# Who are your all time favorite fictional characters?



## SuzanneTyrpak (Aug 10, 2010)

Characters really make the story for me. Sometimes, I become so obsessed with them, I don't want to finish the book--because our relationship will end. I love Jane Austen's characters, Emma especially. Emma drives me crazy with her scheming, but I can't help liking her. On a completely different note, I adore Hannibal Lecter. Thomas Harris is a genius for making such a despicable character lovable--not that I would want to date him! (Hope I haven't.)

Please name your favorite characters and say a little bit about them. 

Can't wait to hear!

Suzanne


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## Travis haselton (Jul 24, 2010)

When I was younger I was huge into Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn. I liked Tom he best.


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## PraiseGod13 (Oct 27, 2008)

There are many of us who will probably think of Jamie Fraser from Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series first... SIGH!  I'm also a big fan of Barbara Havers who is the sidekick of Thomas Lynley in the Elizabeth George books.  And, of course, Salander in the wildly popular Steig Larsson "The Girl With/Who" series.  I totally agree with you about characters making a book for me.  There are books that have a "weak" story.... but I still enjoy them because there is a character(s) that I like.


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## Bane766 (Aug 2, 2010)

Raistlen and Tasselhoff from Dragonlance...and Lord Soth, too  

Also like Eddy from the Darktower books

Jon Snow from ASoIaF series

Matt from Wheel of Time

Hannible Lector is a good one, too


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin. I like very literate— in the sense of using words well— characters, and Nero Wolfe is nothing if not literate. Archie Goodwin, for all his claims to the contrary, also uses words well. A joy to read. I’m not sure I would like spending time with Wolfe, but I would certainly enjoy the occasional meal in the brownstone in the company of those two characters.

Mike


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## tbrookside (Nov 4, 2009)

Jubal Harshaw. Just about every bit of cleverness Heinlein had available jammed into one character.

Samwise Gamgee. Yes, he is in fact the real hero of LOTR.

Amory Blaine from _This Side of Paradise_. Understanding this character is key to understanding just about everything else Fitzgerald ever wrote.

Robert Graves' version of the Emperor Claudius. The beginning of a lifelong love of historical fiction for me.


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## Harry Shannon (Jul 30, 2010)

Travis McGee by John D. MacDonald, Dave R. by James Lee Burke, Blackthorne from "Shogun," Hazel from "Watership Down," just to name a few


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## tbrookside (Nov 4, 2009)

Harry Shannon said:


> Travis McGee by John D. MacDonald, Dave R. by James Lee Burke, Blackthorne from "Shogun," Hazel from "Watership Down," just to name a few


Ack! I forgot Bigwig!

Actually, it's funny how many great, memorable characters are in _Watership Down_.


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## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

I'm a big fan of Jaime Lannister...even though I swore I'd never like him to my wife. Heh. Yeeeah.

David Dalglish


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## Figment (Oct 27, 2008)

Chet from the Chet and Bernie mysteries: _Dog on It_ and _Thereby Hangs a Tail_. The third book, _To Fetch a Thief_, comes out in September.


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## Bane766 (Aug 2, 2010)

Half-Orc said:


> I'm a big fan of Jaime Lannister...even though I swore I'd never like him to my wife. Heh. Yeeeah.
> 
> David Dalglish


He's better now that he has one arm 

I loved Gullom from Tolkien's works, too.


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## Guest (Aug 14, 2010)

I second Gollum, Sam, and Tom Sawyer! All great characters.

How about the Weasley twins? I also love Lear, Dr. Rappaccini, Yossarian, and Darl.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

Sam Vimes from the "City Watch" story arc of Terry Pratchett's "Discworld" books. He is a conflicted character, being of humble origins but feeling like a class traitor as he moves up in life, marrying into nobility and eventually becoming a duke. He wants to do what he believes is right to protect and serve the common people, while all the time feeling it's a hopeless cause. He has a gruff exterior and believes in fighting to win rather than for honor, yet he has is own deep-seated sense of honor, will do anything for his friends and loved ones, and deep down can be an old softy about things (such as his wife and son, widows and orphans of watchmen, etc.). When reading these books, I feel that Sam is the character that Sir Terry most loves himself, from a pantheon of great characters.

