List of male detective characters

This is a list of fictional male detective characters from novels, short stories, radio, television, and films.

A

 * Detective Chief-Inspector Roderick Alleyn, by Ngaio Marsh
 * Jonathan Ames, Bored to Death: A Noir-otic Story by Jonathan Ames
 * Bob Andrews, Three Investigators by Robert Arthur Jr.
 * Arjun, by Samaresh Majumdar

B

 * Byomkesh Bakshi, by Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay
 * Goenda Baradacharan, by Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay
 * Cyrus Barker by Will Thomas
 * Parashor Barma, by Premendra Mitra
 * John Barnaby, Midsomer Murders
 * Tom Barnaby, Midsomer Murders
 * Red Barry, Red Barry
 * P. K. Basu, by Narayan Sanyal
 * Martin Beck, by Sjöwall and Wahlöö
 * Ambrose Bierce, by Oakley Hall
 * Blacksad, by Juan Díaz Canales and Juanjo Guarnido
 * Detective Inspector Napoleon "Bony" Bonaparte, by Arthur Upfield
 * James Bond by Ian Fleming
 * FBI Agent Seeley Booth, Bones, by Kathy Reichs
 * Harry Bosch, by Michael Connelly
 * Slam Bradley, Slam Bradley
 * Father Brown, by G. K. Chesterton
 * Romeo Brown, Romeo Brown
 * Detective Sammy Bryant, Southland

C

 * Brother Cadfael, The Cadfael Chronicles by Ellis Peters
 * Rick Cahill, Yesterday's Echo by Matt Coyle
 * Lieutenant Horatio Caine, CSI: Miami
 * Slim Callaghan, by Peter Cheyney
 * Vincent Calvino, by Christopher G. Moore
 * Albert Campion, by Margery Allingham
 * Inspector Canardo, Canardo
 * Frank Cannon, Cannon
 * Nick Carter, Nick Carter
 * Peter Timotheus "Tim" Carsten, TKKG by Rolf Kalmuczak
 * Henri Cassin, So Dark the Night
 * Richard Castle, Castle
 * Charlie Chan, by Earl Derr Biggers
 * Nick Charles, The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett
 * Dipak Chatterjee, by Samarendranath Pandey
 * Clifton, by Raymond Macherot and later authors
 * Inspector Clouseau, The Pink Panther
 * Rustin Cohle, True Detective by Nic Pizzolatto
 * Elvis Cole, by Robert Crais
 * Lieutenant Columbo, Columbo
 * FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper, Twin Peaks
 * Michael Cordero, Jane the Virgin
 * Peter Crenshaw, Three Investigators by Robert Arthur Jr.
 * Carland Cross, Carland Cross.
 * Mateo Cruz, BAU Section Chief, Criminal Minds

D

 * Dr. Phil D'Amato, by Paul Levinson
 * Harry D'Amour, by Clive Barker
 * Adam Dalgliesh, by P. D. James
 * Detective Superintendent Andy Dalziel, Dalziel and Pascoe by Reginald Hill
 * Lieutenant Cedric Daniels, The Wire
 * Shabor Dasgupta, by Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay
 * Lucas Davenport, by John Sandford
 * Peter Decker, by Faye Kellerman
 * Judge Dee, by Robert van Gulik
 * Alex Delaware, by Jonathan Kellerman
 * Harry Devlin, by Martin Edwards
 * Dick, The Famous Five by Enid Blyton
 * Mike Dime, by Barry Fantoni
 * Dylan Dog, by Tiziano Sclavi
 * Harry Dresden, The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
 * Dan Dunn, by Norman W. Marsh
 * Nathaniel Dusk, (DC Comics)

E

 * Eken Babu, by Sujan Dasgupta

F

 * Marcus Didius Falco, by Lindsey Davis
 * Erast Fandorin, by Boris Akunin
 * Dr. Gideon Fell, by John Dickson Carr
 * Feluda, by Satyajit Ray
 * Detective Don Flack, CSI: NY
 * Detective Inspector Malcolm Fox, by Ian Rankin

G

 * Detective Sergeant David Gabriel, The Closer
 * Inspector Gadget, Inspector Gadget
 * Commander George Gideon, by John Creasey
 * Pandab Goenda, by Sasthipada Chattopadhyay
 * Gogol, by Samaresh Basu
 * Gordianus the Finder, by Steven Saylor
 * Detective Inspector Alan Grant, by Josephine Tey
 * Inspector Gregson, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
 * Inspector Goole, An Inspector Calls

H

 * Healer, played by Ji Chang-wook
 * Mike Hammer, by Mickey Spillane
 * Hanpei Hattori, Kikaider, by Shotaro Ishinomori
 * Heiji Hattori, by Gosho Aoyama
 * Hawkshaw, Hawkshaw the Detective
 * Wayne Hays, True Detective, by Nic Pizzolato
 * Shotaro Hidari, Kamen Rider W
 * Ric Hochet, Ric Hochet
 * Harry Hole, by Jo Nesbø
 * Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
 * Somerset Holmes, Somerset Holmes
 * Aaron Hotchner, BAU unit chief, Criminal Minds

J

 * Barnaby Jones, Barnaby Jones
 * Athelney Jones, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
 * Jupiter Jones, Three Investigators by Robert Arthur Jr.
 * Gil Jourdan by Gil Jourdan
 * Julian, The Famous Five by Enid Blyton

