This is a list of fictional male detective characters from novels, short stories, radio, television, and films.

A

• Detective Chief-Inspector Roderick Alleyn, by Ngaio Marsh
• Jonathan Ames, Bored to Death: A Noir-otic Story by Jonathan Ames
• Bob Andrews, Three Investigators by Robert Arthur Jr.
• Arjun, by Samaresh Majumdar

B

• Byomkesh Bakshi, by Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay
• Goenda Baradacharan, by Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay
• Cyrus Barker by Will Thomas
• Parashor Barma, by Premendra Mitra
• John Barnaby, Midsomer Murders
• Tom Barnaby, Midsomer Murders
• Red Barry, Red Barry
• P. K. Basu, by Narayan Sanyal
• Martin Beck, by Sjöwall and Wahlöö
• Ambrose Bierce, by Oakley Hall
• Blacksad, by Juan Díaz Canales and Juanjo Guarnido
• Detective Inspector Napoleon "Bony" Bonaparte, by Arthur Upfield
• James Bond by Ian Fleming
• FBI Agent Seeley Booth, Bones, by Kathy Reichs
• Harry Bosch, by Michael Connelly
• Slam Bradley, Slam Bradley
• Father Brown, by G. K. Chesterton
• Romeo Brown, Romeo Brown
• Detective Sammy Bryant, Southland

C

• Brother Cadfael, The Cadfael Chronicles by Ellis Peters
• Rick Cahill, Yesterday's Echo by Matt Coyle
• Lieutenant Horatio Caine, CSI: Miami
• Slim Callaghan, by Peter Cheyney
• Vincent Calvino, by Christopher G. Moore
• Albert Campion, by Margery Allingham
• Inspector Canardo, Canardo
• Frank Cannon, Cannon
• Nick Carter, Nick Carter
• Peter Timotheus "Tim" Carsten, TKKG by Rolf Kalmuczak
• Henri Cassin, So Dark the Night
• Richard Castle, Castle
• Charlie Chan, by Earl Derr Biggers
• Nick Charles, The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett
• Dipak Chatterjee, by Samarendranath Pandey
• Clifton, by Raymond Macherot and later authors
• Inspector Clouseau, The Pink Panther
• Rustin Cohle, True Detective by Nic Pizzolatto
• Elvis Cole, by Robert Crais
• Lieutenant Columbo, Columbo
• FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper, Twin Peaks
• Michael Cordero, Jane the Virgin
• Peter Crenshaw, Three Investigators by Robert Arthur Jr.
• Carland Cross, Carland Cross.
• Mateo Cruz, BAU Section Chief, Criminal Minds

D

• Dr. Phil D'Amato, by Paul Levinson
• Harry D'Amour, by Clive Barker
• Adam Dalgliesh, by P. D. James
• Detective Superintendent Andy Dalziel, Dalziel and Pascoe by Reginald Hill
• Lieutenant Cedric Daniels, The Wire
• Shabor Dasgupta, by Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay
• Lucas Davenport, by John Sandford
• Peter Decker, by Faye Kellerman
• Judge Dee, by Robert van Gulik
• Alex Delaware, by Jonathan Kellerman
• Harry Devlin, by Martin Edwards
• Dick, The Famous Five by Enid Blyton
• Mike Dime, by Barry Fantoni
• Dylan Dog, by Tiziano Sclavi
• Harry Dresden, The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
• Dan Dunn, by Norman W. Marsh
• Nathaniel Dusk, (DC Comics)

E

• Eken Babu, by Sujan Dasgupta

F

• Marcus Didius Falco, by Lindsey Davis
• Erast Fandorin, by Boris Akunin
• Dr. Gideon Fell, by John Dickson Carr
• Feluda, by Satyajit Ray
• Detective Don Flack, CSI: NY
• Detective Inspector Malcolm Fox, by Ian Rankin

G

• Detective Sergeant David Gabriel, The Closer
• Inspector Gadget, Inspector Gadget
• Commander George Gideon, by John Creasey
• Pandab Goenda, by Sasthipada Chattopadhyay
• Gogol, by Samaresh Basu
• Gordianus the Finder, by Steven Saylor
• Detective Inspector Alan Grant, by Josephine Tey
• Inspector Gregson, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
• Inspector Goole, An Inspector Calls

H

• Healer, played by Ji Chang-wook
• Mike Hammer, by Mickey Spillane
• Hanpei Hattori, Kikaider, by Shotaro Ishinomori
• Heiji Hattori, by Gosho Aoyama
• Hawkshaw, Hawkshaw the Detective
• Wayne Hays, True Detective, by Nic Pizzolato
• Shotaro Hidari, Kamen Rider W
• Ric Hochet, Ric Hochet
• Harry Hole, by Jo Nesbø
• Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
• Somerset Holmes, Somerset Holmes
• Aaron Hotchner, BAU unit chief, Criminal Minds

J

• Barnaby Jones, Barnaby Jones
• Athelney Jones, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
• Jupiter Jones, Three Investigators by Robert Arthur Jr.
• Gil Jourdan by Gil Jourdan
• Julian, The Famous Five by Enid Blyton

