They are a staple of traditional and Golden Age mysteries, as well as today's cozies: the amateur detectives. They have regular day jobs, but, out of inclination or necessity, they wind up investigating crimes for our benefit, with or without the cooperation of assorted legal authorities.
Most of us have our favorites, to be sure - but which one is the favorite? My fellow book blogger, Jen Forbus of Jen's Book Thoughts, wants to know - and, as usual, has come up with a way to find out. She is inviting readers to submit the names of their favorite amateur detectives - no police, no private eyes, no legal or medical practitioners - for what will eventually be a "March Madness" elimination tournament, in which we can all vote for our favorites. She'll follow that up with a "Moonlighting for Murder" week, in which a large number of book bloggers (self included) will be submitting suggestions and posts about their own - our own - favorites.
You're welcome to submit your own nominations. You'll find details and an entry form here. Jen says that multiple suggestions are welcomed (although I think you have to submit them one at a time through that form). She's accepting nomination through the month of February. Go ahead - get involved.
I submitted Miss Marple, of course. But then my mind went blank. Ha!
Posted by: Yvette | February 07, 2011 at 06:20 PM
Yvette, there are so many! There's Elizabeth Daly's Henry Gamadge, Emma Lathen's John Putnam Thatcher, Stuart Palmer's Hildegarde Withers, Mary Daheim's Emma Lord, Lilian Jackson Braun's Jim Qwilleran, Edmund Crispin's Gervase Fen...that barely scratches the surface. There's a lot of great reading to be done among the amateurs!
Posted by: Les Blatt | February 07, 2011 at 07:28 PM