List of fictional private investigators
Encyclopedia
This is a partial list of fictional
private investigator
s — otherwise known as Private Eyes or PIs — who had appeared in various literature, films, and television series
| Byomkesh Bakshi || Saradindhu Bandhopadhya ||
Detective fiction
Detective fiction is a sub-genre of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an investigator , either professional or amateur, investigates a crime, often murder.-In ancient literature:...
private investigator
Private investigator
A private investigator , private detective or inquiry agent, is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigatory law services. Private detectives/investigators often work for attorneys in civil cases. Many work for insurance companies to investigate suspicious claims...
s — otherwise known as Private Eyes or PIs — who had appeared in various literature, films, and television series
| Detective | Creator | Debut |
|---|---|---|
| Angel | Joss Whedon Joss Whedon Joseph Hill "Joss" Whedon is an American screenwriter, executive producer, director, comic book writer, occasional composer and actor, founder of Mutant Enemy Productions and co-creator of Bellwether Pictures... |
Angel Angel (TV series) Angel is an American television series, a spin-off of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The series was created by Buffys creator, Joss Whedon, in collaboration with David Greenwalt, and first aired on October 5, 1999... (1999) |
| Lew Archer Lew Archer Lew Archer is a fictional character created by Ross Macdonald. Archer is a private detective working in Southern California.-Profile:Initially, Lew Archer was similar to Philip Marlowe. However, he eventually broke from that mold, though some similarities remain... |
Ross Macdonald Ross Macdonald Not to be confused with John D. MacDonaldRoss Macdonald is the pseudonym of the American-Canadian writer of crime fiction Kenneth Millar... |
the Moving Target (1949) |
| Paul Artisan | Gary Troup | Bad Twin (2006) |
| Lindsay Gordon | Val McDermid Val McDermid Val McDermid is a Scottish crime writer, best known for a series of suspense novels starring her most famous creation, Dr. Tony Hill.-Biography:... |
Report for Murder (1987) |
| Joe Caneili | Hayford Peirce Hayford Peirce Hayford Peirce is an American writer of science fiction, mysteries, and spy thrillers. He attended Phillips Exeter Academy and received his BA from Harvard College... |
P. I. Joe Caneili, Discretion Assuree (2000) |
| Rex Carver Rex Carver Rex Carver is a fictional British private eye created by the prolific writer Victor Canning. He appeared in 5 fast-paced, irreverently narrated novels in the 1960s. Although strictly a private eye, Carver knows a number of people who work for a shadowy British undercover agency and he frequently... |
Victor Canning Victor Canning Victor Canning was a prolific writer of novels and thrillers who flourished in the 1950s, '60s and '70s, but whose reputation has faded since his death in 1986... |
Doubled in Diamonds (1966) |
| Elvis Cole | Robert Crais Robert Crais Robert Crais is an American author of detective fiction. Crais began his career writing scripts for television shows such as Hill Street Blues, Cagney & Lacey, Quincy, Miami Vice and L.A. Law. He lists amongst his literary influences the authors Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett, Ernest... |
the Monkey's Raincoat (1987) |
| Pradosh Chandra Mitter aka Feluda | Satyajit Ray Satyajit Ray Satyajit Ray was an Indian Bengali filmmaker. He is regarded as one of the greatest auteurs of 20th century cinema. Ray was born in the city of Kolkata into a Bengali family prominent in the world of arts and literature... |
Feludar Goendagiri |
| The Continental Op The Continental Op The Continental Op is a fictional character created by Dashiell Hammett. A private investigator employed as an operative of the Continental Detective Agency's San Francisco office, he never gives his name and so is known only by his job description.... |
Dashiell Hammett Dashiell Hammett Samuel Dashiell Hammett was an American author of hard-boiled detective novels and short stories, and political activist. Among the enduring characters he created are Sam Spade , Nick and Nora Charles , and the Continental Op .In addition to the significant influence his novels and stories had on... |
the Tenth Clew (1924) |
| Harry Dresden Harry Dresden Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden is a fictional detective and wizard. He was created by Jim Butcher and is the protagonist of the contemporary fantasy series The Dresden Files. The series blends magic and hardboiled detective fiction... |
