In our baby-naming books, from Beyond Jennifer & Jason on, we’ve often offered lists of name-inspiring authors and literary characters. But it occurred to me recently that we’ve neglected one of the richest sources–the genre of mystery writers and their fictional heroes and heroines–from Agatha Christie to Alex Delaware. The band of gumshoes, shamuses, cerebral sleuths, police inspectors and forensic investigators populating vintage and modern mystery books and television detective shows provides some really interesting choices, among them:
AUTHORS
AGATHA CHRISTIECHANDLER, RaymondArthur CONAN DoyleCOLIN DEXTERCONNOLLY, Michael
CRISPIN, EdmundDASHIELL HammettELLERY QueenIAN RankinJASPER FfordJOSEPHINE TEYMARGERY AllinghamNEVADA BarrNGAIO MarshPOE, Edgar AllanPLUM, StephanieREX StoutSAX RohmerWILKIE Collins
DETECTIVES
ADAM DaglieshALEX DELAWAREARCHER, LewCARTER DicksonCAT MarsalaEASY RawlinsELLERY Queen (both author and character)ELVIS COLEGERVASE FenGIDEON FellJANE MarpleKAY ScarpettaKINKY Friedman (both author and character)KINSEY MillhoneMAIGRET, JulesMARLOW, PhilipMASON, PerryNERO WolfePHILO VANCEPOIROT, HerculeSIMON TemplarSPENSERTHURSDAY NextTRAVIS McGEE
TV SLEUTHS
ADDISON, DavidADRIAN MonkBANYONBARETTABARNABY JonesCAGNEY, ChristineCOLUMBOFLETCHER, JessicaFOX MoldourHAMISH MacbethLACEY, Mary BethMADOLYN (MADDIE) HAYESMAGNUMMcCLOUDMORSENASH BridgesOLIVIA BensonQUINCYREMINGTON SteeleTENNISON, JaneTHEO Kojak
Linda Rosenkrantz
Linda Rosenkrantz is the co-founder of Nameberry, and co-author with Pamela Redmond of the ten baby naming books acknowledged to have revolutionized American baby naming. You can follow her personally at Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. She is also the author of the highly acclaimed New York Review Books Classics novel Talk and a number of other books.