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Who is your favorite detective/crime fighter?


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I'm a huge fan of thrillers, mysteries, and horror novels. There are many heroes who have become favorites of mine, but there is one that has always stood out for me...luckily, he's featured in a series, so there's always new books coming out!

 

So, my favorite crime fighter is FBI Special Agent Aloysius Pendergast from the series that started with The Relic by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. They've decided to focus the entire series on him, but many of the other characters from the first book pop up quite often, including the gruff New York detective Vincent D'Agosta. There are so many things about Pendergast that are unusual, and these are the things that make him special: he's brilliant (of course), polite (he's from an old, Southern family), willing to break rules, wealthy (he does his crime fighting in a vintage Rolls Royce), and a master of all martial arts, weapons, philosophies, and has an uncanny understanding of the criminal mind. After all, his brother Diogenes is a dangerous psychopath!

So, who is your favorite detective or crime fighter? Or, do you prefer the villains?

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I tend to like the villains a fair old bit myself. But, as crime-fighters go, I rather like Logan "Lazarus" McRae frmo the series of books by Stuart Macbride (starting with Cold Granite). He's one of those perfectly flawed guys who has a million and one problems of his own and still has to deal with the day-to-day grind of being a police detective. Great stuff.

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I like Lincoln Rhyme from some of Jeffery Deaver's books. He is an expert crime scene analyst that has become paralysed after an accident on a crime scene.

 

But my all time favourite is chief of police Jeffery Tolliver from Karin Slaughter's series of books based in Grant County. Well until....(don't read this unless you're planning on never reading this series of books!)

she killed him off in her last book! :lol:

 

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Only a couple or three/four really. Rebus, Banks, Dalgleish, Davenport (Prey series).

 

Lucas Davenport was my runner-up for the top spot. I love how he's not totally a nice person, although he's certainly mellowed out lately, huh? I haven't read the last two in the series yet...Invisible Prey has been on my TBR list for months, after I got it for my birthday last year.

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Invisible Prey has been on my TBR list for months, after I got it for my birthday last year.

 

I prefer to listen to his books read by Richard Ferrone, although I have read a couple. I see you are in the US. John Sandford is relatively little known here, but he's one of the best crime writers in my opinion. The last one I listened to was Broken Prey. A sub plot is that Lucas Davenport is given an iPod by his wife with a voucher for 100 songs. So he debates with his colleagues what should go onto it. He wants the 100 greatest rock songs of the modern era. Here's his list:

 

Lucas Davenport
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LOL! Davenport has some interesting taste in music! I had no idea there was anything like that.

 

I think John Sandford (his real name is John Camp) started out as a crime reporter for a major Minneapolis newspaper. I'll be that gave him some amazing insights into the true crime atmosphere of his city, which he brings to life so well! :lol:

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I think John Sandford (his real name is John Camp) started out as a crime reporter for a major Minneapolis newspaper. I'll be that gave him some amazing insights into the true crime atmosphere of his city, which he brings to life so well! :lol:

 

A Pulitzer prize winning journalist no less. The iPod thing was very funny & a welcome relief from the crime. Sandford can be quite graphic.

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Thursday Next is another good one, all my favourites are mentioned, Tomk Thorne from the Mark Billingham books is good too and Jim Kelly wries about Philip Dryden and they're good too.

I've often wondered what Jasper Fforde's books are like. The Eyre Affair was the first one wasn't it?

 

Although he doesn't count because he's certainly not a crime fighter, but he is the main character in a crime series - Tom Ripley. For me, perhaps the best crime series of all time. A murdering, thieving, swindling monster; but you can't help but love him.

 

Partly to mention one that people may not have heard of, but also because they are intelligent books, though quite dark; Charlie Mortdecai is a great character. An antique dealer who's a bit of a rogue. Again, not really a detective, but the main figure in a crime series. Kyril Bonfiglioli is the author.

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I've often wondered what Jasper Fforde's books are like. The Eyre Affair was the first one wasn't it?

Yes, I really like them very clever and I think they work on all sorts of levels, worth a try. his other series the Nursery Crimes Division ones are good too.

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Partly to mention one that people may not have heard of, but also because they are intelligent books, though quite dark; Charlie Mortdecai is a great character. An antique dealer who's a bit of a rogue. Again, not really a detective, but the main figure in a crime series. Kyril Bonfiglioli is the author.

 

I've heard of this trilogy but haven't read it. The books have been on my wishlist for a little while. I heard about them from a book club TV show here a few months ago. It's good to get another recommendation.

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