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Monday, April 22, 2013

S is for Sleuths

First of all, I want to apologize for my post on Saturday. Apparently blogger chose to publish a draft of my R is for Rebel Leaders post rather than the ACTUAL post, something I didn't notice until late yesterday afternoon. Apologies to those who read it. And now for today's A to Z post:

A sleuth is, in essence, a detective, one who solves mysteries for a living. Though they sometimes work alongside cops and law enforcement, fictional sleuths are generally considered outside the police world. Known for their keen observational skills and intuition, sleuths are ready to take on any mystery. 

S is for Sleuth 

Nancy Drew (Nancy Drew series) – Nancy Drew is the idol of my childhood. An independent high-school girl with a a mind for mysteries, Nancy is smart and resourceful, quick-thinking and inquisitive  In short, she has all the qualities necessary for a successful amateur sleuth. With her two best friends,  Bess and George, she's ready to investigation any mystery, from theft to murder. 

Sherlock Holmes (Sherlock Holmes canon) – You can't say the word sleuth without immediately thinking of Sherlock Holmes. Houndstooth, magnifying glass, and smoking pipe    Sherlock is the very image of gumshoe detective. He has a veritable host of tricks up his sleeve when it comes to solving a case . . . not to mention his incredible deductive reasoning. And of course his loyal side-kick Watson. When it come to solving a mystery, Sherlock is the best. It's elementary my dear readers. 

Richard Castle (Castle) – As a best-selling crime novelist, Richard Castle might not be your typical sleuth, but when he partners up with Detective Kate Beckett, they're practically unstoppable. With his extensive knowledge in criminology and the mystery genre, not to mention an unlimited imagination, Castle is quick with a theory (which are often ridiculous and off-base), but never gives up on a case until the killer is caught and brought to justice. 

Mystery, Inc. (Scooby Doo series) – Amateur is the word that comes to mind when I think of this mystery solving team – particularly when it comes to Shaggy and his best friend/Great Dane Scooby Doo. With their love of food and penchant for screwing up carefully constructed, villain-catching plans, this duo is hard not to love. Lucky for them, Fed, Daphne and Velma are there to save the day. Together this team of teenagers and their dumb dog too are an unstoppable force of crime-solving sleuths. So if you have a monster, ghost or plain old bad guy that needs to be unmasked, just call Mystery, Inc. 

Veronica Mars (Veronica Mars) – Veronica Mars the teenage daughter of a former police chief turned private investigator who uses her prodigious skills to solve a crimes at Neptune High, starting with the murder of her best friend Lily. In some ways she reminds me of a modern, sarcastic Nancy Drew. 

Shawn Spencer (Psych) – Shawn Spencer is a bit different from the other sleuths on this list. Why? Because he's psychic  or at least he says his is. In truth he's just incredibly observant, able to deduce a great deal from a single glance. Acting as a freelance consultant for the Santa Barbara PD, Shawn uses his supposed psychic episodes to communicate his observations. 

And there you have it, my Top 5 (or, again, 6 in this case) favorite Sleuths. What are some of your favorites?

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This post is part of the Blogging A through Z Challenge 2013. My theme (in case you didn't already guess) is character types and tropes. Stay tuned for the rest of the alphabet, and if you’d like to check in on the other participants, simply click here.

14 comments:

  1. Patrick Jayne, The Mentalist. Or as I call him, the Australian Sherlock. And it appears that we will finally find out who 'Red john' is this season.

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  2. Once again, if I were to make a list of my favorite sleuths, it would be identical to yours.

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  3. My favorite sleuth of all time was Magnum PI. He was also good as Jesse Stone. Love Tom Selleck.
    Katie atBankerchick Scratchings

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  4. I used to watch Nancy Drew, but I was really a Hardy Boys boy.
    From my childhood, I'd have to add Magnum and Simon & Simon. Oh, and probably Quincy, even if he wasn't actually a detective. And Rockford.

    The only thing I would add to your "current" list is Bones/Booth.

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  5. Great list. I love Castle and Shawn Spencer.

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  6. That's a good list. I wish I could think of more. This will drive me nuts all day. Hmmmmm?

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  7. Spencer! Psych is my favorite show.
    Remember Kojak?

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  8. I don't tend to read a lot of this kind of fiction, and I haven't actually read any of the books yet, but Robert Langdon has to be considered a fairly prominent example as well.

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  9. I love Richard Castle!
    I'd have to add Inspector Clouseau (definitely the Peter Sellers one) though he's not much of a sleuth at all.

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  10. The Famous Five is the only favorite I can think of right now. :)

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  11. Ah you've named some of my favourites. Richard Castle is my most recent. Veronica Mars has gotta get some love too, she is so much fun!

    Allison (Geek Banter)

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  12. I love Nancy Drew. And Sherlock Holmes. Trixie Belden and the Bobwhites (her group) are some I would add to this list. And...memory blank. I'm sure I know a lot of sleuths, but I just can't remember them now!

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  13. It seems the sleuths were destined to make appearances today--especially ol' Sherlock.

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  14. Great list. I love Lawrence Sanders books, especially the investigator Timothy Cone books.

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