K

 * Kakababu, by Sunil Gangopadhyay
 * Martin Kane, Martin Kane, Private Eye
 * Julian Kestrel, by Kate Ross
 * Rip Kirby, Rip Kirby
 * Nick Knatterton, Nick Knatterton.
 * Detective Lieutenant Theo Kojak, Kojak
 * Detective Vince Korsak, Rizzoli & Isles
 * Shinichi Kudo, Case Closed

L

 * L Lawliet, Death Note
 * Lew Archer, by Ross Macdonald (name converted to Lew Harper in several films starring Paul Newman).
 * Thomas Lynley, by Elizabeth George
 * Inspector Lestrade, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

M

 * Constable Hamish Macbeth, by Marion Chesney
 * Detective Vic Mackey, The Shield
 * Thomas Magnum, Magnum, P.I.
 * Jules Maigret, by Georges Simenon
 * Joe Mannix, Mannix
 * Philip Marlowe, by Raymond Chandler
 * Perry Mason, by Erle Stanley Gardner
 * Angus McDonald, The Adventure Zone
 * Travis McGee, by John D. MacDonald
 * Detective Jimmy McNulty, The Wire
 * Sir Henry Merrivale, by Carter Dickson
 * Detective Joe Miller, The Expanse
 * Prodosh C. Mitter, (aka Feluda) by Satyajit Ray
 * Adrian Monk, Monk
 * Richard Moore/Kogoro Mori, by Gosho Aoyama
 * Derek Morgan, Criminal Minds
 * Inspector Morse, by Colin Dexter
 * Bhaduri Moshai, by Nirendranath Chakraborty
 * FBI Special Agent Fox Mulder, The X-Files
 * Bangladesh Counter Intelligence Masud Rana, Masud Rana
 * Mouri Kogorou, Case Closed
 * Inspector Juzo Megure, Case Closed
 * Detective William Murdoch, Murdoch Mysteries

N

 * Sokichi Narumi, Kamen Rider W
 * Detective Zack Nichols, Law & Order: Criminal Intent
 * Bogey Nicholson, Bogey

P

 * Detective Sergeant Peter Pascoe, Dalziel and Pascoe by Reginald Hill
 * Hercule Poirot, by Agatha Christie
 * Bernard Prince, Bernard Prince
 * Detective Lieutenant Louie Provenza, The Closer
 * Jake Peralta (Brooklyn Nine-Nine)
 * Problem Sleuth (Problem Sleuth)

Q

 * Ellery Queen, The Adventures of Ellery Queen

R

 * Jack Reacher, by Lee Child
 * Detective Danny Reagan, Blue Bloods
 * Detective Inspector John Rebus, by Ian Rankin
 * Spencer Reid, Criminal Minds
 * Arkady Renko, of the Moscow Militsya, by Martin Cruz Smith
 * Dave Robicheaux, by James Lee Burke
 * Detective Inspector Jack Robinson, Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries
 * Jim Rockford, The Rockford Files
 * Lincoln Rhyme, by Jeffery Deaver
 * David Rossi, Unit Senior Agent, Criminal Minds
 * Kiriti Roy, by Dr. Nihar Ranjan Gupta

S

 * Sakkarbaar by Gunvantrai Acharya
 * Colonel Niladri Sarkar by Syed Mustafa Siraj
 * Willi "Klößchen" Sauerlich, TKKG by Rolf Kalmuczak
 * Michael Shayne, by Brett Halliday
 * Dan Shepherd, by Stephen Leather
 * Sergeant Andy Sipowicz, NYPD Blue
 * Sam Spade, by Dashiell Hammett
 * Lance Spearman, in African Film magazine
 * Doctor Spektor, Doctor Spektor
 * Shawn Spencer, Psych
 * Spenser, by Robert B. Parker
 * Detective Elliot Stabler, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
 * Nigel Strangeways, by Cecil Day-Lewis
 * Professor John Stubbs, by Ruthven Todd
 * Detective Matthew Scudder, by Lawrence Block
 * Shuichi Saihara, Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony

T

 * Goenda Tatar, by Sasthipada Chattopadhyay
 * Tif, Tif et Tondu
 * Tareq, Miss Farah
 * Detective Inspector Tom Thorne, by Mark Billingham
 * Tondu, Tif et Tondu
 * Philip Trent, by E. C. Bentley
 * Detective David Tapp, by James Wan and Leigh Whannell

V

 * Detective Van Zwam, The Adventures of Nero
 * Philo Vance, by S. S. Van Dine
 * Nick Valentine, Fallout 4
 * Karl "Computer" Vierstein, TKKG by Rolf Kalmuczak

W

 * Inspector Kurt Wallander, by Henning Mankell
 * Dr. John Watson, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
 * Chief Inspector Reginald Wexford, by Ruth Rendell
 * Lord Peter Wimsey, by Dorothy L. Sayers
 * Nero Wolfe, by Rex Stout
 * William Murdoch, Murdoch Mysteries

Y

 * Inspector Jugo Yokomizo, Detective Conan
 * Inspector Sango Yokomizo, Detective Conan
 * Inspector Misao Yamamura, Detective Conan

Z

 * Inspector Koichi Zenigata, Lupin III, by Monkey Punch