Honorable mention must go to Corwin of Roger Zelazny's "Amber" series. Through the series you watch him go from a mostly self-centered man obsessed with his sibling rivalries to someone who "gets it", and learns to love, or at least accept, his brothers and sisters as well as his lot in life. As he is also the narrator, his voice (perhaps that of Zelazny himself) permeates the books with an interesting mixture of acerbic wit and gorgeous prose, making me like him more.


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## Joel Arnold (May 3, 2010)

Ignatius Reilly from *A Confederacy of Dunces*. He's such an eccentric, over-the-top character, I gotta love him.
Dave Robicheaux from the James Lee Burke series. This is just such a well-written series, and you feel like you're right there along with Dave, fighting his demons with him.
Hagrid from the *Harry Potter * series. Such a loveable, good-natured giant of a fella.
Agent Pendergast from the Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child books. A complicated detective living in a fantastic mansion full of endless secrets.
Babbitt from *Babbitt*. He sort of represents that person in all of us who battles his instincts on whether or not he should just go along with what people expect of him, or follow his heart's desire.

Joel


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## stormhawk (Apr 29, 2009)

Mowgli from Kipling's Jungle Book
Aslan from Narnia
Andrew Vachss' Burke
Oh, and Quiller, from Adam Hall's spy thrillers. I always thought he was way cooler than James Bond.


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## Guest (Aug 14, 2010)

stormhawk said:


> Oh, and Quiller, from Adam Hall's spy thrillers. I always thought he was way cooler than James Bond.


I love that name, Quiller. Is that the character's real name or spy name or something? Reminds me of Kreacher...those names can be hard to pull off without sounding dumb.


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## Dawn McCullough White (Feb 24, 2010)

I second the Weasley Twins; I was also a big fan of Gilderoy Lockhart.  I could probably make a list, but I guess I'll go with Sherlock Holmes and Long John Silver to keep it completely eclectic.

Dawn


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## D. Nathan Hilliard (Jun 5, 2010)

My all time favorite is  probably Terry Pratchett's Death...followed closely by Granny Weatherwax and Sam Vimes.


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## stormhawk (Apr 29, 2009)

foreverjuly said:


> I love that name, Quiller. Is that the character's real name or spy name or something? Reminds me of Kreacher...those names can be hard to pull off without sounding dumb.


Because he was a mysterious spy fellow, that's the only name we ever know him by. You never really know if that's his name or his code name or what. The books are written in first person perspective. You also never know much more of his primary field control, other than he's "Ferris." His name didn't start appearing in the titles until near the end of the series, and that was probably a decision by the publisher to enhance recognition for sales. Most of the titles were things like The Berlin Memorandum, The Striker Portfolio, The Tango Briefing, The Sinkiang Executive, etc.

Great stories, though. Quiller is not a superhero type of spy. Just a guy. Who doesn't like guns.

I would love to be able to get the series on Kindle!


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## Aravis60 (Feb 18, 2009)

Anne Shirley from L.M. Montgomery's "Anne" series is my favorite. 

I also love Aslan and Granny Weatherwax, both of whom have been mentioned.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

D. Nathan Hilliard said:


> My all time favorite is probably Terry Pratchett's Death...followed closely by Granny Weatherwax and Sam Vimes.


I like Death as a secondary character, but not so much when he's one of the main characters. But I do love Granny, and especially in combination with Nanny Ogg: to me the two of them together, playing off of each other, make a great combined character, so to speak.


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## Aravis60 (Feb 18, 2009)

NogDog said:


> I like Death as a secondary character, but not so much when he's one of the main characters. But I do love Granny, and especially in combination with Nanny Ogg: to me the two of them together, playing off of each other, make a great combined character, so to speak.


BTW- Have I ever thanked you for introducing me to Granny?


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

Aravis60 said:


> BTW- Have I ever thanked you for introducing me to Granny?


I don't know, but if not, now you have, and you're welcome.


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## SuzanneTyrpak (Aug 10, 2010)

It's great to hear about all these characters--some I've never heard of. Where would I find the Weasley twins? And Granny Weatherwax?