Jim Butcher Jim Butcher Jim Butcher is a New York Times Best Selling author most known for his contemporary fantasy book series The Dresden Files. He also wrote the Codex Alera series. Butcher grew up as the only son of his parents, and has two older sisters. He currently lives in Independence with his wife, Shannon K... |
Storm Front Storm Front (novel) Storm Front is a 2000 novel by science fiction and fantasy author Jim Butcher. It is the first novel in The Dresden Files, his first published series that follows the character of Harry Dresden, professional wizard.-Plot Summary:... (2000) The Dresden Files The Dresden Files (TV series) The Dresden Files is an American television series based on the books by Jim Butcher. It premiered January 21, 2007 on the Sci Fi Channel in the United States and on Space in Canada. It was picked up by Sky One in the UK and began airing on February 14, 2007.The series ran for a single season of... " (TV) (2007) |
| Dan Fortune | Michael Collins Michael Collins (author) Michael Collins is the best-known pseudonym of Dennis Lynds , an American author who primarily wrote mystery fiction.... |
Act of Fear (1967) |
| Dirk Gently Dirk Gently Dirk Gently is a fictional character created by Douglas Adams and featured in the books Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency and The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul... |
Douglas Adams Douglas Adams Douglas Noel Adams was an English writer and dramatist. He is best known as the author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which started life in 1978 as a BBC radio comedy before developing into a "trilogy" of five books that sold over 15 million copies in his lifetime, a television... |
Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency is a humorous fantasy detective novel by Douglas Adams, first published in 1987. It is described by "the author" on its cover as a "thumping good detective-ghost-horror-who dunnit-time travel-romantic-musical-comedy-epic".The book was followed by a sequel,... (1987) |
| Ellery Queen Ellery Queen Ellery Queen is both a fictional character and a pseudonym used by two American cousins from Brooklyn, New York: Daniel Nathan, alias Frederic Dannay and Manford Lepofsky, alias Manfred Bennington Lee , to write, edit, and anthologize detective fiction.The fictional Ellery Queen created by... |
Frederic Dannay & Manfred Bennington Lee | The Roman Hat Mystery (1929) |
| Emerson Cod | Bryan Fuller Bryan Fuller Bryan Fuller is an American screenwriter and television producer.Fuller graduated from Clarkston High School in Clarkston, Washington in 1987... |
Pushing Daisies Pushing Daisies Pushing Daisies is an American comedy-drama television series created by Bryan Fuller that aired on ABC from October 3, 2007 to June 13, 2009. The series stars Lee Pace as Ned, a pie-maker with the ability to bring dead things back to life with his touch, an ability that comes with stipulations... (TV) (2007) |
| Kate Brannigan | Val McDermid Val McDermid Val McDermid is a Scottish crime writer, best known for a series of suspense novels starring her most famous creation, Dr. Tony Hill.-Biography:... |
Dead Beat (1992) |
| Cliff Hardy | Peter Corris Peter Corris Peter Robert Corris is an Australian academic, historian, journalist and a novelist of historical and crime fiction... |
the Dying Trade (1980) |
| Mike Hammer Mike Hammer Michael "Mike" Hammer is a fictional detective created by the American author Mickey Spillane in the 1947 book I, the Jury .-Description:... |
Mickey Spillane Mickey Spillane Frank Morrison Spillane , better known as Mickey Spillane, was an American author of crime novels, many featuring his signature detective character, Mike Hammer. More than 225 million copies of his books have sold internationally... |
I, the Jury (1947) |
| Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve... |
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Arthur Conan Doyle Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle DL was a Scottish physician and writer, most noted for his stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes, generally considered a milestone in the field of crime fiction, and for the adventures of Professor Challenger... |
a Study in Scarlet (1887) |
| Thomas Magnum Thomas Magnum Thomas Sullivan Magnum IV was the main character and namesake of the popular American television series, Magnum, P.I.. Magnum was portrayed by Tom Selleck.-Early life:... |
