I love amateur detectives. I feel they are a bridge for readers to ask themselves what they would do in a situation where they had to solve a crime. They allow readers to solve the crime alongside them, without having any particular specialist knowledge – or, if they do, they share those skills.
They are usually characters that we, the reader, feel like we could meet in real life. Maybe be their friend. Ordinary people who do extraordinary things, things we would like to do. And often they are the underdog, perhaps the best type of character of all to root for.
Characters that have either been traditionally sidekicks, secondary, sat outside societal norms of who should be a hero or heroine, or been the black sheep of the family. Unlikely heroes. I love that they come with wit in the face of often grim crimes and in a time of grief. Sometimes inappropriate, often ignoring due process, they are dogged to find the clues and get to the truth. It’s their view on the world, and the access they get by being overlooked that can often be their superpower.
It was with this love of amateur detectives that I came up with The Nancys, a not-so-secret amateur detective club, made up of 11-year-old Tippy, her Uncle Pike and his boyfriend Devon.
And like many amateur detectives, they have a role model: Nancy Drew.
Counting down from five my top five favourite amateur detectives (at the moment).
5. Vivian Slade and Jamie (the waiter)
Amateur, absolutely. Detecting, somewhat reluctantly at first. Vivian is the black sheep even amongst an extended family.
Vivian Dies Again by C.E. Hulse
Put a black sheep in an extended family event, and then put that event into a time loop. Worst day(s) ever. I love Vivian and her detecting partner, Jamie, who are pulled into a murder mystery (her own murder), with hostile suspects to say the least. Vivian is messy and chaotic and the bluntest interrogator you will come across. And the funniest.
4. Miss Jane Marple
Miss Marple walked so Thursday Murder Club could run. One of the original elderly amateur detectives.
‘How can you and I set about preventing a murder? You’re about a hundred and I’m a broken-up old crock.’ – Mr Rafiel, talking to Miss Marple
A Caribbean Mystery by Agatha Christie
An unlikely heroine, described as a ‘fluffy little old lady’, Miss Marple challenged gender and age stereotypes, using these to her advantage by often being underestimated by her foes, to their detriment. It’s always the quiet ones…
3. Professor Eustacia Rose
Professor Eustacia Rose, head of botanical toxicology at University College London, is upfront with ‘I’ve always been better with plants than people.’
Devil’s Breath by Jill Johnson
Although a total amateur when it comes to detecting, it is Eustacia’s technical knowledge that helps drive her investigating, while her people skills, or lack of them, slow her down. Witty, with a Sherlockian crankiness, the Professor needs to track down her stolen poisonous plant collection before more people die. For those of us with academics in our lives, it is a hard relate.
2. Sister Agatha Murphy and Avtar Mehta
A semi-retired Irish nun and a Delhi hotelier form a smoking bond that leads to an investigative duo.
Murder in Moonlit Square by Paul Waters
What I especially love with amateur detectives is the unlikely team-up, and here we have it. Funny, with the beauty of the celebrating individual contrasts and cultures, while finding the similarities – and of course the criminals. The best versions of us.
1. Nancy Drew
My list could not be complete without the girl detective, the OG, and the role model for both my characters, Tippy and Uncle Pike.
The Secret of the Old Clock, by Caroline Keene
Starting in the 1930s, Nancy Drew has spanned generations. Independent, Nancy Drew solved cases with spectacularly little training other than curiosity and tenacity. With her friends in tow and questionable deference to authority, Nancy Drew shows you don’t need to be a professional to solve crime.
Nancy Drew doesn’t wait for permission. She asks questions, follows the clues and keeps going when everyone else thinks she should stop.
It is these qualities that make her the perfect role model for The Nancys. After all, every amateur detective needs a role model. Who better than Nancy Drew?
Tippy and Uncle Pike run with that same curiosity, tenacity and questionable deference to authority, while getting Devon, who has not yet read the books, up to speed. The Nancys are back again, investigating in The Nancys and the Secret of Tulip Farm. Amateur detectives back on a case? It does not get better than that!
Disclaimer: Amateur detecting is not recommended. Please leave crime solving to the professionals.
R.W.R. (Rob) McDonald is author of The Nancys and the Secret of Tulip Farm, book two in the multi-award-winning, funny, moving and dark The Nancys series, published by Orenda Books on 8th October 2026.
