, Maigret); Part of an official investigative body, charged with solving crimes.
The forensic specialist (Scarpetta, Quincy, Cracker, CSI teams, Thorndyke); Affiliated with investigative body, officially tasked with specialized scientific results rather than solving the crime as a whole.

Notable fictional detectives and their creators include:

Amateur detectives

Misir Ali – part-time professor of psychology and academic author at University of Dhaka, created by Humayun Ahmed
Arjun – young detective from Jalpaiguri in West Bengal, created by Samaresh Majumdar
P. K. Basu – criminal lawyer, created by Narayan Sanyal
Trixie Belden – teen detective, created by Julie Campbell Tatham
Boston Blackie – reformed jewel thief, created by Jack Boyle
Rosemary Boxer – with Laura Thyme, gardening detective, created by Brian Eastman
Beatrice Adela Lestrange Bradley – widowed socialite, created by Gladys Mitchell
Father Brown – Catholic priest, created by English novelist G. K. Chesterton. Features in 51 detective short stories.
Encyclopedia Brown – boy detective Leroy Brown, nicknamed "Encyclopedia" for his intelligence and range of knowledge.
Cadfael – early 12th-century monk solves murders and social problems, created by Ellis Peters, also known as Edith Pargeter.
Jonathan Creek – creative consultant to a magician, in a British TV series by the same name, written by David Renwick.
Nancy Drew – High school sleuth, created by Edward Stratemeyer.
C. Auguste Dupin – upper class character created by Edgar Allan Poe. Dupin made his first appearance in Poe's "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" (1841), widely considered the first detective fiction story.^[2]
Dr Gideon Fell – "lexicographer" and drinker, created by John Dickson Carr
Sister Fidelma – A Celtic nun in the 7th century who solves mysteries, by Peter Berresford Ellis
The Famous Five (novel series) - Child detectives and their pet dog created by Enid Blyton.
Jessica Fletcher – writer, created by William Link and Richard Levinson for Murder, She Wrote TV series (1984–1996)
Pandab Goenda – team of five child detectives, created by Sasthipada Chattopadhyay
Gogol – teenage detective, created by Samaresh Basu
Beverly Gray – protagonist of the Beverly Gray Mystery series by Clair Blank
Myrtle Hardcastle – Victorian girl detective, main character in the Myrtle Hardcastle Mystery novels, created by Elizabeth C. Bunce
The Hardy Boys – Sibling high school sleuths, (Frank & Joe) created by Edward Stratemeyer.
Jonathan & Jennifer Hart – millionaire couple, created by Sidney Sheldon
Patrick Jane – con artist, created by Bruno Heller for The Mentalist TV series
Jagga Jasoos – young detective, created by Anurag Basu for the eponymous film
Al Moghameron Al Khamsa (The Five Adventurers or The Adventurous Five) - kid detectives created by Egyptian writer Mahmoud Salem.
Jayanta & Manik – amateur detective duo created by Bengali novelist Hemendra Kumar Roy
Kakababu – former director of the Archaeological Survey of India, created by Sunil Gangopadhyay
Sally Lockhart – teenage girl, created by Philip Pullman
Miss Marple – a small town old spinster who solves a number of crimes using common sense, created by Agatha Christie
Veronica Mars – school girl whose father is a private detective, created by Rob Thomas
Amelia Peabody – Egyptologist who solves a variety of dastardly crimes in turn-of-the-century Egypt, created by Elizabeth Peters.
Ellery Queen – author and editor of a magazine, created by two writers, using the pseudonym Ellery Queen
Easy Rawlins – black WWII veteran from Houston. All stories take place in Los Angeles during the 50s & 60s. Created by Walter Mosley.
Joseph Rouletabille – journalist created by French writer Gaston Leroux. Main character in The Mystery of the Yellow Room.
Niladri Sarkar – retired colonel, naturist and amateur investigator, created by Bengali writer Syed Mustafa Siraj
Laura Thyme – with Rosemary Boxer, gardening detective, created by Brian Eastman
Dr. John Thorndyke – medical doctor who trained to become a forensic specialist, created by R. Austin Freeman
Philip Trent – gentleman sleuth, created by E. C. Bentley
Professor Augustus S. F. X. Van Dusen – created by Jacques Futrelle
Hetty Wainthropp – retired working-class woman, created by David Cook
Lord Peter Wimsey – wealthy English gentleman, created by Dorothy L. Sayers, assisted by his valet (and batman from WW1) Bunter and later also Harriet Vane
Kyoko Kirigiri - a former detective from the game Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Shuichi Saihara - main detective and second protagonist in Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony
Three Investigators - An American juvenile detective book series created by Robert Arthur Jr.
Kiyoshi Shimada - a Buddhist priest who excels at solving mysteries, created by Yukito Ayatsuji. Shimada first appeared in Ayatsuji's debut novel The Decagon House Murders (1987). The book belongs to his Bizarre House/Mansion Murders series. The first two volumes of the series have been translated into English by Locked Room International.^[3]
Hildegarde Withers- a New York City schoolteacher turned amateur sleuth created by Stuart Palmer