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Sunday, March 18, 2012

Crime Fiction Detectives


Peter Boyd
Played by Trevor Eve
on the BBC’s TV series “Waking the Dead

This Cold Case Unit's Detective Superintendent never shys away from shouting at and/or physically assaulting suspects in the unit's interview room.
Boyd is not afraid to complete the justice process outside of liberal courtrooms on occasion, or deliver a criminal suspect to their appropriate judge, jury and executioner – you will thoroughly enjoy the final episode of the 9th season "Waterloo, Parts 1 & 2".


Tom Barnaby
Played by John Nettles
on British television's ITV series "Midsomer Murders"

Based in the fictional town of Causton, Detective Chief Inspector Thomas Geoffrey "Tom" Barnaby solves murders methodical throughout a variety of small villages around the English countryside.
Barnaby is not one to beat around the bush when it comes to homicide investigations.


Frank Columbo
Played by Peter Falk
On the USA TV series “Columbo

Apart from the Boxed-Set and numerous TV episodes' display of this homicide detective's first name, he is referred to simply as Lieutenant Columbo.
The Los Angeles Police Department rests easy when Columbo is on the case, despite the fact that the criminal public, and public at large, see him as a simple, even bungling at times, policeman.
His unique ability to irritate suspects and play a simple-minded investigator only needing to complete reports for his boss enables this police lieutenant to get under their skin revealing the body of evidence necessary to arrest his suspect target(s).



Harold Francis 'Dirty Harry' Callahan
Played by Clint Eastwood

Pushing and bending the professional and ethical boundaries of law enforcement's tolerance of criminals' rights, this San Francisco Police Department Inspector is never intimidated by his superiors or society's criminals.
This character uses any and all means necessary to reach the conclusion of the case he is working on, highlighted with the poignant sarcastic comments we have all grown to love.



Christopher Foyle
Played by Michael Kitchen
the British television series "Foyle's War"

Criminals taking advantage of the tough times during World War II find Detective Chief Superintendent Christopher Foyle pursuing and capturing them with systematic regularity.
This widowed character, frequently underestimated by his foes, is of a quiet demeanor. He is straight-forward, analytical, methodical, very sagacious, and scrupulously honest.



Jack Frost
Played by David Jason
On Yorkshire Television's "A Touch of Frost"

Unsurpassed at solving crime mysteries, Detective Chief Inspector William Edward "Jack" Frost is prone to avoid or pass off all paperwork duties he encounters in favor of his 'hands-on' approach to criminal investigations.
Frost has a heart of gold and shows compassion when compassion is the necessity.



NYPD Blue, Law & Order, CSI, Whitechapel, NCIS, Miami Vice, Barney Miller, Nash Bridges, Flashpoint, The Body Farm, Diagnosis Murder, Murder She Wrote, CHIPs, T.J. Hooker, Stingers, Nancy Drew, Hawaii 5-0, Baretta, Dragnet, Monk, Inspector Morse, Poirot, Barnaby Jones, Quincy, M.E., McCloud, BBC’s Life on Mars, Southland, The Bridge, Cannon, Police Woman, Castle, The Rockford Files, The Hardy Boys, Kojak, Sherlock Holmes, Magnum, P.I., Perry Mason, Starsky & Hutch, Charlie's Angels, McMillan & Wife, Streets of San Francisco, The Mentalist, Bones, Numbers, The Untouchables, Criminal Minds, Blue Heelers, The Lineup, Harbor Command, 333 Montgomery Street, The Mod Squad, Veronica Mars, Prime Suspect, Dalziel and Pascoe, Wycliffe, Partners in Crime, Cadfael, Inspector Wexford, The Chinese Detective, Van der Valk, Rosemary and Thyme, Shoestring, The Last Detective, Crime Traveller, The Detective, Inspector Lewis, Mayo, Paul Temple, Public Eye, Blue Murder, Car-54, Adam-12, Hart to Hart, Mrs. Columbo, Cagney & Lacey, Miss Marple, Above Suspicion, The Division, and even the Steam Punk style series Murdoch Mysteries, are only some of the examples of the fictional crime genre we all love to love. And we haven’t even mentioned the Adult & YA literary realm of crime fiction novels that dominate almost 30% of all fiction sales and generate tens of millions of dollars to their collective community of authors, or radio dramas, magazines, digests & comic books.


Why do you believe this type of entertainment is so lasting.
Is it our fascination with the criminal element and law enforcement’s ever-progressing investigative techniques?
Do we long for a world where there actually is some sort of justice outside of our drama-queen style stage-play courtrooms?
Or, do we enjoy envisioning ourselves as villain or hero?

Finally, what characteristics do you find likable or even offensive about these investigative magnates of fiction?









Comments anyone?

2 comments:

Roxanne said...

Love that photo of you. Go ahead, MAKE MY DAY.

Karma said...

I have a HUUUUUGE crush on Boyd.....