Miss Marple is definitely my favorite. I loved LOL's as the detective when I was in high school & now as a Little Old Lady myself here I am still reading them.

Thanks for having Mystery Monday on your site.

Having read Eye, The Jury at an imprssionable age - it was on the banned list in my High School so we all had to sneak it inside other books - Sam Spade has to be a favorite.

On the other hand, I have loved some Miss Marple books and then thought I'd die of the tedium of others.

My husband is!!!

They're all great, in very different ways, but Spade is the model for the American style - independent, troubled, oddly noble. This version of protagonist and style of writing is the literature version of jazz, a form created out of the circumstances of this country. Without Spade and his ilk, there would never be Pelecanos, Chinatown, or The Wire.

I'm glad you said "type" because to be honest, I love the classics of mystery but these three are not my favorite characters. (Blasphemy, I know) While logic is definitely a plus therefore I shoud choose Holmes, I will say Miss Marple because I think crime solving is relationships -- not just talking to people which is how you get such interesting characters but also the relationships -- the connections --between all the suspects and the victim(s).

I like the homespun detectives -your next door neighbor only more observant and intuitive. So I guess my choice would be Miss Marple although I do love Mrs. Murphy best, I can't resist an intelligent cat.

Oh what a great question. Sorry I'm so late in responding to it, but I love a great P.I. novel, preferably a P.I. with a good sense of humor (Spenser, Elvis Cole, Myron Bolitar, Lincoln Perry). I also prefer a P.I. with a great partner. Someone who makes a great foil to the main character. BUT, on that same note, I'm also a huge fan of the police officers - Ellie Hatcher, Walt Longmire, etc. and the foresic folks - Kel McKelvey, Edward Jenner, etc.

As you can see, I'm a fan of character. What they are sleuthing is rarely as important to me as the development of the character and how the plot affects him/her.

Holmes, hmm. I enjoy seeing more "likable" character traits in protagonists, however, Doyle created a very memorable detective who was great at solving the riddle crime.

Then there is Spade, who I can't distinguish from Humprey Bogart. He is a bit too hard nosed and duplicitous for me, but still cool in any decade.

All that being said, I would probably choose Miss. Marple. She's smart, likable, always out to find the truth, and was written by Christie, my muse. How can you go wrong with that combination.