Donald P. Bellisario & Glen A. Larson Glen A. Larson Glen Albert Larson is an American television producer and writer best known as the creator of Battlestar Galactica, The Fall Guy, Magnum, P.I. and Knight Rider.-Career:... |
Magnum, P.I. Magnum, P.I. Magnum, P.I. is an American television series starring Tom Selleck as Thomas Magnum, a private investigator living on Oahu, Hawaii. The series ran from 1980 to 1988 in first-run broadcast on the American CBS television network.... (TV) (1980) |
| Travis McGee Travis McGee Travis McGee is a fictional character, created by prolific American mystery writer John D. MacDonald. Unlike most detectives in crime fiction, McGee is neither a police officer nor a licensed private investigator; instead, he is a self-described "salvage consultant" who recovers others' property... |
John D. MacDonald John D. MacDonald John Dann MacDonald was an American crime and suspense novelist and short story writer.MacDonald was a prolific author of crime and suspense novels, many of them set in his adopted home of Florida... |
the Deep Blue Good-by (1964) |
| Keith Mars Keith Mars Keith Mars is a fictional character on UPN/The CW television series Veronica Mars, which debuted during the fall 2004 season on UPN. He is portrayed by Enrico Colantoni.... |
Rob Thomas Rob Thomas (writer) Rob Thomas is an American author, producer, and screenwriter, best known as the author of the 1996 novel Rats Saw God and creator of the critically acclaimed television programs Veronica Mars and Party Down.-Education and early career:Thomas graduated from San Marcos High School in 1983 and went... |
Veronica Mars Veronica Mars Veronica Mars is an American television series created by Rob Thomas. The series premiered on September 22, 2004, during television network UPN's final two years, and ended on May 22, 2007, after a season on UPN's successor, The CW Television Network. Veronica Mars was produced by Warner Bros... (TV) (2004) |
| Veronica Mars Veronica Mars Veronica Mars is an American television series created by Rob Thomas. The series premiered on September 22, 2004, during television network UPN's final two years, and ended on May 22, 2007, after a season on UPN's successor, The CW Television Network. Veronica Mars was produced by Warner Bros... |
Rob Thomas Rob Thomas (writer) Rob Thomas is an American author, producer, and screenwriter, best known as the author of the 1996 novel Rats Saw God and creator of the critically acclaimed television programs Veronica Mars and Party Down.-Education and early career:Thomas graduated from San Marcos High School in 1983 and went... |
Veronica Mars Veronica Mars Veronica Mars is an American television series created by Rob Thomas. The series premiered on September 22, 2004, during television network UPN's final two years, and ended on May 22, 2007, after a season on UPN's successor, The CW Television Network. Veronica Mars was produced by Warner Bros... (TV) (2004) |
| Philip Marlowe Philip Marlowe Philip Marlowe is a fictional character created by Raymond Chandler in a series of novels including The Big Sleep and The Long Goodbye. Marlowe first appeared under that name in The Big Sleep published in 1939... |
Raymond Chandler Raymond Chandler Raymond Thornton Chandler was an American novelist and screenwriter.In 1932, at age forty-five, Raymond Chandler decided to become a detective fiction writer after losing his job as an oil company executive during the Depression. His first short story, "Blackmailers Don't Shoot", was published in... |
the Big Sleep (1939) Murder, My Sweet Murder, My Sweet Murder, My Sweet is a 1944 American film noir directed by Edward Dmytryk, and starring Dick Powell, Claire Trevor, and Anne Shirley. The film was released in the United Kingdom under the title Farewell, My Lovely, which is the title of the 1940 Raymond Chandler novel it is based on, and also the... (1944) |
| Kinsey Millhone Kinsey Millhone Kinsey Millhone is the name of a fictional private investigator created by Sue Grafton for her "alphabet mysteries" series of novels. Millhone appears in a number of short stories written by Grafton. Grafton's mystery novels featuring Millhone are set in 1980s Santa Teresa, a fictionalized town... |
Sue Grafton Sue Grafton Sue Taylor Grafton is a contemporary American author of detective novels. She is best known as the author of the 'alphabet series' featuring private investigator Kinsey Millhone in the fictional city of Santa Teresa, California. The daughter of detective novelist C. W... |
A is for Alibi (1982) |
