# Literary betectives by locale **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 7, 2004, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literary-betectives-by-locale/249182 "2004-06-07T21:52:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![TV\_time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f17d59/32.png) [@TV\_time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TV_time)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2004, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literary-betectives-by-locale/249182/1 "2004-06-07T21:52:56Z")
This is probably going to bomb terribly, but I said, “What that hey? Let’s give it a try.” List two or three fictional, literary detectives (not comic book, cartoon, TV show or movie - just book or short story) by their geographic location. Now if the character in question is a literary creation and something else - I suppose that’s OK. Like Sherlock Holmes and London would be OK even though he has had movies and a television series or two. He was primarily a literary creation. but McMillan of _McMillan and Wife_ and San Francisco would not qualify since he is not a _literary_ character. Let’s try for specific home bases - if all you have is a country, I suppose that’s acceptable, but try for city or town he or she operates from if possible. I already put forth Sherlock Holmes and London, which I think is fitting to begin with because, “The game is afoot!” TV ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Death](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecccb3/32.png) [@Evil\_Death](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Death)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2004, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literary-betectives-by-locale/249182/2 "2004-06-07T22:18:04Z")
> [@TV time](#): > > This is probably going to bomb terribly, but I said, “What that hey? Let’s give it a try.” > > List two or three fictional, literary detectives (not comic book, cartoon, TV show or movie - just book or short story) by their geographic location. Lincoln Rhyme: New York, USA Miss Marple: St Mary’s Mead, UK ---
**Author:** ![Rufus\_Xavier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@Rufus\_Xavier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rufus_Xavier)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2004, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literary-betectives-by-locale/249182/3 "2004-06-07T22:25:17Z")
Sam Spade - San Francisco, CA Philip Marlowe - Los Angeles, CA Hieronymous Bosch - Los Angeles, CA Elvis Cole - Los Angeles, CA ---
**Author:** ![Eutychus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Eutychus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eutychus)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2004, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literary-betectives-by-locale/249182/4 "2004-06-07T22:28:42Z")
Spencer - Boston, MA Horace Rumploe - London, England (not really a detective, but I think it fits the genre) ---
**Author:** ![Syntropy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/65b543/32.png) [@Syntropy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Syntropy)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2004, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literary-betectives-by-locale/249182/5 "2004-06-07T22:35:40Z")
Nick Charles, San Francisco by way of New York City Hercules Poirot, London, UK Bennie Rosato, Philadelphia PA ---
**Author:** ![Julius\_Henry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8797f3/32.png) [@Julius\_Henry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Julius_Henry)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2004, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literary-betectives-by-locale/249182/6 "2004-06-07T22:43:22Z")
C. Auguste Dupin, Paris Charlie Chan, Honolulu ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2004, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literary-betectives-by-locale/249182/7 "2004-06-07T22:46:39Z")
Kinsey Millhone, Santa Barbara, CA (called Santa Teresa in the books, but that’s what it is) Benni Harper, San Luis Obispo, CA (called San Celina in the books, but that’s what it is) Can you tell where I’m from? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2004, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literary-betectives-by-locale/249182/8 "2004-06-07T23:03:02Z")
Kat Colorado, greater Sacramento area William Monk, Victorian London ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2004, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literary-betectives-by-locale/249182/9 "2004-06-07T23:10:15Z")
A question for the OP. Does the person have to make their living at being a detective, or can it be someone(like Jessica Fletcher on TV) who has another occupation but keeps on finding mysteries to solve? ---
**Author:** ![Tamarin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc79bd/32.png) [@Tamarin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamarin)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2004, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literary-betectives-by-locale/249182/10 "2004-06-07T23:35:52Z")
Thursday Next, Swindon, UK Carlotta Carlyle, Boston, MA Matthew Scudder, New York, NY ---
**Author:** ![TV\_time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f17d59/32.png) [@TV\_time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TV_time)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2004, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literary-betectives-by-locale/249182/11 "2004-06-08T01:01:59Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > A question for the OP. Does the person have to make their living at being a detective, or can it be someone(like Jessica Fletcher on TV) who has another occupation but keeps on finding mysteries to solve? Oh, I think it has to be another occupation for some of them. In the classical style detective story, none of them really makes a living being a detective. Some try of course, look at London’s Terry and Tuppence Bresford, but you know, of course, they don’t make a dime. But people like Miss Marple (mentioned above) obviously don’t do it professionally. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2004, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literary-betectives-by-locale/249182/12 "2004-06-08T01:17:03Z")
> [@TV time](#): > > Some try of course, look at London’s Terry and Tuppence Bresford, but you know, of course, they don’t make a dime. Um, did you mean Tommy and Tuppence? ---
**Author:** ![StephenG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7feea3/32.png) [@StephenG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StephenG)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2004, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literary-betectives-by-locale/249182/13 "2004-06-08T01:56:37Z")
> [@Tamarin](#): > > Carlotta Carlyle, Boston, MA Ooh, who writes these ones? I’m always up for more stories set around here. My own contributions: Jesse Stone: Paradise, MA (but it’s really Newburyport, or some other Cape Ann town) Bernie Rhodenbarr: NY, NY Nancy Drew: River Heights, IL ---
**Author:** ![rexnervous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e9c0ed/32.png) [@rexnervous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rexnervous)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2004, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literary-betectives-by-locale/249182/14 "2004-06-08T02:05:11Z")
Aurelio Zen: Rome (generally), Italy Alex McKnight: Paradise, MI Carl Houseman: Nation County, IA ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2004, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literary-betectives-by-locale/249182/15 "2004-06-08T02:31:39Z")
Los Angeles, California: Easy Rawlins Lew Archer New York City: Nero Wolfe Barnard’s Crossing, Massachusetts (suburb of Boston): Rabbi David Small Fort Lauderdale, Florida: Travis McGee Idaville, Florida: Encyclopedia Brown ---
**Author:** ![JimOfAllTrades](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@JimOfAllTrades](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JimOfAllTrades)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2004, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literary-betectives-by-locale/249182/16 "2004-06-08T02:42:18Z")
Brother Cadfael, monastery of Saints Peter and Paul, Shrewsbury, England. Travis McGee, Slip F-18, Bahia Mar, Lauderdale, FL. ---
**Author:** ![Hunter\_Hawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@Hunter\_Hawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hunter_Hawk)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2004, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literary-betectives-by-locale/249182/17 "2004-06-08T02:43:45Z")
John Silence: London Carnacki: London (I think) Jules de Grandin: Harrisonville, NJ John Thunstone: New York, NY Dee Jen-djieh: Chang-ping, Shantung, China ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2004, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literary-betectives-by-locale/249182/18 "2004-06-08T02:48:33Z")
Marcus Didius Falco-Rome Decius Caecilius Metellus the Younger-Rome ---
**Author:** ![MisterThyristor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecccb3/32.png) [@MisterThyristor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MisterThyristor)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2004, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literary-betectives-by-locale/249182/19 "2004-06-08T03:06:24Z")
Milan Jakovich: Cleveland, OH Gil Disbro: Cleveland, OH ---
**Author:** ![Billdo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/billdo/32/315_2.png) [@Billdo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Billdo)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2004, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literary-betectives-by-locale/249182/20 "2004-06-08T03:30:02Z")
Gordianus, the Finder – Ancient Rome Sir John Fielding/Jeremy Proctor – Eighteenth Century London [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literary-betectives-by-locale/249182.md?page=2)