And how about the monk detective in Umberto Eco’s The Name of the Rose? I would have loved to have read more stories with him in it.
I have to put in a word for Ross Spencer’s Chance Purdue, who could make anyone laugh.
How could you leave out Batman?
My favourite is John Marshall Tanner, but no one else seems to have ever heard of him.
Mycroft Holmes deserves to be on this list.
Oh, and maybe Jupiter Jones after he’s had a few more years to refine his skills.
How about G.K. Chesterton’s Father Brown?
[QUOTE=aldiboronti]
This guy is much earlier.
Marcus Didius Falco
[/QUOTE]
shakes fist
Can I go with Tracer Bullet instead?
What, no mention of Spenser?
[QUOTE=AtomicDog]
How could you leave out Batman?
[/QUOTE]
Look closely. He’s been mentioned.
And if Batman gets on the list, then Ralph Dibny probably deserves to be on it as well.
[QUOTE=Siam Sam]
And how about the monk detective in Umberto Eco’s The Name of the Rose? I would have loved to have read more stories with him in it.
[/QUOTE]
Ditto. And I also love Cadfael on PBS. (I just gotta look up those books.)
[QUOTE=ivan astikov]
Dave Robicheaux, from James Lee Burkes wonderful books.
[/QUOTE]
Seconded. Of course Dave Robicheaux considers his old partner Clete Purcell a much better investigator than himself. 
I’d add Arkady Renko (chief protagonist from Gorky Park and the subsequent novels by Martin Cruz Smith).
[QUOTE=Sage Rat]
Conan Edogawa is written targeting children, but he is probably the most profitable (in terms of sales) detective character ever.
[/QUOTE]
Beat me to it. You can as well add Hattori Heiji, who is probably as good detective as Conan.
But I disagree that this series is targeting children. It isn’t. Although some main characters are children (or appear children), themes, humor and plots are certainly addressed to more mature audience. I’d call it ‘targeting family’, but in US (and Europe) ‘family friendly’ usually exclude multiple brutal murders.
I guess we need Ironside too. Maybe Starsky and Hutch.
How’s your Glaswegian?
Taggart!
The top five:
Travis McGee
Matt Scudder
The Continental Op (Dashiell Hammett)
Philip Marlowe
Sherlock Holmes
and if we’ve gotta include TV, give an honorable mention to Rita Lee Lance (Mitzi Kapture) of Silk Stalkings, who gets cuteness points.
[QUOTE=chicken wire?]
Seconded. Of course Dave Robicheaux considers his old partner Clete Purcell a much better investigator than himself.
I’d add Arkady Renko (chief protagonist from Gorky Park and the subsequent novels by Martin Cruz Smith).
[/QUOTE]
Hee!
I still need to read “Wolves Eat Dogs” and “Stalin’s Ghost”
Kinky, Kinky, Kinky. Friedman that is.
Between cases he can break into country western songs like “They Ain’t Making Jews Like Jesus Anymore” and “Get Your Biscuits in the Oven and Your Buns in the Bed.”
[QUOTE=Mangetout]
I guess we need Ironside too. Maybe Starsky and Hutch.
[/QUOTE]
Were Husky and Starch really that brilliant as detectives, though? I was rather young when they were on the air, but my impression is that their show was known more for action and drama rather than crime-solving brilliance.
With apologies if I missed these two, but Jim Rockford and Thomas Magnum have to in the mix here somewhere.
I’m putting a vote in for Kurt Wallander, because I like Henning Mankell’s books. Oh, and Sir Seaton Begg, purely because I get to use the word ‘metatemporal’ in a post (plus Sir Seaton’s a good friend of mine).
OB