The Detective's Sidekick Trivia Quiz

Answer: Robin Ellacott

J. K. Rowling, under the pseudonym of Robert Galbraith, created the detective Cormoran Strike, who is the illegitimate son of a famous musician. Strike lost part of his right leg in Afghanistan and set up a detective agency upon his return. Struggling to make ends meet, he lives in a room above his office. He hired Robin Ellacott as a temporary secretary for one week, but she proved to be invaluable assisting his detective work and continued to work for him.

Strike eventually rewarded Ellacott with a partnership in his agency after they solved their first case. Both are in failing romantic relationships. Strike has separated from his long-time fiancee, who proved to be a demanding drama queen. Ellacott, despite serious doubts, eventually married her long-time boyfriend, but in later novels divorced him due to his infidelity. There is a palpable romantic tension between the two partners, but neither has been willing to cross the work/lover boundary (so far).

Strike serves as mentor in the duo; whereas Ellacott provides a calming influence, assisting his physical handicap, providing female insights, and a possible romantic interest.

Answer: Mikael Blomkvist

Lisbeth Salander was created by the late Swedish author Stieg Larsson. She suffered a traumatic childhood and is a highly antisocial, violent computer hacker with a Goth appearance. In the first book of the series, "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo", she was commissioned to hack the accounts of journalist Mikael Blomkvist, but he discovered it and joined forces with her to investigate an old crime. Eventually Salander and Blomkvist have a short romantic relationship.

In the later books, Salander disappears from view temporarily before reconnecting with Blomkvist to solve other crimes.

Answer: Rina Lazarus

In a series of books by Faye Kellerman, Peter Decker is a Los Angeles policeman who teams with his wife Rina Lazarus solving cases. In the initial book, "The Ritual Bath", he met Lazarus, a young widow who provided background information on Jewish religious practices.

They eventually became romantically involved and married. Decker converted to Judaism and later found out that his biological parents were Jewish. Lazarus assists Decker from home in his cases with advice and her expertise.

Answer: Barbara Havers

Thomas Lynley, the 8th Earl of Asherton, is a detective inspector in the series by Elizabeth George. He is teamed primarily with Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers. Havers comes from a working class background, relatively unattractive and untidy. Although one might expect clashes between Lynley and Havers due to differences in gender and class, Lynley proves very supportive of her when she regularly runs afoul of regulations.

Answer: Siobhan Clarke

John Rebus is a police detective in Edinburgh who grew up in a poor neighborhoods of the city and later joined the army. After training for the SAS to serve in Northern Ireland, he had a nervous breakdown and eventually joined the police force. He proved to be a prototypical loner, resisting authorities and prone to alcoholism.

Siobhan Clarke was an educated middle class Englishwoman, who was teamed with him - perhaps to civilize him. Siobhan, or "Shiv" as she is known, proves to be a reliable lieutenant and perhaps is "uncivilized" by Rebus.

Answer: Archie Goodwin

Author Rex Stout establishes the ultimate contest of who's the best armchair detective between the reader and his detective Nero Wolfe. The obese detective rarely leaves his New York brownstone apartment, spending his time reading and tending his beloved orchids.

He employs his dapper lieutenant Archie Goodwin to do his legwork to provide information and bring witnesses to Wolfe's apartment. The reader is provided the same information as Wolfe and is challenged to find the solution with the same information as he has.

Answer: Robert (Robbie) Lewis

Inspector Morse is the fictional detective in stories by Colin Dexter, serving with the Thames Valley Police in Oxford. Morse is the son of a taxi driver and his idiosyncrasies include addiction to cryptic crossword puzzles, a thirst for real English ale, and a love of opera. For most of the series he uses only his initial "E", and only later is his name of "Endeavour" revealed.

Sergeant Lewis is Morse's assistant in all of Dexter's books. He is an easy-going family man from Wales (northern England in the TV series). He is fiercely loyal to Morse, despite the latter's sometimes condescending comments to him. Often the two detectives disagree on approaches to take, creating internal conflicts.

Answer: John Watson

Dr John Watson is one of the first detective sidekicks in literature appearing in Arthur Conan Doyle's stories about Sherlock Holmes. Watson and Holmes first met when Holmes was trying to find someone to share his residence at 221B Baker Street. Watson served as narrator in most of the stories and as the recipient of Holmes' utterances about the case. Watson is quite intelligent, but lacks the deductive skills of Holmes, often providing false suspects to the reader.

