In my research for Chasing Betty, I looked at a variety of stories and detectives for traits and inspiration for Garrison Chase. I discovered some interesting information and to that end, I wanted to make a list of some underrated detectives.
To keep things simple, I went with three. There are presented below in no particular order:
Dr. John Watson
While his partner and roommate is considered the greatest literary detective of all time, Dr. Watson is no slouch in the smarts department. While he is portrayed as a stumbling sidekick in films, in Doyle’s tales he is anything but.
The man has a medical degree from the University of London and served as an assistant surgeon in the British Army. His knowledge and experience as a doctor come in handy various times while working with Holmes. While trying to utilize Holmes’ methods for himself, he lacked Holmes’ unbelievable ability to focus on essential details as well as his wide range of specialized knowledge.
This knowledge did help Sherlock in solving a few cases, and while he may not have been Michael Jordan in the detective realm, there’s nothing wrong with him serving as Scottie Pippen. After all, Jordan didn’t win titles without #33 on his side.
Jake Doyle
In the summers of the early Aughts, I spent a couple of weeks near Dalhousie Lake in Ontario, Canada. During one rainy day when the kids were asleep, I checked out CBC and came across a show that was a Canadian version of The Rockford Files. Set in the gorgeous town of St. John;’s Newfoundland, Jake solved crimes and with his father, and romanced the town Constable. Like Jim Rockford and Steve McQueen’s Bullitt, Doyle drove a classic sports car; in this case a 1968 Pontiac GTO.
A colorful cast of characters and unique setting added to this wonderful show. I am not too proud to say I watched the show online any way I could, but now I can revisit the show on Netflix.
I based the look of Garrison Chase on the show’s star and executive producer, Allen Hawco. As soon as I saw him in that show, my subconscious told me he was the model for my protagonist.
The entire town of St. John’s contributed to production. When I was in the beer business, a Newfoundland brewer said he worked as a production assistant. Russell Crowe even guest-starred as a federal agent for two episodes.
Being a show from the Great White North, some of the jokes may go over American’s heads, but this is a great watch. I cannot recommend this show enough.
Batman
Thanks to the comics, serials, animated shows and films, Batman is one of the most popular fictional characters on the planet. He is shown to be dark, brooding, strong, with genius level intellect and (thanks to Batfleck) an action star.
But the most popular Batman stories portray him as a detective on the level of Sherlock Holmes. In fact, did you know that Batman is considered the World’s Greatest Detective and is often referred to as simply, “Detective,” by one of his greatest adversaries, Ra’s Al Ghul.
But don’t take my word for it. Instead, listen to the fine folks at Comic Book Resources, who study comics: https://www.cbr.com/batman-times-worlds-greatest-detective-times-clueless/.
WHO’S YOUR FAVORITE DETECTIVE?
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Jason Prugar 