Thanks for playing!

Suzanne


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## Dawn McCullough White (Feb 24, 2010)

SuzanneTyrpak said:


> It's great to hear about all these characters--some I've never heard of. Where would I find the Weasley twins? And Granny Weatherwax?
> 
> Thanks for playing!
> 
> Suzanne


Weasley twins are from the Harry Potter series.

Dawn


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

SuzanneTyrpak said:


> It's great to hear about all these characters--some I've never heard of. Where would I find the Weasley twins? And Granny Weatherwax?
> 
> Thanks for playing!
> 
> Suzanne


Granny Weatherwax (and Nanny Ogg) are witches in a number of Terry Pratchett's "Discworld" books. IIRC, Granny first shows up in _Equal Rites_, but is in somewhat of a supporting role and not quite fully developed yet. She, Nanny, and other characters in the tiny kingdom of Lancre (and thus their story arc is often referred to as the "Lancre Witches") really hit their stride in _Wyrd Sisters_ and then _Witches Abroad_, then later in _Lords and Ladies_, _Maskerade_, and _Carpe Jugulum_. She and Nanny also have important roles in the Tiffany Aching series (targeted at "young adults", but I still liked them a lot): _The Wee Free Men_, _A Hat Full of Sky_, and _Wintersmith_. If she sounds like someone you'd like to learn more about, I'd recommend starting with _Wyrd Sisters_.











If you'd like to get to know my favorite character, Sam Vimes, you should start with _Guards! Guards!_:











Courtesy of your friendly neighborhood Discworld pusher.


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## Jeff (Oct 28, 2008)

When I was a teenager I decided that the woman of my dreams was Dagny Taggart from _Atlas Shrugged_.


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## Meemo (Oct 27, 2008)

Another vote for Travis McGee. I wanted to marry him. Sure I was already happily married (still am) but back in the 70's & 80's when I was reading the series I wanted to marry Travis.

Also Robert B. Parker's Spenser

Augustus McCrae and Woodrow Call of *Lonesome Dove*


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## Jeff (Oct 28, 2008)

Meemo said:


> Augustus McCrae and Woodrow Call of *Lonesome Dove*


Great characters. But, just to be clear, I never wanted to marry them.


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## Victorine (Apr 23, 2010)

Oh, favorite characters.  That's hard!  There are so many great ones.

I really liked Joe from Little Women.  I also second Anne Shirley from Anne of Green Gables.  I love Arizona from Portal.  I also liked Edward from Twilight... sorry.  Flog me now.

Vicki


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## MachineTrooper (Jun 22, 2010)

No 3-diminsional subtlety for me!

Sam Spade

Conan

Tarzan

Hawk (from Parker's Spenser series)

Win (from Coben's Myron Bolitar books)

Shane

Christine (a hopped-up, sentient '58 Fury that repairs herself and kills off your enemies--what's not to like?)


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## daringnovelist (Apr 3, 2010)

jmiked said:


> Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin. I like very literate- in the sense of using words well- characters, and Nero Wolfe is nothing if not literate. Archie Goodwin, for all his claims to the contrary, also uses words well. A joy to read. I'm not sure I would like spending time with Wolfe, but I would certainly enjoy the occasional meal in the brownstone in the company of those two characters.
> 
> Mike


Ha! The instant I read the title of this thread I thought "Archie Goodwin!" I like Wolfe, but mainly as a foil for Archie.

I would say another favorite character is one that is often misunderstood (mainly because of bad adaptations): Miss Marple. So often she is just portrayed as fluffy and clever, but the thing that people don't remember is that she wasn't "nice" - she was sharp, judgmental and a real Nemesis. She's someone who doesn't flinch. Even if she did wear fluffy pink slippers.

Camille


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## Ty Johnston (Jun 19, 2009)

Wow, this could be a long list. But off the top of my head ...

Bigwig from Watership Down

Hanse Shadowspawn from the Thieves' World series

Edmond Dantes from The Count of Monte Cristo

Athos from The Three Musketeers (and other literature in the D'artagnon series)

A handful of characters in Steven Erikson's Malazan fantasy series

I could go on ... but it's late. I'm heading to bed.


