Greatest Sleuths of all Time

Cool — By BB Admin on August 5, 2011 11:26 am

Whether it was Miss Scarlett in the dining room with a candlestick or Professor Plum with a dagger in the kitchen, there is nothing like a classic Whodunit to get your brain ticking.

Piecing all the clues together and interviewing shrewd suspects is quite an art, however, some characters are simply brilliant at sniffing out the guilty. Here are some of the greatest sleuths of all time:

1. Jacques Clouseau

Jacques Clouseau Image Source

Everyone’s favourite bumbling French detective from The Pink Panther series, Chief Inspector Jacques Clouseau is memorable for all the wrong reasons. Incredibly clumsy and not that intelligent (to say the least), Monsier Clouseau somehow manages to solve crimes despite falling down stairs, damaging priceless artefacts and turning his superior into a homicidal psychopath. Genius.

2. Sherlock Holmes

Sherlock Holmes Image Credit

The master of disguise, Sherlock Holmes is one of the most famous fictional characters of all time well-loved for prowling the streets of London “undercover”. A bohemian eccentric known for his love of the pipe, Holmes is renowned for his logical approach to solving crime and using forensic science to crack the most difficult cases.

3. Miss Marple

Miss Marple Image Source

An elderly spinster turned amateur detective, Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple often solves mysteries when the police are stumped. No match for the villains of St. Mary Mead, this little old lady is a force to be reckoned with and has an excellent sense of logic. She may seem a little confused or fussy, but no one should underestimate this tweed-wearing sleuth.

4. Columbo

Columbo Image Credit

Star of American crime series Columbo, this homicidal detective knows how to solve a case – despite his rather dishevelled appearance. Although underestimated by his colleagues at the Los Angeles Police Department, this cool character always hits the nail on the spot and shrewdly gathers all evidence for indictment.

5. Poirot

Hercule Poirot Image Credit

A Belgian detective with the greatest moustache in the business, Poirot is one of Agatha Christie’s most-loved characters. Immaculately turned out at all times but with an unfortunate limp, Poirot is incredible at sniffing out clues and unravels even the most difficult of murders.

6. Starsky and Hutch

Starsky and Hutch Image Credit

Who could forget Starsky and Hutch, a pair of street wise cops, well-known for busting criminals in their red and white Ford Torino? Often seen tearing round the fictional streets of Bay City, this awesome due are experts at solving crimes –with a little help from police snitch Huggy Bear.

7. Barnaby

Dectective Barnaby Image Source

Featured in the Chief Inspector Barnaby book series by Caroline Graham and the main detective in TV series Midsomer Murders, Detective Chief Inspector Thomas Geoffrey Barnaby is quite the star. Based in the fictional town of Causton, Barnaby is the King at solving mysteries in the surrounding villages and is a force to be reckoned with.

8. Taggart

Taggart Image Source

A hard-core, experienced detective at the top of his game, Taggart is the leading character in the Scottish detective series of the same name. Set in his ways with very little patience for new recruits, Taggart does not suffer fools gladly and has worked hard to climb up the ranks.

9. Inspector Frost

Inspector Frost Image Source

Despite being sloppy, untidy and hopeless with paperwork Inspector Frost is awesome at solving crimes. Although gruff and to-the-point in the R.D Wingfield novels, the detective is slightly warmer in the TV series A Touch of Frost, using empathy to draw information out of his witnesses – a real legend.

10. Cracker

Cracker Image Source

Cracker is a British crime drama series starring criminal psychologist or “cracker” Eddie Fitzgerald. An obese chain smoker with an addiction to sex, alcohol and gambling, Fitz is a real antihero, yet is brilliant at his job. Although foul-mouthed and sarcastic most of the time he is an excellent psychologist with a good heart – deep down.

So there you have it, ten of the best detectives of all time that can solve even the deadliest of crimes.

This article was provided on behalf of Show and Stay; specialists in creating unique London theatre packages.

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