Lew Archer every time for me -what a guy? And cheap.

If it was muder Mr Bosch, and I am assuming its murder.

Good point - yes, probably murder or attempted murder - not a lost dog. I see Bosch as a direct descendent of Archer - they're both loners at heart in that their single minded dedication goes beyond concerns about long term relationships. Trustworthy bloodhounds.

Travis McGee, no doubt!

Tom Thorne or Logan Macrae, maybe even Will Trent

For me it would be the clever little Belgian, Hercule Poirot. Eccentric but a brilliant mind. My second choice would be Sam Spade. He's able to mix it up with the bad guys and has a real code of honour.

It would have to be Rex Stout and Archie Goodwin, the brains and the brawn.

Warren Clarke as Dalziel in Dalziel and Pascoe. He's my number one all time favourite.

Cut Short (DI Geraldine Steel)

Resnick every time! ;0)

Elvis Cole and Joe Pike every time.

Easy Rawlins

Or possibly, Lew Griffin.

Although if some pre-emptive or retaliatory violence is required, then Dave Robicheaux could be your man.

Surely, if you want something solved, it's got to be Sherlock Holmes?

A few years ago it would have been Miss Marple. But now I think Agatha Raisin would be a detective to be reckoned with by anybody trying to hide something!

For excitement and sheer brute force, John Tankersley aka `Tank` from the Soft Target series by Conrad Jones (5 books) The 18th Brigade (Soft Target Series)

Cole and Pike, closely followed by Bolitar, or his very tough sidekick, forgot name

Has to be Rebus as portrayed by Ken Stott,clever, sexy and brooding

For me, it's the very latest, and modern, being like James Bond, but one step beyond, (in the bedroom especially) and FUN like inspector Clouseau.. although not as hapless. Luke Baynard does get results.. And has a whale of a time in the process Join him, and some very colouful characters in... 'AT THE BEETHORPE' by Roland R. Peach. p/s they've also got a first rate Chef!

For me, it's the very latest, and modern, being like James Bond, but one step beyond, (in the bedroom especially) and FUN like inspector Clouseau.. although not as hapless. Luke Baynard does get results.. And has a whale of a time in the process Join him, and some very colouful characters in... 'AT THE BEETHORPE' by Roland R. Peach. p/s they've also got a first rate Chef!

Lisbeth Salander, although she's a bit moody.

McNulty & Bunk easily

I agree with James, McNulty & Bunk for definite! But if we're talking fiction (and I assume we are) then Jacobson & Kerr from Iain McDowall's Crowby series do it for me. McDowall's books take a scalpel to contemporary Britain just as David Simon does with Baltimore - the other characters are just as important as the police and you really get to see what makes them all tick. He's particularly insightful with 'underclass' characters which are so often just ciphers in other crime books. But as the recurring central characters, Jacobson & Kerr have grown over the series as instrinsically human, not just 'cops with a backstory' - and there are some killer lines too. You know they'd be right with you in any kind of tight spot, but Frank Jacobson would also make you think about things you've never considered before - and make you laugh out loud too on occasions - what more do you need?

Matt Scudder. Although it's unlikely he would be leaving New York to solve many cases...

I'm glad that some one out there loves the old fashioned private eye like Lew Archer but two who stand out for proceedural work must be Maigret and Steve Carella.

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Dirk Gently - efficient and universe friendly!