Doyle, unlike most modern detective writers, does not keep his character's life story consistent; so there are different stories about Watson's background.

Answer: Radcliffe Emerson

Amelia Peabody is the central figure in a series of novels by Barbara Mertz, written under the pen name of Elizabeth Peters. The series begins in 1884 with Amelia as a spinster and suffragette, who travels the world after inheriting her father's estate. She and a friend traveled to Egypt, where she met her future husband Radcliffe Emerson.

Amelia and Emerson live in Kent, England and travel to archeological sites in Egypt for seasonal digs with their son Walter (aka Ramses). The series includes events and personages from that frame of history 1884 - 1923.

Answer: Mike Chapman, Mercer Wallace

Alex Cooper is a New York City prosecuting attorney for sex crimes in a series of books by Linda Fairstein. Cooper holds the same job that Fairstein holds in real life. The books generally center around a landmark in New York City, including facts about the landmark that are generally not known by most readers.

Cooper is assisted by policemen Mike Chapman and Mercer Wallace. Unlike most prosecutors, Cooper seems to take a more active role in the investigation, several books place her in life-threatening situations. Chapman is the son of a policemen and his working class roots are quite different from Cooper who has had a privileged upbringing. Wallace is an African American policeman who works with Chapman.

The series follows the lives, tragedies, and loves of the detectives. One constant feature of the stories is that they attempt to watch the final question of the Jeopardy! show and have a friendly bet on the answer. The difference in wealth between Cooper and Chapman doesn't come into play since Chapman invariably wins.

Answer: Jean-Guy Beauvoir

Armand Gamouche is the hero of Louise Penny's series of detective novels taking place in Quebec. He is a senior member of the Surete, and many of the mysteries are centered in the small village of Three Pines. The novels have a rich set of characters both in Three Pines and within the Surete. A continuing storyline is Gamouche's attempt to root out corruption within the police force and the provincial Government.

Beauvoir is a troubled member of the Surete, who Gamouche assisted during his struggles. Beauvoir becomes his trusted lieutenant and ally, although the relationship becomes rocky after a disastrous police raid that affected both men. Eventually Jean-Guy marries Gamouche's daughter Annie.

Answer: Joe Pike

Elvis Cole and Joe Pike are hard-boiled detectives in a series of award-winning mysteries by Robert Crais. Cole is a private detective working in Santa Monica after completing a tour in Vietnam. He's a champion of the underdog, who has managed to survive his rough upbringing.

Pike, his assistant and later partner, brings a darker side. As an ex-marine, sometime mercenary, and gun shop owner, he's less bound by society's constraints. If dirty work is necessary for the partnership, Pike is the one to provide it.

Answer: Jim Chee

Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee are Navajo Tribal Police officers in a series of books written by Tony Hillerman and continued by his daughter Anne Hillerman after his passing. Joe Leaphorn, the lead officer, is a Navajo who attended boarding school and Arizona State University. Although his grandmother told him stories about the Navajo way of life, Leaphorn is not as well-versed in the Navajo way of life as his younger assistant Chee.

Chee had much the same educational path as Leaphorn, but he is more in tune with the Navajo beliefs and more accepting of them than Leaphorn.

Answer: Jerry Edgar, Kiz Rider

Hieronymus (Harry) Bosch is the lead character in a series of books by Michael Connelly. Bosch was named after the Dutch painter by his mother, a prostitute murdered in Los Angeles. Bosch was raised in various orphanages and foster homes before enlisting in the Army and serving as a tunnel rat in Vietnam. Upon his return, he worked for the Los Angeles Police Department, where he gained a reputation for crossing swords with the authorities while resolving cases.

Bosch worked with several partners in the Robbery and Homicide Division, cold cases, and as a private investigator. Jerry Edgar and Kizmin Rider are his primary associates in the earlier books of the series; although others, such as Renee Ballard, take that role in more recent books.

Answer: Annie Cabbot

Alan Banks is the protagonist in a series of novels by Peter Robinson set in North Yorkshire. He is the lead detective in a small village near Harrogate. His troubled marriage with his wife Sandra leads to their separation, divorce, and her eventual remarriage. Many of the stories still involve her and their two children

Detective Sergeant Annie Cabbot is his assistant in earlier stories and eventually gets promoted to Detective Inspector still working closely with Banks. Banks and Cabbot have an on and off romance during several of the later books.