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## Lyndl (Apr 2, 2010)

Anne Shirley  ( "Anne" books)

Jo March  ( Little Women series)

Tyrion, Arya & Jon Snow ( Song of Ice & Fire)

Egwene AlVere  ( Wheel of Time) 

Hazel from Watership Down

Tailchaser  ( Tailchaser's Song - Tad Williams) 

Samwise Gamgee  ( LOTR)


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## jbh13md (Aug 1, 2010)

My favorites include Kilgore Trout in "Breakfast of Champions," Severian in "The Book of The New Sun," Colm Corbec from The Gaunt's Ghosts novels


Spoiler



(I almost stopped reading them when he died not because I think Abnett gave him a bad death, but simply because it bummed me out)


, and Ethan Allen Hawley in "Winter of Our Discontent" and Luna Lovegood from the Harry Potter books. There are probably others I'll kick myself for not mentioning later, but that's all I can think of at the moment.


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## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

Favorites of all time .... wow. tall order. The top of my list had three brat princes and a blacksmith with a mischievous streak ...

*Lestat de LionCourt* (The Vampire Chronicles)
*Alvin Maker* (The Tales of Alvin Maker)
*Aiken Drum* (Saga of the Pliocene Exile) 
*Alaric Morgan* (Chronicles of the Deryni, Histories of King Kelson)

Oh and I adore Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg and Death from the Discworld, but my favorite character is a tossup between Susan Sto Helit (Death's Granddaughter) and the Death of Rats (SQUEAK).


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## 911jason (Aug 17, 2009)

Lee Child's Reacher
Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan
Vince Flynn's Rapp
W.E.B. Griffin's Charlie Castillo, Ken McCoy and Matthew Payne
Jeff Hepple's R.A. Lincoln


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## prairiesky (Aug 11, 2009)

Dave Robicheaux (James Lee Burke novels) a flawed but magnificent character

Aibilene (The Help)  intelligent, kind, courageous


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## Cliff Ball (Apr 10, 2010)

I'm not really into characters in novels, but here are a couple that stand out:

Jack Ryan from the Tom Clancy books
I read A LOT of Star Trek novels, so all the characters from Star Trek!  
probably Rudy from S.M. Stirling's Novels of the Change series


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## ArthurC (Aug 4, 2010)

Some of the best characters are rogues and villains.  My favourite is Alfred Jingle from 'The Pickwick Papers'.  Here's an example of one of his tall tales:

"Ah! you should keep dogs -- fine animals -- sagacious creatures -- dog of my own once -- Pointer -- surprising instinct -- out shooting one day -- entering enclosure -- whistled -- dog stopped -- whistled again -- Ponto -- no go; stock still -- called him -- Ponto, Ponto -- wouldn't move -- dog transfixed -- staring at a board -- looked up, saw an inscription -- 'Gamekeeper has orders to shoot all dogs found in this enclosure' -- wouldn't pass it -- wonderful dog -- valuable dog that -- very."

Another brilliant rogue is Harry Flashman, from the series of books by George Macdonald Fraser (these books are full of outstanding characters).  Flashman was the school bully in 'Tom Brown's School Days'.  The adult Flashman is a devoted coward, liar and womaniser.  What makes him so entertaining is the way he revels in all of his bad traits.


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## Bane766 (Aug 2, 2010)

ArthurC said:


> Some of the best characters are rogues and villains. My favourite is Alfred Jingle from 'The Pickwick Papers'. Here's an example of one of his tall tales:
> 
> "Ah! you should keep dogs -- fine animals -- sagacious creatures -- dog of my own once -- Pointer -- surprising instinct -- out shooting one day -- entering enclosure -- whistled -- dog stopped -- whistled again -- Ponto -- no go; stock still -- called him -- Ponto, Ponto -- wouldn't move -- dog transfixed -- staring at a board -- looked up, saw an inscription -- 'Gamekeeper has orders to shoot all dogs found in this enclosure' -- wouldn't pass it -- wonderful dog -- valuable dog that -- very."
> 
> Another brilliant rogue is Harry Flashman, from the series of books by George Macdonald Fraser (these books are full of outstanding characters). Flashman was the school bully in 'Tom Brown's School Days'. The adult Flashman is a devoted coward, liar and womaniser. What makes him so entertaining is the way he revels in all of his bad traits.


