Favorite fictional early (before 1930) detective poll besides Sherlock Holmes

[Mayerling]

Nick Carter

When I was in Junior High School I did find a book that republished five or six of the Nick Carter stories from the old "Dime Novels", but it was not really very believable or realistic (Nick apparently could change his appearance and clothing as quickly as Superman later did whe becoming Clark Kent).

One name missing who was worth reading because the stories were well written: Arthur Morrison's MARTIN HEWITT, INVESTIGATOR. Hewitt is an insurance investigator, and as clever as his contemporary Holmes, without the ego or Watson. Morrison wrote several good novels (A GIFT FROM THE JAGO was one) but got an inheritance about 1904 and stopped writing (he became an expert in Japanese china which he could now afford collecting). One of his stories about Hewitt mentions a theory about the Ripper being into "Black Magic".

[Mayerling]

How important are detectives in fiction to the plot?
Its ironic that one of the best thrillers ever written, Wilkie Collin's, The Woman in White dos'nt have a detective, but a great villiian in Count Fosco .
The problem with 'great detectives' in literature is that we all get fascinated by their foibles and egos and they tend to dominate the action to the detriment of the plots, so they tend to become a puzzle solving exercise with cardboard characters. Dorothy L sayers was so obsessed with writing about the extended love affair between Wimsey asnd Harriet Vane which she does very well, that the tension in the Vane books is will she won't she, rather than the detective part, her plots went to hell.
As for Poirot I think he is a master criminal, a vain serial killer, where ever he goes, even on holiday, someone is murdered! Poiret is extremely egotistical, thinks he is always right, and he likes an audience, so he gathers everyone together in room suggesting a variety of scenarios, until he Poiret points the finger, ''You my friend are the killer'' the poor sap is so mesmorised by his moustache they confess immediately.With Christie take the least likely person and they are always the murderer, works every time.
Love em all though
Cheers Miss Marple

Hi Miss Marple,

Actually I never thought the plots of HAVE HIS CARCASE and GAUDY NIGHT were bad. In fact the latter is really a crime of terror, not murder and allows Sayers to take a look at the issue of the educated woman in modern society.
HAVE HIS CARCASE may be the greatest comic send-up of the "perfect alibi" crime caper ever written, with the unexpected wrecking a neat scheme but only after briefly enhancing the alibis meaninglessly.

However the final murder novel was mediocre - arranging a plant to smash into the head of the Victim when he went to the radio at night is really stretching things.

Poirot was only great once to me - at the end of THE ABC Murders, when he faces the bigotted "Wogs begin at Calais" killer and tells him quietly that for all his super patriotism his crime was not very British - it was not "sporting".

Jeff

[Mayerling]

My choices

I do like Lord Peter Wimsey on that list. Dupin is curious.

But I wrote "Other" - and my twin choices are

Father Brown (by Gilbert Keith Chesterton) - possibly the only other detective hero of that period who remained in print because of the fame of his author (the others being Poe's Dupin and Doyle's Holmes). Brown is certainly rich as a depository for Chesterton paradox and Catholic wisdom. Unlike so much of his other work it doesn't drip anti-Semitism (see his famous comment about Jacob Gould's giggly laugh in MANALIVE).

Max Carrados by Ernest Brahmah. The first blind detective, and a joy to read after Holmes ego. Max was so kindly and cuddly.

Jeff

[Zodiac]

High Anxiety!!!

Yeah you see this is why I am not a fan. In my family a Tuppence is a ladies naughty bits!! I can't order a 'Woo Woo' for the same reasons.

I completely understand, from a purely psychological viewpoint, where you are coming from Dr Bradshaw. I just hope that you are not allowing any residual feelings of "Pee Pee Envy" that you may harbor to cloud you're judgement!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sagm8jQqOvk&feature=related

Best wishes,

Zodiac.

[KatBradshaw]

Likewise old fellow.

Yeah you see this is why I am not a fan. In my family a Tuppence is a ladies naughty bits!! I can't order a 'Woo Woo' for the same reasons.

[sdreid]

Sexton Blake was another contemporary of Sherlock Holmes along with Nick Carter. Did Blake or Carter ever hunt the Ripper?

[miss marple]

Yes Zodiac, the great Mitchell and Webb, the Poiret sketch is so brilliantly funny, Poiret's reputation will never be the same again! Its up there with my other favourite, James Bond villian thwarted in his attempts to build an ejector seat, by health and safety regulations.
Merry Christmas Miss Marple.

[Zodiac]

Poirot Exposed!!!

As for Poirot I think he is a master criminal, a vain serial killer, where ever he goes, even on holiday, someone is murdered! Poiret is extremely egotistical, thinks he is always right, and he likes an audience, so he gathers everyone together in room suggesting a variety of scenarios, until he Poiret points the finger, ''You my friend are the killer'' the poor sap is so mesmorised by his moustache they confess immediately.With Christie take the least likely person and they are always the murderer, works every time.
Love em all though
Cheers Miss Marple

You are indeed most wise to be suspicious of M. Poirot! Here I can, at long last, expose just exactly how he really "solved" all his cases!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9iQ1yU5Ops&feature=related

Best wishes,

Zodiac.

[miss marple]

How important are detectives in fiction to the plot?
Its ironic that one of the best thrillers ever written, Wilkie Collin's, The Woman in White dos'nt have a detective, but a great villiian in Count Fosco .
The problem with 'great detectives' in literature is that we all get fascinated by their foibles and egos and they tend to dominate the action to the detriment of the plots, so they tend to become a puzzle solving exercise with cardboard characters. Dorothy L sayers was so obsessed with writing about the extended love affair between Wimsey asnd Harriet Vane which she does very well, that the tension in the Vane books is will she won't she, rather than the detective part, her plots went to hell.
As for Poirot I think he is a master criminal, a vain serial killer, where ever he goes, even on holiday, someone is murdered! Poiret is extremely egotistical, thinks he is always right, and he likes an audience, so he gathers everyone together in room suggesting a variety of scenarios, until he Poiret points the finger, ''You my friend are the killer'' the poor sap is so mesmorised by his moustache they confess immediately.With Christie take the least likely person and they are always the murderer, works every time.
Love em all though
Cheers Miss Marple

[Magpie]

You know, it's funny that Agatha Christie is so far ahead when with the sole exception of her "Tommy and Tuppence" stories (and the Ustinov renditions of Poirot), I generally loathe Christie's work. It's kind of ironic that the one thing of hers that I like (and I like it a lot, to be fair) is the series that's not availabe to vote





oh, and there was a British mini-series of "Why didn't They Ask Evans" that I remember seeing back in the 'eighties that I quite liked too.

[Magpie]

Hi Magpie

Maybe someone in the US can download it and send it to you.

http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu...oyle%2c%20Jack

Got it Robert--Thank you!!!

[Magpie]

Hi Magpie

Maybe someone in the US can download it and send it to you.

http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu...oyle%2c%20Jack

Thank you Robert!

I'll try firing up the ISP cloaker and see if I can grab it

[The Good Michael]

I loved Doc Savage, The Avenger, and The Spider. They were all in the 30s, I believe, though maybe the Spider was a bit earlier.


Mike

[Robert]

Hi Magpie

Maybe someone in the US can download it and send it to you.

http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu...oyle%2c%20Jack

[Magpie]

Does anyone now if those earliest Boston Blackie stories are available online anywhere?