On the nightly news, we’re bombarded by murder stories. Senseless,
accidental, or deliberate. News reporters ask the questions we want to know.
How? Why? Who? Once the last question is answered, we want justice for the
victim.
But sometimes, despite the best efforts of the police, the
case goes unsolved. While that happens in real life, in fiction we want, no,
demand that every crime be solved. On TV, it’s solved in an hour. More like
forty-four minutes if you take out the commercials. In a novel, we get three
hundred pages or more.
The death of actor James Garner this weekend reminded me of
his show The Rockford Files. No
hard-boiled detective there. While I loved him as Maverick (actually, I had a
mad teenage crush on him), his easy-going persona as Jim Rockford seemed like a
perfect fit for the actor. The humor made the show even more appealing. Like Castle. It’s no coincidence that both
shows were created by Stephen J. Cannell.
On television, in movies and books, each sleuth has/had his
own style. Sam Spade, played brilliantly by tough-guy Humphrey Bogart. Columbo,
seemingly bumbling, yet sharply observant. Castle, the smart-ass yet loving
father and long-suffering son. Who reads Raymond Chandler and doesn’t think of
Robert Mitchum as Phillip Marlowe? Then there’s the miscast of the decade—Tom Cruise
as Lee Child’s 6’5” 230 pound Jack Reacher.
Where are the women sleuths?
I cut my teeth on Nancy Drew. I under appreciated Miss
Marple and Jessica Fletcher because of their age. Now that I’m their age
(sort of) I’ve changed my mind. While I enjoyed reading V.I. Warshawski and Kinsey
Millhone, I love female duos like Cagney &
Lacey and Rizzoli & Isles. Then
there’s Stephanie Plum. ROTFLOL Actually, lying in bed reading and trying to
hold in laughter so the bed shaking doesn’t wake Hubs.
A new girl will join the others next month. Alex O’Hara. Not as young as Nancy but not as old as Agatha or Jessica, Alex inherited a
detective agency when her dad and his partner retired. Making it alone as a
female P.I. in a small, lakeshore resort town is no easy task. Until a femme
fatale straight out of a Dashiell Hammett book comes calling—no, begging for
help finding her missing brother.
Here’s a look at the cover, created perfectly by Rebel Ink Designs.
Who's your favorite detective?
