The Best Detective Stories Ever in Books, Movies and Television
By: By Martha Cheng
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
NO HOUSE is more haunted than the mind of a fictional detective who’s tangled in dark mysteries for which there seems to be no explanation, in which everyone is a suspect. Though imbued with impending disaster, detective stories also offer a potent escape, often delivering catharsis via mysteries solved . We chase this resolution when we follow Raymond Chandler’s deeply and romantically flawed Philip Marlowe in “The Long Goodbye.” We find it in the shocking and tragic twist—the most addictive part of detective stories—in Ed McBain’s “Sadie When She Died.” Here, three writers, all lurkers in the psyches of fictional investigators, recommend their favorite detective novels, television shows and films.
Peter Falk as TV's Columbo
Hans Rosenfeldt
Television screenwriter, most recently of ‘Marcella,’ and author of ‘When Crying Wolf’ (Hanover Square Press, 2021)
“Shawn Ryan’s TV show ‘The Shield’ had one of the best anti-heroes ever created in Michael Chiklis’ Vic Mackey and—this is hard to achieve—a satisfying ending. Ed McBain’s 87th Precinct novels are a big reason why I am doing what I’m doing. Without Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö’s Martin Beck series, no Mankell, no Nordic noir. I also loved ‘Wire in the Blood’: When it aired, it was some of the darkest stuff shown on television. The film ‘L.A. Confidential’ is a masterpiece. Very atmospheric, and then there’s that twist.”
Danny DeVito in "LA Confidential" 1997
Erika Krouse
Author of ‘Contenders,’ ‘Come Up and See Me Sometime,’ and ‘Tell Me Everything: Memoir of a Private Eye’ (Flatiron, 2022)
“My introduction to crime fiction was the hardboiled-era novels: Raymond Chandler (‘The Long Goodbye’ and ’Farewell, My Lovely’) and Dashiell Hammett (‘The Maltese Falcon’). I never carried a gun or slapped anyone around in my own work as a P.I., but it’s so fun to imagine a time when a private detective could be so relentless, damaged and damaging in the pursuit of truth. For films, ‘Chinatown’ sets the standard, and I love when non-cops become de facto detectives, as in ‘All the President’s Men.’ ”
Detective Writer Raymond Chandler (Some thought he hated women)
Megan Miranda
Author, most recently of ‘The Girl From Widow Hills’ and ‘The Last House Guest’ (Simon & Schuster)
“Nothing hooks me more than a detective returning home to face their past, where old and new mysteries collide. Some favorite novels are ‘The Dry’ by Jane Harper, where we first meet federal agent Aaron Falk, and ‘In the Woods’ by Tana French, the first in the excellent Dublin Murder Squad series, both of which feature unsolved mysteries that the main characters were involved with in their youth. I also really enjoy Harlan Coben’s Myron Bolitar series, for its blend of suspense and wit.” — Edited from interviews by Martha Cheng
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Who is your favorite fictional detective?
Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone...
25 stories? Must have been good!
I have to confess, I know nothing of Kinsey Millhone.
Miss Marple.
Ah yes!
Ellery Queen, the American Sherlock Holmes.
I have several books from 1952 & 1953, collections of both short and long stories.
Cork O'Connor by William Kent Krueger.
Joe Leaphorn/Jim Chee by Tony Hillerman
Just finished binge watching The Shield, loved it!