Who’s the most unusual fictional detective you’ve encountered?
(If you have time, we’d love to know some details - what makes them so unusual, whether or not you liked them, your favorite book featuring them, and who created the character.)
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I always cheat on these, because I can never stick to just one!
The first that came to mind was Dinios Kol from The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett. This is a fantasy mystery series set on a planet where all the “machinery” is organic (e.g., a security gate is made of vines). A murder occurs and Din, who’s been modified to have perfect memory, is one of the investigators. This first book in the series was actually pretty good, enough so that I’ve been meaning to get the next one.
The second is Judge Dee Ren Jie of the Dee and Lao mystery series. In addition to being a sleuth ala Sherlock Holmes, Dee is a martial arts expert. It’s set in 1920s England and it’s great historical fiction. There’s also a good exploration of racism against those of Chinese descent during the age. We reviewed the second book in the series at BookBrowse (The Railway Conspiracy) but the first entry was good, too.
Finally, there’s Adelia Aguilar from Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin. This one takes place in 12th-century England, and Adelia is a doctor and pathologist who must conceal her skills (because she’s a woman, of course). In the first book she investigates a series of child murders at the order of King Henry II. This book was published in 2007 - so nearly 20 years ago - but the heroine was unique enough that I still remember the first book in the series.
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I like Molly Maid in Anita proses books. Please forgive my typing. I have arthritis.
I like the fact that she is quirky. I enjoy the way the character grows as the book prgresses
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I just added The Tainted Cup to my TBR list. Even though I don’t want to get sucked into another series your review made me want to check it out. I love John Scalzi’s books so I’m hoping I’ll enjoy this one.
I hope you like it, @Mary_K! I love Scalzi, too. The Tainted Cup lacks Scalzi’s humor, but I thought it was very entertaining and unpredictable. The two main characters are interesting and different, but the real highlight was the world building.
Re Scalzi, have you read his Interdependency Series (first book The Collapsing Empire)? I think that might be my favorite. But the Locked In series is good, too.
I haven’t read the Interdependency Series. I’ll have to check that out too. My favorites are Starter Villain and the Kaiju Preservation Society.