That's hilarious that bit with Alfred Jingle's dog.


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## LaRita (Oct 28, 2008)

Meemo said:


> Another vote for Travis McGee. I wanted to marry him. Sure I was already happily married (still am) but back in the 70's & 80's when I was reading the series I wanted to marry Travis.
> 
> Also Robert B. Parker's Spenser
> 
> Augustus McCrae and Woodrow Call of *Lonesome Dove*


I'd have to agree with the above. For years, I reread the Travis books every summer. Wish they were available on Kindle!

One addition to the above: Lazarus Long by Heinlein. How can you resist the "wisdom" of the oldest man in the universe?


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## Monique (Jul 31, 2010)

Fun thread. I have a few of the same choices as others so far. Here are a few of my favorites, in no particular order...

Nancy Drew 
Winnie the Pooh 
Spenser (Robert Parker)
Ellery Queen
Perry Mason
Jean Valjean (Les Miserables)
Athos (Three Musketeers - which, if you haven't read, it's a blast!)

And, number one with a bullet - Sherlock Holmes!


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## julieannfelicity (Jun 28, 2010)

I don't know who's read any of my posts but my all time favorite book is Up a Road Slowly by Irene Hunt.  With that being said, my favorite fictional character is Julie Trelling.  I see so much of her in me and it made it so easy to fall in love with her (in a platonic sort of way, of course).  Irene did such a great job describing her, she felt real to me.

oh- and I suppose I should add my buddy Eeyore, lol ... I love Eeyore!


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## Hunter Griffen (Aug 15, 2010)

I can't believe nobody mentioned Repairman Jack from the greatest horror novel of all time, The Tomb, by F Paul Wilson. There was about a 13 year wait between the first and second Jack novels, but now they're coming out about one a year. BTW, he doesn't repair appliances, he fixes situations.


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## Luna Lindsey (Jul 5, 2010)

As a kid, I really liked Meg from A Wrinkle in Time.  I also loved Arcady from Isaac Asimov's Second Foundation, because she was about my age and she stowed away on a space ship.  One of the few classic SF strong female characters that wasn't a cardboard cutout.

In adulthood? Hmm there are so many to choose from.  I'm with Jeff in voting for Dagny Taggart.  She's been something of a role model for me.  I also really liked Bartolomeo from Ship of Fools by Richard Paul Russo.  Every character in that book was deeply flawed in some way, including the protagonist.


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## Barry Eysman (Jul 19, 2010)

Steve Carella
Matthew Hope
Michael Shayne
Lucy Hamilton
Neil Brock
Col. Stonesteel
the Teenage Frankenstein
James Matoon Scott
Corkey/Fats
Jim Nightshade
Stu Bailey
James Bond
Buddwing
Atticus Finch
Boo Radley
Mountain Rivera
The Electric Grandmother
Doug Spaulding
John Huff
Jeff Miller
Joel
and the most fictional of all boys
inside of whom
is still me.


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## Carolyn J. Rose Mystery Writer (Aug 10, 2010)

Thursday Next from Jasper Fforde's delightful series about a literary detective who can jump into fiction.


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## kindleworm (Aug 24, 2010)

Two of my favorites are Jo from Little Women, and Ayla from Clan Of The Cave Bear.


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## div (Aug 25, 2010)

Dirk Pitt-----Clive Cussler

Jack Ryan---Tom Clancy

George Milton and Lennie Small---John Steinbeck

And the true life men of Dennis Smith's _Report From Engine Company 82_


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## nelmsm (Dec 24, 2009)

Another vote for Travis McGee, Jack Reacher, and Jack Ryan.  Also have to throw a vote in for Flashman!


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

Dr. Gideon Fell and Sir Henry Merrivale— both detectives from the Golden Age (1930/40/50s), appearing in books written by John Dickson Carr.

Mike


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## RJ Keller (Mar 9, 2009)

*Hans Huberman* (The Book Thief)

*Stephanie Byng* (Several Bertie Wooster novels)


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