Patricia Abbott (pattinase): Your Favorite Crime Fiction Relationship

Saturday, July 09, 2011

Your Favorite Crime Fiction Relationship

John Neis.

What duo in crime fiction works best for you? I love Morse and Lewis in the Colin Dexter books.

Doesn't have to be a book. TV

pairings count too. Kalinda and Alicia make a good duo.

34 comments:

Mack said...: James McClure's Tromp Kramer and Micky Zondi. I was thinking about them just this morning and thinking it is time to re-read the series. Only the first two books are in print but the others are fairly easy to find.; 4:53 PM
Dana King said...: Tough call. Elvis Cole and Joe Pike pop to mind immediately, but then John Connolly's Charlie Parker and Louis crowd in there. Declan Hughes's Ed Loy and Tommy Owens are great in that they're a different sort of duo, where Tommy isn't always the most reliable vessel, so you're left to wonder if Ed may have something unexpected happen; Pike and Louis are rocks.; 4:56 PM
Naomi Johnson said...: Modesty Blaise and Willie Garvin. I love the way they can laugh at each other as well as themselves.; 5:30 PM
Rob Kitchin said...: Hap Collins and Leonard Pine in Joe Lansdale's novels. Perfect complements to each other and handy in a tight spot. They're a modern day odd couple.; 5:40 PM
Jerry House said...: I'm with Rob Kitchin.

word verification: phomili -- the guy who worked with phovanili; 7:36 PM
Anonymous said...: Holmes and Watson
Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin
Cole and Pike
Foyle and his sgt.; 7:43 PM
Deb said...: Three favorites from across the pond:

Inspector Lloyd and his partner (later his wife) Judy Hill in the series by the late Jill McGown.

Inspector Barnaby and his partner Troy in Caroline Graham's Midsummer mysteries (although the books are much, much better than the TV show).

Inspector Bill Slider and his partner Atherton (well, really, the relationship between Bill Slider and all of the people who work for him) in Cynthia Harrod-Eagles's Bill Slider mysteries.; 8:39 PM
pattinase (abbott) said...: Nick and Nora Charles.; 8:51 PM
Heath Lowrance said...: Patti, you rock-- you beat me to it. I was gonna say Nick and Nora. But since you already did, I'll go with Baretta and Fred the Cockatoo.; 9:40 PM
pattinase (abbott) said...: Grijpstra and de Gier from the Jan van Wettering.; 10:27 PM
Christopher Grant said...: TV:

Pembleton and Bayliss from Homicide: Life On The Street and McNulty and Bunk from The Wire.

The latter, especially for their well-oiled machine work together (anybody that can solve a cold case using only the word FUCK or variations thereof have my vote).; 10:30 PM
Anonymous said...: Patti - I like a lot of pairings. Morse and Lewis are great. So are Dalziel and Pascoe. And so are, of course, Holmes and Watson.; 10:42 PM
pattinase (abbott) said...: Dalziel and Pascoe were a great pair.
And Nancy and Bess and George and Ned.; 10:52 PM
Cap'n Bob said...: People have already said Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin, and Nick and Nora. Those are probably my favorites. Joe Friday and Frank Smith/Bill Gannon, too.; 12:14 AM
Charles Gramlich said...: Yeah, Hap and Leonard.; 2:01 AM
Chad Eagleton said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 8:42 AM
Chad Eagleton said...: (I should really wait to type comments until after I've had at least one entire copy of coffee--less typos.)

A lot of the ones I like have already been said. However, I'd add in Andrew Vachss' Burke and his Family of Choice.; 8:44 AM
Deb said...: I didn't mention my favorite TV duo: LAW & ORDER's Lenny Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) and Ed Green (Jessie Martin).; 8:50 AM
Scott Morgan said...: Harry Angel and Louis Cypher in "Falling Angel." Not the movie "Angel Heart," mind you, the book by William Hjortsberg.; 9:23 AM
pattinase (abbott) said...: Love that book!; 9:36 AM
pattinase (abbott) said...: On TV always liked Remington Steele and Laura King and Dave and Maddie.; 9:37 AM
Anonymous said...: A lot of good ones mentioned (Hap & Leonard, Dalziel & Pascoe, etc.) but let me add:

Stephanie Plum and Lula
Joe Leaphorn & Jim Chee
Bill Gastner & Estelle Reyes-Guzman

Jeff M.; 9:55 AM
Dorte H said...: Tough question.

Morse and Lewis are definitely one of the best teams.

I also liked Inspector Lynley and Barbara Havers once, but I think that series has slipped terribly.; 9:56 AM
Anonymous said...: Mary Alice and Patricia Anne (Sister and Mouse) from Anne George's Southern Sisters stories always make me laugh.
I like the respectful relationship of Louise Penny's Armand Gamache and Jean Guy Beauvoir.
Michel; 10:55 AM
J F Norris said...: I agree with several of those already mentioned. Here are some not yet honored. Admittedly, I tend to favor the obscure and arcane so some of my choices may not be immediately recognizable.

TV duos:
Dana Sculley & Fox Mulder
Jonathan Creek & Maddie Magellan

Books:
Donald Lam & Bertha Cool
Jeff & Haila Troy
Arthur Bryant & John May
Ethelred Tressider & Elsie Thirkettle

...and for a really old pair, probably utterly forgotten:

Dr. John Thorndyke and Dr. Christopher Jervis. (R. Austin Freeman is probably overdue for an FFB post); 11:07 AM
pattinase (abbott) said...: Michel-Thanks so much for the TIME.
It's gone from the stands so quickly,

How could I forget Sculley and Mulder.; 11:16 AM
Anonymous said...: Thanks, John, for mentioning Jonathan Creek & Maddie Magellan. The show was just not the same after Maddie left.

Another British duo of note:
Insp. John Luther and Alice Morgan

Another amusing (if sometimes tiresome) duo I got a kick out of was Hill & Renko on HILL STREET.

Jeff M.; 11:19 AM
pattinase (abbott) said...: Cannot wait for Luther 2.
Another topic is all the crime fiction figures who always worked alone.; 11:30 AM
Dan_Luft said...: I've always loved Jim Rockford and Angel but they didn't solve crimes together. They were more cause and effect; 5:10 PM
Anonymous said...: Jackie wants to add Eve Dallas and Peabody from the J. D. Robb (Nora Roberts) series.

Jeff M.; 9:21 PM
Al Tucher said...: It's funny, but the first thing that came to mind was the recent movie 16 Blocks. Mos Def plays one of the most endearingly annoying characters in crime, and his prickly relationship with the Bruce Willis character has real depth.; 9:28 AM
pattinase (abbott) said...: Good movie. Bruce can act when he tries.; 9:48 AM
Kent Morgan said...: The Hardy boys, but Dave Robicheaux and Clete Purcell deserve consideration. How come no one mentioned Spenser and Susan Silverman?; 11:02 AM
Jerry House said...: I wonder why no one has mentioned Holmes and Yoyo?

Oh. I see.; 9:12 AM