K

• Kakababu, by Sunil Gangopadhyay
• Martin Kane, Martin Kane, Private Eye
• Julian Kestrel, by Kate Ross
• Rip Kirby, Rip Kirby
• Nick Knatterton, Nick Knatterton.
• Detective Lieutenant Theo Kojak, Kojak
• Detective Vince Korsak, Rizzoli & Isles
• Shinichi Kudo, Case Closed

L

• L Lawliet, Death Note
• Lew Archer, by Ross Macdonald (name converted to Lew Harper in several films starring Paul Newman).
• Thomas Lynley, by Elizabeth George
• Inspector Lestrade, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

M

• Constable Hamish Macbeth, by Marion Chesney
• Detective Vic Mackey, The Shield
• Thomas Magnum, Magnum, P.I.
• Jules Maigret, by Georges Simenon
• Joe Mannix, Mannix
• Philip Marlowe, by Raymond Chandler
• Perry Mason, by Erle Stanley Gardner
• Angus McDonald, The Adventure Zone
• Travis McGee, by John D. MacDonald
• Detective Jimmy McNulty, The Wire
• Sir Henry Merrivale, by Carter Dickson
• Prodosh C. Mitter, (aka Feluda) by Satyajit Ray
• Adrian Monk, Monk
• Richard Moore/Kogoro Mori, by Gosho Aoyama
• Derek Morgan, Criminal Minds
• Inspector Morse, by Colin Dexter
• Bhaduri Moshai, by Nirendranath Chakraborty
• FBI Special Agent Fox Mulder, The X-Files
• Bangladesh Counter Intelligence Masud Rana, Masud Rana
• Mouri Kogorou, Case Closed
• Inspector Juzo Megure, Case Closed
• Detective William Murdoch, Murdoch Mysteries

N

• Sokichi Narumi, Kamen Rider W
• Detective Zack Nichols, Law & Order: Criminal Intent
• Bogey Nicholson, Bogey

P

• Detective Sergeant Peter Pascoe, Dalziel and Pascoe by Reginald Hill
• Hercule Poirot, by Agatha Christie
• Bernard Prince, Bernard Prince
• Detective Lieutenant Louie Provenza, The Closer
• Jake Peralta (Brooklyn Nine-Nine)
• Problem Sleuth (Problem Sleuth)

Q

• Ellery Queen, The Adventures of Ellery Queen

R

• Jack Reacher, by Lee Child
• Detective Danny Reagan, Blue Bloods
• Detective Inspector John Rebus, by Ian Rankin
• Spencer Reid, Criminal Minds
• Arkady Renko, of the Moscow Militsya, by Martin Cruz Smith
• Dave Robicheaux, by James Lee Burke
• Detective Inspector Jack Robinson, Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries
• Jim Rockford, The Rockford Files
• Lincoln Rhyme, by Jeffery Deaver
• David Rossi, Unit Senior Agent, Criminal Minds
• Kiriti Roy, by Dr. Nihar Ranjan Gupta

S

• Sakkarbaar by Gunvantrai Acharya
• Colonel Niladri Sarkar by Syed Mustafa Siraj
• Willi "Klößchen" Sauerlich, TKKG by Rolf Kalmuczak
• Michael Shayne, by Brett Halliday
• Dan Shepherd, by Stephen Leather
• Sergeant Andy Sipowicz, NYPD Blue
• Sam Spade, by Dashiell Hammett
• Lance Spearman, in African Film magazine
• Doctor Spektor, Doctor Spektor
• Shawn Spencer, Psych
• Spenser, by Robert B. Parker
• Detective Elliot Stabler, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
• Nigel Strangeways, by Cecil Day-Lewis
• Professor John Stubbs, by Ruthven Todd
• Detective Matthew Scudder, by Lawrence Block
• Shuichi Saihara, Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony

T

• Goenda Tatar, by Sasthipada Chattopadhyay
• Tif, Tif et Tondu
• Detective Inspector Tom Thorne, by Mark Billingham
• Tondu, Tif et Tondu
• Philip Trent, by E. C. Bentley
• Detective David Tapp, by James Wan and Leigh Whannell

V

• Detective Van Zwam, The Adventures of Nero
• Philo Vance, by S. S. Van Dine
• Nick Valentine, Fallout 4
• Karl "Computer" Vierstein, TKKG by Rolf Kalmuczak

W

• Inspector Kurt Wallander, by Henning Mankell
• Dr. John Watson, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
• Chief Inspector Reginald Wexford, by Ruth Rendell
• Lord Peter Wimsey, by Dorothy L. Sayers
• Nero Wolfe, by Rex Stout
• William Murdoch, Murdoch Mysteries

Y

• Inspector Jugo Yokomizo, Detective Conan
• Inspector Sango Yokomizo, Detective Conan
• Inspector Misao Yamamura, Detective Conan

Z

• Inspector Koichi Zenigata, Lupin III, by Monkey Punch