| Zen Moses | Elizabeth M. Cosin | Zen and the Art of Murder (1999) |
| Nameless Detective Nameless Detective Nameless Detective is the protagonist in a long-running mystery series by Bill Pronzini set in the San Francisco area. The first novel, The Snatch, was published in 1971... |
Bill Pronzini Bill Pronzini Bill Pronzini is an American writer of detective fiction. He is also an active anthologist, having compiled more than 100 collections, most of which focus on mystery, western, and science fiction short stories.... |
the Snatch (1971) |
| Harry Orwell | Howard Rodman | Harry O (TV) (1974 |
| Hercule Poirot Hercule Poirot Hercule Poirot is a fictional Belgian detective created by Agatha Christie. Along with Miss Marple, Poirot is one of Christie's most famous and long-lived characters, appearing in 33 novels and 51 short stories published between 1920 and 1975 and set in the same era.Poirot has been portrayed on... |
Agatha Christie Agatha Christie Dame Agatha Christie DBE was a British crime writer of novels, short stories, and plays. She also wrote romances under the name Mary Westmacott, but she is best remembered for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections , and her successful West End plays.According to... |
the Mysterious Affair at Styles (1920) |
| Laura Principal | Michelle Spring | Every Breath You Take (1994) |
| Jeff Randall Jeff Randall Jeff Randall is a fictional character played by Mike Pratt in the original private detective series, Randall and Hopkirk from 1969 to 1971 and by Bob Mortimer in the BBC remake... |
Dennis Spooner Dennis Spooner Dennis Spooner was an English television screenwriter and story editor, known primarily for his programmes about fictional spies and his work in children's television in the 1960s... |
Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) Randall and Hopkirk , first transmitted during 1969-70, is a British private detective television series starring Mike Pratt and Kenneth Cope as the private detectives Jeff Randall and Marty Hopkirk, respectively. The series was originally created by Dennis Spooner and produced by Monty Berman... (1969) |
| Sunny Randall | Robert B. Parker Robert B. Parker Robert Brown Parker was an American crime writer. His most famous works were the novels about the private detective Spenser. ABC television network developed the television series Spenser: For Hire based on the character in the late 1980s; a series of TV movies based on the character were also... |
Family Honor (1999) |
| Precious Ramotswe | Alexander McCall Smith Alexander McCall Smith Alexander "Sandy" McCall Smith, CBE, FRSE, is a Rhodesian-born Scottish writer and Emeritus Professor of Medical Law at the University of Edinburgh. In the late 20th century, McCall Smith became a respected expert on medical law and bioethics and served on British and international committees... |
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (1998) |
| Jim Rockford Jim Rockford Jim Rockford is a fictional character on the television series The Rockford Files. The character, played by James Garner, is a struggling private investigator operating in Los Angeles.... |
Richard T. Heffron Richard T. Heffron Richard T. Heffron was a film and television director.He worked on many television series such as The Rockford Files and films including Futureworld , Foolin' Around , the 1982 Mike Hammer film I, the Jury, Pancho Barnes , and La révolution française .-External links:... |
The Rockford Files The Rockford Files The Rockford Files is an American television drama series which aired on the NBC network between September 13, 1974 and January 10, 1980. It has remained in regular syndication to the present day. The show stars James Garner as Los Angeles-based private investigator Jim Rockford and features Noah... (TV) (1974 |
| John Shaft John Shaft John Shaft is a fictional character created by schoolteacher/screenwriter Ernest Tidyman as a sort of African American version of Ian Fleming's James Bond. He was portrayed by Richard Roundtree in the original 1971 film and its two sequels, with Samuel L. Jackson portraying his nephew in the 2000... |
Ernest Tidyman Ernest Tidyman Ernest Tidyman was a Cleveland-born American author and screenwriter, best known for his novels featuring the African-American detective John Shaft. He also co-wrote the screenplay for the film version of Shaft with John D.F... |
Shaft (1971) |
