Sleuths, Sidekicks and Stooges

Sleuths, Sidekicks and Stooges
by Joseph Green and Jim Finch [R 809.387 qGre]

In an ongoing effort to promote some of the excellent reference books in the libraries' non-circulating Reference collection, let me bring your attention to this terrific tool for mystery fans! Sleuths, Sidekicks and Stooges is a massive oversized encyclopedia of mystery protagonists, organized alphabetically by the name of the sleuth -- be they Sherlock Holmes, Nero Wolfe, Travis McGee or Sam Spade. You'll find details descriptions of each sleuth, from their physical appearance to their basic personality traits, plus notes as to how many novels and/or stories they were featured in (up through 1995). Additionally, if the sleuth had a partner or sidekick, they get their own detailed blurb -- Spenser's Hawk, for instance. Additionally, if the sleuth has a regular police antagonist -- what the editors of this volume call "stooges" -- they also will get their own descriptive blurbs, within the broader scope of the sleuth's main entry. The book features extensive indexes to the Authors, Books, Sidekicks and Stooges, as well as a helpful appendix itemizing dozens of Sherlock Holmes parodies up through the mid-1990s. This is an excellent research volume for mystery fans -- I'm only sorry an updated edition has not been produced since 1997. But for classic mystery lovers, this is an essential tool! -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library [Subscribe to Scott's monthly booklist newsletter It's All Geek to Me! - on the Books, Movies & More newsletter sign-up page]

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