| Matthew Scudder Matthew Scudder Matthew Scudder is a fictional private investigator, the most famous and enduring creation of American crime writer Lawrence Block.Scudder debuted in 1976's The Sins of the Fathers as an alcoholic ex-cop who had recently quit the NYPD and left his family after accidentally causing the death of a... |
Lawrence Block Lawrence Block Lawrence Block is an acclaimed contemporary American crime writer best known for two long-running New York–set series, about the recovering alcoholic P.I. Matthew Scudder and gentleman burglar Bernie Rhodenbarr, respectively... |
The Sins of the Fathers (1976) |
| Sam Spade Sam Spade Sam Spade is a fictional character who is the protagonist of Dashiell Hammett's 1930 novel The Maltese Falcon and the various films and adaptations based on it, as well as in three lesser known short stories by Hammett.... |
Dashiell Hammett Dashiell Hammett Samuel Dashiell Hammett was an American author of hard-boiled detective novels and short stories, and political activist. Among the enduring characters he created are Sam Spade , Nick and Nora Charles , and the Continental Op .In addition to the significant influence his novels and stories had on... |
the Maltese Falcon (1930) the Maltese Falcon The Maltese Falcon (1931 film) The Maltese Falcon is a 1931 American Warner Bros. Pre-Code crime film based on the novel of the same name by Dashiell Hammett. The movie was directed by Roy Del Ruth and stars Bebe Daniels in the role of Ruth Wonderly and Ricardo Cortez as private detective Sam Spade.Maude Fulton, Brown Holmes,... (1931) |
| Shawn Spencer Shawn Spencer Shawn Spencer is a fictional character on the American television dramedy Psych played by American actor James Roday. Taking advantage of his eidetic memory, he poses as a psychic and works as a private detective who often consults with the Santa Barbara Police Department... |
Steve Franks Steve Franks Steve Franks is an American screenwriter and musician. He devised the story for the 1999 comedy Big Daddy and wrote the screenplay with Tim Herlihy and Adam Sandler. Franks also created the USA Network original series Psych, and created the band The Friendly Indians who made the theme song... & Andy Berman |
Psych Psych Psych is an American detective comedy-drama television series created by Steve Franks and broadcast on USA Network. It stars James Roday as Shawn Spencer, a young crime consultant for the Santa Barbara Police Department whose "heightened observational skills" and impressive detective instincts... (TV) (2006) |
| Spenser | Robert B. Parker Robert B. Parker Robert Brown Parker was an American crime writer. His most famous works were the novels about the private detective Spenser. ABC television network developed the television series Spenser: For Hire based on the character in the late 1980s; a series of TV movies based on the character were also... |
the Godwulf Manuscript (1973) |
| Amos Walker Amos Walker Amos Walker is a fictional character in a series of books by sometime western author Loren D. Estleman. He is a private detective who lives in Hamtramck and works in Detroit, Michigan. Amos is a traditionalist when it comes to film and music. Claiming to "dress like the late show," he is definitely... |
Loren D. Estleman Loren D. Estleman Loren D. Estleman is an American writer of detective and Western fiction. He writes with a manual typewriter.... |
Motor City Blue (1980) |
| V. I. Warshawski V. I. Warshawski Victoria Iphigenia “Vic” “V. I.” Warshawski is a fictional character in a series of detective novels and short stories written by Sara Paretsky. She is a gritty, independent private investigator from Chicago... |
Sara Paretsky Sara Paretsky Sara Paretsky is a modern American author of detective fiction.-Life and career:Paretsky was born in Ames, Iowa and raised in Kansas, graduating from the University of Kansas with a degree in political science. She did community service work on the south side of Chicago in 1966 and returned in... |
Indemnity Only (1982) |
| Nero Wolfe Nero Wolfe Nero Wolfe is a fictional detective, created in 1934 by the American mystery writer Rex Stout. Wolfe's confidential assistant Archie Goodwin narrates the cases of the detective genius. Stout wrote 33 novels and 39 short stories from 1934 to 1974, with most of them set in New York City. Wolfe's... |
Rex Stout Rex Stout Rex Todhunter Stout was an American writer noted for his detective fiction. Stout is best known as the creator of the larger-than-life fictional detective Nero Wolfe, described by reviewer Will Cuppy as "that Falstaff of detectives." Wolfe's assistant Archie Goodwin recorded the cases of the... |
Fer-De-Lance (1934) |
| Byomkesh Bakshi || Saradindhu Bandhopadhya ||